Sewing machine suggestions

[Spicytacoman]

1 hour ago, MtlBiker said:

You've been given a great link about needle sizes.  What you should know that your "DPx17" is exactly what "135x17" is.  Just a different way to express the same thing.  That refers to the TYPE of needle used in your machine.  Also the "140" is just another way (Metric) to say size "22" (US). 

So, you need a 135x16 needle (in the right size) for leather and a 135x17 needle for everything else.  And in either of those, you need a #22 size (140) for your 138 thread.

A great source for buying needles and other sewing things is Wawak.  Especially when they have their sales (often!). 

As far as needle brands go, many folks have their favorites but I think that Schmetz, Organ, Groz-Beckert are all good.   Needles are cheap (especially from Wawak when on sale) and you should probably buy some size 22, 21 and maybe 23 and other sizes if you will use other than 138 thread.  And you should get the leather needles (135x16) if you're sewing leather.  And realize that needles need to be replaced often.  Depending on how much you're sewing, maybe as often as every day.  Or every 8 hours of sewing.  Or when the thread starts to fray when going through the eye of the needle.

Thread is another thing... I strongly suggest you stick with well-known brands and stay away from the cheap stuff.  And go for the large spools (one pound) rather than the smaller ones to minimize the "curl" effect.

Hope this helps.

Good luck!
 

Everything you guys say helps! 

 

Im starting to stress out man... I've had this thing for one day, started sewng well at the sellers place. Brought it home, and as you know, the belt started slipping.. I adjusted the angle of the motor to put more pressure on the pulley that worked however, stepping back and looking at the the situation now I think the situation was something else.

 

Started sewing this morning and started getting the thread caught in the bobbin casing more and more often. Pulled the bobbin out and removed the thread that was caught after each catch. Popped the bobbin case back in and now the top thread will not pick up the bobbin thread.

Handcranking the pulley has tension now without any material under the foot as soon as the needle starts reaches this position on the down stroke and feels like it is getting caught but the needle isn't even through the hole yet... my joy is slipping fast haha. Been trying to figure this out for about 3 hours and reading for an answer online.. 

Edited April 20, 2023 by Spicytacoman

[MtlBiker]

1 hour ago, Spicytacoman said:

Everything you guys say helps!

Im starting to stress out man... I've had this thing for one day, started sewng well at the sellers place. Brought it home, and as you know, the belt started slipping.. I adjusted the angle of the motor to put more pressure on the pulley that worked however, stepping back and looking at the the situation now I think the situation was something else.

Started sewing this morning and started getting the thread caught in the bobbin casing more and more often. Pulled the bobbin out and removed the thread that was caught after each catch. Popped the bobbin case back in and now the top thread will not pick up the bobbin thread.

Handcranking the pulley has tension now without any material under the foot as soon as the needle starts reaches this position on the down stroke and feels like it is getting caught but the needle isn't even through the hole yet... my joy is slipping fast haha. Been trying to figure this out for about 3 hours and reading for an answer online..

I don't know where to start.  Is your needle inserted correctly?  The long groove has to be at the left, and it's got to be perpendicular to the stitch line.  I'd also like to see how the machine is threaded, from the spool right down to the needle.  Didn't the seller spend any time with you showing you the basics?  Also, just in case, you must never turn the handwheel clockwise!  Only counter-clockwise, meaning turn the top of the wheel towards you.  I suspect you at some point in your frustration turned the wheel the other way.

I asked in an earlier message but you never answered... Do you know what the drop test is with a bobbin?  I also would like to see how you have the thread spool inserted into the bobbin.  And you MUST hold the thread ends in your fingers as you start sewing.  Too easy to forget that (until it's a habit) and then get a thread jam.  And are you sure the bobbin is fully inserted?  It's got a little click when it finally is seated well.

At this point I'd suggest you remove the thread and needle and see if you can hand crank the machine smoothly.  Let us know and we'll proceed from there.

 

[Spicytacoman]

42 minutes ago, MtlBiker said:

I don't know where to start.  Is your needle inserted correctly?  The long groove has to be at the left, and it's got to be perpendicular to the stitch line.  I'd also like to see how the machine is threaded, from the spool right down to the needle.  Didn't the seller spend any time with you showing you the basics?  Also, just in case, you must never turn the handwheel clockwise!  Only counter-clockwise, meaning turn the top of the wheel towards you.  I suspect you at some point in your frustration turned the wheel the other way.

I asked in an earlier message but you never answered... Do you know what the drop test is with a bobbin?  I also would like to see how you have the thread spool inserted into the bobbin.  And you MUST hold the thread ends in your fingers as you start sewing.  Too easy to forget that (until it's a habit) and then get a thread jam.  And are you sure the bobbin is fully inserted?  It's got a little click when it finally is seated well.

At this point I'd suggest you remove the thread and needle and see if you can hand crank the machine smoothly.  Let us know and we'll proceed from there.

 

Long groove is on the the left perpendicular to the outer machine side. That is correct, needle is fully inserted and fully tightened. Thread is pathing from the left of the whole to the right.

