Okay, so I go scrounging for stuff. Fellow has an air compressor, I need an air compressor. Not a 10hp 3 phase four cylinder two stage air compressor atm, but hey, price is right, needs repairs. He asks me if I want any sewing machines. Sewing machines? Yeah, he says “I wanted a pair of lathes at auction, and they were in the lot.” Step inside the garage, and there are likely 10 or more of them. Industrial sewing machines. Oh yeah, and a riveter, and belter or eyelet installing gizmo. “Odds are it is from the shoe factory. Know anybody that wants some of these? I am gonna scrap them soon.” “My wife uses one, goes through four layers denim no problem.” And a Giant I kid you not paper cutter… like a 4 foot blade.
So… odds are, if the hive wants em, they are cheap, I can likely haul 3 or so at a time. Store em, sell em, use em… throw the cash towards a different machine. Opportunity knocks. Any interest? Told the fellow I would see if anybody could use one.
If they’re in working order or close to it, one or two of those sewing machines might be very interesting indeed. Particularly with the new shop area opening up in the next month or so, and a need to focus on quieter operations in that space.
Man, the machine tools, I knew what I was looking at… the sewing machines? Not so much. Lots of singers, but they looked pretty complete, undercarriage motor, tabletop mounts all. Some larger, some smaller. There is a really nice retailer of sewing machines in Amelia, odds are they could be hauled there, and a pro opinion taken. What I do know is that if you want to sew several layers of thick stuff, the average machine just does not perform well. These looked like (at a glance) the same kind of thing a friend ran a business making custom caving suits with (cordura… lots of cordura). Anyway, we were within say 5 miles of the shoe factory… odds are that some of those are stout machines.
an industrial sewing machine that can do heavy stuff would be a very nice thing to have, but be warned that they are not like a home sewing machine. I vote yes on this.
I just bought a really rusty Singer 29-4 that I’m skeptical I’ll be able to get working. It’s probably 100 years old. It’s a treadle, but people who convert them to motors decide to go back to the treadle for better control.
We have a small single sheet rolling cutter. Or we could purchase an office class machine.
The style mentioned here is usually a 6 foot square freestanding machine that can cut the binding off a book or go through multiple reams of paper in one shot.
While I usually advocate for the best kind of killing, in this case we could probably save the floor space and just ask the print shop next door for assistance.
Yeah, paper chompers are a hard sell… I know of two in scrap yards, one from the 1800’s. But I’d offer 20 apiece for the sewing machines and probably get them. The fellow wants his shop space more than the machines… so, as a side project to make cash for a different project, I’d be hard to lose. Store the best two above the lounge, or haul em to the rafters for later… Sell the rest towards a new gizmotron 3000 of the hive’s choice. I love the gizmotron 3000.
The problem with putting things into the rafter for sale later is that they sit for months/years, and then get thrown out. I think we’re best off with just stuff we can use pretty immediately. Otherwise the Hive starts becoming the place where old tech goes to die…
An example of this at work: The plasma cutter I got is living elsewhere because … I failed to pay attention and notice it was 3 phase. I didn’t want to drag something that wasn’t immediately useful (there is no 3 phase wiring in the hive’s space at this time) down here because the hive is getting rather space limited and more large boatanchors benefit no one except the person not having to store their boatanchor themselves.
-D
An example of this at work: The plasma cutter I got is living elsewhere because … I failed to pay attention and notice it was 3 phase. I didn’t want to drag something that wasn’t immediately useful (there is no 3 phase wiring in the hive’s space at this time) down here because the hive is getting rather space limited and more large boatanchors benefit no one except the person not having to store their boatanchor themselves.
Pretty sure we’ve got 3 phase, at least run to the building. Not sure where it might go as far as circuits. I believe Greg might know.
“there is no 3 phase wiring in the hive’s space at this time”
Who knows how long it would take to get it run blah blah blah.
point: contribute to a workable space not clutter.
-D
3 phase isn’t in dirty room yet. But maybe someone will run it or propose a vote to pay for electrician to do so. I’d love to have 3 phase in the dirty room. But have no expertise in what it takes to get it there.
