New Member and mystery machine

[Handstitched]

4 hours ago, Constabulary said:

No Singer serial number IMO - I´d say Consew 226 or Seiko STW-8B

Great minds thinks alike. My (early) Seiko STW 28B looks the same, except a twin needle (used as a single)  with reverse. But looking at the flywheel , more like a 226 . 

4 hours ago, kgg said:

The Consew 226 or Seiko STW-8B and if I'm not mistake the Juki 563 are based on the Singer 111W155 casing.

The drive belt may also reveal a brand name like mine does. 

HS

[piningforfjords]

Those label mount holes are pretty incriminating.  The reverse level definitely looks like a Consew/Juki or Seiko style.  I have read that Singer did issue serial numbers with WB starting in 1967.  Nobody else seems to have those darn serial # plates.  Drive belt looks generic.  From the state of the paint I would guess that this machine saw heavy use before it was rebranded.  There are wear marks/chips that are on the original coat that the top coat was applied over.  I think the rebadging was done on well used machines so individual parts might not be reliable indicators.   Thanks for the insights.

 

[DonInReno]

Based on the rough fit and finish, this is definitely not a rebranded 1st quality machine, but a generic version made for whoever wants to put their name on it.   You or I can order 100 machines just like this from a dozen different Chinese suppliers and they will put whatever name on you’d like - cheap low quality parts or higher cost higher quality parts - low cost painted casting, or filled and sanded higher cost finish.

Generic Juki 562/3 adjustment information is all you really need - this design has been copied by a lot of companies, but there isn’t much difference in how they are adjusted.

[Quade]

I notice the casting is pretty rough. Rougher than I'd expect from a Consew.   I suspect it's a Chinese or Indian clone of a Consew. 

[DonInReno]

21 hours ago, piningforfjords said:

How interchangeable are the parts between these various machines?

Bobbins, bobbin cases, case opener, hooks, presser feet, tension disks, timing belt, and many other parts will almost certainly interchange with any other juki 563 or similar machine - industrial machines are practical if nothing else and nobody would buy a machine that needed special parts unless there was a financial benefit from doing so.

We are all too young to remember the old days when small cast iron foundries were everywhere - when mom and pop shops made a lot of parts for medium size manufacturers.  

China has mega factories, but it also has a huge number of mom and pop shops producing parts - their system has a lot of incentives for small and medium manufacturing.  There are still small foundries that you can walk up to and order rough cast sewing machine parts based on something they have cast before, or changed at a much higher price to use a hodgepodge of parts.  Same for all the other parts in a sewing machine.  However, for cost reasons there is a gigantic benefit to using cheap parts that don’t need to be redesigned and have a great track record already.

I did see a video of an interesting visit to a mom and pop shop with a few well used cnc machines creating generic commodity parts - whatever the market was paying the most for at that time - labor cost is so low the machines run as many hours as possible - essentially 24x7.  A few years later they had quadrupled with more machines.   

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by DonInReno

[Handstitched]

34 minutes ago, piningforfjords said:

Nobody else seems to have those darn serial # plates

It took me ages to find it in my list of old  emails, but  by my serial # is : 

STW28-B serial number ' WS-6611007 '. It was produced in 1966. . I contacted Seiko in Japan back in 2015.  Not sure if this is of any use at all, but just thought I'd share in case anyone else needs info.  Thats all the info Seiko could find "  because it is the too old machine."  Their words.

HS 

 

[CowboyBob]

51 minutes ago, Quade said:

I notice the casting is pretty rough. Rougher than I'd expect from a Consew.   I suspect it's a Chinese or Indian clone of a Consew. 

It's a lousy repaint by Goldsworthy of either a Consew 226R or Seiko,look how they painted over the rod on the backside,even the needlebar & pressure bar have paint on them!They used to put their name on brand new Pfaff's too,

Edited April 11, 2023 by CowboyBob

[piningforfjords]

Starting to feel like beating a dead horse.  I agree the paint job is atrocious.  What is even more surprising is that the paint job is on top of a heavily worn machine.  Goldsworthy is a older company folded around 2000.  

Handstitched: Thanks for looking that up.  Those line up pretty well.  Did it have a label on the bed similar to the picture?

The good news if like DonInReno says the parts are pretty ubiquitous and mostly interchangeable. Something I did noticed when following up my suspicions about it being a Consew - there are a lot of other models listed on these parts - and the parts are so cheap.

Anyway I appreciate all your thoughts and help with this.

Edited April 11, 2023 by piningforfjords
grammar, minor detail

[DonInReno]

It would be fun to know the history - where it was used in its past life, how did Goldsworthy acquire it and what color is it under the new paint.  An inexpensive triple feed with reverse is hard to beat, regardless of who made it originally.

I also have an old mystery machine that was labeled Singer, but doesn't have a single Singer part in it.  It’s Singer-ish.   

 

[Handstitched]

8 minutes ago, DonInReno said:

An inexpensive triple feed with reverse is hard to beat, regardless of who made it originally.

I agree. I rely on reverse to do the stuff that I do.. Just give it a good service, if it needs it , and enjoy it . Parts and needles  etc are easy to get. 

Although, I can never find an  instruction manual  specific for the STW- 28B's ( twin needle)  , so I use a 226 manual instead. 

HS