# New Embroidery...do you have tips?



## Say Anything (Jun 16, 2009)

Ok, I have a screen printing machine now and do some sales here and there. We upgraded our business and bought a Barudan Elite Jr. from someone selling out of their business. I got with the machine hoops, thread, TES 2.0 software, and the optional cap attachment. I am trying to learn as much as possible (probably should have done that first, but it was just too good of a deal to pass on). I've done some shirts so far with a few problems here and there and even did some blankets. I was curious if anyone knew where I could find any tutorials on the Compucon TES software? I can't find anything on that software at all... can't seem to figure out how all the functions work. Also, I can't find much on the Barudan machine itself - how to work on the machine or how to fix the errors that come up... I get some different error codes that refer to the thread/bobbin breaking, but when I check them... they are find... so I just start the machine again and it keeps going for a few seconds...then errors again... any suggestions?


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## lizziemaxine (Nov 14, 2007)

Barudan - great machine. Even though you bought the machine from a private party I would recommend that you call Barudan tech support - 440-498-3660. At the very least they can put you in touch with a tech in your area who can help you. 
There is a Barudan owners forum but it isn't very active. 
The TES/Compucon software sucks big time. Better to replace it now. But, just in case that isn't in the budget just yet here is the Compucon website - Compucon USA Embroidery Digitizing, Monogramming, Editing Software


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## muneca (Sep 30, 2008)

hey josh, 

thanks for the post. great info here guys, thanks~ i'll keep watching this one.


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## Say Anything (Jun 16, 2009)

Yeah, I tried to call compucon earlier today... they were really pushy about the software not being in my name. They said that there is training that _they _provide and that there isn't really anything that you can view online, download, or read. They said that it is NON TRANSFERABLE and that I would have to pay between $150 and $300 just to transfer the software into my name and to have a current account, but they didn't say how much $$$ the training was going to cost me. So,... that is out for now until I make some money with the machine first.... seems a little backwards, but when you are working on a tight to non-existing budget... things get a little twisted. 

I did however have a new problem arise tonight.. I am having an issue with my needle breaking every time I try to sew... I think it has something to do with my bobbin, but I can't figure out what... 

at first it was doing a great job.. then halfway into the logo it started to give me the error codes, so i thought I was having an issue with the bobbin because it was not working right... so I decided to change it... well when I did... it didnt' sew at all... I figured that something was a little amiss.. so I took the housing off and retighted everything.... I put the bobbin back in and made sure it was snug against the housing and the pin snapped in place...

now I keep breaking needles...it doesn't even sew 1 stitch and it breaks... I had to walk away.. I've been working on it for 3 hrs... is there something that I am missing?

any help would be great... thanks.


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## lizziemaxine (Nov 14, 2007)

Contact Wayne Benton at Sew Tech - www.sewtech.net
877-739-8324
Wayne, or one of this techs, may be able to help you over the phone (sometimes at no charge).
Well worth whatever it may cost if it gets your machine working again.


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## oldkush (Jun 25, 2007)

First let me say Barudan is certainly one of the better embroidery machines available. With proper maintenance and servicing, it will serve you well for many years.

As far as your Compucon software, it will work just fine without paying the transfer fee. You will only need to pay the transfer fee if you seek support / training from Compucon or if down the road you want to upgrade the software [which can be very expensive]. 

Before spending money on Compucon's transfer fee, have a look at Embird software [ Official Web Site of Embird Software Authors ]. Embird is definitely the biggest bang for you dollar in embroidery programs. Don't be fooled by the low price .... this is very good software, easier to learn than many others, gives the user complete control over all design work and there is a ton of free online support [both from the developer and user groups].

Another software option you may want to look at is Sierra Stitch Era Universal 
http://www.freesierrasoftware.co/stitch_era_universal.asp

Stitch Era is free, is fully functional and will meet many embroiderers needs. On the downside, you will be limited to a max. of 40,000 stitches per design, have to put up with some on screen advertising and must be connected to the internet to use it.

