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I'm looking for some suggestions to get my machine's tension sorted. I use it 10-20 hours a week and it's normaly fine. But today the tension is acting funny. the stiching looks fine on top and bottom, but then I'll loose tension on the bottom and have a bunch of looped thread. i have checked the bobbin tension, the top tension, changed the needle...looking for more suggestions. thanks

There is someone in my area selling a used Consew 206RB-1 for $700 it comes with a clutch motor and table. The motor is 2yrs old. The machine looks to be in great condition, a small upholstery shop is selling it. Is this a reasonable price for this? Would love some input before I jump on this. Thanks

Hey guys, long time no talk. I have a Consew 206, it was my first machine. I picked up a post bed last year so its been sitting for a while, but Ive been getting back to using it these past few weeks. I would like to tackle making a Veg Tan purse with a gusset for the first time, and would prefer to use this machine. This will be a 2 part (maybe even 3 part) question. Im going to post 2 videos and a photo on my public Facebook business page, because everything I try to upload here is too big. For more background, I am a shoemaker, but i also do leather goods such as wallets, and would like to do belts with this machine eventually too. So far I sew nothing over 6-7 oz thick. 2 SHORT VIDEOS HERE: https://www.facebook.com/ObliviousNature/ 1.) Im self taught, so Ive never truly mastered getting the tension correct. But id like too! Ive seemed to have gotten 69 tension pretty well. Only skips a stitch rarely and Ive been able to move down to a size 18 needle. But when it comes to 92, thats a different story. Ive read through many threads before posting and didnt quite get this specific question answered. 1 video shows and asks this question clearly, but in case the video doesnt work, basically, when i stick my bobbin into the shuttle(?) and give it a slight pull, before trying to catch the thread, it is VERY TIGHT. With 69 thread, I give it a tug its no problem. I have tried loosening the bobbin, tightening the bobbin, putting the thread spool in both ways as well. Again Ive read much (from Wiz specifically:) ) and I know this thing can handle 138... so why is this happening?? 2.) The second video and photo will detail my tension discs. They are loose, even when the screw is as tight as it will go. I have no idea on what to do with this. Ive tried taking some things off and changing the order around, but that really seemed not to work, so I put it back how it was. Also, feel free to comment on if the way I have the top threaded is wrong, BUT PLEASE, do NOT refer me to a 30 year old manual where I cant make anything out! It isnt very helpful. 3.) My 3rd question is on feet. I searched through ebay, and read a really good thread on feet for this machine from June 2013. I have to say though, im just unsure of which to go with. There are almost too many options. Going back to the aforementioned, Id like to tackle a bag with gusset, and something i learned from a maker doing so on a similar machine on Youtube was to use a zipper foot, as it allows you to get close to the edge and isnt as bulky as the original foot. But the zipper foot has teeth, which is a big nono for veg tan. So then i saw Wiz mentioned a double toe foot... no clue what that is, or if it allows you to get close like a zipper foot would. So then I also saw a spring loaded guide foot. Seems really convenient on one hand, but certainly not for sewing around a gusset in a firmer leather! So THEN... I saw an edge guide foot, which comes in different widths. Great right?... The real issue is - the majority of ebay photos leave you staring at the bottom of the feet. No top view, which would help me better decide which to go with. Looking at it from the side doesnt seem to do much for me. I know you cant tell me what to buy. But if you could narrow all these options down to maybe 2, that would really help me. So far the only criteria for feet is id relaly prefer the bottom to be flat to avoid marks, an gets me closer to the edge than the traditional foot. Thx very much for reading this essay.

I just bought a brand new Consew 206RB-5 and everything works fine until I backstitch. The stitches indicate tight bobbin tension/ loose upper thread tension, but it looks fine going forward. I'm afraid the items I make will pull out over time because the stitches are so loose. Does anyone know what this could be caused by, or ways to fix it?

I want a walking foot leather sewing machine. I found a couple of used machines available in my area - a Consew 206RB-4 and a Chandler (Adler) 67. I would use to sew veg tan leather - bags and other similar items. In general which would be a better machine? The used Consew is more expensive, but I am more interested in which one will be a better machine over time. If they are roughly equivalent I may go for the cheaper Chandler. What thickness of leather layers could I expect each of these machines to sew through? Will one sew through a thicker layer of leather than the other? Thanks for any comparative advice. The Chandler is fitted with a servo motor, not sure about the Consew.

