I have the opportunity to buy (from an old friend of my mom's) an industrial Pfaff machine. It was purchased new by her and not used very much- I would have to haul it several states to get it home, but the price- several hundred- seems right to me. So far, there don't seem to be any local people to come service it once I get it horsed into the house. She has someone there who could service it before I pick it up, so unless I really screw it up during the move that would better than nothing~ I am trying to decide whether its a great deal in spite of the cost / labor to drive 4 states away to get it and then have to pay someone to load it into my basement...
.......any thoughts??
( I only have a small window of time to make the decision and go pick it up due to an upcoming surgery schedule of mom's)
I guess it depends on whether or not you need an industrial machine.
What makes a machine "industrial" is that the oversized motor can run for pretty much 24 hours a day -- whereas a typical home machine motor might overheat at that load. If you need to run the machine for that kind of load, then you'll want to consider an industrial.
If you plan "normal" type sewing (several hours a day), then a standard home machine (not a Walmart piece of plastic junk, but a good solid machine) should do you just fine.
I am fairly certain that I will be able to do enough commision projects to make the machine worth it- on the days that I sew now, I am putting 4-8 hours in. I can see that number going to double or triple without much effort at all. I work for myself now so if there is more work available pre-fair/event than in my current field then the investment seems like it would be a good one. I do appreciate your helping me think this thru!...I tend to get excited about something and not always think thru both sides of an issue!
I remember reading somewhere that a dressmaker recommended having two sergers at hand. If you find yourself having to serge 8 bridesmaid's dresses in a row, you may find a single serger burning out somewhere around dress # 6 as they're not designed for that sort of continuous load!
Have you seen Kathleen Fasanella's "Fashion Incubator" site at http://www.fashion-incubator.com/ (http://www.fashion-incubator.com/). It's more oriented toward folks designing or manufacturing a line, but there's a lot of good discussion on equipment.
I always have two sergers on the go as this exact thing happened to me in the wedding with 16 bridesmaids a few years back!
Brenda found her sewing machine repair guy through a local quilter. Ask around at the Mom and pop shops not the chain store they may know someone.
When I think of INDUSTRIAL machines, I think of the big clunkers that Shoe Repair shops have to sew through thick leather, soling shoes, etc. I also think of the companies that make leather goods like Jackets, purses, luggage, etc.
For home sewing, a sturdy machine that will sew through most fabrics be versatile in what it can do, and be energy efficient should suffice. Unless one is going to make Duffel bags, and other heavy stuff. Finding one to service an industrial machine might be tricky.