National Clothesline

Whether buying equipment to build an entire plant or just buying to replace one or two pressing machines, you should buy all the “bells and whistles” that enhance the operation of those pieces of equipment.

Too often we under-buy equipment just to save a few hundred dollars here and there, or because the salesman was not aware of the added value that the accessories will bring to that piece of equipment.

Do not be under sold. Get the most out of the equipment you need and don’t skimp because of price alone.

I will try to emphasize, in this article, the importance of buying a complete piece of equipment which is both convenient and efficient for your operator. Would you buy a car that has no power steering or power brakes, no ABS (brakes), no power door locks or power windows? I think not.

I remember when my father bought his 1935 Oldsmobile. He paid extra for the right side windshield wiper, extra for the right side tail light, extra for the outside mirror on both sides, the heater and the right sun visor. Today, those accessories are standard equipment due to their safety importance and enhancement of ergonomics for the driver and occupants.

Let’s begin with finishing equipment. You should include with every pressing machine:

• A sleever board — swing away type.

• A hand iron installed at a position that does not interfere with the presser’s use.

• A water spray gun.

• A nomex-covered grid plate for all-around finishing and to avoid screen impressions.

• A good quality combination pad and cover on the buck.

• After-market accessories, such as a base pad for the iron, covered steam hose for iron, a soft brush, whisk broom, hand pad and pelican sleever.

Puff irons are one of the most under-purchased pieces of equipment. If the puff iron has no vacuum, it will not instantly remove the live steam from the garment, nor will it cool it to set the puff job. With steam still flowing from the fabric, the finish will soon fall apart.

In the silk finishing unit, the puff irons should have fabric heads, along with the vacuum, in order to produce a smooth finish. If the dress or blouse has been “sized” the vacuum applied while the fabric head is closed will set the crispness of the fabric.

An “egg” puff (no fabric head) is ideal in the silk unit to puff out small tucks, gathers, and tiny areas not accessible with the ladies’ heart-shaped shoulder puff. A water spray gun should be installed for use of the puff set.

The man’s shoulder puff is ideal for removing crotch wrinkles and leave-off marks from pants as well as shaping the sleeve head on the shoulders of a suit/sport coat or overcoat. A pants unit should use a tensioning steam-air topper, and the legger press should be tapered at the right end to serve as a topper or utility press if needed.

A silk unit should include a mushroom press with sleeve ironing board and steam iron in order to finish the bodice of a hard-finish dress, blouse, suit jacket or gown when the fabric needs more head pressure than a tensioning steam-air form finisher can supply.

In addition, the silk unit should have a vertical bag sleever, which is ideal also for full and flared sleeves as well as slacks requiring no front creases.

The silk unit should have a tensioning steam-air form finisher with water spray gun and sleeve expanders for jackets.

The coat/utility unit should have a provision to properly form and press the coat collar. The Hoffman Coat-A-Matic is the only steam-air form finisher which has a head attached to it to press the collar and shoulders of a suit/sport coat or overcoat. The head will also crease the collar down through the gorge seams to set the proper break of the lapels.

The coat unit should contain a mushroom press to finish the collar of the suit/sport coat or overcoat if the Coat-A-Matic (highly recommended) is not purchased.

The mushroom press can also finish the suit/sport coat with the proper chest forming due to its larger oval, curved buck. A man’s shoulder puff should be available.

Since finishing is the most productive operation in the plant, and it is finishing that determines the final quality and acceptance of the garment by the customer, I cannot overemphasize the importance of making your finishing units as complete, efficient and convenient as possible.

Many drycleaning machines are sold as incomplete models to save you money. For perchloroethylene, hydrocarbon and Stoddard solvents, those cleaning machines should contain:

• Three base tanks with large sight glass.

• Adequate size still (except machines equipped for Tonsil powder and diatomaceous earth and solvent conditioning).

• The still should have two steam pressure regulators, one low pressure for purging the muck and the other for normal distillation. A by-pass of the steam pressure regulators should be available for quick warm-up of the dirty solvent. The still should be equipped with boil-over protection.

• Stainless steel in the drying chamber, ducts, condenser, water separator, button trap and cylinder. Perchloroethylene is very corrosive, so the more stainless steel the better.

• Sight glasses and pressure gauges before and after the filters.

• Provision to easily drain the filters.

• Properly sized carbon towers and filters that will not impede the flow rate of solvent.

• Solvent level control manually if desired.

• Temperature gauge on the water line leaving the condenser of the still with automatic temperature control.

• Temperature gauge on the duct after the condenser for dry/recovery to monitor air temperature leaving the condenser.

• Provision to set air temperatures entering and leaving the cylinder for proper drying.

• Solvent coolers in tanks and on flow lines.

• Solvent coolers equipped with temperature gauges after the solvent coolers.

• Carbon adsorber to remove residual traces of perchloroethylene vapors after cool-down.

• Still should be equipped with automatic sludge remover.

Any other accessories available should be considered, but the items above are the minimum.

Perhaps the government agencies have the right idea. They write specifications for the equipment they need, and bidders have to bid on similar equipped machines. The idea is to write an equipment list describing, generically, each machine and how it is to be equipped.

The list is furnished to all distributors that you wish to deal with, and the lowest price for the package, including all specifications, should get the order. However, all factors should be taken into consideration, such as time of delivery, quality of service offered and terms, etc.

Rigging and installation is usually given to the lowest bidder without specifications as to type of material, method of installation, etc. Usually the buyer shows the installer an equipment layout drawing and asks for a price with no parts specifications or installation methods to use. This is where “the lowest price is not always the lowest cost,” so said my dear friend, Ken Faig, the most brilliant mind this industry ever had.

Get specifications for everything you buy!