Ahhhh - Another Consew 206Rb - A Couple Rather Technical Questions

[wetcoastrider]

Hi, i'm new here, but have been reading tons of posts on this forum. What a great resource.

I have just recently acquired an old Consew 206rb-3 from a local manufacturer that let me have it at a bargain. Part of the deal of course was that it needed a tune-up in a bad way.

I am quite comfortable with this machine as I used to own a seiko sth-8bld-3 which I believe is almost identical.

I have been having a couple problems with it. When I received it, it was way out of time; the hook was almost 45 deg. out.

Fixed that up, checked all the other proper adjustments, needle bar height, bobbin opening lever, feed dogs etc.

It sewed alright during my first quick test but since I began to put it to use I have noticed a few problems.

1) The tension release does not seem to be working properly. When I have no material under the foot and I engage the knee lift, I can see the thread tension release lever move slightly and very slightly move the tensioner, but if I have material under the foot and engage the knee lift, it does not want to actually release any tension from the thread and I have to pull the thread through by hand so as not to break it trying to pull the work out.

I took the tensioner assembly apart and it looks to me like the rod that engages the lever is perhaps worn out. I will try and post a pic.

Is this something that has happened to anyone before? Is there any other parts that wear out that would cause the tension release to not function properly? It appears that the parts on the back of the machine that push the rod forward are ok, but I didn't remove them all to inspect them closely.

Do you think I can find someone online who can order a new one for me? I live in Vancouver, Canada and the only industrial machine supply here is Mason and their prices are through the roof. I also need to get a wider selection of feet, bobbins and needles so I'll try and get it all from the same place.

2) I am having trouble getting the forward stitch length to match the reverse stitch length.

I read Wiz's thread on this, but I had no luck getting his method to work on my machine. I was able to drop the vibrating presser foot but it didnt have any positive effect on the fwd / rev stitch lenths, and cause some sort of binding in the walking mechanism. ( I could feel slight resistance while turning the hand wheel)

The seiko manual says that I can increase / decrease the reverse / forward stitch length by changing the position of the feed regulator cam (accessed from the top of the machine under the oil wicks). This does in fact work, and if I put the cam way out of where it supposed to be aligned (maybe 8 deg. off the alignment marks) then I can get the forward and reverse stitch lengths to be equal HOWEVER, as a result of the feed regulator being out I have a problem with the feed dog ascending above the throat plate before it has completed its forward movement. So, the material takes a small movement towards you as the needle is coming up and then is drawn back with the feed dogs return movement. This gives a quite jerky feed as the material is moving a bit forward and then back.

Does anyone know how this can be remedied? I have made the other adjustments as per the manual and the machine either feeds the material properly but the fwd /rev stitch length are different OR the fwd/rev stitches are the same but it can't feed the material properly.

Is there a possibility that something else is out of whack? That the walking and feeding timing has somehow been changed relative to everything else?

I know this is complicated and hard to explain. I have attached a couple of images from the manual to show you more, but perhaps an expert out there has some idea.

Thanks In Advance.

Hope to get this machine going so that I can start creating again.

[J Hayes]

http://shop.raphaelsewing.com/

In Canada, I bet he can help.

[Ferg]

I can't help you with the fwd/rev problem, Wiz is the one for that for sure.

I have a Consew 206RB-5, I think it is enough like yours that I may be able to help with some of your other problems.

You can adjust the height of the feed dog. Raise the machine on the hinges and let it rest on the post in back. Looking under the machine almost directly in front of the feed dog you will note the rod connected to the feed dog clamps onto the shaft running horizontal or left to right. That has an allen wrench fitting in the screw. You can loosen the clamp and move the feed dog up and down. If it is too high just adjust down a little, don't get carried away with the amount of adjustment. You may need to do this more than once. Make sure you tighten the clamp.

Your thread tensioner adjustment may be too tight on the thread. Very small thread, such as #69 or #92, can become tightened to the extent you cannot pull the thread through the needle when ending your stitch. Three things you need to check. Number one, how did you weave the thread through the post on top of the machine? Come through the back of the top hole around the post and out through the bottom hole so the thread is heading towards the tensioner. Lace the thread through the three hole holder which should be vertical, so the thread is coming towards the tensioning discs. Make sure you pull the thread between the discs. Down under the bottom tensioner and up towards the take-up at the top of the machine. The thread wants to be pulled vertical so it drops over the little finger sticking out on the back of lower tensioner.

