How to Slow an Industrial Sewing Machine
Slowing down an industrial sewing machine can be accomplished by adjusting the pressure applied by your foot to the pedal. This way takes practice and still may not slow it to the desired speed. Another option is to replace the pulley with a smaller one. It will still operate faster than a normal home sewing machine but much slower than the normal speed of the industrial machine.
Instructions
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1
Unplug the industrial sewing machine to avoid electrical shock or injuries.
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2
Remove the sewing machine belt from the hand wheel and then the pulley. You may have to tilt the sewing the machine as if you were changing the bobbin. Remove the long neck bolt underneath the table that holds the sewing machine down and lay the machine on its side. Tilting the machine up and out of the table releases tension on the belt. Note: You will need a smaller belt to fit around the smaller pulley. This can be purchased along with the pulley at any place that sells sewing machine parts.
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3
Remove the face plate that covers the pulley and motor. This is done with a hex key or screwdriver.
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4
Replace the big pulley with the smaller one and tighten screw in place. Place the big pulley in a safe place for future use.
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5
Wrap the new belt around the hand wheel and the smaller pulley and return the sewing machine to the upright position, causing the belt to tighten around both pieces.
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6
Adjust the tension of the belt with the screw and bolt found at the back of the motor behind the smaller pulley. The belt should be taut but not too tight.
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7
Test the speed of the new pulley by sewing a piece of test fabric. Make any adjustments needed to the tension before replacing the face plate of the motor.
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Tips & Warnings
A pulley is the part of the machine found attached to the motor. A belt wraps around the pulley and the hand wheel to make each rotate together when the foot pedal is pressed. The speed is determined by the rotation of the belt. A big pulley will allow the rotation of the belt to go around once each time. This makes for a faster rotation. A smaller pulley would require that the belt rotate more times around its axis, which takes longer thus causing the speed of the machine to slow down.
A hand wheel is the large wheel on the right side of every sewing machine that can be turned manually or rotated with a belt attached.
A hex key or screwdriver is a tool shaped like a "L" and has a hexagon head on each end.
Although this can be done as a do-it-yourself project it is recommended that you have some knowledge of the parts on your industrial sewing machine.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Sewing Machine Needle image by C Agoncillo from Fotolia.com
