Merrow Sewing Machine Co.

NEW Merrow Parts for the 70-D3B-2 "Graphite"

2013-05-01T14:49:00.000-04:00

I just thought I'd write up a quick post that 1. gives a sneak peak of Merrow's new parts, and 2. gives an idea of why they're so cool (and important). First, here's a pic of what they look like (these are 70-Class needle plates):

What's the difference in the new parts? They're black. And they have an average hardness rating of HV 3000 (Vickers hardness scale) and a dry/unlubed coefficient of friction of .40 - a 73% and 43% improvement respectively.

What does this mean? It means that we've increased the durability of our parts by making them more resistant to wear. In fact, we estimate that on average they'll last nearly five times longer (depending on the part). We've accomplished this by applying a thin layer of chemicals that actually rebuild itself as it wears. Amazingly it's only 1 micron thick meaning that it won't affect tolerances and that parts can be retrofitted to machines already in the field. And because they're black they'll be easily distinguishable as genuine Merrow parts.

So we've got new parts that are more durable, run cooler, and perform better. Who should be excited about this? Everyone that runs or sells Merrow machines.

New Products for Merrow to be announced at texprocess

2013-04-17T07:36:00.001-04:00

At Merrow I believe we work harder than anyone in the sewing equipment business to create innovative and compelling solutions for our customers' projects. We spend our days building sewing machines for businesses around the world, and each of them has specific requirements that the Merrow Machine is tuned and adjusted to solve perfectly.

We also test lots of interesting ideas at our factory in Fall River,MA, and from time to time we package up and create new products from the truly exceptional innovations; products that we expect will have a broad impact in markets we serve around the world.

This year we will bring some of these exciting new products to Texprocess in Frankufurt, and we built a website to chronicle the development process.

The products are here: Merrow New Products. These new Merrow products will be available for a preview in Fall River, MA and at Texprocess in Frankfurt on June 10th. Take a look at the website, or better yet, come see what we've created in person!

Kind Regards,
Charlie Merrow
CEO

Visit: Merrow New Products

Merrowing a Patch Border by David Davies - INSTRUCTIONAL

2013-03-12T17:15:00.000-04:00

I came across this gem on YouTube today - pretty apropos considering the MG-3U video campaign that we are currently running. Nice work by David Davies.

MG-3U Instructional Videos are here!

2013-03-07T14:56:00.000-05:00

The first in a series of videos focused on the MG-3U, the MG-3U Installation Video gives step-by-step instruction on the proper way to mount your MG-3U to a standard sewing table. Check out the Merrow MG-3U Emblem Edge Machine playlist for more videos, including thread stand assembly. I'll be updating the videos each week - look for the MG-3U threading video the week of March 11. Be sure to leave feedback at our MG-3U Google+ Community where you'll also find the videos!

My goal is to let everyone know how accessible and easy it is to create the Merrowed Edge on patches and emblems, and of course it starts with knowing the ins and outs of the machine. The MG-3U video series will cover technical basics all the way through sewing a patch! In case you need a little more info on what exactly the MG-3U is and does, check out these links:

Merrow MG-3U Product Page
Emblem Applications Page

Merrow Videos

2013-03-07T10:26:00.002-05:00

This spring we're going to release a series of videos to help people setup and run the Merrow Machines.

Today we're publishing the 'setup video' for the MG-3U. In an interesting twist, a Merrow customer has filmed exactly the same video an published it on their own.

We're going to publish both.

Merrow Version:

Merrow Customer Version:

Latest Version of ActiveSeam for Leather???

2013-02-20T15:47:00.000-05:00

If a brand is a reflection of its customers, then Merrow is a cool and innovative company indeed. We constantly think about sewing and how to make it better, different, novel, which is why we think that Isaac Sellam is cut from the same proverbial cloth - check out his use of a Merrow 70-D3B-2 to sew a butted seam on $2000 leather jackets of his design!

Isaac Sellam Black Leather Jacket with Merrow Butt Seam

Isaac Sellam Grey Leather Jacket with "Raised External Seams"

Notice the seal over the stitch.