Now, all that said. You may need to release the tension at the bobbin to make the thread pull through easily but slightly taught. Don't turn the screw in the bobbin more than 1/8th turn at a time, it is very short. It is not unusual to need to pull some thread at the end of stitching so you can pull your work piece free of the needle etc. Don't pull on the leather piece as it may bend or break the needle. I reach up to the thread to the left of the tension discs, and pull some thread free at that point. You can safely pull your workpiece without messing up the needle.

In some instances you may need to change the way you lace the thread through the top post. That will affect the tension also.

Remember to have the top take-up in its highest position when you pull the thread loose. Otherwise the bobbin thread will be all messed up.

Hope this helps and hope I didn't make this more complicated than it is. LOL

ferg

[Wizcrafts]

If you are at your wit's end, ask Ronny at Techsew if you can ship the head to them for a rebuild and correct timing and feeding. Techsew and Raphael Sewing are one and the same company.

[wetcoastrider]

hey thanks for all the feedback.

J and Wiz, I will check with raphael sewing for the tension release rod parts.

I am threading the machine correctly as far as I know, at least the same way as you describe Ferg. I am using 138 thread and the tension is almost all the way out so the spring should definitely move when the knee lift is engaged, it just isn't for some reason. I am pretty sure that tension rod is just too short from excessive wear.

I think I will spend another couple hours with the machine before shipping it out east. That will likely cost me more than the whole machine did. At least it is sewing at the moment.

But just to confirm, it is possible to have the fwd / rev stitch length the same on this machine is it not?

Perhaps if I fiddle with it enough it will just magically start to fall in line. Thats how it usually goes for me. Fiddle with all the different variables and at some point in your fiddling the conditions will all be perfect. I'll cross my fingers.

thanks again for the feedback.

cheers

[Ferg]

If the reverse stitch is the only thing not working quite right, I would get used to turning your piece around and stitch in opposite direction.

I am somewhat confused about your mention of a spring when the knee lift is engaged. Where is this spring? I think a few photos of the works

in the left end of machine would help.

ferg

[Wizcrafts]

If the reverse stitch is the only thing not working quite right, I would get used to turning your piece around and stitch in opposite direction.

ferg

I do that when I absolutely must sew into the same holes to lock the stitches. I call it a "180, Poor Man's Reverse."

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

I could be incorrect here for sure, BUT, if it's what I think I'm thinking, take a look at the tension release slide. The upright pin shown both with Index #11 and a red arrow can break off, and this is kind of sort of the symptoms you will have as you described. If this is in fact broken, the front of of the machine (needle bar frame, etc.) has to come out along with the presser bar assembly, not a small job for anybody to replace this part.

[wetcoastrider]

Gregg, thanks for the picture and the info about the tension release. I will investigate this on my machine. as far as I know it is still intact but I will look more closely. For now what I have done is simply add a small piece of metal (a shim essentially) behind the Tension Release Lever, between it and the Tension Release Lever Rod.The Rod was moving, but simply not travelling far enough to disengage the spring. My shim has solved my problem for now.

Now for the feed .....

So ... I figured out the feed issue. Thought I should post my results for all other people who may come up with this issue on these older machines that don’t appear to have easily accessible manuals out there. Perhaps Consew never wrote a page for this adjustment in the original manual either. I looked at almost all of the walking foot manuals they have posted on their website just to learn about how feed mechanisms work in general and there were many manuals that did not have any information about adjusting the regulation of forward and reverse feed stitch lengths.

So it turns out that the feed Regulator on the 206rb-3 is indeed different than the 206rb-5 however the adjustment is quite similar.

So I happened to find a parts list online which says it’s from a 206rb-5 but to me it looks like my rb-3 so I am assuming they miss labeled it. The rest of the parts pages can be found here http://www.sewstrong.com/consew/206/

The feed regulator can be adjusted to make the forward and reverse feed stitch lengths the same.

*** Now, I will not necessarily recommend trying this if you are a beginner. I just messed with this thing until it did what I wanted, I could not find any actual Consew instructions. I just looked at the machine, looked at the parts diagram and tried to make sense of it all.

Follow these instructions at your own risk. I do not want to be responsible for you messing up your machine.

That said, it worked for me and might for you too.

Here is how to do it. (I will refer to the items numbers as labeled on the drawing for ease of understanding.)

1) Open the cover on the top of the machine where the oil reservoir is. Remove the oil res. so it’s out of your way.

