So a hundred dollars later and small game of web-phone-word.of.mouth-tag the problem with the Brother’s presser feet, is now in the process of being fixed (or at least slowed down). As it may have been mentioned before the presser feet collection for this machine (the Brother DB2-B791-015) have come from an older Singer 600WI, which is a standard drop feed - straight stitch industrial sewing machine. Therefor the presser feet are not slotted for the motion of the needle feed style mechanism that the Brother uses. The everyday foot (of a needle feed machine) has a longer slot and a wider opening to allow the needle to pass through on it’s down motion, while it is pulling the fabric back (this foot was ordered from a company in Hopkinsville, Kentucky by the name of Dunlap Sunbrand). Some of the old feet had been customized by using a Dremel tool, which can also be done by leaving your old presser feet with a good sewing shop that you trust. However, after grinding down a bunch of material from two of the cheaper feet that the Brother uses, it was clear that although it may get the job done, it is time consuming and slightly, well, maybe, mmm, too inaccurate, for industry quality taste and expectations. This of course brings up the issue of the right tool for the job, which should always be taken advantage of when you can. Thus introducing the milling machine. It was obvious that in order to have the feet correctly modified it would take the expertise of a machinist and their milling machine to precisely cut through the feet from the underside and then widen and elongate the slot for the needle to pass through. Some of the concerns were that the cut would have to be, A) in the correct spot (obviously) in relationship not to the usual “hole” that a presser foot has for the needle to rise and fall through, but in relationship to where the presser foot is mounted to the needle bar, this is because, as close as each foot is to the next in terms of needle to foot, each one is slightly different due to human error, so it is of most importance to consider where the needle bar and receiving end of the presser foot meet because this is going to be the most consistent juncture. Next, B) that it was of the correct dimensions, of course this too is fairly obvious, but the interesting thing is that on the Brother, it consistently places the needle towards the right-inside of the presser foot opening. So no matter how wide the gap is, for somereasont he right side is always too close, the problem of that leads into section C. Here is the largest concern of the customization of the feet, C) in sewing we must consider the materials that are being used, in this particular sense it would primarily consist of cotton, polyester, and nylon, and then any combination of those three and beyond (rayon, silk, wool, vinyl, hemp, leather, solar sheeting, etc. etc.), with the largest issue being abrasion. For sewing - abrasion may be the biggest antibody that exsists. Every time you run a stitch or seam the thread is passed through numerous holes and entry ways, not to mention the fabric which it is mending together. For the Brother and it’s feet the big C has to deal with the fact that the cuts or millwork has to leave it with no burs. It is extremely important that when all is said and done at the end of the day, that the presser feet are completely smooth in any area where the thread or material may come into contact with them. In some tests of the feet which were retro-fitted with the Dremel tool, the thread would sometimes split sue to microscopic burs int he edge of the foot where the thread was rubbing everytime it passed up and down. This is very important, in all areas of the machine, the needle plate, the presser feet, the needles, the bed of the machine, the table which holds all of this, must be as smooth and free of burs, splinters, or anything else that may catch the materials and cause a tear. Just think about things being smooo-th and you should be alright. With the right people and the right tools, all of the cuts should be very very easy to smooth out, unlike the many different ridges and vertexes that result from the Dremel tool bit (which is not always the case, but the right tool for the job won in this situation).

While we wait for the newly composed feet to come back from the machine shop…

H.R. Slater Co. Inc 2050 West 18th Street Chicago, IL 60608 tel. 312/666/1855 c/o Bob

which was recommended by Frank at Ecker-Erhardt Co. 2347 West 18th Street Chicago, IL 60608 tel. 312/226/6030

with Frank being mentioned by John at Mechanical Engineering Products Company Inc. 1319 West Lake Street Chicago, IL 60607 tel. 312/421/3375

…here are two images of four presser feet for a Singer 111 model needle feed machine (that were found at Eddy Sewing Machine in Los Angeles). Unfortunately they have a different way of syncing up to the machines needle bar, so they are of no use to the Brother DB2-B791-015. But they give a clear example of the exaggerated cuts and wider stance that the slot for a needle feed machine presser foot needs. From the left, number 1and 3 are the best example, number 2 and 4 are probably just like Linko 211 and 212 presser feet - for the inside radius of a jean pocket.

Keeping with the idea of cutting devices here are a couple more images. One is an image of the tools that aid the projects made on the Brother DB2-B791-015. And one of an image found via the Internet of someone cutting a large bulk of denim, it is hard to say how much but you can look and see for yourself. The tool this person is using is clearly similar to the Blue Streak II but on steroids.

The following is a recently received comment which is quite intriguing -

>>“Can we get a moment of silence for this small chronic break?…..”

>>”(During which time I’ll quickly interject some thoughts on the DeWalt 12″ Double-Bevel Compound Miter Saw. Is it appropriate in this forum to speak of this machine? It would seem so, or “seam” so, insomuch as the miter saw is divisive at separating material into two pieces, or creating a seam. I suppose its equivalent here would be the “seam ripper” or a pair of shears or scissors. The efficiency this particular saw exhibits, in my limited experience, I find fascinating. The torque coming up from the spinning blade, the tears a soft wood lets out as the blade turns its solid into particles, the smooth dimensional prison this tool captures trees in [by the way, did you know they are growing square ones now?]. The operational function is very simple, or at least in terms of the user’s involvement: just pull down, “chop,” and multiples abound. What are your thoughts on a machine like the Dewalt 12″ Double-Bevel Compound Miter Saw? It creates the pieces and parts to be brought together into some-thing that your machine in a way fulfills - although in a different area and with different material. What sort of relationship do these two monsters have?)”<<

Very interesting indeed. The only way to get into this question would be to propose the industrial sewing equipment equivalent - the Blue Streak II -

with a reciprocating (also called oscillating) vertical blade that does the cutting, much like a jigsaw. In the picture you see the blade is about 6″ tall and sits atop a base that has small wheels at each corner so that the Blue Streak II can be pushed around a pattern which is layed flat on the floor or table. These types of industrial fabric cutters are capable of cutting fabric up to 5″ thick, which means that you can cut out many patterns at once. Typically these are only used in large production houses such as a sail making shop, where there will be cuts as long as 10 meters, which for obvious reasons would require this kind of tool. A chain-mail glove is worn as the user walks around the pattern which is weighted to the floor with bricks or other weighting devices so that the multiple layers of fabric do not slide or shift while cutting, causing irregularities in their carefully planned patterns. When all of your cutting is done, it is time to re-sharpen the blade. This is accomplished by two bands of fine tooth sandpaper or emery cloth, which come in contact to the blade at about a 15-20 degree angle. In the picture you can locate these just under the main body of the cutter, they look like rubber bands and are perpendicular to the blade. With the flick of a switch they are driven like a chain on a bike and simultaneously slide down the blade and back up again. It is not something to lose a finger in.

Perhaps the most interesting relationship between these two cutting/dividing devices is that they both split nearly millions of fibers within seconds. Whether it is wood or fabric, both are composed of grain, warp, weft, fibers, structural patterns - human made and organic, which are most of all - naked to the eye.