First machine arrives Monday, what else do I need?

PTEGolf

Hello All,

Long story short we've been outsourcing embroidery for 9 years and finally decided to buy our own machine to better control the time frames, quality, and to expand our business. I don't know the first thing about running an embroidery machine, but I've been around them. I'm wondering what else we need to buy?

The machine will come with the hoops, but that's about it. How do I know what tear-away to buy (oz), what bobbins, what hooping board, etc?

We will mainly be sewing on 600D Polyester backed by a PVC Coating. The embroidery is almost always 15"x15" or around there within a couple inches.

I signed up with Madiera USA to buy my thread, but that's basically where I am. I did visit a couple local companies and watch how they do it, but never got a list of things to buy for the first time? Is there a guide out there anyone would recommend?

Also, I hired the Barudan rep to do training with me at $500/day for 1 or 2 days when it arrives.

Thanks!

Robert Young

Congrats!!

If you visit the Madeira site and go to backings (tear away) they have done a pretty good idea of explaining the use for each... so you can choose only the ones that make sense for the items you sew.. same with needles and any other supplies you may need. Do not over buy.. just buy what you need as you need it until you know what you are doing.. then you can buy in bulk as your finances allow it. Otherwise I think you will end up with lots of extra stuff that just sits around.... way more expensive in the long term than any short term extra shipping costs.

I commend you on choosing Madeira.. I KNOW I KNOW there are tons of cheaper options out there, but sorry, using Madeira for us has taken our supplies out of the quality equation... we can concentrate on other aspects of our operation, not whether the thread is bad or tied together in knots, etc. Penny wise and Pound foolish I guess is the saying?

Shop organization is the real fun part.. watch your operator... then try to place tables and materials in areas that make sense. Sounds like you have a specific item you generally sew... so the ergonomics should be pretty straight forward once you have spend a few days in production.. it will just become obvious.. like, hey, why isnt this here or why is that way over there. etc. common sense. You may find it better to make your own hooping stand specific to your product...

__________________
Modern Embroidery Designer
www.volant-tech.com
www.volantfineart.com

minimalist

Aren't you supposed to get free training when you buy a new Barudan?

I use 3 ounce or more cutaway (whatever is on sale) on my nylon stuff that I do. It all depends on the stitch counts but I have high stitch counts. I like to use thick backing as the results are better IMO. You're going to need tear away if you do hats or stuff that you don't want the backing to show. Other things to consider, water soluble topping (shirts or loose woven fabrics), needles, nips, bent tip embroidery scissors, a good pair of general scissors, rulers and t squares, sharpie markers to correct minor defects, etc.. If you don't have a compressor pick up some of those dust off cans to blow out the machine and thread the tubes when the thread runs out (never happens....).

Things nice to have are hoop tech clamps in various sizes as well as some fast frames for use with adhesive stabilizer. Then you'll discover the hooping board (I still don't have one), magnetic frames, and the durkee weird size hoops.

Looks like you've picked your thread. I primarily used isacord and rapos but I started bring in my own thread to cut costs so if you need bobbins or thread I sell it at a very reasonable price. Most of my production stuff goes from 20K-70K stitches. I've noticed no more thread breaks than with isacord. Rapos seems to break more so I don't use it anymore. I run a C series single head and 2 six head barudan's with a single head ZSK thrown into the mix.

minimalist

Forgot the 6 inch bent needle tweezers. Got to have those to help thread the machine or pull the thread from the cut bar when you pull the thread for a change.


Now after you buy all this stuff you'll get frustrated in a couple of months and sell the package to us on the board for 1/4 of the price....

BJ24

Get different types of backing to test samples on so you can see the difference especially on performance wear. That seems to be a common struggle for some. Make sure to get solvy. It is great for running small detail and small text on knit hats, towels, fleece etc...
Ask plenty of questions here as you go along. We are here to help. You can also email me if you have questions.
BJ
Digitizing Above the Rest

PTEGolf

Thanks for the advice everyone. To clarify some points brought up.

Our designs are normally around 50,000-75,000 stitches. I am buying the machine used, from someone in my town, who I was referred to by Barudan. I actually went to his shop for a demo and now we're buying his 4 head so he can buy another 8 head. So that's why we have to get the training separate.

Would anyone mind posting some photos of their shop setups? I've seen them done different ways and I'm looking for some inspiration.

As far as buying thread off the bat, should I buy one of the "kits" that you can pick colors or just pick out individual cones that I know we use the most?

Also, we want to be able to do flags, but can't have the backing showing on the other side. From what I understand, I will need to purchase blank bobbins and wind them myself somehow? with the same color we are using at the time, so the design looks the same on the back? Do I not use backing at all then? This would be on 400D Nylon.

Lastly, I am waiting to have the machine before I start interviewing candidates for the job of running the machine. I have 2-4 people lined up, all with embroidery experience, or so they say, and 2 are digitizers / graphics artists who have experience with Vinyl, the other medium we use, so I'm excited. What do you typically pay these people? Does $10/hr sound fair? This is a small company with 3 employees, not a big embroidery house operation.

Any other advice on tools? Is the Madiera hoop board something I should buy? It's expensive, and we're embroidering table covers, fully put together, so they're huge and I'm not sure if this would help? If not, how do I set up some kind of a guide or template so when we hoop the same thing over 1,000 times a year, it's quick and easy and always straight??

PTEGolf

Oh and are magnetic bobbins needed vs regular? I prefer less headaches over saving a few bucks.

inkman996

Magnetic bobbins! Much better quality and more efficient.

When ordering from Madeira ask for a backing sample kit, they will provide that for free and then you can test with the material you are embroidering. I think in your case using the clear backing might work. But I would suggest at the least using the tear away, it can be picked out to leave the back clean looking of backing material. But I have to say embroidery on the back side does not look good no matter what you do, using bobbins of the same color might help and to be honest where do you even get bobbin thread of the same colors as top thread?

I do commend you for hiring the tech for training, many people dive in head first and rely on forum help bit it is not the best way to go. Only so much can be explained on line, hands on is far superior because an embroidery machine is quite complex and the variables are immense.

Don't know your location or general pay structure for that area but here ten an hour would only get you someone capable of hooping garments. For someone that is an operator and also knowledgeable of editing software ten is not near enough. If the person is also able to trouble shoot the machine and perform basic fixes then they are worth quite a bit.

minimalist

In theory the both side flag is a idea but I don't see how the back side of it is going to be appealing at all. Maybe you should use some 70-200D for lining the flag (one side only) or 2 pieces sewn the same put together. If you went the applique method with a run stitch or satin stitch same color you could get away with it.

On thread buy individual cones unless colors aren't that important. I sell thread if you're interested...www.dkmonogramming.com .

Magnetic bobbins are fancy but they are a solution looking for a problem. Every tech I've talked too says to run the cardboard without the backlash spring. I roll cardboard every day all day. We're talking 175 bag tops of 50K stitches just in a 2 week period. Filtec would eat your lunch on that. What ever you decide, a toya (sp?) tension gauge will help until you get the "feel" of it.


If you plan on running your wound bobbins for the same color, you'll either need to order pre wound bobbins in the same color or get a consew automatic winder. They are expensive but winding them individually will cost you a fortune if you're going to run that many using the same color.

inkman996

Why is a magnetic bobbin a "solution looking for a problem"?

Before we switched from card board backed bobbins we ran into sewing issues when the bobbin got near the end, with the magnetics the tension remains the same from the beginning to the end of the spool, so quality never changes.