Dime / Nickel – Tuning

The old school trick of the trade was the dime gap liner
nickel gap shader. Take the armature bar assembly and
press down on the armature bar’s nipple (the spot where
the needle bar’s loop attaches to the grommet and then
to the armature bar) and press down on it until the bottom
of the armature bar hits the top of the front coil (the
one closest to the frame’s tube vise). You will notice a
gap in between the contact screw’s point and the front
spring. This is the gap that you would essentially stick
the coin (either a nickel or a dime) into. This is not really
a solid way to measure and or adjust the speed of your
machine, but it has been the time honored tradition for
some time. Some artists will tell you to use the same
technique, but stick the coin under the armature bar (in
between the front coil and the a-bar) and use that as the
measurement. Whether you are measuring point gap or
air gap with your coins, you can see the general jumping
off point, and like everything else: the proof is in the skin.