hackish

Not at all, look at the parts book and order the USA plug harness. My KE-430D came with a stepup transformer but it's not necessary. The motors run at 48v so it's simply a power supply connection. A lot of machine sellers don't know this about the newer electronic tackers and will sell you the 110v-220v transformer. -Michael

You are a lucky one. My machine collection started with a 112w140 sold to me by another rigger. I got completely screwed with a machine that was badly worn out and I over-paid, trusting that the price was fair. $800CAD and it needed an additional $400 in parts just to make it work. Bought a 20U that sewed pretty well on the light thread it was used for but needed a lot of adjustments to get it to work properly with E-Thread. Bought a Brother KE-430D. Had to replace a significant number of missing/worn out parts and it still doesn't sew perfectly. Turns out one of the stepper motor drivers was burned out on the main board so I had to buy a new component from China and repair it myself ($1000 for a new controller board... um... NO!). Machine was $3500 and I'm into it for about $600 in parts. I should have bought a brand new machine. I'm really thinking of trading in my 112W140 for something else. Maybe newer and maybe with a puller. Whatever I get I'd be happy with something that just sews out of the box. -Michael

Hi, Much of the discussion that goes on in the rigging forum is related to gear and opinions. Any actual rigging work that could be of benefit to others is quickly lost in the flood of posts. I think we need a sub-forum for rigging related projects. From simple repairs to fabricating components and major (master rigger) level repairs. This could be useful for general rigger knowledge as well as discussion and tips/tricks for those interested in more than simply packing a reserve here and there. -Michael

This machine was a good price and being sold by a repair shop as being freshly refurbished. I specified that it should be sewed off on 5 cord. Ultimately it came loaded with chisel tip leather needles and 6 cord. People don't care if there are some badly formed stitches on a buffing wheel but we rigger folk should be more picky for a reason. I'm into it for about $150 for the hook, a couple bobbins, new takeup spring and the proper presser foot. A class 7 machine for $1500 is still good. I just wish I could purchase a machine that's refurbished and sewn off and was ready to sew with. The good news is if I ever need a 3rd job as an industrial machine mechanic I'll be good to go! -Michael

It's not really possible to watch stitch formation. I found a hook assembly on ebay for $20 and it showed up today. I didn't realize that the hook assembly in the machine is actually a knockoff. The genuine singer part is a lot thinner at the hook area. It doesn't have the same problem with pinching the thread. Swapped the hook and the problem seems to be gone! Yay. I have to stop buying sewing machines now. -Michael

Got off the phone with them. Nice bunch of old school people. I guess it's standard that everyone wants a bunch of samples to sew off. I had just assumed that what we were doing was pretty standard and thus someone would have a handful on the shelf already. $400 for a binder setup, better be a good one. -Michael

Hm. I suppose I'm sort of measuring a 2x4 with a micrometer here... I will try the flashlight thing but it's a bit frustrating because I never know when it will form a bad stitch so I haven't been able to catch it. I thought about sticking a gopro under there and then going back to see if I can see what is different on the bad ones. -Michael

I've read a few threads and contacted atlanta attachments to inquire about a binder. They want a bunch of samples and lots of time plus a good chunk of change. I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation on a company that has already built a bunch of folders for the skydiving community and thus have a working design? I'm prepared to pay for it provided it works well. I've used a few chinese specials and they are worth about what you pay for them. -Michael

It is the correct needle. Took a lot of orders to get the proper 7x1 #27. When I get time to work on it I will take pictures of what I'm talking about. The hook the needle clearance is indeed adjustable, it's just that with an oscillating hook machine the hook needs clearance for the needle to pass on the way down before the hook tip passes the scarf and picks up the loop. The installed hook has no clearance at all so you could have the needle strike the hook every time so it springs back for the tip to pass in the scarf area. That doesn't seem right to me but it's how the machine came setup. -Michael

I'll play with the tension some more. I removed the hook and ground the edges down. I also ground a relief in the back to provide more needle to hook clearance on the down-stroke. This has greatly reduced the fraying problem. The part I don't understand is why there is even a scarf on these needles because the hook would hit the needle on the down-stroke if it is closer than the edge of the needle. -Michael

The needle is new and I've buffed any nicks on the hook. The tension is also correct. The needle height is correct and timing is not adjustable (it's correct anyway). The bad stitches I show occur only about 1/50 stitches. The sewing machine mechanic said that's the best you'll get for a 60 year old machine but I know better. When you look at the bad stitches it's almost like they're extra twisted. The thread 5 cord purchased from Paragear. I'm feeling like this is pointing to the hook. It is about 0.010" from touching on the downstroke and there is about 0.100" as the hook passes the scarf. -Michael

