static electricity?

[bailadorlumbroso]

Hi,
New to the business and recently purchased a 2006 XT from the factory. Have had difficulty with thread breaks since day one and have eliminated most problems with the use of a humidifier. I am attempting to sew out a leather jacket with a 100k design and am shredding thread like it's goin' out of style! Finally shut down the machine in frustration. I am using 80/12 needles from Madiera, have the presser foot set at 3, I have tried setting it at 2 with no difference, and am using #40 polyester thread.
Please help, I am truly running out of patience with this machine!!
Many thanx,

Mike
Cruiser's Custom Embroidery

[Greenwing]

Try increasing your lower thread feed limit to 3-5 May be higher, I had to do this when I was sewing leather seemed to help.
Be sure your design columns are not have too much density or you will cut your design out of the garment.
Also BE SURE YOUR using a SHARP and the Orientation NO MORE THE 5 degrees to the right.
Actually if you notice it to the right more then likely your too far. 5 degrees is very slight.

[bailadorlumbroso]

Thanks for the reply Jerome, I am using a sharp and have tried to shift the orientation many times, but never to the left and certainly no more than 5 degrees to the right with no change. I cancelled the actifeed and manually set it to 4 and that made a difference for a while. I actually got through more than 100 stitches without a thread break, then, BANG!
The design sews out well for denim and sweatshirts, but for leather......... Since I've already ruined my customers jacket I'm at the point where I can try ANY suggestion!
Is there anyone out there who has extensive experience working with leather on an Amaya XT?

Mike
Cruiser's Custom Embroidery
274 Garver Lane
Los Alamos, NM
87544
505-672-4087

[Greenwing]

Increase your material thickness setting and Put it back on actifeed.

[Greenwing]

This is from the Tajima group but it applies here..

STITCHING LEATHER
Stitching an embroidery design on leather certainly can offer an embroiderer some
challenges but in reality, it really is not that difficult. As in any embroidery work,
having a good understanding of embroidery basics goes a long way in creating a
quality stitchout.
When stitching on leather, the goal will be to 1) punch as few holes as possible
2) make these holes as small as possible and 3) space the holes as far apart as you can.
Needle punctures in leather that are too close together, will create a series of perforations
resulting in a stitchout which can literally be lifted off the leather .... leaving a large hole where the design once was.
Often, the largest variable in stitching leather will be the leather itself. The type, quality and thickness will dictate
your specific stitching requirements but in general when working with leather, consider these points:
[ Use a quality design digitized or edited specifically for leather. A poor design can cause havoc with the
leather and add excessive demands on the embroidery machine.
[ If a design was not digitized specifically for leather, reduce the stitch density as much as possible. Amount
of reduction will vary with the density of the original design but generally 10 - 30 % will be the target.
[ Remove or lengthen short stitches. In most cases, stitch length should be 3mm or a bit longer. If it becomes
necessary to use s slightly shorter stitches, do not concentrate many of these shorter stitches in one area.
[ A target minimum stitch length of 4 mm for fill stitches is desirable. Depending on the design, size of needle
and the leather itself, slightly shorter fill stitch lengths may work [3mm should be an absolute minimum]
[ Delete or minimize underlay stitching. With most leather, little or no underlay stitches are required.
Remember, when stitching leather the goal is to produce as few holes as possible.
[ Ideally, column [satin] stitches should be at least 4mm in width. This along with reduced stitch density will
insure that the leather is not perforated to the point that the design can be torn from the material.
[ Size and type of needle used will vary depending on the leather but always use the smallest needle
possible [e.g. on soft light leather, a regular 70/10 sharp works well, use larger needles only when needed].
[ Slow the machines stitching speed down. Friction is created between the needle and leather during the
stitching process and lowering the machine speed will help reduce this friction.
[ Applying a drop of thread lubricant like Sew-Smooth, Sewer’s Aid, etc. to the needle[s] will also help
reduce friction when stitching leather.
[ When hooping, do not attempt to “stretch” the leather. It should be reasonably taunt and smooth in the
hoop but never stretched.
[ With regular hoops avoid having them too tight, wrap the inner hoop with strips of stabilizer or athletic tape,
hoop leather just before you are ready to stitch and remove hoops immediately after stitching.
[ To reduce hoop marks, try using something other than traditional hoops. Systems like fast frames,
clamping frames, etc can be an effective alternative.
[ Leather in itself is very stable so often the use of a stabilizer is not a necessity. However, when stitching
leather most embroiderer’s will use a tear-away [if for no other reason than piece of mind].
[ Test stitch your design on scraps of similar material before attempting the real thing. Thrift stores or
upholstery shops are often a good place to pick up leather.
[ PRAY ..... a lot. Not because leather is difficult to stitch on but because mistakes often mean that the
damage is permanent and the item is ruined.
Use the above information as a guide only. Depending on the leather itself, the item being stitched, the machine
used, the embroiderer’s experience or personal preference, complexities of the design, etc. .... variations of the
above tips may become necessary.

[Steve I]

You may also want to try using a cutting point needle (diamond shaped or trianlgle shaped point. I don't remember what the letters are for the cutting point, but call whomever you buy your needles from and ask them.

Steve
Trinity Embroidery

[bailadorlumbroso]

Thanks for the great advice! I followed instructions and found that once I got off of needle #1 (the greater portion of the design, of course) that the machine performed flawlessly. I removed the two layers of cutaway backing, set the presser foot on two clicks, reset to actifeed, and bingo! Now I just have to figure out what's with needle #1!
Thanks again!

Mike
Cruiser's Custom Embroidery

[PaulH]

Mike

Noticed your first post regarding static electricity. Check your thread braek sensor...when looking at the machine front left side of thread break sensor. There should be a little brass colored clip...it is an anti static clip Melco part number (33294). At one time these were not on the machines but now they are standard. It will make a big difference with false and real thread breaks. It attaches to the screw at one end and presses against the thread break sensor bar.

As for needle orientation, I use a jewelers loop (magnifying glass...for extreme close up) to orient my needles....take a bit longer but ensure my needles are straight or at no more than 5 degrees right.

The earlier post regarding sewing on leather is right on....thread fraying is usually a sign of to much density in the design.

I have also found that needle 1 and 16 are more sensitive and if you are going to have any issues that is where they will show up first.

Paul Harrison