Care Sheet Example
Please watch the Sidewinder 7 tuning video below. It explains a lot.
DO NOT USE OIL ON THE BEARINGS! The bearings are grease lubricated, and the oil will have an adverse reaction with them. KEEP ALL STERILANTS AWAY FROM ALL MOVING PARTS! Sterilants are very corrosive and will deteriorate the electrical contacts as well as the bearings.
Use a good firm nipple/grommet. I recommend my "new black nipples." (available on my site, Workhorse Irons, Lucky's Supply, & Saltwater Supply) Put a bend at the tip of the needles so that it 'licks' the tip of the tube. Use 2-3 #12 bands, or 1 #28 band around the vice motor. Thick rubber bands from Workhorse Irons or Lucky's Supply work fine. You may find that certain sizes of hair ties work well & are very durable.
When using the machine, you can adjust the hit of the machine with the return spring adjustment knob on the rear of the frame. It's the easiest adjustment to get the hit where you wnat it, for the speed you want to run it at. Truning it in (clockwise) will make it hit softer. Counterclockwise will back off the spring tension and make it hit harder.
** Rule of Thumb: higher volts, more tension; less volts, less tension.
Cartridges can be used! Be sure to use the rubber band to pull the bar down adn neutralize the tension of the cartridge. (refer to the video)
Average volts between 5 and 6.5
After a while, if the machine seems to have lost some hit/power, it is probably because the impact mechanism has settled in and needs to be rotated counterclockwise to the next indexed position. If the machine runs too choppy and hard, rotate the pin clockwise. (please refer to video)
Direction of the clipcord will affect the hit of the machine. Clockwise (positive up) will hit punchier, counterclockwise (positive down) will be a tad more passive.
Enjoy your machine!