I don't know what error codes your machine is giving you but generally, needle breakage can be attributed to ...

- needle deflection. The item you are stitching is deflecting the needle as it enters the material, causing the needle to miss the hole in the needle plate. This happens most often when stitching through seams or very heavy material. 

- poor quality design. If the breakage is happening in one particular area of the design, this may indicate overly dense stitching or too many short stitches close to each other.

- improper needle installation. The long groove in the needle should be facing the front / the scarf faces the rear. Also be sure that the needle is inserted all the way up into the holder.

- top thread getting caught somewhere. Check to see that the machine is properly threaded and that the thread is not snagging on the spool or somewhere along the way between the spool and needle.

- improper machine timing. Proper interaction between the needle and rotary hook is critical to stitch formation. Improper timing will mean missed stitches or broken needles.

- a broken piece of needle is stuck in your rotary hook or possibly bobbin case. Thoroughly clean the bobbin / rotary hook area of your machine.

Good luck

Bob


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## American logoZ (Sep 16, 2009)

I bought a used Barudan this Summer. Before I turned it on I contacted the tech that the previous owner referred me to. I went through PinPoint International out of Missouri (Shurke & Assoc). I don't know if they have techs outside the state? But for around $500 a tech came to my biz and spent a whole day training me on the machine & hoops - even helped familiarize me with my HoopMaster. We took the machine apart, put it back together, oiled it, made it act up so we could "fix" it, hooped garments.... It was money well spent. After he left I was much more comfortable. Still make mistakes - but I'm not afraid to fix them. I think Barudan might have a bootcamp available ... but I'm not sure.

Do you have a manual? If not, PM or e-mail me. I don't have the Elite, but my manual is for an Elite. It leaves a lot to be desired, but I'd still be lost without it at times. I'd be happy to share info from it if that would be helpful.

The previous owner of my machine used Compucon. She told me they have a free bootcamp for their software at their facility in North Carolina, and she shared that she called them directly anytime she had a question. I decided to go with Wilcom, so I never explored Compucon support.

Every problem I've had with my Barudan has been something pretty simple. I just kinda walk my way through each step of the sewing process until I find the issue. I've broken 2 needles - hit a hoop once and once failed to properly install a new needle (wrong depth).


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## Say Anything (Jun 16, 2009)

OLDKUSH 
http://www.freesierrasoftware.co/stitch_era_universal.asp

I've seen Sierra Stitch Era Universal available and have been debating on buying it.. well paying to have it shipped. It's only $15 and from what I have read, well worth it. I will probably do that in the next few days. Thanks for the recommendation.

So far (i've only had it for a week) all the problems I've seen thus far (with the exception of this one) has been very simple to fix... just didn't know what I was looking for. 

I really think that the issue lies with my bobbin... and the only reason that I am thinking that is... i've completely rethreaded the first 5 needles all the way through and everything looks good. I've changed needles 1-3 (long groove facing forward and up as far as it will go). I've manually made the needle go through the motions and it goes through the needle hole dead center (and the fabric I've used before just fine, no seems) When I make the needle go down though, i've noticed that it hits the bobbin..? I thought maybe something was out of whack, so I changed the whole bobbin casing out... but I still broke a needle and called it quites last night.... I wanted to start fresh tonight when I get home.

I've noticed that a lot of ppl say the machine timing... Maybe I need to look into that

I'll keep you guys updated.. thanks for the help so far. great advise!


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## lizziemaxine (Nov 14, 2007)

Say Anything said:


> OLDKUSH
> 
> 
> I've seen Sierra Stitch Era Universal available and have been debating on buying it.. well paying to have it shipped. It's only $15 and from what I have read, well worth it. I will probably do that in the next few days. Thanks for the recommendation.!


I was given a copy of Stitch Era recently. The first thing I noticed is you are limited to 7 needles. If there is a way to increase the number of needles I never found it. I have a 15 needle machine and use all of them usually with a different color thread on each needle for many of my designs. For the $15 shipping cost I guess it is worth giving it a try but I wasn't impressed with it at all.