2) Open the small plate on the back of the machine that is secured with two screws

3) Locate the Pinch Screw (2) which is on the top of the Feed Regulator(1). This is below the main Arm Shaft which has the eccentric cam and the feed fork attached to it. (don’t adjust the feed eccentric cam, this is for feed timing and is properly documented in the 206rb-5 manual)

The feed regulator pivots on a base (14) which is attached to the larger 4 bolt plate on the back of the machine. The feed regulator has a forked end (facing down), which is activated by the reverse feed lever. Also, the amount of rotation the feed regulator can have, depends on how far in or out the stitch length selector (23) is.

There is also a set screw (not labeled on the diagram but visible directly to the left of the number 29), on the bottom of the Feed Regulating Base which accepts the Feed Regulating Support Stud, and a larger screw, running inside of the Feed Regulating Support Stud, called the

I believe the Supporting Stud Pushing Screw is meant to have a little slack in it. It was slack when I opened the machine up, so I tightened it, which turned out to cause a lot of friction in the feed regulator. I loosed it and things got better.

I also believe the set screw, which is accessed from the bottom of the machine looking up at the Feed Regulating Base, is here to prevent the Support Stud Pushing Screw from coming out.

I messed with all these parts a lot, but in the end I think you only really need to loosen the Piinch screw on the top of the Feed Regulator

4) If you want to increase the reverse stitch length while decreasing the forward stitch length the Feed Regulating Support stud must be rotated away from the operator. If you want to decrease the reverse length and increase the forward length then it has to be rotated towards the operat.

If you want to rotate the stud away from you, do the following

• turn the stitch length to the maximum amount
  
• Depress the reverse lever to the bottom of its stroke.
  
• Loosen the Pinch screw on the top of the Feed Regulator.
  
• Release (raise) the stitch length lever the amount that you want to rotate the stud,
  

Note: keep an eye on the stud while you do this, you don’t want the stud rotating with the regulator, you want to change the relationship between the regulator and the stud so the Stud has to stay in place. If it wants to move with the regulator, even with the pinch screw all the way back off, then perhaps you will have to tighten the set screw on the bottom of the feed regulating base to keep it in place. – you may have to go back and forth between the set screw and the Pinch screw to effectively change the relationship of the Stud and the Regulator.)

• While holding the reverse lever where you want it, tighten the Pinch screw.
  

If you want to rotate the stud towards you, do the reverse.

• turn the stitch length to the maximum amount
  
• loosen the Pinch screw
  
• depress the reverse lever the amount you want to rotate
  
• hold it here while tightening the Pinch Screw.
  

5) Test the machine by hand turning 5 stitched forward, stop with the needle at its lowest position, depress the reverse lever, and hand turn 5 stitched backwards. Observe how the stitches are lining up and repeat step 5 to fine tune.

I hope this helps, if anyone has any questions, I will try my best to answer them. Its really a team effort to keep this information alive for these older machines which don’t have proper documentation.

It would be great if someone had a proper manual for the older 206rb’s that they could scan and post, as I searched the web high and low and couldn’t find any.

My next project is learning the ins and outs of my Singer 29K-4 ……. perhaps more tutorials to come.

Good Luck.

WCR.

[richardwallace]

i just bought a consew 206rb second-hand and i have a related question:

should the 206rb be releasing the top tension for every stitch to let a bit more thread through?

my singer 31k does, but the 206rb doesn't (although it still sews well).

part #9 lifts up for every stitch. should it be pushing part #11 up with it?

thanks!

[Constabulary]

No - and no other sewing machine should do that either. The discs should only release when you lift the presser foot but not during the sewing process. otherwise you are loosing the top thread tension. So I´d say there is something wrong with your 31K. When your top thread is between the tension discs you should "feel" the difference when you pull your top thread when the foot is down and when your foot is lifted. When the foot is down the thread has more resistance / tension.

Parts #9 is moving up and down all the time but only releases the tension when the foot is lifted.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Constabulary

[richardwallace]

thanks for your help!

my singer 31 has always done this and i somehow got the idea it was normal

in my singer 31, the needle bar connecting link (43997) is giving the tension releasing lever (43944) a little bump each time the needle goes down. the machine still works but it's enough of a bump to see the tension discs release a little bit for every stitch.

i wonder what i have to adjust to stop this from happening. it looks like the spring (12329) is pushing the tension release lever out too far and into the path of the needle bar connecting link.

Edited August 8, 2014 by richardwallace

[cdthayer]

OP quote: “in my singer 31, the needle bar connecting link (43997) is giving the tension releasing lever (43944) a little bump each time the needle goes down.”

