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Q About Zipper Foot

7K views 48 replies 6 participants last post by  horvath 
#1 ·
I just got a zipper foot today for the Tacsew. After installing it, I can see how this foot becomes a favorite.

My question is, I noticed there are teeth on the bottom side of the needle foot ... but there are no teeth on the bottom sides of the needle-feet on my regular foot or on my welting foot -- is there a reason that there are teeth on the bottom of the needle foot for the zipper foot but *not* on the other types of feet?

This makes me favor the zipper foot for yet another reason -- it seems to me that there's gonna be a better movement of the material with teeth on the bottom of the needle foot ... yes?
 
#2 ·
There are teeth on the feed dog and also on the throat plate that pull the fabric through as the feet walk above them. I don't know why there are teeth on your zipper foot. I sew zippers (and everything else, for that matter) with my welt foot.
 
#4 ·
I have the standard foot on my machine and I really want to get a welting foot, but I'm a bit confused by all the options available. I've found welting feet that fit my machine everywhere from 1/4" up to 3/4" (now that's some BIG welt!) If it were you, Dan, which size would you get first? Is there a size that you would consider to be "standard" or even "most common?" Also, do you prefer Left or Right side welting feet, and why?

Man, whodathunk sewing could get so complicated? :D
 
#5 ·
HA! Wait till you start doing your first few projects! LOL! I was going to make some boots today (shifter, hand and foot brakes) ... but I wound up bringing my shifter knob in the house and spent all day (7 hours) trying to make a leather cover for it.

On my 7th try, I nailed it -- check it out Here

PS - My guess on the most common welting foot is 1/4".
 
#6 · (Edited)
Dusty82 said:
If it were you, Dan, which size would you get first? :D
Dusty: Sorry I didn't answer you sooner, I've been really busy.
You must have a presser foot on your machine now. I use a 1/4" welt foot to sew straight seams and almost everything else, including zippers. It takes the welt on the left side of the needle bar. I use #5 Marine zipper tape (wider tape, bigger teeth) in 100 yard rolls. If you want to see how I do a zipper, I can take some pictures, but you don't see zippers in car interiors very much. The only other welt feet I have are 3/8" and 5/8". The 3/8" is for larger welt than the standard 5/32". The 5/8" is used to make windlace with 1/2" sponge rod for around door openings. I use 4/32" or 3/32" plastic foam type weltcord for auto and boat interiors. This is smaller than the standard 5/32", but the thickness of leather and vinyl make up the difference. I don't like to use welting in cars because it's the first thing to wear out. Anyway......start with a 1/4" welt foot. You won't need any others for a while.

Alan: I looked at your boot, and you absolutely nailed it! Congratulations!
 
#8 ·
DanTwoLakes said:
Dusty: Sorry I didn't answer you sooner, I've been really busy.
I understand completely. Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

DanTwoLakes said:
You must have a presser foot on your machine now. I use a 1/4" welt foot to sew straight seams and almost everything else, including zippers. It takes the welt on the left side of the needle bar.
I do have a standard presser foot, and I'm looking at a few other feet on that unnamed auction site. I was just confused as to which size was the better one to get started with. I'm going to be doing some welting in my boat's upholstery, and I figure I need to get started practicing on that.

DanTwoLakes said:
I use #5 Marine zipper tape (wider tape, bigger teeth) in 100 yard rolls. If you want to see how I do a zipper, I can take some pictures, but you don't see zippers in car interiors very much.
Funny you should mention zippers... I'd love to see some pics on zippers. I have about 20 yards of zipper, but I have no idea what size - it's pretty much what you'd find on blue jeans, except on white fabric. I have the zipper slides and ends too, but no idea how to install them. One of the projects I have around the house will require zippers, so if you ever find time to post pics, I'd be grateful.