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## tfalk (Apr 3, 2008)

Say Anything said:


> I've seen Sierra Stitch Era Universal available and have been debating on buying it.. well paying to have it shipped. It's only $15 and from what I have read, well worth it.


Colman and Company have the free CD... if you order thread or other supplies, you can order it at the same time and essentially save the shipping cost.

SEU is basically a stripped down version of Embroidery Office. There is a yahoo group that will help teach you how to use it. Embird also has a very big following and it's probably the best bang for the buck out there. I never could figure out how to use it but we got Embroidery Office when we bought our SWF. I switch back and forth between EO and Brother PE-Design which is what I initially learned how to use.

Your other best bang for your buck will be as suggested earlier, have a tech come out and show you how to use the machine.


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## oldkush (Jun 25, 2007)

Say Anything said:


> OLDKUSH
> When I make the needle go down though, i've noticed that it hits the bobbin..? I thought maybe something was out of whack, so I changed the whole bobbin casing out... but I still broke a needle and called it quites last night.... I wanted to start fresh tonight when I get home.
> 
> 
> ...


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## Say Anything (Jun 16, 2009)

OLDKUSH,
B4 calling it quites last night I did check most of the needles and they all went down to the bobbin.
I guess I can research how to check the hook timing. The weird thing is that it was working fine for half the logo, then it just goofed up. I've printed this logo once before, and didn't have a problem really besides the machine giving me error codes about the thread breaking.. but there was nothing wrong with the thread. 

I couldn't find anything on a Barudan machine as of yet, but I did find this link for a SWF machine (http://www.swfmesa.com/downloads/hooktiming-standard.pdf) All of the parts look the same. If I can't find anything for the Barudan b4 tonight, I think I am going to attempt to go by the SWF instructions and fix the hook timing.


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## lizziemaxine (Nov 14, 2007)

Barudan | Installation & Maintenance


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## todie (May 29, 2009)

I need to agree with oldkush on Embird software: low cost, you can do just about anything and there's a lot of help out there. I took online classes with Gwenn from http://www.stitchesinmotion.ca
If you need a teacher I would recommend her.


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## deChez (Nov 10, 2007)

Some time ago, I purchased a couple of training videos that were really helpful....one was machine maintenance, and the other was training. I think I paid $99 for the pair. I think their site is embroiderytrainingvideos.com (I just re-arranged everyting in my studio, and I can't put my hands on it right now, so that's why I say "I think"). They're not super detailed, but they will certainly help you get going, and fix the little glitches.

Also, I have the free Stitch Era Universal. I was a user of Embroidery Office, so the learning curve for me on that is a little shorter...learning any embroidery software is not an intuitive process for a beginner. For that reason, I would suggest you order a copy of SEU for $15. That would be a really good way for you to get your feet wet, learn the terminology, various functions, etc. This way, if you decide to purchase another software product (either theirs or someone elses), you'll have a better idea of what you're looking at, and buying.

Really, the only way to learn is research and practice. Get some sale or remnant fabrics, or some items from the thrift store, and let yourself go. Go back and look at older posts on this board as well...you'll find lots of information, as well as direction on where to look for more information.

Congratulations on your new addition, and bestof luck to you.


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## Say Anything (Jun 16, 2009)

***UPDATE***
I found the culprit, it turns out that it was the hook/hook timing. I took the foot plate off and started tinkering with it while I waited on the Barudan Rep. to call me. Ended up "trying to fix it myself", but I found the Main pulley with the dial. I got to looking at the hook when I was timing the pully, and the very tip of the hook was chipped off; so this whole time it was incapable of creating a loop because it couldn't "hook" the thread. I changed the whole hook/bobbin casing out and it started working.... at least for a little bit. 

I think now, I may have a top tension problem or another bobbin issue. The logo started sewing... got about 40 or 50 stitches into the design.. then it stopped completing the full stitch... and for some reason, my cutter isn't enguaging now? go figure. I guess tonight I will be tinkering again.


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