Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't see your question answered below, please contact us.
I need my order tomorrow. Can you ship by UPS Red, Blue, or Orange?
Machinery, parts and dry goods may be shipped by UPS Air. Please call us at 1-386-259-9116 as early in the day as possible if you need expedited shipping.
Most inks (including the inks contained in markers) can NOT be shipped by Air. Due to the HazMat nature of the products, they must be specially tagged and shipped by Ground.
Why aren’t my brand new GP-X paint markers working?
The paint / ink inside the marker is very thick. If you have had the markers sitting around for a while, the agitator ball inside the marker may be stuck in the paint. Dislodge it by dropping the marker cap end first onto your desk from 8” – 10”. You may need to do this a few times. Once the agitator ball is freed up, shake the marker as usual. Press the marker down until the paint flows into the tip.
How much ink do I need to stencil 100 items?
This is a question that has no good answer! It depends on the surface being marked – burlap bags, corrugated cartons, wooden crates, and concrete all receive the stencil ink differently. Some surfaces may cover in one pass of the stencil roller while others may need several passes. In addition, it depends on the size of your stencil. Some stencils have 1” high characters while others may have 8” characters. Some stencils have one line of characters and other stencils have multiple lines. More surface means more ink needed to cover it.
What is the difference between stencil ink and coder ink?
Stencil ink is generally a thicker ink designed to be used with a roller and ink pad. The inked applicator is rolled over a cut stencil to apply the message to the product or carton.
Coder ink is a thinner ink (similar to water). This ink is designed to work with hand-held coders and friction coders mounted on your conveyor line. Rubber type on a wheel picks up coder ink from an ink cartridge or ink roller. Ink is applied to the product by pressure. Coder ink may also be used in an ink pad with a rubber stamp.
How do I measure character size?
Characters / letters / type is measured from top to bottom, whether it is cut out stencil characters or rubber type. Look at the letter “T” and measure the actual imprint height of the “T” (not the backing size on ribtype which is slightly larger). Type can NOT be measured by the width as measuring the width of an “I” versus a “W” would give you two totally different sizes!
The Newlong NP-3II machine is a lot more expensive than the NP-7A. Does that make it a better machine?
The NP-7A provides a single thread chain stitch closure. This is generally all you need for closing bags of feed, coal, fertilizer, seed, potatoes, etc. The NP-3II is a two-thread machine built for the geo-textile industry. Many engineers spec a two-thread closure for landfill caps and liners, and that is exactly why the NP-3II was designed.
The NP-7A single thread chain stitch will unravel if there is a skipped stitch. The NP-3II double thread chain stitch will only unravel if both threads are pulled at the same time, thus providing a more secure closure. The NP-7A and the NP-3II use some of the same parts (needles, knives, micro switch, motor, cord, etc.) but many parts such as the feed dog, needle bar guard and throat plate are significantly different. Be careful when ordering!
How much thread should I order to close 500 bags?
This is another question with no correct answer! If you have a 50 lb bag with an 18” top it will require much more thread than an 8 oz bag with a 4” top. It also depends on how long you leave the chain stitch “tails” on either end of the bag. A 12/4 gauge polyester thread yields 7,560 feet per pound. A single thread machine will use roughly 45” of thread per foot of sewn material. Bag thickness and stitch length will also vary the amount of thread used. It’s always safer to order more thread than you think you’ll need. As long as you keep it dry, it won’t go bad.
My bag closer stitches the bag closed, but then the stitches unravel. What happened?
First make sure to put a new needle in. The needle generates an incredible amount of heat during stitching and over time will warp. A needle with even a slight bend can cause a problem when stitching. The needle may not be visibly bent, but replacing it is the first and easiest thing to do. Forcing the bag thru the machine or hitting a corn kernel / bean / piece of coal will also damage the needle.
Make sure you have the correct needle. While the Fischbein D5 needle will fit in the Newlong machine, the Fischbein needle is shorter than the DNx1 #25 needle and the stitch will not loop correctly.
Make sure the needle is facing the proper direction. The needle will fit in backwards, but will also result in stitching issues. On one side of the needle there is a flat ‘face’ on the upper part and an indentation (scarf) near the eye. This is the side that faces the looper.
Why don’t you sell cotton thread?
We sell 12/4 gauge 100% polyester thread with an oiled finish. 12/4 polyester is a smooth running thread the works well in any bag closing machine. Cotton thread ‘sheds’ and provides a lot of fiber ‘fluff’ while running thru the machine. The fluff ends up inside the machine, clogging it up. Polyester does not have that problem.
Polyester thread also does not break down as quickly as cotton thread when left outside in the elements. UV light, rain and certain products all help to corrode cotton thread. Polyester is the thread of choice when sewing sandbags, coal and fertilizer bags.
How do I order a product?
- On-Line – Search by product or product category. When ordering on-line, your credit card information is handled by a secure 3rd party (Authorize.net) – your card information is never revealed to Tracey Packaging.
- Email – Established customers can order / re-order product by email: LRoss@traceypackaging.com
- Phone – Orders may be phoned in Monday thru Friday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm EST. If we are unable to answer your call, please leave a voicemail so that we may call you back. Phone: 1-386-259-9116 or 1-800-639-5664.
Payment – We accept Visa, MasterCard and Amex (American Express). Customers may apply for “Net 30 Days” terms after their first credit card purchase. Customers with approved credit terms may call us or contact us with a purchase order number instead of going through checkout.