Does anyone make a 1/4" hemming foot for a Consew 206RB5? Ive searched high and low and can't seem to find one. I need to hem Cordura and canvas. thanks in advance. George

I've been scouring this site for information on industrial sewing machines. I'm looking for a machine to do rugging for taxidermy. It needs to go through 2-6 layers of 11-18oz felt and the hide (bear, coyote, etc). I have previously used industrial sewing machines for garments, so these heavy duty machines are new to me. From what I've read on this site I'd like to try find a Consew 206RB-5 (or any subclass with reverse) or a Cowboy machine, maybe the 3200. I'm open to other machines that have a reverse and large capacitity bobbin. Before I make the plunge can anyone give me some feed back on what walking foot machine would be good for me or should I be looking for something with a rolling foot? Should I find something to sew up to 1/2" thickness or is that overkill?

Hello, First time poster here. I've gotten a lot of great info on sewing machines here and am hoping to find some help with figuring out what is wrong with my stitch. I'm sewing with a Consew 1206 and am a newbie. Bob at Toledo sewing kindly set me up with my machine to sew some handbags. I'm attaching a pic of the top and bottom stitches that will hopefully give someone more experienced a clear idea of what is going on. I'm wondering if the needle is too big?? Thanks!

I have a Consew bell skiver. Its fairly new (6 months) and I think I have it set up correctly. The problem I have is with the ball that feeds the material. Often, especially with relatively thin goat, the waste material sticks to the ball. So then that waste material comes around and under the material thats about to go through and causes irregular skived thickness. Sometimes even tearing the material. Is there anything I can do about this? Chuck

Hey Guys, I'm looking for info on the compatibility of Consew 277RFS cylinder arm parts. As far as needle plate, feed dogs, binding plate attachment etc. I understand that all parts are the same as the Seiko LSC 8, but after some searching I cant seem to find what the cylinder arm is based on. It seems very similar to both the Pfaff 335 as well as the Juki 246. Specifically interested in being able to use specialized needle plates, as well as binder attachments for Pfaff 335 on the Consew 277. Such as the attached images available from Kwokhing. I have emailed them asking about compatibility, but have not received a reply. Any information on what the 277 cylinder arm is based on / interchangeable with would be very much appreciated. I have also attached a pic of the badge of of the Consew. Thank you! -Sam

I am new to this site. Thank you for allowing me to join you. I am trying to get into leather bag making and need to purchase an industrial machine. I have decided on the Consew. Can anyone tell me what is the difference between the 206RB-5 and the Consew P1206RB? Which one would you recommend for bag making? I really appreciate as much feedback as you are willing to give. Quote

I am new to this site. Thank you for allowing me to join you. I am trying to get into leather bag making and need to purchase an industrial machine. I have decided on the Consew. Can anyone tell me what is the difference between the 206RB-5 and the Consew P1206RB? Which one would you recommend for bag making? I really appreciate as much feedback as you are willing to give. Quote

I am new to this site. Thank you for allowing me to join you. I am trying to get into leather bag making and need to purchase an industrial machine. I have decided on the Consew. Can anyone tell me what is the difference between the 206RB-5 and the Consew P1206RB? Which one would you recommend for bag making? I really appreciate as much feedback as you are willing to give.

So I bought this cylinder arm machine. It worked fine at the dealer for sewing and picking up thread. I re-threaded it now to the thread color i needed. Filled the bobbin and it won't pick up the bobbin thread. Bobbin spins fine. No thread stuck in there. Put brand new needle. So after unsuccessfully getting my bobbin to pick up the thread. I put back the one that the dealer had and that was working.. Still won't pick up thread. Not sure what I'm doing wrong

Hi sewing machine experts... This is my first post as a new member - I hope I am posting in the right place... I make leather baby shoes (really slippers - see picture attached) and am looking to buy my first substantial sewing machine so I can amp up production. I have been using an old Kenmore 148.156 that I purchased at GoodWill, which is obviously NOT ideal and slow going - I am surprised it hasn't broken yet. The leather I am using is very soft, 3-5 oz but I am sometimes sewing through 3 layers so I need a fair amount to clearance. After reading through Wizcrafts topic on, "The Type Of Sewing Machine You Need To Sew Leather", it looks like what I may want is something like a Consew 206RB walking foot machine, or something similar. Does that sounds right? I found this option on Ebay, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Consew-206RB-5-Walking-Foot-Leather-Sewing-Machine-/182292952645?hash=item2a7181b645:g:DjAAAOSwmfhX6u92, which looks pretty decent to me (not sure about the 1/2hp clutch motor), but I really don't feel sufficiently confident in my knowledge as of yet to make a purchase, so was hoping for some advice from you experts! He also mentions that you want to buy a Japan made machine but Im not sure how to discern where this was manufactured. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hi all! Im looking for a cylinder bed sewing machine in good or new condition. Even better if it has a flat bed attachment. Need it for light to medium work so I was thinking Techsew 2700 or 2800 but I'm open to other models as well. I'll be working mostly with lambskin but also some light to medium veg cowhide as well. I live near Philadelphia Thanks in advance!!!

