Part of doing any job correctly is having a the right tools. During DWP Carpet Binding's growing pains we managed to pick up a few clever tricks that aid in executing a job well done. In yesterday's blog I mentioned that our work table gives us benefits that help in providing a clean, quality controlled finished product without having to break our backs. The table itself is one tool we're equipped with for efficiency. There are many other tools that come in handy when working on carpet binding projects.
First and foremost, our binding and serging machines! DWP Carpet Binding currently has four table model binding machines (one that is for the heavy duty material, three that are meant for speed), two portable binding machines, one portable serging machine & a table model serging machine. The difference between a table model and portable machines is that a table model stays in place while you maneuver the carpet through it, where as a portable machine moves around the carpet. Although some of these machines are the same make and model, we've come to learn that they each have a niche of their own. Each excel in their own way, as if they had their own personality. As we became more familiar with the machines, we learned which machine to use for which type of carpet, relative to the desired binding application. In the "about us" section of our web-site you can read about opportunity granting Dan a binding machine, which was part of what made him start a carpet binding business. It was Dan's tireless effort & optimism of a "big picture" that turned one binding machine into a binding shop with eight machines!
Another coupling of tools that we would be lost without is our power beveler & our sheep sheers. They are tools meant for the same thing; trimming carpet fibers back away from the perimeter that will be bound. A power bevel is meant for super thick carpets with extremely stiff backings. A good product to use a power beveler on would be a long strand spaghetti shag carpet. Power bevelers angle the carpet fibers at a 45 degree angle so that the binding or serging gets a better grab on the backing of the carpet. The sheers do the same exact job, although they are hand-held, so there's a bit of a difference. Sheers are great to use on plush carpets that are not necessarily super thick, but still have fiber that hangs over the edge of the perimeter. The most important factor with thick plush carpets is to ensure that the stitching grabs the back of the carpet and not the fibers. Without the use of a beveler or sheers, the binding is more likely to grab onto fibers. When that happens the binding can be pulled right off with minimal effort. The carpet wouldn't be ruined, as you would merely be pulling at excess carpet fibers, however it would be proof of less than quality work and obviously the longevity of the binding or serging would be shortened.
I'm led now to talk briefly about our big scissors. From handle to the tip of the blades, they are about 13 - 14 inches in length. When carpets are too thin or have questionable backing ( such as very low-grade commercial goods) as opposed to taking a power beveler or sheers to it, we can use our big scissors to trim the excess fibers by hand. Granted it may take a few moments longer than the sheers or beveler would, but big scissors are often times the right tool for a quick clean up of the carpet edge. Dan often jokingly offers hair cuts when using the big scissors.
One tool that we like to consider as an ace up our sleeve is our leaf blower! Every carpet we work with, whether it is a customer's or one of our stock pieces, will get a blow job prior to packaging. Yup, I said blow job. DWP Carpet Binding uses a leaf blower to clear off excess fibers and any lingering material that comes from cores or wrapping plastic. Many places will use vacuum cleaners to ensure a pristine piece being delivered to the customer. Well, a leaf blower accomplishes the same thing in a fraction of the time!
Although it's "hip to be square" sometimes a customer will want a circular or an oval shaped carpet. The tool that best serves this need is our circle cutter. If you can plot a radius, you can use this simple but very useful tool. In the past, mechanics (carpet installers) have struggled using a piece of long string and a pencil to make a circle or an oval shaped piece. The set up for such a thing requires plotting a radius point (or two if it's for an oval), then using a pencil they would use the string to draw a circle on the back of the carpet. This technique will always have human error involved. Tension of the string will change and most likely the angle of the pencil would change. Although this technique was used for many years, the fact of the matter is that it does not allow for the perfect circle or oval to be created. Our circle cutter has a blade at the end of an arm that extends from the center point, which you establish depending on the size of your circle. What mechanics have struggled with for hours at a time in the past, can now be diminished down to a 20 - 30 minute task, using the right tool!
I recently learned from a veteran carpet mechanic that his company will not install a carpet if the house is colder than 70 degrees. Apparently carpet has to be at a certain temperature in order to work with and properly install it. Anybody who has worked in a warehouse knows that the temperatures will always be pretty low. High ceilings and cinder blocks make it difficult to keep warm, especially if you're trying to pinch pennies on heating costs! During the winter season, carpets become increasingly tough to work with. We often make reference to carpets being like a spring board because of its stiff nature in the colder temperature. This leads me to introduce to you the tool that has paid for itself many times over, even though we have never charged for the use of it, our steamer. It is a useful tool during the winter when the carpets tend to be more difficult to work with. Using a steamer to soften the carpet backing allows for more pliable goods, making the carpet easier to work with, without having to worry about delamination occurring*.
*(Believe it or not, most softening agents that are used for stiff carpets can be too harsh on the product.)
Our steamer also aids in the longevity of the needles for our binding machines! When faced with stiff backing on a carpet, needles wear out quicker, which makes skips in stitching more likely. Although it could just be five - 10 minutes of down time, changing the needle of the machines means that time is wasted when completing a project. Our steamer prevents the need to change the needles, because it makes the carpet like softened butter. We have heard many jokes about steam cleaning clothes or offering spa-like facial services. DWP Carpet Binding can tolerate the cheesy jokes, because to us, we know we are using a unique and beyond useful tool for the job!
Having the right tools will always be a necessity, being resourceful with your tools is additionally beneficial. This type of resourcefulness that I speak of is how DWP Carpet Binding distinguishes ourselves from any competition. We take time to familiarize ourselves with certain tools, as well as types of carpet, in order to execute our best workmanship, giving our customers a top quality product and top notch services!
DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITE & ETSY STORE:
http://dwpcarpetbinding.com/
http://www.etsy.com/people/KellyGreenCarpets
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