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We have a double needle Singer 300W with puller and hem folders (you'll need hem folders with a sewing machine). Have had it for over 18 months and very satisfied. Call Hoffman Brothers (Chicago) 800-323-9120. Hope this helps.
Hello Mike! Do I know you??? =)) I'm Stan @ Excellent Signs. I'm also intrested in setting up my own banner sewing process and if it's something you can help me with it would be great! Let me know! Thanks!
Stan: I saw your posting on buying a sewing machine for banners. I've read Mike's postings and everything he has said about a sewing setup is accurate. Mike has a more elaborate sewing/welding setup than most people start with. I've been in the banner sewing business for more than 20 years and think I can give you some solid direction. I'm not in the sewing machine sales end but I can help you find one and give you lessons and experience if you want them. I've taught a lot of people how to sew banners and am spending more and more of time doing this. Call me if you're interested.
Terry Sheban - Super Stitches - 800-566-3231
Hi Terry, I am looking into sewing banners for our shop also. You mentioned about Consew, Juki, or artisan brand of sewing banners. Exactly what model and foot or accessiories do I need to have a sign banner sewn. What type of stitches should I use? How to make the fold for the banner edge? I've gone to eBay and found a few consew. What do you think of the Consew CP206R Portable Walking Foot Machine? I heard that it is made in Taiwan, but it said that it can do leather, vinyl, etc... This is our first time sewing and we probably will be sewing about 4,500 foot of banner edge sewing a month. Your advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Fung
Fung:
There are several portable walking foot machines on the market. They are all very similar and most are made in Taiwan. The Consew206R is one, there's a Thompson model and Sailrite sells a Taiwanese machine called the Sailrite (I think it's the sc-1) These portables work like commercial walking foot machines - they have more pulling power that a typical home machines and can be used to sew small quantities of banners (3-5 a day) They cannot handle large banners well and are only about 1/3 - 1/2 as fast as a commercial machine. For this reason they are a little easier to learn on. The standard foot that comes with them is fine for banners. I have sewn on the Thompson and Sailrite and for $500 it's not a bad way to start a low production banner sewing area.
For the quantities you're talking about you should buy a full sized machine. This would be a consew 206rb5, or a juki 1541dnu, or an artisan 618-1sc. They all come standard with the right presser foot and work well with banners. These machines cost about $1500-1800 new and will last 10-20 years of heavy usage with little or no maintenance. My company helps sign shops set up sewing areas. You could come to our shop and spend a day or two learning on one of our machines (we use jukis and consews and double needle chainstitch singers) or we can come to your shop and teach you there. (Don't know where you're located - if it's Taiwan I'd love to see your country but it wouldn't be cost effective to fly me there.
Please call me at your convenience and I can talk to you in more detail.
Thanks for your interest, Terry Sheban 800-566-3231
Well, we're almost as far as Taiwan, we are located in the Island of Guam, still USA.
Thanks for the quick response. If I got the Concew 206RB5, do I need to get some extra accessories like a special Foot for folding the banner? Any other detail that I need to ask for in the machine in order to sew banner's edge?
Thanks in advance
Fung: You don't need a special foot. The foot that comes with the machine is fine - you may want to purchase a folder (also called a hemmer) which is piece of metal constructed so that when you feed the edge of the banner into it the banner edge is neatly folded an inch or whatever size you order. These cost from $50 -150 depending on the quality. The downside of using this is that you cannot sew continuously around the banner. You have to sew off all four edges. (you cannot sew around corners with the fabric feeding into the folder.) With a little practice you're better off hand folding an inch. It's not that hard and it's faster because you can sew all the way around the banner. You can contact me by my home email listed above if you want.
good luck, Terry Sheban
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Your best best is a single needle walking foot machine (like a consew, juki, or artisan). These are lockstitch machines designed for upholstery which work well on banners. New machines run about $1500-1700. Used machines are hard to find because people rarely part with them. We have a banner sewing business and have been using these for more than 20 years. A double needle lockstitch is much more difficult to learn on and usually have a narrow needle gauge (usually 1/4") that make placing the grommets without cutting through the stitch lines difficult. They are also much more difficult to operate and learn on. Double needle chainstitch machines are easier to operate and learn and are great for high production, but they cost about 3 times what a single needle walking foot costs and are not as versatile. If you call me at work I can explain these machines in more detail. I have started a service where people can either come to my shop and learn how to use these machines or I come out to your business to get you set up.
Terry Sheban - Super Stitches 800-566-3231