Sewing canvas

[Mike K]

Hi Keith

Yes, it is a topic I have always been interested in. Many years ago, a friend and I found some genuine WW2 Jeep canvas tops , stored in the back room of Hudson stores in Bourke St., in the city. The tops were moth eaten and torn here and there. We used them for a while on our Jeeps !

Yes, the 'real' industrial sewing machines are expensive, over $1000 or more. Many people sell machines that are actually only semi-industrial, basically these are only heavy duty domestic models . These are OK for many jobs , Jeep tops and such , even seat covers which are relatively light. But for the heavy weighted canvas as used on Blitz and other vehicles, you would definately need a stronger machine with a 'walking foot'. The walking foot feature , pulls the job through , which you need with multi layered haevy canvas . Most of the domestic and semi - industrial models use a simple presser foot which just presses the work onto the serrated dog beneath.

In the factories, the machines were set up to do a certain job 16 hours a day . It's not a straight forward thing , as there are many variations of feet and such for leather work etc. Believe it or not , there are clones of the 1950's industrial Singers being made in China today, they tend to be of dubious quality though. Singer designs were copied by many companies.

A machine like this would be ideal :

http://www.industrialsewmachine.com/...inger/211a.htm

Mike

[cletrac (RIP)]

Those 100 year old Singer leather sewing machines will go through anything you want to sew. A lot of people who know what they're doing seem to prefer them. They sell at auctions now for around $500 to $1000.

[Plushy]

My Father used to run Courtholds Hilton Fabrics up here in Ballarat and i am fairly sure he has one or two of the old singer industrial sewing machines stored some where at the farm he is also a pretty flash operator . I will see if he has a machine we can liberate for awhile as i will need to make seat covers and a sunshine roof cover for the F15A .

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Plushy

My Father used to run Courtholds Hilton Fabrics up here in Ballarat and i am fairly sure he has one or two of the old singer industrial sewing machines stored some where at the farm he is also a pretty flash operator . I will see if he has a machine we can liberate for awhile as i will need to make seat covers and a sunshine roof cover for the F15A .

James, you may become the CMP 'Seamstress' for Australia!

Seriously though we who are restoring these vehicles should pool whatever resources and expertise we can to make this happen - thanks to Mike's post we are seeing another great example the power of the internet and a special interest forum such as this to help many people.

I have done my own seat covers for years, and also have made tarps for various CMPs

Rob, perhaps you can share your approach including the do's and dont's...

[Keith Webb]

http://212.79.246.244/5800/home.nsf/...id=a&count=100



I think the Australian seat squabs were different to the Canadian ones.

For the Aussies: € 100,00(one seat) = $A 163.55 which I think isn't bad value for the real thing (plus of course postage) but we need quite a few of them!

[Keith Webb]

Currently on Australian Epay is this Toyota machine at a buy it now price of $1100

Link.

[Dennis Gelean (RIP)]

power of the internet,,who has made mini blinds for a cmp 2K1 body
Can they be purchased. could be called black out curtains.
4 side windows, door window and front of cab window.
plans? need to look original
dennis
Building 24x24, 12ft high cement CMP bunker

[rob love]

I have done my own seat covers for years, and also have made tarps for various CMPs. It is a good hobby for the winter...at -35 it's good to have reasons to stay in the house.

I have both an industrial Singer and an industrial Juki. We had both types when I was in the military, and most guys preferred the Juki. I bought both used and paid around $400 for each machine. I have seen both listed in the buy & sell for even lower prices than I paid, including one where a guy was giving away a Juki with it's table, but he warned of the weight and that the recipient would have to bring it up from the basement.

There are a few things to watch for when buying a machine. First, if it comes from an old factory, you want to make sure it's not 3 phase. The next thing is to find a fairly large throat. A small throat will let you do seat covers, but you will have to plan ahead if you are going to sew a tarp together.

When it comes to the thread, there are a billion choices there too. I am fortunate in having a thread supplier in Winnipeg who has stock of or can get any thickness in any color.

Your first results may not be perfect, but as you get to know your machine, it just keeps getting better and better.