Sewing Machine Magic

Junkyard Wars audition tape (successful!). Ever wonder how a sewing machine works? See a larger than life model constructed, and the operation played thru.

Nerds speak - Have a Nerd speak at your next event. Or host your own Junkyard Wars style competition - Makes a great team building exercise. Details at http://www.the-nerds.org/lecture.html

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• machine
• NERDS
• sewing
• documentary
• Junkyard
• Wars
• Scrapheap
• Challenge

[DougPlucker]

I still don't get it. Your video implies that the bobbin is somehow magically suspended in air, thus allowing the loop of thread to go completely around it, but in reality, the bobbin is on a shaft attached to the machine. how does the thread get around the shaft?

[rjnerd]

The bobbin doesn't sit on a shaft in any machine I have disassembled. They have always sat in the cup that has the thread catching hook on it. The cup spins, the bobbin floats inside it.

[clearskyblue]

Can you take my trousers up a few inches.

[rjnerd]

You do realize that the bobbin is a spool of CAT-5 ethernet cable...

[Oldpqlyr]

The intent was/is noble. Rehearsal and better camera work would definitely enhance the segments i.e. More thought needs to go into planning the shots for clarity for the audience AND fundamental photo techniques -like don't center-frame a speaker's face (what's with all the ceiling?)- and basic post production techniques -like deal with the "CAMERA CALIBRATION" and 'TRACKING" messages in the final release-. Have you done any others, NERDS? If not... make some! I'd love to see 'em.

[rjnerd]

This wasn't a general purpose video, it was an audition tape thrown together on very short notice. It served its purpose, it got us to the short list for auditions. As a result, we did 4 episodes of the show "Junkyard Wars" ("Scrapheap Challenge" outside the US.)

The unrehearsed component was part of the point, the real show isn't rehearsed either.

Since it happens to be amusing, and somewhat educational, I put it up here.

[Chopper894]

@DougPlucker The bobbin sits in a bobbin case and the loop passes over bobbin case. The bobbin case sits in a carrier with enough clearence around it to allow the thread to pass. All parts are highly polished to prevent injory to the thread,

[mysciencenow]

next up is the lapidary wheel

[DougPlucker]

Singer 15 and HA-1 clones: the bobbin is on a shaft inside a cup that fits into the shuttle which is latched down. Clearly the thread can't go completely around such a contrivance. But I will admit that is does not go around, but oscillates back and forth.

[sewingmachineheaven]

Wow that was a lot of work even for three men. I'll have to make a video and try to make it shorter. >;o) great vid!

[RickE1poker]

Basically right, though it would have worked better if th bobbin guy also was a tension guy and the needle/tension guy also had his foot on the fabric to hold the fabric down as the feeddog guy moved the fabric.

Great job though.

[DNAPROTEINN]

thank you, great presentation. Finally I understand how this works.  Was it Sinfer who came this ingenious idea. What preceded it?

[starwarsgeek14]

imagine if you had to sew like that. three men. haha :)

[c2thew]

thanks. this video would definitely delight kids in middle school. good job guys