Here is a link to my CL ad http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/tls/5658472155.html I'm more than happy to send more photos and answer any questions. I'll also offer a discount to this group only. $800. I prefer pickup here in Cincy. I will travel as far as 100 miles to meet someone. Columbus, Louisville, Indianapolis, Dayton, Lexington etc. Thanks, Andy

Hello I just bought a consew 206-rb5. This is my first industrial machine. I bought it from a shop that does custom car interiors. Before I bought it, the guy gave me a thorough demonstration and it worked fine. Now that I have it home and have been working with it, the machine at first was shredding the thread (size 92). I adjusted the bobbin tension and now it is leaving these big loops on the backside of the leather. I'm a complete noob and would appreciate any advice as to how to fix this.

Hey guys, im going to start making some wallets and have a question on thread. I'm going to buy some Hermann oak veg tan and machine stitch some card holders. I have a consew 206rb. I'm wanting to get 138 thread in a natural color to go along with the color of the vegtan, but so far I've only been finding poly and not nylon (in natural color). I've read what they're both used best for, but I just want to know that my consew can in fact sew out poly?? Also, can natural poly thread hold dye? I'll be doing some patinas eventually as well. Also, does anyone have tips on how I can make sure my stitches look good on the back as well as the front? I've never sewn anything over v69. Pic is for reference, it's not my work, just the finish I'll be looking for! Thanks!

Hey guys, long time no talk! Been ghost the past few months but I've made considerable progress in my sewing and shoemaking ventures. Photos to follow in another post! Anyway, I have a Consew 206rb. After having my machine for over 6 months, I up and decided to change out my needle, as I thought maybe it was dull and could help me avoid the occasional skipped stitch. Low and behold, I had been stitching everything with a size 22 organ needle! Now, I wasn't too upset about this, as all my work up until that point looked fairly decent. The issue comes in when I input a size 16 needle, which from my understanding is the correct needle for sewing leather, which is what I do pretty exclusively. Smaller needle = smaller hole, which gives a cleaner looking stitch. I thought I was winning, until the needle refused to actually "stitch". I'm using white 69 bonded nylon thread on some white cow leather about 3oz thick. The needle is feeding in the upper tension and the bobbin, but it's not locking the stitch, so when I stop sewing, there is just holes in my leather but no thread, on the top or bottom. Even more interesting, when I went to see on a different piece of scrap Horween leather about the same thickness, it worked fine! Any ideas on why this is? Does my needle really just not like this leather, or should I be making an adjustment somewhere? Stitching about 8 spi. Attached a photo of the leather I'm sewing with the size 22 needle just to give you an idea of what it looks like. Thanks

Good morning all, This is my first post to a very information packed forum !!! Leatherworknet ROCKS !!!! I am venturing out into the world of industrial sewing machines and am finding that Singer made commercial/industrial machines with out a reverse. For leather sewing is a reverse absolutely needed? Thanks, Tom