DanTwoLakes said:
The only other welt feet I have are 3/8" and 5/8". The 3/8" is for larger welt than the standard 5/32". The 5/8" is used to make windlace with 1/2" sponge rod for around door openings.
When I finally get to the point of upholstering my panel van, I'm going to need to make the door opening trim as well. Thanks for answering that question before I even knew I had it to ask! :thumbup:

DanTwoLakes said:
I use 4/32" or 3/32" plastic foam type weltcord for auto and boat interiors. This is smaller than the standard 5/32", but the thickness of leather and vinyl make up the difference. I don't like to use welting in cars because it's the first thing to wear out. Anyway......start with a 1/4" welt foot. You won't need any others for a while.
One of the things I got with this machine is a complete spool of 5/32" TrimFlex welting - it looks like plastic tubing to me. The spool says 500, but I don't know if that's feet or yards - probably feet, right? There are 4 spools of 1 1/4" Velcro too, but I don't know if they're complete spools. I'm not much for welting in automotive interiors myself, for the very same reason - I've noticed they wear out first too. I like Alan's French Seam idea much better. Thanks for the reply and all of the other info! I'm off to bid on the 1/4" welting foot!

DanTwoLakes said:
Alan: I looked at your boot, and you absolutely nailed it! Congratulations!
Ditto! Looks great Alan! Dude, you're smokin'. :pimp: Three projects done already, and I haven't even started my first - still learning the feel of the machine. :cool:

S'ok. I'm making my machine cover this weekend, then I'm going to start on a couple of household projects. The boat will soon follow.
 
#9 ·
Thanks, Dusty ... I sure did get a lot done this week! And I'm *really* enjoying the sewing!! Now I'm worried ... if I don't have a project to sew for a day or two, I know I'm gonna start going through withdrawal!

I hope you'll be posting pictures of all you do.

PS -- Hey, Dan: Suppose I wanted to cover the rubber welting that goes around my doors with leather ... would I do okay with a zipper foot or do I *need* to use a welting foot?
 
#10 · (Edited)
Dusty: I will post some zipper pics for you. (and everybody else) If you are going to start with a boat interior, you can use the 5/32 cord (which is probably 500 feet), but 4/32 plastic foam welt cord will not turn out so fat. ( I hate fat welts!!!!!) The zipper tape you have is probably not marine size 5 plastic, it's probably #5 aluminum or plastic. The reason I use #5 marine plastic zipper tape is very selfish. Regular metal or aluminum zipper tape has an arrow pointing to the direction the *********** has to go. With the plastic marine tape, the *********** can go in either direction, and it's stronger than regular zipper tapes. It's also 1 1/4 " wide which works out perfect with the welt foot I use. I can hook you up for all the raw materials you need, and any tips on boat interiors you can stand. Send me a PM.

Alan: I can sew you whatever you need for windlace for around the interior of your doors. Send me an e-mail with the length, and I will tell you what to cut.

Dan
 
#12 ·
DanTwoLakes said:
Dusty: I will post some zipper pics for you. (and everybody else) If you are going to start with a boat interior, you can use the 5/32 cord (which is probably 500 feet), but 4/32 plastic foam welt cord will not turn out so fat. ( I hate fat welts!!!!!) The zipper tape you have is probably not marine size 5 plastic, it's probably #5 aluminum or plastic. The reason I use #5 marine plastic zipper tape is very selfish. Regular metal or aluminum zipper tape has an arrow pointing to the direction the *********** has to go. With the plastic marine tape, the *********** can go in either direction, and it's stronger than regular zipper tapes. It's also 1 1/4 " wide which works out perfect with the welt foot I use. I can hook you up for all the raw materials you need, and any tips on boat interiors you can stand. Send me a PM.
Will do Dan! And thanks in advance for the pictures. The zipper I have looks like it has brass teeth. Then again it might just be some kind of goldtone on the metal. I'll post a pic later today.

I won't need any zippers on the boat - the upholstery is stapled to the plywood cushion base like a flat panel. See the pictures below. We're having a stretch of good weather right now (80 degrees on Monday) but they're talking snow again next week. Once spring has officially sprung, I have to replace the floor in the boat, then I start on the upholstery. I need a good stretch of temperatures of at least 65 degrees to do the fiberglassing that I need to do.