I have my Singer 31-15 treadle machine setup in my bikeshop following a project of sewing equipment covers out of recycled billboard vinyl. I popped the faceplate off and took a few photos for you. Maybe they will help.

On the down stroke of the needle bar on my 31-15, part #43997 comes within a hair of the lever #43944, but does not touch it.

I would check a couple of things:

1. Make sure that the upper tension is seated in the housing correctly. The set screw (under the harp) should be nestled in the trough of the tension assembly. If your tension assembly is inserted into the head too far, the set screw could be gripping it up on the outer shoulder instead of in the trough, causing the tension assembly to be too close to the release lever.

2. Look at the center pin on my photos. If your center pin extends further out toward the releasing lever, it may have a replacement center pin that is too long and needs to be trimmed down.

CD in Oklahoma

Edited August 8, 2014 by cdthayer

[richardwallace]

thanks. it looks like the problem is that the spring is pushing the tension release lever out too far.

i am trying to adjust how the spring sits, but their doesn't seem to be a flat spot or proper spot for it to be seated on the inside of the machine.

[sewingfarmer]

On 4/21/2013 at 12:41 AM, wetcoastrider said:

1) The tension release does not seem to be working properly. 

I took the tensioner assembly apart and it looks to me like the rod that engages the lever is perhaps worn out. I will try and post a pic.

 

I know this is an old thread, but for those who discover it after trying to solve their own tensioner release issue on their 206rb(like myself), I wanted to post what i have found out and maybe help someone along the way.

 I purchased a 206rb-1 and shortly thereafter realized the tension release wasn't working. Pretty obvious because when you raise the presser foot and try and remove your work you usually shred you thread or spend extra time trying to pull thread through the tension discs and release your work. You can still sew just fine, but it is a complete pain to actually get any work done. I watched the majority of these amazing consew 206rb maintenance videos (Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4ACNMX65zE Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ROVK2bKObU) and it part 2 at 26:59 I discovered what I think is a major issue for many people with this problem.

In the thread tensioner assembly there is a tiny piece called the tension release plunger-25 (10793) that is easily misplaced. Many people complain that the tension release lever rod-11(10720) doesn’t seem to be long enough(and this is possible) but it is likely due to this little plunger not being inside the tension stud-22(10789). You can get a replacement from south star supply (http://southstarsupply.com/product/26-tension-release-plunger-10686-10793/)

Another thing that could be interfering with the tension release is that tension release lever-13(10678) could be bent and not transferring the action of the rod to the discs. You can either get a replacement, or try bending it back into shape to confirm this is the problem before ordering another.

Both of these are super easy to remedy, but in my case the tension release slide-11(10546) was broken(see photo) and needed to be replaced. This actually isn’t too difficult if you are mechanically inclined and enjoy a project. Also gave me a great opportunity to clean up lots of grime in my machine. I also discovered that the plunger was indeed missing from my tension assembly so I am happy I checked!

Anyways, I hope this helps someone in the future!

 

Link for parts diagrams I am referencing in my post

http://www.supsew.com/download/Consew/Consew%20204RB-1,%20206RB-1,%20208RB-1.pdf

[mikesc]

I don't have one of these machines, it is probably also relevant to other machines, thank you for posting what you have found, it will be useful to some-one at some time :)

[garypl]

On 4/24/2013 at 10:49 AM, wetcoastrider said:

Gregg, thanks for the picture and the info about the tension release. I will investigate this on my machine. as far as I know it is still intact but I will look more closely. For now what I have done is simply add a small piece of metal (a shim essentially) behind the Tension Release Lever, between it and the Tension Release Lever Rod.The Rod was moving, but simply not travelling far enough to disengage the spring. My shim has solved my problem for now.

Now for the feed .....

So ... I figured out the feed issue. Thought I should post my results for all other people who may come up with this issue on these older machines that don’t appear to have easily accessible manuals out there. Perhaps Consew never wrote a page for this adjustment in the original manual either. I looked at almost all of the walking foot manuals they have posted on their website just to learn about how feed mechanisms work in general and there were many manuals that did not have any information about adjusting the regulation of forward and reverse feed stitch lengths.

So it turns out that the feed Regulator on the 206rb-3 is indeed different than the 206rb-5 however the adjustment is quite similar.

