Consew 226 Stiching Is Reversed?

[Piedmont]

Ok, so now this! and I think this might have something to do with how I threaded the machine?? Maybe..

Anyway, so when I sew the stitches on top of the leather look like the stitches that should be on the back of the leather, and vice versa..So the nicer looking top stitches are actually on the flesh side of the leather.. I could always just sew on the flesh side, but that doesn't really solve the problem..

Also its having a tendency to break my thread as well..

What does everyone think??

Thanks

Todd

[TXAG]

Actually, if your tension is set correctly, the stitches should look the same on both sides.

Edited January 9, 2014 by TXAG

[Piedmont]

Ah ha.. so its a tension thing.. I'll try that.. hmm so the bottom stitch looks good, the top is straight and there is no seperation between the stitches.. sooooo.. I'm guessing the top is too loose??

[TXAG]

I'm not sure what you mean...if you can post a pic of the top and bottom, we should be able to see where to adjust...

[Wizcrafts]

Ah ha.. so its a tension thing.. I'll try that.. hmm so the bottom stitch looks good, the top is straight and there is no seperation between the stitches.. sooooo.. I'm guessing the top is too loose??

The opposite is true. If the bottom looks good, but the top has the knots showing and the thread hasn't even been pulled into the leather, there is way too much top tension, or way too little bottom tension.

First, check the path of the top thread to see if it is binding somewhere between the spool and the needle. Then check the bobbin basket or case to see if the thread has slipped out from under the bobbin case/basket tension spring. That'll do it every time. It's pert near impossible to balance with zero bobbin tension.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

It is easy to misthread that type of top tension

[Piedmont]

Good lord!! I did a couple things that seemed to have worked.. First was remove this foam padding that was in the thread guide right before it went down to the needle, basically causing tension in the thread along the path, and then i noticed that the thread at the spool was being pulled tight between it and the machine.. causing more tension.. so I had all this tension built up causing the issues..

I have a spool holder, but not a hanger that will help to pull the thread up vertically, instead of horizontally.. I realize now there is a huge difference in tension between vertical and horizontal off the spool... just crazy..

So I think my problem is fixed.. wow.. and thanks everyone for their help!!

Todd

[Northmount]

You can use a coat hanger to fashion a top guide to pull the thread off the top of the spool.

Tom

[dscheidt]

You can use a coat hanger to fashion a top guide to pull the thread off the top of the spool.

Tom

A complete thread stand shouldn't cost more than 10 or 15 bucks. Seems silly not to have one.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

99/100 problems come down to little issues like this LOL

[jkbuzbee]

so if my machine is showing knots on the bottom side I need more top tension?

[TXAG]

so if my machine is showing knots on the bottom side I need more top tension?

Yes.

Edited January 14, 2014 by TXAG

[Piedmont]

So let me expand on that a bit.. and probably show my limited knowledge.. but I'll try and help, or lead you down the wrong path..

I like to think of the top and bottom tension like a tug of war.. with the knot being the center point.. if its in the middle life is grand..

On the bottom it could be the bobbin tension to high OR the top tension too low.. same when the knots on top.. top could be too high or bobbin too low..

So you MIGHT be able to fix it by just adjusting the top tension basically.. or not..

Or like in my case, it really wasn't the tension in the tension adjuster, it was the tension in the whole system.. which was frustrating, because I was adjusting the f&*ck out of that thing with NO results.. but it ended up being the tension from the spool, and another point that's too much to go into..

So good luck, and let us know how it goes..

T

[TXAG]

You should always START with adjusting the actual tension knob though...that's what I was talking about in my previous post. IF and ONLY if you cannot get it adjusted properly with the main tension knob, THEN you can start trying to adjust the bobbin tension.

So in my previous post, I answered "Yes." because they need to check their top tension first with the main tension knob and try to adjust it there.

[jkbuzbee]

thank you both txag and piedmont im about 99% sure that I have it threaded right thanks to youtube :-) the problem im having is that if I do have a bobbin tension problem I cant find where to adjust it at. in the manual it says by the screw near the center spring at the outside of the bobbin case can anyone help me out with this?

[TXAG]

This is pretty much what my bobbin case looks like for my machine...that screw on the side that holds down the piece of spring steel is how you adjust the bobbin tension. If yours looks like that, try adjusting in 1/4 turns at a time. (Rotate left (counter-clockwise) to loosen...right (clockwise) to tighten)

Edited January 14, 2014 by TXAG

[jkbuzbee]

this is what it looks like

boobin.pdf

Edited January 14, 2014 by jkbuzbee

[TXAG]

Yeah, I don't see a decent pic of your bobbin case in there. If it has a screw on the case holding down a piece of spring steel (which the bobbin thread is routed under), that is the screw you use to adjust the bobbin tension.

From page 7 of your manual:

"B. Tension of the Lower (Bobbin) thread:

The lower (bobbin) thread tension is controlled by the screw near the center of the spring at the outside of the bobbin case. Turning this screw clockwise will increase the thread tension, while turning it to the left of counterclockwise will decrease it."

...which is almost precisely what I just said.

Have you actually read the manual for your machine yet?

Edited January 14, 2014 by TXAG

[jkbuzbee]

yes sir I have read it or at least I read that manual. There are so many screws in there I wasn't sure what they were talking about and near the center of the spring if your looking at the picture of the bobbin on pg 3 I see no spring but I will try to adjusting that little screw that holds the piece of steel that the thread goes thru.

thanks for your help txag

[TXAG]

It's not an actual "spring" -- it is a piece of spring steel. It should be the only screw on your bobbin case...and your bobbin case should look similar to the one I posted a pic of earlier.

[SARK9]

The bobbin "case" on your Consew 226 should actually hold a vertical axis bobbin which does not have a "removable" case in the sense that the horizontal bobbin machines do. Here is a snap of the bobbin on my somewhat similar Chandler CU-563:

You can see the tension adjustment screw in the approximate center of the frame....a small silver screw that attaches through the center of the black spring and goes into it from the side, not the top. Yours may look a bit different since this one has the larger *U* style bobbin.

-DC

Edited January 14, 2014 by SARK9

[jkbuzbee]

here is what mine looks like its a consew 225 would it be the two little screws nearest to the bobbin kinda in the middle of the picture shown here

when I pull on the threads the top thread seems a whole lot tighter then bottom should they feel like they have he same tension when pulling back to the left

tried tighten the top thread a half a turn now it seems its so tight its pulling my needle to the left and causing the needle to jam up

Edited January 15, 2014 by jkbuzbee

[Northmount]

Here are some links about bobbin and top tension measurement and setting. If I remember correctly, top tension is about twice the bobbin tension. Top needs more tension to pull the knot up into the leather.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=44309&hl=+bobbin%20+tension%20+measure#entry281315

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=51956&hl=+bobbin%20+tension%20+measure#entry332668

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=42126&st=30&hl=+bobbin%20+tension%20+measure#entry269092

Hope these links help you get it sorted out.

Tom

[neelsaddlery]

Hello:

Your bobbin tension on a 226 should have a slight amount of resistance. It should not have anywhere near the same tension as the top thread. I usually say about 1/2 pound of pull or less is good for bobbin tension on a machine like this.

They make a metering device for checking bobbin tension as well.

I would check your thread and needle size too. Needles too large for thread size can cause problems with knot centering and vice versa.

The size of thread that you use versus the thickness of the leather can have a direct bearing as well. If for instance if you are trying to use a size 207 thread to sew two pieces of 1.5 ounce leather together then the thread tension and stitch appearance will never be satisfactory as the machine cannot center knots in material that is nearly as thick as the thread itself.

Hope this helps.