Here are a couple of pics of the boat seats as I got the boat. I'm just going to replace the lounge seats, then reupholster the rest of it myself. I found the seats I like, and got the manufacturer to send me a couple of samples of the vinyl they use on their seats so I can match colors. I found a local supplier for marine grade carpeting ($8 a yard) so that won't be too bad.

Jon & The Moderators: I'm not trying to turn this into a boat forum, or get this so far off topic that Admin feels the need to say something, I'm just trying to convey what I'm trying to do, and I'm sure the techniques have an automotive application - they will when I do my GMC, that's for sure. :thumbup:
 

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#13 ·
You will need several sizes of welting feet if you plan on doing much of it and get several sizes welt cord. The upholstery material goes around the cord and fits in the groove of the welt foot. Thicker material a given cord size requires a larger groove welt foot. I have several but rarely use them. I prefer the standard foot for general use. I use the zipper foot for windlace. I spray a little adhesive on the material and some on the windlace rubber, wrap the material around, then sew down the backside fairly close to the rubber with the zipper foot. Works better than the welt foot IMO. Zippers are not used in auto upholstery but is used in furniture work in the seats usually. Boat upholstery and marine canvas uses a lot of zippers and you will need some specialized attachments for your machine if you plan on doing any of that. The largest selection of machine attachments at the best price can be found here: http://www.cutsewservice.com/index2.htm
 
#14 ·
Dusty: Here's how to do a zipper. You need to know the width of the finished zipper. Let's say it's 6 inches. Divide that by 2 and add 1" to each side, so you have two pieces 4" wide. The zipper tape comes in long rolls, so you can make any length you want. Turn one piece of the fabric upside and fold it over about 1/2". Put the foot right next to the teeth of the zipper and sew the tape down from one end to the other. Do the same with the other piece so that both sides are secured to the tape. This will leave you a zipper that is slightly wider than you need. Trim off the excess to the finished size you need. Slide on a *********** and the zipper is ready to use.
 

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#15 · (Edited)
Here are the last two pictures of the zipper. The zipper was sewed with a 1/4" welt foot on the machine, but your presser foot will work just as well. You do not need any special attachments to do this. Sorry if this is off the scope of this bulletin board.
 

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#17 ·
Yup, that's a zipper foot. Naturally, that will work fine too. I've made thousands of zippers using #5 marine plastic zipper tape and my welt foot in everything from a portable ice fishing shack to a custom gun case and (knock on wood) never had one fail yet. Naturally, heavier fabric and usage requires a heavier zipper, in which case I use #10 marine plastic zipper tape.
 
#20 ·
Dan,I have quite a few of their attachments and they are all good quality and the prices are good. I highly recommend them. As you know my experience is varied and in addition to trim work, I make quite a few specialty items from bags, cases, mostly cordura, to heavy leather items, therefore I have a large collection of attachments for my machine. My last machine was a Singer but I sold it and bought a Consew 206RB, mainly for the long stitch and the large bobbin. The Singer attachments fit the Consew otherwise I would have kept the Singer. I have hundreds of $ worth of attachments..........would cost too much to buy all new just for a new machine.
 
#21 ·
horvath said:
Now I'm worried ... if I don't have a project to sew for a day or two, I know I'm gonna start going through withdrawal!
If you're anything like me, you know that as soon as people find out you can do this, you'll have LOTS of sewing to do. Last week my wife let it slip to a friend at work that I was learning to do this, and three people in her building have called her so far, each asking what I would charge to do various projects. She told them that I had been on the machine for less than a week and was just learning, and that seemed to satisfy them for now - lol. Wonder why? LOL! :D

Oh, on a semi related note - when you modified the treadle on your Tacsew, did you flip over the bracket on the foot pedal itself so that the rod connects to the pedal on the other side? I'm going to make that same modification this weekend, and that's what I'm going to have to do. I dug out a piece of 3/4" X 3/16" flat steel, and I'm going to drill it to fit the actuator arm on my motor, then drill it to accept the rod from the foot pedal. It'll extend that actuator arm about 9" overall. Hopefully it'll give me a bit more control.
 