So I happened to find a parts list online which says it’s from a 206rb-5 but to me it looks like my rb-3 so I am assuming they miss labeled it. The rest of the parts pages can be found here http://www.sewstrong.com/consew/206/

The feed regulator can be adjusted to make the forward and reverse feed stitch lengths the same.

*** Now, I will not necessarily recommend trying this if you are a beginner. I just messed with this thing until it did what I wanted, I could not find any actual Consew instructions. I just looked at the machine, looked at the parts diagram and tried to make sense of it all.

Follow these instructions at your own risk. I do not want to be responsible for you messing up your machine.

That said, it worked for me and might for you too.

Here is how to do it. (I will refer to the items numbers as labeled on the drawing for ease of understanding.)

1) Open the cover on the top of the machine where the oil reservoir is. Remove the oil res. so it’s out of your way.

2) Open the small plate on the back of the machine that is secured with two screws

3) Locate the Pinch Screw (2) which is on the top of the Feed Regulator(1). This is below the main Arm Shaft which has the eccentric cam and the feed fork attached to it. (don’t adjust the feed eccentric cam, this is for feed timing and is properly documented in the 206rb-5 manual)

The feed regulator pivots on a base (14) which is attached to the larger 4 bolt plate on the back of the machine. The feed regulator has a forked end (facing down), which is activated by the reverse feed lever. Also, the amount of rotation the feed regulator can have, depends on how far in or out the stitch length selector (23) is.

There is also a set screw (not labeled on the diagram but visible directly to the left of the number 29), on the bottom of the Feed Regulating Base which accepts the Feed Regulating Support Stud, and a larger screw, running inside of the Feed Regulating Support Stud, called the

I believe the Supporting Stud Pushing Screw is meant to have a little slack in it. It was slack when I opened the machine up, so I tightened it, which turned out to cause a lot of friction in the feed regulator. I loosed it and things got better.

I also believe the set screw, which is accessed from the bottom of the machine looking up at the Feed Regulating Base, is here to prevent the Support Stud Pushing Screw from coming out.

I messed with all these parts a lot, but in the end I think you only really need to loosen the Piinch screw on the top of the Feed Regulator

4) If you want to increase the reverse stitch length while decreasing the forward stitch length the Feed Regulating Support stud must be rotated away from the operator. If you want to decrease the reverse length and increase the forward length then it has to be rotated towards the operat.

If you want to rotate the stud away from you, do the following

• turn the stitch length to the maximum amount
• Depress the reverse lever to the bottom of its stroke.
• Loosen the Pinch screw on the top of the Feed Regulator.
• Release (raise) the stitch length lever the amount that you want to rotate the stud,

 

Note: keep an eye on the stud while you do this, you don’t want the stud rotating with the regulator, you want to change the relationship between the regulator and the stud so the Stud has to stay in place. If it wants to move with the regulator, even with the pinch screw all the way back off, then perhaps you will have to tighten the set screw on the bottom of the feed regulating base to keep it in place. – you may have to go back and forth between the set screw and the Pinch screw to effectively change the relationship of the Stud and the Regulator.)

• While holding the reverse lever where you want it, tighten the Pinch screw.

 

If you want to rotate the stud towards you, do the reverse.

• turn the stitch length to the maximum amount
• loosen the Pinch screw
• depress the reverse lever the amount you want to rotate
• hold it here while tightening the Pinch Screw.

 

5) Test the machine by hand turning 5 stitched forward, stop with the needle at its lowest position, depress the reverse lever, and hand turn 5 stitched backwards. Observe how the stitches are lining up and repeat step 5 to fine tune.

I hope this helps, if anyone has any questions, I will try my best to answer them. Its really a team effort to keep this information alive for these older machines which don’t have proper documentation.

It would be great if someone had a proper manual for the older 206rb’s that they could scan and post, as I searched the web high and low and couldn’t find any.

My next project is learning the ins and outs of my Singer 29K-4 ……. perhaps more tutorials to come.

Good Luck.

WCR.

Thanks for posting this adjustment information.  I have a 206RB-4 and reverse doesn’t work - just sits and keeps stitching in the same hole.  I tried to rotate the  stud but even with the Pinch screw loose, it just seems to follow the movement of the Feed Regulator.  I can see the set screw on the bottom of the Feed Regulating Base, but I have to get a much longer screwdriver to reach it.  I am hoping it is loose and by tightening it up I might be able to rotate the stud as you described.  The stud in my unit has a bolt head on it, but I couldn’t budge it with a wrench.  Not much room to maneuver in there!

Gary

Edited May 3, 2019 by garypl
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