Do These Parts Do What I Assume?

[TwinOaks]

Red Cent, since you have a similar machine, can you take a pic of yours from the same angle as above for comparison?

[Wizcrafts]

I will photograph the top tension area of my CB4500 Monday afternoon, when I go back into my shop. It is obvious that the disks are being held open when they shouldn't be. A couple of side shots of a normal setup should help the OP figure out if something is just assembled wrong, or bent.

First, that crank with the split on the bottom normally sits completely under the tension disks and only separates then when you raise the feet via the hand lifter knob or foot lifter pedal. However, if the presser bar is binding in the top pressure spring adjuster (the one on the very top, with the hollow threaded screw), it can hang up higher than normal. Twist the pressure adjuster a little and see if the presser foot drops down some more. If the hole in the adjuster was drilled off of dead center, binding could happen. Emory cloth, or a close fit drill bit may clear up that alignment problem. I had to do that to my machine's pressure adjuster.

Until then, second first problem I see in Cleanview's photo is that the thread guide seems to be up too high. It is even possible that the guide is stopping the separator block from letting go. That happened to me once.

When users remove the faceplate to oil the innards, or to reposition the presser bar or needle bar, we sometimes forget to align the split in the bottom of the tension release crank. I did that two days ago. For a couple of jobs I didn't clue in on why the tension wasn't releasing when I floored the foot lifter pedal. Doh!

[cleanview]

Here are some more pics......sorry I wont have time to work on this and make replies till this evening.

Thanks

[cleanview]

OOPS....don't forget that I am knew to machines. I just realized the presser foot was raised and that releases the pressure on the disc. oober mistake on my part.

[Wizcrafts]

I thought that the rod in the back looked engaged. Let the foot down all the way. If it binds, twist the top adjuster to free it up. The lowered presser lifter should allow the outside to to go all the way down to the throat plate.

[cleanview]

Ok. out of this embarrassing learning mistake .........I learned more of what happens when the presser foot is raised. learning as we go but sometimes embarrassing myself in the process

yes wizcraft is does.

Thanks again

[JLSleather]

The foot pedal is SUPPOSED to drive those discs apart to allow you to pull thread. If it's hanging up, check where the lift chain goes through the casting to see if it's hanging up there. Probably a kick or wiggle of the pedal will free it up. Until you have that solved, the tension is NEVER going to be right.

One thing from your pics.. is that thread routed correctly? On the first guide and tension disc set (where you labeled #1), mine would go through the pigtail (wire) around the tension discs, the BACK THROUGH the pigtail before going down towards the next section. Somebody with that machine chime in -- mine isn't the same and I don't want to have you changing what was already right!

HAVING watched the video of Bob setting up a [very] similar machine, perhaps your thread path is correct. Maybe worth noting, looks like your lift chain is OUTSIDE the drive shaft, but Bob's is INSIDE - between the shaft and the casting. BOTH RIGHT?

Edited December 14, 2014 by JLSleather

[Wizcrafts]

JLS is right. The lifter chain on my machine is inside, between the axle and the body. Make sure that with the arrangement you now have that the chain allows the foot to go all the way up and all the way down. The crank that the chain attaches to on top must not be interfered with by the axle. The floor lift pedal should go all the way down, starting with the heel down. There should only be a small amount of free motion before the lifter engages and begins lifting the foot. The maximum lift is supposed to clear the bottom of the needle. Sometimes that doesn't quite happen. It only becomes an issue if you need to sew 7/8 inch of leather.

If the foot lifter chain twists, or makes a sharp angle from the hole in the base, it could bind. Keep the links in line with each other and try to maintain the straightest line feeding up.

Edited December 14, 2014 by Wizcrafts

[pcox]

Your thread path and foot lifter chain are correct. FYI to whom it may concern the 3200 Cowboy is a little different than the 3500 & 4500 Cowboy,cobra 4 ETC. Did the heat shrink tubing fix your problem?

[TwinOaks]

OOPS....don't forget that I am knew to machines. I just realized the presser foot was raised and that releases the pressure on the disc. oober mistake on my part.

glad you got that sorted out. And it looks like I'm re-learning sewing machine diagnostics!