There was an issue where the lifter foot screw was loose and was clipping with the walking foot. I adjusted that so they no longer touch and are straight. 

The seller showed me how to thread it and I've kept it the same. That was pretty much it. The only time I spin it clockwise is if I felt it locking to back it out / release the thread to pull out.

I have no idea what a drop test for yhe bobbin means.. im using the original ones that come with the 206rb5. I made sure the thread unwinds counterclockwise and followed the path in the case to get to the little eyelet.

 

As for holding the thread before sewing, I have! I will handcrank the first 2 stitches while holding them back before using the motor.

 

Inserting the bobbin i do get the click! Yup I certainly did.

 

After fixing the lifter foot issue it is a bit easier. When the presser foot is up it handcranks with no tension at all. As soon as I put the presser foot down, and the walking foot meets the feed dogs, i believe when the lifter foot needs to start moving up is when it gets tight and has resistance to turn the crank. Not sure if that is normall?

 

It isn't allowing me to add multiple pictures..

Edited April 20, 2023 by Spicytacoman
New understanding of issue

[Wizcrafts]

Thread getting jammed in the hook is user error cured by holding back the starting thread. I would suggest holding back the starting threads for at least three stitches before letting go. Make sure that the top thread feeds through the hole or split in the inside foot and is pulled to the rear. . 

If the machine sewed perfectly at the previous location, everything that has gone wrong is simply new user - rookie mistakes we all made along the way.

Place a drop of oil on inside the race where the shuttle revolves. In fact, put a few drops of sewing machine oil in every oil hole and on each moving part. Keep a cloth handy to wipe the drippings.

[AlZilla]

Here's an older thread by rookie 206 users with similar problems. Maybe something in there will help:

 

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/75812-consew-206rb-5-jam/

[Spicytacoman]

I figured it out with some tinkering and head scratching...

Like you guys said the needle was not meant for leather and was dull causing it to struggle piercing the leather along with some other issues throwing the timing off.

Fixed the hook timing and realized the reason the belt was spinning because I was using too low  speed on the servo and when it lost momentum couldn't move the pulley unless i backed it up and gave it more power.

Replaced the original needle with another dpx17 until my dpx16's comes tomorrow. Also raised the servo speed up one notch and no more issues.

Fixed the looping on the bottom by tightening the top thread tension. Now, the only thing im trying to figure out is the bottom stitches are a little slanted whereas the top stitches are straight. But im figuring it out.

[Spicytacoman]

3 hours ago, AlZilla said:

Here's an older thread by rookie 206 users with similar problems. Maybe something in there will help:

 

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/75812-consew-206rb-5-jam/

I wish I seen this while I was killing my brain... lol almost identical situation... lol wow thanks ill keep reading to see if he fixed the bottom thread issue too! 

[CowboyBob]

15 minutes ago, Spicytacoman said:

I figured it out with some tinkering and head scratching...

Like you guys said the needle was not meant for leather and was dull causing it to struggle piercing the leather along with some other issues throwing the timing off.

Fixed the hook timing and realized the reason the belt was spinning because I was using too low  speed on the servo and when it lost momentum couldn't move the pulley unless i backed it up and gave it more power.

Replaced the original needle with another dpx17 until my dpx16's comes tomorrow. Also raised the servo speed up one notch and no more issues.

Fixed the looping on the bottom by tightening the top thread tension. Now, the only thing im trying to figure out is the bottom stitches are a little slanted whereas the top stitches are straight. But im figuring it out.

That should fix itself with a leather needle.

[MtlBiker]

55 minutes ago, Spicytacoman said:

Fixed the hook timing and realized the reason the belt was spinning because I was using too low  speed on the servo and when it lost momentum couldn't move the pulley unless i backed it up and gave it more power.

Two thoughts: First, how did you manage to "fix" the hook timing?  From my (limited but more than yours) experience fixing the hook timing is a rather intricate thing.  If you really did it, I'm impressed.  Second, you should be able to sew at extremely slow speed and the belt should not slip.  If speeding up the machine stops the slipping, I suggest that's not the solution.  The belt should not slip even at the slowest speed the machine can run at.  I think you should readjust the belt tension.

[Spicytacoman]

30 minutes ago, MtlBiker said:

Two thoughts: First, how did you manage to "fix" the hook timing?  From my (limited but more than yours) experience fixing the hook timing is a rather intricate thing.  If you really did it, I'm impressed.  Second, you should be able to sew at extremely slow speed and the belt should not slip.  If speeding up the machine stops the slipping, I suggest that's not the solution.  The belt should not slip even at the slowest speed the machine can run at.  I think you should readjust the belt tension.

I loosened the bolts on the left of the safety  clutch so I can turn the rod without touching the rest of mechanics behind the clutch. Thanks for pointing out you are more experienced! Im sure we all can understand im new anf have much to learn lol.. I've had shoepatching handcranks before as well as a nice video on YouTube to help with what I thought might be the issue since this was the case on previous machines I've  had that didn't pull up the bobbin thread qnd got lucky with my guess seeing the hook was off time.

Edited April 20, 2023 by Spicytacoman