I bought a Singer 7-33 and although it forms stitches it doesn't sew properly. Not to my standard. It was freshly "refurbished" when I bought it. It stitches but will have a weird bunched up bottom side occasionally. The concern I have is that maybe someone has modified this hook because there doesn't seem to be any relief at all for the needle to pass and I would have expected the tip of the hook to protrude at least as much as the depth of the needle scarf. I think it is perfectly flat as if someone put it on a surface grinder. It also chews the thread slightly. A new hook is $300. -Michael

I think a discussion with instructors plus a visit to a boogie where you can try some canopies would be smart. Would you purchase a car without ever test driving it? I drive a katana and a safire2. I started jumping the katana 150 loaded at about 1.35 at 280ish jumps. If I knew then what I knew now then I wouldn't recommend it to myself even though I never had any bad landings and never hurt myself on it. At nearly 1000 jumps there are still things I can learn on it. A firebolt could be another one to consider. -Michael

I think I'm the king of buying busted machines for too much money. I've bought a number of machines and have never gotten one that worked properly right out of the box. I think part of it is that people stitching buffing wheels don't care if their machine occasionally drops a stitch. -Michael

They are quite easy to time if you know what you're doing. I'd say they are as easy or easier than any other sewing machine... -Michael

I think it's an interesting question. If I was under a CSPA A or a FAA Sr. Rigger ticket I don't think I'd touch it. To me it's an alteration and the FAA says I'd need a master rating. CSPA says I'd need a Rigger B. Would I want the alteration to be done before packing it? Yes. -Michael

Duct work... Good idea. The thickness they use these days I wonder if it's possible to get rid of the sharp edges... If I still had my metal shop I would have cut one out with the plasma cutter in about 10 minutes... I did find a good source for matboard which is about 3/32" thick used in picture framing. Turns out they sell the defective 40" sheets for about $5ea. They're reasonably easy to cut. In fact if I had a lot of patterns to do some framing companies have CnC cutters for them that will do any arbitrary shape. -Michael

Rob, Among skydivers I believe you. A stable deployment by an experienced jumper, squares have such a nice neat staging sequence. For an unstable non-jumper pilot who cannonballs out of the wreckage and pulls the handle, offset in their harness and spinning like a pinwheel - I assume rounds are more reliable. Maybe I'm wrong? The only rounds I've ever deployed were the paracommander variety and I felt like the opening completed in far fewer feet than any properly functioning modern square. -Michael

I feel like most pilots would use their pep only after trying to fly the wreckage down to 1000ft. Couple that with a probable unstable deployment I feel like a round could be a better choice. I think a 30% chance of an injury like an ankle beats trading it for a 10% chance of fatality.

That is a good idea. I wonder how well the aluminum works compared to the cardboard method. Specifically does it pull too much heat out of your hot knife ? I just wish I still had my plasma cutter. I guess I could get some cut on a water jet. I could try a series of rings so the seam allowance could be marked as well...

Here is what I've been using. The slots are to mark where the 3/8 tape goes and the square is for marking the top layer and cutting the hole in the mesh. I was hoping that someone had found some nifty toy or tool so they could cut and mark arbitrary sizes rather than needing a stack of templates to do the different sizes. Don't you just know that the 30" template is about 2" bigger than my cutting mirror??? ;) -Michael

I replaced a pilot chute and the review of the jumper brought to everyone's attention the fact that a series of really worn out ratty pilot chutes are in need of replacement! Now I have orders for 8 of them and I'm wondering what innovative ways people have developed for cutting out the circles? Since I like to play around with the process I've tried a few things. I tried attaching the iron to peg and rotating it around but the netting doesn't stay put well enough. I tried quartering it and as expected it did a nice job of basting the edges together. Cheap 30" pizza pans? A laser? Yes Mr. Bond, a LASER! That would be fun. Cardboard with aluminum tape around the edge... What do other people do? -Michael

too bad I saw this so late. There is a place in ottawa. i walked in picked the stuff i wanted and paid for it. done deal.

Eric, I think emotionally you're feeling like everyone stole the idea of a MARD off you. I spent 3 years fiddling with mine. I think Booth told me he'd been toying with the idea for well over a decade. Certainly the opportunity for simultaneous discovery of the same idea exists. People fiddle and test things for many years before taking it to market. Some are implementations of very old ideas. Example: Soft Links... Patent protection is a well established system. If you feel that someone has infringed then please go ahead and sue them. Manufacturers have taken an obvious idea and implemented it in different ways. They may infringe they may not. If you could convince a court of this then you might have something. Otherwise maybe it would be beneficial to participate in the discussion. You could show some photos of what you developed and patented and show a comparison of how the peregerine system is the same or different. That would be a start. -Michael

I went to the factory for a 1 on 1 demo with their rigger. I find it to be complex for my taste but they had thought of all the major things I could think of that were safety related. Based on the facts they gave me it has a moderately higher disconnect rate after activation. -Michael