You gauge isn't reliable. None of them are. That is why buying the calibrated 5-10-15 lb weight set for the Presto is so strongly recommended. The weight, assuming we are talking about the 5-10-15 lb weight and not the standard 15 lb counter-weight that comes with the canner, is what is reliable. So if you are using the actual Presto weight set and it is set on say 10 lbs. and the steam vent is open and working then when it is slowly but steadily rocking you are at exactly 10.5 lbs. pressure. If you gauge doesn't read that and reads more or less then your gauge is off by that much. Now, if you are talking about the standard 15 lb counter weight instead then it doesn't rock until you hit 15.5 lbs. If you have had your gauge tested annually as recommended then you can go by the gauge. Run the pressure up to over 15 lbs and the counter-weight should start rocking. If it doesn't, something is seriously wrong so turn it off immediately. Follow me? Dave

It's HEEERE!! Unfortunately after I brought it in the house (met the Fedex guy in the driveway) I saw the bottom corner was bashed in. They put Styrofoam spacers in 2 of the top corners (to protect the handles, also gauge and single-weight regulator packed inside the foam) but nothing on the bottom corners! The PC isn't dinged that I can tell, just a little scuff but I emailed Walmart. And (maybe I should post this on the Bad Lids thread), the pint jars came packed in a very heavy cardboard box with dividers, wish they all came this way, the rings were barely screwed on so no grooves in the sealant. Somehow one outer row still managed to get dinged rings, but I don't care, I'll use others for processing and put these on for sale. I checked my stash and I don't have as many regular-mouth pints as I thought, 10 old salsa jars (fine for resale since I don't get them back but have sticky label residue), a dozen Ball pints with the letters/numbers on the bottoms (how old?), another dozen I think are from the 80's, and a dozen I think are really old since they are more square and have almost a frosted bottom with concentric rings. I don't really want to use those for things I'm selling, I haven't even used them for us yet since I bought them a couple years ago as part of a big lot on Craigslist. I also have 13 Ball/Kerr ones from the farmhouse basement (along with a lot more quarts) but those are definitely more than 30 years old. I do have some newer wide-mouth pints (2 dozen in cardboard boxes bought at Goodwill, 1 box never opened, and a flat I bought at Walmart or TSC) but those seem more suited to pickles than to apple butter.

Thank you both. Sounds like GC was correct although I will look into possibility of putting something behind the tank to keep it more steady - thanks, pointe_man. My mistake for not researching toilets more before buying! With kids, I just worry that it's going to wobble more with use! laat2, thanks for the link. Amina

Yes Mary, you are reading right. There are several softwares that allow you to download free or purchased designs from the internet to your computer. Then you transfer from computer to the 'cardwriting box/card' for using in your machine. The most popular is the Brother PED Basic that I mentioned above. It only writes .pes format, which is what the 270 uses, and can be bought...sometimes used, from ebay. Normally, you can find new there, as well as Walmart on line, Allbrands.com, and other sites. You may pay from $50to $100+. Then you can download a free software to change other design formats to .pes for your machine to use. There are many many free designs available and a good place to start is to join Sewforum.com. It is a forum for embroiderers, where you can ask questions, request someone create a design for you free or for fee. It is not very active now as the site is also on Facebook, but still, there are thousands of free designs still there. I hope I have explained-helped you. Good luck!