Hi there. This is my first post. I have read a lot here on leather sewing machines here and I wish to ask about my situation specifically. I was aiming to get one for my birthday in July but 6 months off work with cancer treatment (going well nearly finished I hope) has delayed that idea for quite a while now, but, I thought I would pick your brains anyway and get my head around what I am looking at. I DONT want any fighting between cowboy/cobra/silrite/consew/juki supporters as I have a lot of respect for the sellers of all those machines who have given lots of info and free time to help others. I have hand sewn some light bags and put my poor little Janome Mystyle 18W through hell with a little clutch bag. (I like what Arthur Porter does in Dallas)I cannot hand sew for long as I have a damaged nerve in my arm from dialysis (yeah if I was a sewing machine i would be on the scrap heap by now!). I would also like to incorporate leather in my teddy bear making. I want to use at several layers of least 5-7 oz tooling Veg- tan leather in some products as well as other lighter leather at this point. (I would include pics of my stuff but the pc is not cooperating) I only have a small area (90cmL x 60cm W) so large machines are out of the question. I have looked online at (in no particular order) at the Sairite zig zag/consew CP2064/Cowboy (3200/3500/4500)/Cobra 3/4s/4P machines and have heard of Juki 441 machines as well. Can I also get the size of the tables/pedestals as they will have to be factored in to my little niche. I am in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I have heard of Cowboy and Cobra being in Queensland but not down south (must be too cold down here for them :^} ) So if there is any distributors down this way to deliver and help set it up, it would be really good. There are other places in Melbourne but they only seem to carry big machines. Ideally about $800 - $1000 for the smaller Consew/sailrite machines would be good but I don't know if they will suite. I would use that as a springboard to go from there to a larger one like the Cowboy/cobra or save up to get the larger machine cowboy/cobra at a later date. Oh and whoever gets my sale (eventually) I am dyslexic so I will ask a HEAP of questions. For that reason I would prefer new, although I saw a really cute Juki LU-562 with Dayton gear motor on a forum here earlier and thought it looked fantastic!!!!! Thanks in advance. Boofy

Selling a Consew 227 cylinder arm walking foot machine in the NY/NJ area. Available with older table/motor, but I will also consider shipping head only. Sews very well, has fold-back edge guide. Asking $700. Here is a link to ebay auction with pics, but I would much prefer to sell without ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/182080778647

Can anyone tell me what would cause my stitch length to change on its own? I have a Seiko STH LBD-3, basically the same machine as the Consew 206rb-5. I had my stitch length set to 5.5. Before I began I tested on scrap pieces of leather and all was fine. I notice it seems whenever I encounter a part a little thicker or that has an awkward position the machine changes stitches on it's own. It began sewing at 3 and as I continued to sew it went back to 5.5. Anyone know what happened or why?

We purchased this Consew Double Needle Post Machine recently. It was purchased brand new from the manufacturer. We thought it would work for our business, but instead it has sat unused in our art studio. We tried using it once or twice, but discovered that it is most definitely the wrong machine for our needs. It is technically in Like NEW condition, with no signs of wear. We've proactively serviced it to ensure that it is ready for the new owner. This machine would be better suited for a saddle maker or a company specializing in leather/upholstery fabric furniture, please see Full Specs below. This machine comes with the table and a servo motor. We are selling it for a few thousand less than what we paid in hopes it will sell quickly. Willing to accept reasonable offers. We are asking $3800 for this machine, actually selling it for a few thousand dollars less than what we paid in hopes it will sell quickly. Willing to accept reasonable offers only. We are unable to ship, due to its weight and size. Instead we are willing to deliver it anywhere within California for an additional $200. California buyers only. Local pick up is also acceptable. This machine is currently listed on EBAY, but I can pull auction if someone on this forum is interested. FULL SPECIFICATIONS: Model # 369RB-2 Double Needle, 1/4" Gauge- 135x17 Walking Foot Speed, Max (S.P.M)- 2200 Clearance Under Pressure Foot- 11/32" (8.5mm) Stitch Length- 5 s.p.i (5mm) Bed Size- 7"x20 3/8" (177mm x 518mm) APPLICATIONS: For sewing medium to medium heavy-weight fabrics. Leather, canvas, vinyl, synthetics, and various coated and laminated materials Designed for sewing operations which require decorative or functional angular stitching such as collars, pockets, shoe uppers, auto, boat and furniture upholstery, slacks, shirts, etc... Designed for stitching such products as overalls, raincoats, luggage, travelware accessories, bags, umbrella's, awnings, covers, tarpaulins, tents, wearing apparel, outdoor clothing, underwear, etc. General/parallel two-needle stitching with split bar for making even angle turns. Suitable for stitching uneven, hollow, tubular and curved articles FEATURES: Compound feed, walking foot mechanism assures perfect feeding of sewing material Large hooks and bobbin cases with their own thread take-up mechanism assure uniform and perfect stitching with minimum bobbin changes Easy operation of disengage able right and left needle bars by use of finger-touch lever Centra-Lube, semi-automatic lubrication system Oil fed take-up Stitches per minute 2200 Reverse Stitching Various gauge sets available Safety clutch protects the hooks from being damaged