"ActiveSeam Leather"?

Setting Up for ActiveSeam Training

2013-01-11T17:03:00.003-05:00

+Nate Murray sets up the table that will be used as the "ActiveSeam training station" (yes, in reality he does have a face). And the end result, ActiveSeam garments:

Stay tuned world.

to EVERYONE - thank you for a great 2012!

2012-12-19T13:59:00.002-05:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM MERROW

how to sew a Merrow Emblem edge (and where to buy the products)

2012-11-29T13:40:00.002-05:00

Need a place to buy your emblem related things... well we built it. Head over to emblemedge.com for Merrowing Thread, Accessories, Tables, Motors and all things emblem/patch related.

Yes it's a Merrow site.... but No, we won't be crowing about it a lot. Emblemedge.com is part of a larger project: Merrow Application Stores - and you will be hearing a lot about THAT. This one sneak peak at the Application Stores is going live because we have too many customers working too hard sourcing their emblem products. Time should be spent making emblems, not researching the recipe.

So there you have it - Emblemedge.com - a site for all of us who need patch and emblem stuff. Enjoy - and send an email to ilovethenewwebsite@emblemedge.com to let us know what you think.

Hero Graphic - Emblem Edge

Terrazign and ActiveSeam

2012-11-20T16:29:00.001-05:00

It's a rare treat to meet smart and capable guys like Bill Dieter and Simon Quay of the product design firm Terrazign. These guys make cool products and work with some of the most interesting clients on the planet. They think differently and this is what marks them true innovators - check out a small sampling of their stuff on the Terrazign website: http://www.terrazign.com/

It's an even rarer treat when you get to sit down and see how these guys work and pick their brains, but that's exactly what we did when they came to the Merrow offices to learn to work the MB-4DFO. Justin tought these guys a thing or two about how to make a great ActiveSeam stitch and I know that they went away impressed with the machine, with Merrow, and with Justin. We're looking forward to meeting up with Bill and Simon down the road to see what types of new applications they come up with for ActiveSeam and the MB-4DFO!

Trolling a sewing machine company

2012-11-06T09:50:00.004-05:00

this is what it looks like

we'd like to think that the sewing of the emblem edge could be quite a bit quicker... and a little more consistent. But who can argue with a sewing machine troll...

MG-3U - Production Tool and Paint Brush

2012-10-25T15:36:00.002-04:00

What is a Merrowed Border?
It's the beautiful finish edge of a sewn product.

In this case, we look at the Merrowed emblem edge:

Most people will agree that craft and skill is something to be appreciated. It's what makes the crown molding in turn-of-the-century homes a selling feature. It's what transforms the afghan knitted by your grandmother into an heirloom. It's why they install stained glass in churches. We see these things and know that they were forged by someone able to put tools to use in a novel way that only time and repetition can teach.

In that context, check out this video of an operator sewing an edge on an emblem with a Merrow MG-3U.

It's videos like this that illustrate why the MG-3U is installed in emblem factories around the world, and why the Merrowed edge is a noticeable mark of quality on important patches, badges, and insignias.

For more information read about the Emblem Machine, the MG-3U on the merrow website.

Merrow Factory Training - November 8th. 2012 - Learn how to adjust and service Merrow Sewing Machines

2012-10-22T16:18:00.002-04:00

Merrow Factory Training
Thursday November 8, 2012

From the Merrow Factory:

FREE Training!

Technical Instruction

A complete overview on how to use the legendary Merrow overlock machine, with a focus on the MG-3U Emblem Edging Machine

NOVEMBER

The Merrow Sewing Machine Co. is offering FREE factory instruction for the set up and operation of MG-Class overlock machines. Training will take place the morning of Thursday November 8th 2012 from 9am to noon, and will focus on the iconic MG-3U Emblem Edging Machine. Sign up to learn from the best, on the best!

Customer Training on the MG-3U with new Merrowing Thread

2012-10-18T16:40:00.000-04:00

Today we had the pleasure of hosting Tim and Rob from Hoffman Custom Embroidery in Maryland. Tim and Rob drove up for MG-3U training, and lead technician Justin Monteiro walked them through threading, looper bending, and emblem sewing over the course of a morning. We hope that Rob and Tim enjoyed being here as much as we enjoyed having them and look forward to hearing of the success they're having with their new MG-3U!

