Randall Bobbin Winder

[mogwild]

When we purchased our Randall harness stitcher, it came with this (antique?) bobbin winder. (EDIT, no, I have no idea what the yellow/gold thread is in the background, it came with, it burns, not melts, so I think cotton?)

(Yes, I know Campbell-Randall sells a really scookum powered winder, its on my wish list )

I'm 99% sure its what the fellow before us used it to wind bobbins, as it was oiled and in a good, usable state, but since he's passed, no chance of asking him.

So, I **think** there are two ways of threading it, but, never having seen or used one before, I could be way out to lunch. I think it can be threaded both through the wax pot, for waxing your thread, and above it, for pre-lubricated thread, again, all guesses on my part.

Second, I have no idea if I'm doing it right, so I'll start with what I know works, and I'm hoping someone can push me in the right direction of if I'm missing any parts on it, steps, threading, etc. Your wildest guess's, experienced advice, its all more than I know about it: So here's what I know:

If you have 2 people, it winds really nice, see, one person cranks the handle, and holds the "thread guide" that goes back and forth to be sure it lays the thread on evenly (it does for the most part, the the thread guide helps keep it from piling up), the second person, is needed to apply tension, if you have someone holding the thread with some authority, it winds beutifully, but I can't imagine its designed to need 2 people to wind bobbins, so I think I'm missing how its supposed to have tension by itself (I haven't mounted it to anything until I get it figured)

Here's an example of the nice, tight, even winding if you have someone holding the thread back, looks good yes?

Here's the bobbin winder itself, it looks rough, but its just wax dripped all over, I seen no reason to remove it, as it doesn't hurt it, gives it that patina, and protects it from rust:

Here's how I've wound it with 346 bonded nylon (with my wife as the elected human tensioner ):

And here's how I assume its supposed to be wound with wax if you were going that route (note the nail like looking thing that I assume dips it down into the wax:

Anyway, I have the thread spool just sitting on the floor, that's part of the issue, because I'm not sure what I'm missing, what would, or should have if its missing, provided the tension? I see inside the wax pot , right at the front, there are 3 metal blocks that appear to be tensioners, but the screw that goes the side only spreads the blocks it seems, and I can't get the middle block to budge to provide any front tension whatsoever.

Questions:

1. Is there something missing from that pin that sticks straight up the top (vertically)? Perhaps a disk style thread tensioner?
2. Am I totally out to lunch with my threading? (mostly interested in non-waxed threading for now)
3. Where is the spool supposed to sit?
4. The pin that sticks out horizontally at the back, with the hole in the middle, is that for the thread to go though? Or would something have slide over?
5. Do I just need to make a board to mount it to, add a disk style adjustable tensioner, and call it that?

Sorry for all the questions, yes, Its usable now, and yes, I should/will pony up for the newer style, either the powered or the run off the belt style, but I'm curious as to how this one worked.

IF I wrap the thread around the horizontal bar once, and the vertical bar once, it provides what seems to be the right amount of tension, and one person can wind a bobbin, however, being as there is no wear on either, I assume that's not how the previous owner did it, and its not the proper way.

Also, if I walk it over to the other machine that has a disk tensioner "runs off the belt" style, and just use the disk tensioner, it winds fine as well, so it only seems to need that extra bit of tension, but there's nothing on it that provides it, was there something else that went along with?

I've google imaged searched for pictures, I've patent searched, nothing, so, here I am.

-Trev

Edited June 15, 2012 by mogwild

[amuckart]

That's not actually a winder for a Randall, it's for a Pearson HM6. It's almost, but not complete.

You've got yours set up to spool from the centre of a ball. Spooling off of a roll the roll would go on the bar at the back with a disc of cloth at either end, and a rubber disk with a small hole in it pushed onto the end of the bar. That setup would provide tension.

Winding dry thread by hand, you would pass the thread over the top of the machine but not through the handle on the front of the wax pot. You tension the thread through your fingers and guide it onto the bobbin by hand at the same time. The manual advises having a soft piece of leather in your hand to stop getting burnt by the thread.

I've sent you a PM about the winder too.

[mogwild]

Al,

Wow, thanks for the response, that's very helpful! The machines must share a very similar bobbin as mine seems to fit perfectly in the Pearson's bobbin winder. I found your website but wasn't able to download the Pearson manual's you have linked just FYI the links don't work.

Thanks for the info, PM replied.

[mogwild]

Some more pictures for Al, I had no idea it came apart learn so much on this forum:

[amuckart]

I'm guessing you've worked this out already, but if you screw the winder to a piece of wood, or your table, and fix the tension unit from a regular industrial winder just behind it you can run the thread through that and get it working the way you need with only one person.

It's also good to know that the neato powered winder Campbell-Randall sells works for Pearson #6 bobbins.

[mogwild]

I'm guessing you've worked this out already, but if you screw the winder to a piece of wood, or your table, and fix the tension unit from a regular industrial winder just behind it you can run the thread through that and get it working the way you need with only one person.

It's also good to know that the neato powered winder Campbell-Randall sells works for Pearson #6 bobbins.

I would have to assume so. That would allow you to use there wax pot version as well. I'd call Campbell and see, they've been very helpful with me.

[Singermania]

Al is correct, that is a very valuable ($1000) Pearson no 6 bobbin winder.