MtlBiker

I really didn't expect to have to modify things in order to use a binder attachment. (Probably due to my lack of experience, but I thought the Consew 206RB-5 was such a common machine that "canned" solutions should exist. I thought I was buying that.) Thank you for the links and the photo of the throat plate. I'm ready to order a throat plate and feed dog set from eBay but I'm going to do a little more searching first. All of the ones on eBay that I looked at say it would only arrive (here in Canada) around the 3rd week of March. And I really wanted to finish a project much faster (by the weekend hopefully!). There's a Consew dealer here in Montreal... I'll see if they have one. (Probably the most expensive option though.)

Good advice, but hard to stay relaxed and not feel overwhelmed. I was really hoping that what I ordered (after explaining what I wanted) was going to be pretty much plug and play. So now it's going to take another week (probably longer) before I can get this set up (thanks to a day job which takes most of my time). I'm thinking I should have ordered the one Sailrite sells, which is supposed to be able to bind up to 3.6mm thick assemblies. That one is swing-away and probably would have worked for my current need. But the cost, cost of shipping and duty, to me in Canada makes it rather expensive. And even with expensive shipping it would take about a week. In your list of tools above, you mention a right-angle drill... I don't think I've ever seen one. What would that be used for in this context? And I'm afraid I'm not clear on your "To shape Feet for a mounting Binder into a workable slot" comment. I received a special binding presser foot set yesterday and think that wouldn't need any modification to work. It's got only a narrow left presser foot and quite large (short and wide) inside foot.

Looks like I'm missing the special feed dog and throat plate set as I have no place to attach the binder. And there's no way of attaching it to the swing-away binders I have either as the holes are in the wrong orientation to allow the binder to be positioned correctly. I have the special binding foot with short wide inside foot and only a narrow left toe presser foot. I'm just a hobbyist (and a novice one at that) so I'll never be doing production runs. Is it a big job to change the feed dog and throat plate? Does it need careful adjustment or just simply screw it in? I've heard that many sewers dedicate a machine for bindings which makes it sound like not a trivial task to change the feed dog and throat plate.

Could this be right? I was expecting a swing-away binder (as per my email to the supplier) with a bigger mouth, but this isn't swing away, and I really can't see how it fits properly on ny Consew 206RB-5 (also specified in my email). This is as close as I can get it to the needle and stitch path. I can't believe this is the way it's supposed to fit. My guess (inexperienced me) is that it should fit much closer to the needle and stitch path as the second photo below (where the binder attachment isn't attached to anything at all).

I hope it'll fit on my 206RB. I'll know in a few hours when I get home tonight. The cost was $65 Cdn each, plus shipping. I also got a set of presser feet for binding, for $40.

@Constabulary @kgg I just received the new binders and they may be the wrong ones, unless I'm totally misunderstanding how these work. Are these what are called "right-angle" binders? Is the binding meant to feed in from the right (at 90 degrees to the stitch direction) and then turn sharply 90 degrees to meet the fabric that's being bound? If not, it looks to me that the item being bound has to be on the right of the needle (stitch line) and the binding comes in from the left. That couldn't be, could it? Sorry to expose my ignorance about this. My only experience so far with binding attachments is the one I showed earlier. If these are indeed right-angle binders, I don't know how I'll attach them to my machine. And they're certainly not swing-away. ($65 Cdn each.) I'll have to see how (and if) they fit when I get home tonight.

I've ordered a couple of binding attachments which are supposedly almost double the mouth size than the ones I have. They should be here today. Can you explain the "coil" on the attachments you're using? Is that specifically for cylinder bed machines or flat bed also? The two I currently have don't have that. My binding is on a large spool and when I stick the spool on a flat support with a dowel in the middle, the spool spins really smoothly. I don't think there's a problem with friction in this setup. It's almost as if the spool was on ball bearings. I don't know what the new binders will look like (if they're different I'll post a photo later), but here is what my current ones look like:

Thanks Wizcrafts! Do you know of Chris at Japan Sewing in Toronto? I was talking to him yesterday and he's sending me two binding attachments (3/4" and 1") that are more than double in mouth size than what I have. I'd sent him photos of what I'm trying to bind, my current binder attachment as well as the presser foot I'm using, plus measurements. He's also sending me a presser foot specifically for use when binding. I should have it all today. And I can try it out tonight when I get home.

