August 16, 2023
Dear Friends,
Confirmed . . . . It’s coming. Donna knows what it is but she isn’t telling, and I don’t even know what it is. Due to arrive here in two weeks, I think from either Baby Lock or HandiQuilter. I asked her, is it bigger than a bread box? Yes. Whatever it is, It’s Coming!
Not having any info on what IT is other that it’s bigger-than-a-bread-box, we might as well talk about that expression. You may remember the TV game show, “What’s My Line.”
A standard question on the series is attributed to Steve Allen when he first asked, in 1953, “Is it bigger than a bread box.” Of course if you’re under 50, you may not know what a bread box is. They were dry boxes kept on the counter for storing bread or pastry, and most commonly had a roll-down door, like you saw on roll-down desks. If you don’t know what a roll-down desk is, Google it and hit “images.” Look for a closed one so you understand what they are. And Google for bread boxes as well.
Yesterday, James and I got to drive to the other side of Fort Worth to do service call on another infinity. (Yes, we will drive that far to service your longarm.) As is usual for these machines, there was nothing wrong with it, but it had reached 14-million stitches and needed standard servicing. What we do on these calls is standard cleaning inside as needed, and some of these . . . like yesterday’s . . . are surprisingly clean. Others not so much. Then the major part of the procedure is the lubrication. Our lube kit consists of three different oils, all different viscosities for different places in the machine, and three different greases with different chemistries. Each of these things go in different places, and helps ensure a long life for the machine.
Ran into a longarm machine one time where someone had told the owner she should put a few drops of oil in the top of machine periodically. What an amazing mess that made! With the high-speed rotation of the main shaft, it was a who-flung-poo moment with each stitch! Messiest, oiliest machine I had ever seen. A soapy bath would have been good, but cleaned it strictly with rags, paper towels, and Kleenex. The only oil an owner should put in a machine is one-drop only at the bottom of the hook assembly where the bobbin goes. One drop per bobbin change.
Couple new things I know about are coming in January. We’ll be hosting several clubs, once per month. They will last only an hour each, but it will cover some very basic skills to help get you started in areas you may not be totally familiar with or experienced in or are unsure about. For example, one of the workshops will be in machine embroidery. One will be in using a serger. One in Felting. Things like that. They will all be lots of fun as well as useful. Once all the ducks are in their row, we’ll publish the schedules for these, and you should find some things you will love to participate in.
Chip