#22 ·
Dusty82 said:
The zipper I have looks like it has brass teeth. Then again it might just be some kind of goldtone on the metal. I'll post a pic later today.
Turns out pics of my zipper material aren't needed afterall - the zipper I have is #5 Aluminum. There was one small piece of zipper that was brass (or something) so I just assumed that that's what it all was. Still, thanks for the pics Dan! This thread just got bookmarked for that info, and I know I'll be referring to it in the near future. I need to get the garage computer up and running now so I can just turn around to look at the pics instead of running back into the house - lol. It's just one thing after another... :D
 
#23 · (Edited)
fordSR said:
Dan,I have quite a few of their attachments and they are all good quality and the prices are good. I highly recommend them. As you know my experience is varied and in addition to trim work, I make quite a few specialty items from bags, cases, mostly cordura, to heavy leather items, therefore I have a large collection of attachments for my machine. My last machine was a Singer but I sold it and bought a Consew 206RB, mainly for the long stitch and the large bobbin. The Singer attachments fit the Consew otherwise I would have kept the Singer. I have hundreds of $ worth of attachments..........would cost too much to buy all new just for a new machine.
Jim:

I know the feeling. I just added a Consew 255RB-3 (for the larger bobbin and higher lift ) to my Consew 226R and one of the main reasons is that the feet are interchangeable. Their prices are great, and I am definitely going to add to my collection of feet and attachments! They have a binding attachment that I fell in live with! Hey, can you recommend a foot or attachment to simplify carpet binding? Also, a foot to more easily sew plastic "J" channel to the bottom of car seats? Thanks again for the info on the web site, it's SUPER!
 
#24 ·
Dusty82 said:
If you're anything like me, you know that as soon as people find out you can do this, you'll have LOTS of sewing to do.
I hope so! I'm enjoying the whole process even more than I thought I would!

Oh, on a semi related note - when you modified the treadle on your Tacsew, did you flip over the bracket on the foot pedal itself so that the rod connects to the pedal on the other side?
Yes. The bracket for the pitman arm, on my treadle, can be located on either side ... I just removed it and mounted it on the left.

The real deal here though is to put a smaller pulley on the motor -- *that* made the biggest difference!
 
#25 ·
horvath said:
The real deal here though is to put a smaller pulley on the motor -- *that* made the biggest difference!
I looked at my machine when I checked out your webpage on the modifications you made to your Tacsew, and my handwheel and pully are one piece where it looks like yours are two separate pieces. I didn't get any further than that because I figured that since my machine is no longer made it would be pretty difficult to find a smaller pully for it. I'll dig around though.

My problem isn't as much wanting to make the machine run slower as it is wanting a bit more foot travel on the treadle before I reach top speed. The way it's set up now, I go from 0 to full bore just by pressing down on the pedal. This sucker's got a hair-trigger, and it's either off or on all the way - no in between. If the clutch in my car was this touchy, I'd be either starting in 3rd gear, or doing wheel stands - lol. :eek:

I adjusted the rods between the actuator arm and the pedal and that helped, but I think I need just a bit more "play" in there to smooth things out a bit more and give me a tad more control.
 
#26 ·
I know what you mean; these machines have hair-triggers, for sure.

The pulley on my motor mounts onto a shaft via an allen screw ... yours should do the same, no? Just measure the diameter of the shaft and any decent hardware store should be able to set you up with a small pulley -- get the *smallest* one you can!

My machine does run slower because of the small pulley, but not *that* much; it still flies! The smaller pulley gives me a whole lot more gradual speed between the "giddy-up" and the "whoa!" stages.
 
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