Thank you to UGUR MAKINA !

2012-06-04T04:52:00.001-04:00

The show Tüyep was a tremendous success.

Merrow is grateful for the work put in by the Ugur company, and to Hakan, Temel, Cuynet and Cenk specifically. With teamwork, and a terrific work effort, I think it is fair to say that this presentation of Merrow and our new products was the best I have seen yet.

We look forward to the coming year in Turkey. The foundation has been established for Activeseam, and a return trip is scheduled for early september to review the first wave of machine shipments to customers across Turkey.

Thank you all for your hard work!

Charlie

Preparing for ActiveSeam Launch in Europe

2012-05-11T10:18:00.000-04:00

We're headed to Istanbul with ActiveSeam

the European debut of the world's first branded stitch!

The booth will be part of Ugur's gigantic display at the Tuyap show beginning on May 30th. We've sent out 15,000 invites, and expect it to be quite a party. If you're thinking of going, send an email to nate@merrow.com. We've got a great week planned - the more the merrower. :)

We'll be showing off ActiveSeam - as well as the Merrow Purl, Shell, Emblem and End-to-End machines. We'll also have garment samples and stitch swatches available. If you have a custom request let us know before May 25th and we'll carry it to the show.

Look out Istanbul, we're packing our bags and readying the caravan!

Building a Tradeshow Booth - for Activeseam

2012-04-30T16:07:00.000-04:00

The evolution of a successful tradeshow booth. Or How to build a cost effective trade show display.

Why this post? We found that it cost dumb money to have someone produce a booth - So in the interest of democratizing the tradeshow development process, we're going to share with you a quick synopsis of how we built an ass-kicking 10X20 booth without breaking the bank.

THE BACKSTORY -

After the success of the show in Mexico in March, we decided it was time to introduce Activeseam to the US market, and the opportunity was the Texprocess show produced by SPESA in Atlanta in April.

We had three weeks from the moment we made the decision - Nothing existed to display prior to this show.

Nate Murray was given the task of building from scratch a tradeshow booth designed to show off the new program, while supporting our legacy machines as well.

He also had 100% responsibility for booking the space, the hotels, and travel arrangements for three people.

Here's how we did it.

1. Sketch-up
It's free, and after three days or so of design work we landed on something we thought made sense.

2. IKEA
It's not free - but it's cheap. Here's what we used
A. the SLATTEN flooring @ .65/ft
This took about 90 minutes to put in the 10X20 space. It is a two man job...but when you're done, damn does it look good.
B. EXHIBIT for showing off machines and line cards
C. MOBIUS for portable tables

3. NEGOTIATE
Everything was negotiable (except IKEA and the plane tickets). We were able to adjust booth space price, the hotel price, the freight charges, the posters etc.

4. http://www.ultratruss.com/
These guys - who don't know that we're going to say really nice things about them - were helpful, quick and most importantly, they make a really nice product. Nate and I set it up in 20 minutes. It was a piece of cake. Push comes to shove - i'd call it essential. With all of the other problems you'll have at a show, having this remarkably well built/easy to assemble truss will be like that first chest full of cool fresh air after 10 hours on well over capacity 105 degree bus with busted half shut windows, shoulder to shoulder, non-stop, Guatamala city to Puebla. It will just feel nice.

5. POSTERS
Order them online - direct ship to the show.
Make twice as many as you need - order the retractable ones, and use them as wall backing to cover the back and sides of the booth. Yeah, it could have been tighter, and the zip ties weren't perfect- however for short money you get a versatile, reusable thing that is very easy to ship. I can't say enough about the stand-up 33"X80" posters. The booth space is always a little different than you expect, and these let you change the blocking of the booth while you're there to better handle traffic.

