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Bad Weather Activities

Equipment
#1

It has been snowing steadily all day here in Austria, so I took the opportunity to make some gear I had been planning for a while. I had some 40d TPU nylon left over from another project, so I heaved the Bernina 830 down the stairs and set to work on a mini bathtub groundsheet and a sleeve for my potty trowel:

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It is not pegged out, but the sides do flip up nicely, so I hope it will help keep the ticks off my clothes. The TPU nylon has an excellent hydrostatic head and is not hideously expensive:

Unfortunately, thanks to Brexit, Extremtextil no longer ship to the UK.
73 de OE6FEG
Matt

6 Likes
#2

I used to buy from them a great company. We do have some other options here but not as good as extremtextil.

#3

Or Norway. There are a number of issues regarding the VAT changes and what surprises me is no brokers have appeared who will handle the necessary customs work for a small fee. IIRC eBay does handle the VAT etc. so if they sold via eBay they could sell anywhere and eBay does the VAT.

2 Likes
#4

One last thing I knocked up before putting the sewing machine away was a pole pocket:

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The idea is that you velcro it to a fence post, as shown above, and then put the bottom of your antenna mast in it to gain some additional height:

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In hindsight, I could have made it a bit smaller, but on the plus side, it will fit a larger mast:

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And, it also serves as a handy organiser for my velcro straps when it’s in the rucksack:

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It’s amazing, the number of simple accessories you can sew up yourself on an old sewing machine; not to mention repairing old gear.
73 de OE6FEG
Matt

6 Likes
#5

I sew all coarser textiles with my Bernina 117 :smile:

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73 Armin

4 Likes
#6

Very nice! I know the old Pfaff machines with a 2 amp motor are very popular for sewing heavy materials. That said, if you just turn the wheel by hand, you’d be surprised what a Bernina 830 can get through. I find I have no problems with straps and Cordura and the like. I once tutored a student from the fashion school and she said that the older machines are always better. The only problem I have is getting accessories, like a zipper foot.
73 Matt

1 Like
#7

Edit: Name of the outdoor fabric I used in the pole bag is enstex. Google for more info.

Basic outdoor fabrics are not too hard to find unless you are looking for something special. I made a pole bag using material from a local fabric shop. Most towns and cities must have similar shops. I think Shelby was selling outdoor fabrics in past.

73, Jaakko ac1bb/oh7bf

1 Like