I bought my binding tape from American and Efird, and it's a polyester twill. On their website they don't list a nylon twill tape... would you suggest that a nylon twill would be better than polyester twill?

Thanks very much for your great reply! I have no idea if the binding I'm using is good quality or not. Are you saying that you can recognize what I'm using from my photo and that it's not good quality? I bought a full spool of 1" and 3/4" from American and Efrid, It's a poly twill tape. And the only one they offer. Is there a supplier and brand you recommend? The mouth opening on your binder is about double the size of the one I'm using! Wow! I've emailed another supplier to ask if they have any wide-mouth binders. Any suggestion as to where to buy one? Most I'm finding don't specify at all the mouth opening size. Sailrite was the only one I found so far which does specify. This is a pretty small item I'm trying to make and I think using 1" binding would be overkill. The 3/4" wraps around the edges very nicely as long as I could feed it properly. I'm not quite clear on your "right angle" binder comment. Any chance you could point me to a photo of one? I have a couple of fixed (not swing-away) binder attachments and a couple of swing-away. I'm guessing that neither is the right angle one you mention. Thanks very much! That makes two of us!

Yes, great, it certainly does help! Thank you. It's really hard to measure, but the mouth size on my binder is about 2.6mm. The one you linked to doesn't specify what the mouth size actually is... just states wide mouth. And it also says that it doesn't ship to Canada (where I am). I just checked the Sailrite site and they have one that says will work with material that compresses to about 3.6mm. As near as I can measure, my assembly including the binding tape is 3.8mm. The Sailrite one may or may not work. I'm guessing that there are binding attachments with even wider mouth sizes... for carpets, etc. Now that I know they exist, I'l search one out. I'm not succeeding in applying the binding manually with my little pouch. SIGH

I'm still very much a beginner sewer but I'm improving every day. Slowly, mind you, but improving. I'm running into a problem with installing binding on a small belt pouch I've been working on. I use a Consew 206RB-5 with swing-away 3/4" binding attachment. The problem I'm having is that part of my pouch is too thick to pass through the end of the binding attachment and either it jams or pops out of the attachment making the binding and stitch go off the pouch. I'm trying now to put on the binding more by hand, by first clipping it into place but it's really tough, particularly around the round corners of the pouch (there was no problem with the corners when using the binding attachment). So my question is are there binding attachments with larger space at the exit point of the attachment? How do people bind thicker stuff like carpets, etc.? Is there a better way? The part of my pouch that gets stuck isn't really all that thick... 2 layers of 1000D Cordura, 2 of 600D and a doubled binding. My sewing machine has no problem at all with that thickness of material. It's just the binding attachment that is the problem. Thanks for any suggestions.

Oh! Thanks for clarifying that! I was looking it the batteries purely in terms of their voltage. Your explanation makes perfect sense!

I'm sorry that my attempt at a humorous reply didn't come across the what I'd intended. I was reminded of a cooking class that I took a few years ago when the chef asked the group how often they sharpened their knives... One replied "Every two or three months" and he replied, "Oh, you only use it every two or three months?" It was meant to be funny. And I did include a smiley face. And I did ask if you were using something other than alkalines in the Zap.

My reason for posting was to find a way to save money because I was going through the alkalines like crazy. Thanks to @GatoGordo suggesting I try rechargeable batteries, (which I'd been reluctant to) I've now got a solution I'm very happy with. I already have a bunch of rechargeables, so without having to buy anything else or jury-rig some kind of power supply, I'm very happy now with how they work. Much much better (longer usage before having to recharge or replace) than with alkalines. I believe that the lithium batteries would work better than regular alkalines, but since the Eneloops I'm now using work so well, I'm not even going to try.

You were right! Incredible difference between using alkalines or rechargeables! I never imagined that would be the case, since fully charged Eneloops come in at 12.75 volts while fresh premium alkalines are 16.03v. That's why I hadn't tried the rechargeables before. (I know I have higher mAh rechargeables around here somewhere, but the Eneloops I'm trying are only 2000 mAh and they're working incredibly well!)