6. TIME
We blew it on time. Assume you need 6 hours to assemble the booth, and then double it. I think all told, it took two of us 8 hours to put this one up

---

Get there a day early - and leave a day late. Expect that the union will exact a pound of flesh to deliver your stuff - DON'T PANIC. These are the things to let happen. There is no rational argument that will change the idiocy of union organized trade show organization.

Bring tools - but not too many! You need a screwgun, a hammer, an allen key, a rubber mallot and a couple of large screw drivers. You need Zip ties and lots of packing tape, shrink wrap and packing foam.

Remember velcro with an adhesive backing!

Pack Acrylic stands for Line Cards.

That's really it. With a few tools and the aforementioned display items you end up with:

Exintex Mexico 2012

2012-04-06T10:50:00.001-04:00

Exintex Mexico 2012, a set on Flickr.

Some photos from the successful show in Mexico featuring ActiveSeam and Provedora Remco.

the 2012 Merrow Product Catalog has shipped!

2012-01-26T07:59:00.003-05:00

After many (many, many) hours of work the 2012 Marketing packages are headed out the door. Here's the announcement:

...and the Letter from Nate:

After several months of work, it is my pleasure to present the 2012 series of Merrow catalogues and brochures, describing in detail the value and application of Merrow products.

This year we have created several types of material to help educate our customers about the wide variety of products offered.

1. A Product Catalogue showcasing our sewing machines, some accessories and service programs

2. Specific Application Brochures (the Active Seam brochure) highlighting niche markets

3. Product Family Brochures (the Needle Brochure) describing a group of products

4. Line Cards (all available online) listing every Merrow product in a one page printable format

5. Application Cards (all available online) that describe dozens of the most popular Merrow applications

6. The 2012 Stitch Book (available upon request) profiling 50 sewn Merrow samples

At Merrow we work hard to support our agents and customers, and this latest release of marketing material is one of many major initiatives planned in 2012 to increase the awareness of Merrow in the market place.

Everything available in this packet is also available online; in fact the website www.merrow.com contains a wealth of information and detail about all of these products and much much more.

We hope that Merrow will remain an important part of your business in 2012, and I expect that should you need any specific information about our products, you will contact me directly; I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Nate Murray

Director of Marketing

Merrow Sewing Machine Co.

email: nate@merrow.com

phone: 508.689.4095

Looper Bending - 19 Points

2011-11-18T16:21:00.001-05:00

Looper Bending for Merrow Sewing Machines

Before installing and adjusting Merrow Loopers, please make sure you have a Merrow 30-10 Looper Bender.

NOTE: Loopers are designed to be bent only in the shank area.

1. Install the lower looper, pushing it all the way to the right.

2. Tighten the looper set screw securely against the flat spot on the looper shank.

3. Install a new needle into the Needle Carrier. (Be sure that the needle shank is all the way back against the carrier stop pin. Tighten the needle carrier nut securely.

4. Turn the handwheel in the operating direction until the needle is at the bottom of its travel, and the looper is all the way to the left.

5. Continue to slowly turn the handwheel until the tip of the Lower Looper is positioned at the left edge of the needle. In this position, the tip of the looper should firmly touch the needle without deflecting it. The tip of the looper should be positioned one-sixteenth of an inch above the top of the needle eye.

6.To make this adjustment fist use side C of the Looper Bender and bend the looper UP or DOWN

NOTE: When bending the loopers always bend them slightly farther in the direction desired, then flex it back to the new position. Otherwise , in use, the looper is likely to gradually spring back to it’s original position.

7. Use side A of the Looper Bender and bend the looper so the tip makes a firm contact with the needle without deflecting it.

8. Install the Upper Looper into the Looper Carrier. Push it all the way into the carrier and tighten the set screw securely against the flat spot on the shank.

9. Turn the Hand Wheel until the Upper Looperis at it’s farthest position to the left.

10. Slowly turn the handwheel until the needle is just behind the upper looper.

11. The needle should pass as close to the Upper Looper blade as possible WITHOUT touching it, and, just to the right of the slot in the looper head

12. Use side A of the Looper Bender to bend the looper CLOSER of FARTHER away from the Needle.

13. Use side C of the Looper Bender to bend the looper UP or DOWN

14. When this adjustment is correct , turn the handwheel until the Upper Looperis all the way to the right.

15. Slowly rock the handwheel clockwise and counterclockwise.

16. On the up and down stroke, the top part of the slot in the Upper Loopershould pass jusst clear of the left end of the lower looper.

17. Use side C of the Looper Bender to bend the Upper Looper slightly UP or DOWN

18. Use side A of the Looper Bender to bend the Upper Looper slightly CLOSER or FARTHER AWAY from the bottom looper.

19. Finally turn the handwheel thought one full cycle and check to see that the loopers and needle are properly aligned to each other.

FOR MORE HELP PLEASE VISIT MERROW.COM, EMAIL SUPPORT@MERROW.COM OR CALL 508.689.4095. Merrow is located in Fall River, MA and has both a factory direct service program and more than 160 agents around the world.

Evolution of a Sewing Machine

2011-10-21T15:57:00.003-04:00

The new flatlock assassins (the MB-4DFO ActiveSeam™ machines) on the cart before a stint at the testing station. Cams and cam shafts are already installed, and the feed system, needle carrier, and loopers will be fitted before the machines are run for sixteen hours non-stop. Next stop, customer sample rooms!

How a Sewing Machine is born

2011-10-17T16:14:00.001-04:00

Ever wondered how a sewing machine is born.

It happens right here when the pretty little ladies come in from paint
- note the new blue MB-4DFO Hotness...

These frames will be inspected, and built up by the end of the week.

Anyone with a new MG-3U on order (or for those that have been waiting months...) we'll start shipping them friday.

The first production of the Flatlock Assassin MB-4DFO, will be shipping to several sample rooms next week.

ActiveSeam™: A definition

2011-10-07T14:24:00.001-04:00

The Merrow ActiveSeam™ is a exciting new flat seam, produced on the premier MB-4DFO industrial sewing machine, creating the world’s first branded stitch.

The NEW Merrow ActiveSeam™ Flat Overlock is a simple to produce, more comfortable alternative to Flatlock stitching for active wear and athletic garments.

While it retains the flat profile of the flatlock stitch, the ActiveSeam™ represents an advancement in style and offers a diverse portfolio of widths and looks not before offered. The two thread construction and simple production make it easier and more efficient to apply, translating to significant cost savings.

When considered together, the combination of application parity, improved wearability, and production simplicity imbue the ActiveSeam™ with significantly more value and marketability than generic flatlocking.

The MB-4DFO is purpose-built to sew the ActiveSeam™ on your material. Merrow has been hand-building it’s cam-driven sewing machines since 1838, and our Stitch Lab™ configures each MB-4DFO to sew on your material before it’s shipped to your production facility.

The NEW Merrow ActiveSeam - Replaces Flatlock on Base Layers and Activewear

2011-09-15T14:20:00.000-04:00

Congratulations all around - Today we're introducing ActiveSeam.

The new news at Merrow - there is a new stitch in town. That's right - after seven years of tinkering with our designs and adjusting things, we've got a beautiful, flat, durable new seam.

We think she's a game-changer.

She's called: 'ActiveSeam' - the Merrow ActiveSeam.

What makes this a different stitch?
It is flat. It is soft. And it looks outstanding.
It replaces flatlock. Did we say that yet? :)

There will be a lot more to come, and i'm sure if you're reading this blog post you may well have gotten one of the mails announcing ActiveSeam, so in the interest of brevity, i'll just post the pictures.

Congratulations all around -
With no further ado: ActiveSeam

Merrow For Geotextiles - An Increasingly popular application

2011-08-23T12:00:00.001-04:00

Locked Stitch for Porous Material [70-D3B-2 LS]
Gap Stitch for Thick Material [70-D3B-2 G]
Heavy Duty for Dense High Pile [COMING SOON!]
Rolled Edge for Loose Weave [72-D3B-2 R]
Automated Butted Seam for Wide Material [70-D3B-2 RAIL]
Advanced Butted Seam with Material Control [72-D3B-2]

For more information, contact Fred Duarte at fduarte@merrow.com