It's MORE fragile? How does that make it better? In any case, contrary to what I'd believed, the rechargeable batteries DO seem to last longer than premium alkalines (and they're much cheaper to run!). It's funny that this seems to be the case, because fresh alkalines come in at 16.03 volts while recharged Eneloops come in at 12.75 volts. I thought that would mean the alkalines would work better, but it doesn't look like that's the case. I've already replaced the tip (and have extra tips on hand). I believe I thought it was the tip when the Zap II stopped working as well. I didn't realize at the time how quickly alkaline batteries (even those showing a higher voltage than fullly charged rechargeables) stopped being effective. I doubt very much that I have a bad one. After testing with rechargeable Eneloops (even though with only 2000 mAh) the Zap II is working much much better. In the year you have yours, how often have you used it? One or two threads? Or maybe you're already using rechargeables?

Thank you. It actually looks almost like the Thread Zap II. I wonder (and doubt) if it would be much better on battery life. But rigging it to use external power would be very cool. What did your friend do to set that up? On the surface I'd guess all it would take is a small power supply and some jury rigged connection. Good idea... thanks! The Thread Zap II was cheap enough, even if I destroy it I can easily get another. I'm going to look into rigging something up. Might even be possible to attach an external battery, which I've got plenty of... like what I use to power/charge my iPhone and iPad.

Thanks. That looks really nice, but it costs $200 Canadian and for that price I can keep on buying batteries for my Zap II for a long time. Besides, I already have a Weller soldering "gun" plus a couple of butane powered Weller portable soldering pens which I always carried in my motorcycle repair kit when touring. Just in case. Those butane ones would be perfect (size, variety of tips) other than for the fact they're not instant on, nor quick enough to cool off afterwards. The Thread Zap II is really quite perfect for the purpose other than the speed it uses batteries. I'm going to give rechargeables a try in it. Cheers!

And you use the Zap how often? Once a month? I'll give the Eneloop batteries a try (I actually have a bunch) and I hadn't before because I was under the impression (maybe wrongly) that the rechargeables had slightly lower voltages than good alkalines. I'll check that out. A "Bovi"???

I've been using a BeadSmith Thread Zap II for a few months now and generally always burn the end of my threads. This thing goes through batteries like crazy! It uses a single AA battery and once voltage drops to about 1.35 or so, it just stops burning thread properly. A fresh battery always works incredibly well. What do you folks use for thread burning? A lighter just doesn't give the precise touch for burning threads but is great for the ends of webbing, etc. I have an old Weller soldering iron. Has anyone found (or made) a better tip for burning threads? Would that work? I guess you'd need some sort of adapter to be able to attach a tip thin enough to do any good. Suggestions?

No, I got the machine with the servo motor. So no clutch motor here. But with any luck, I'll have the replacement motor tomorrow and will bring the defective motor back to the dealer when everyone reopens. Then, depending on whether he replaces or repairs, I should have a spare servo. And thanks to your earlier advice, I do have a 45mm pulley for my motor and with it I can sew slow enough that I'm happy. Happy New Year!

Thank you Kelly! That looks good, but with $100 shipping cost and kinda forever to receive it, I'm going with a different option. I was strongly suggested (privately, but by an experienced member here) that I'd be better off replacing the motor with the identical make/model and that in very many cases the newer servos with electronic digital displays were troublesome. I was pointed towards Japan Sewing in Toronto and they actually had an identical servo replacement in stock and ready to ship. I've ordered it and may even receive it tomorrow (Canpar from Toronto to Montreal is often overnight but the holidays and Covid might affect that). Total cost, including tax and shipping was $168 Canadian!! May not be quite as modern as the model you linked to, but it's the easiest solution and by far the quickest. With the forced closure of businesses here I'm going to be stuck at home for a few weeks and I really wanted to get this machine fixed up pronto. Happy New Year, and keep well.

Since changing to a small motor pulley on my 206RB-5 I'm able to run at a much slower speed than before. And at slow speed I hear a "knocking" sound from the servo. It's like car engine valves needing adjustment... at idle you hear the knocking but at higher revs you don't. I hadn't heard the noise before. Running the servo with the belt removed (so as to eliminate the machine itself as being the noise source) the knocking is there. Getting to my dealer would be really really inconvenient, plus due to the forced Covid business closures here, it might only be the end of January when I could do that. So I want to investigate my options in terms of getting a new servo motor. Any suggestions about which servo to buy and from where? Hopefully there's a Canadian source. If the cost is $2-300 (hopefully Canadian) then I think it would be worth it to me. Thanks for any suggestions... Knocking Servo

Yeah, it was a black cat. SIGH Wants to get into everything.