Need Help With Bobbin Issue On My Consew 206Rb5

[Cthomas1998]

Good Afternoon Folks,

I need some help with my Consew 206RB5 This machine is basically new, has less than 4 hours sewing on it. It recently started acting up on me, and as you can see from the attached pictures, it seems to be doing something goofy inside the bobbin. I have made no adjustments since receiving the machine, and no thread size changes. Still running #69 thread. Any ideas? I will say this machine is a bit of a pain to remove the bobbin. The manual says to remove it when the needle is at the top of the stroke, but the bobbin will not come out at that point. It slides out easily when the needle is almost flush with the plate. The needle and hook timing looks good however, it appears to really check it you have to pretty much dismantle the feed dog. In reality, I have a needle positioner, and when I back pedal it, the needle goes to the highest position. There is no way the bobbin will come out at that point. It will only come out when the needle is about flush with the feed dog and is best removed or inserted when the needle is on the upstroke and clear of the bobbin housing. Any suggestions?

Edited April 6, 2015 by Cthomas1998

[JLSleather]

Are you holding the thread when you start out? Those are great little machines.. should have held on to the one I had. GUESSing only here, but it looks like you have a thread loop wrapping around the post that rides the bobbin. This can happen on starting (the thread isn't held tightly for 3-4 stitches) or stopping (the spring steel "brake" isn't stopping the bobbin early enough).

Like I said, they're good machines -- I never had an issue. I would:

Clean out behind the bobbin case. Make sure there are no short threads or "boogers" in there. Then put the bobbin in the case, pull the thread out under the tension spring, and verify that the bobbin is spooling the correct rotation (I think it's clockwise on that machine?). Pull a couple inches, making sure you have some tension on the thread as it pulls. Replace the bobbin case, pull up bobbin thread, hold both top and bottom threads, and go on about your business as if I'd never bored you with all of this

A tip about those machines: Bobbin cases are CHEAP. I kept at least one separate one for each weight of thread I plan to use with it. So, one bobbin case (and a few bobbins) had nothing but #69 thread. The bobbin case for #138 thread was a separate one, as were those for #42 and #207. This way, I didn't kill loads of time adjusting bobbin tensions. I could, for example, sew a wallet liner using $69 thread. Then pop out the bobbin and case, and pop in the one with #138 thread to sew the wallet liner to the wallet back. No tension adjusting. Off ya go ....

[Cthomas1998]

That's really a great idea about the bobbin cases. I will grab extras. Yes, I do hang on to the extra thread for the first few stitches. It is a great machine, and I don't know what has happened. My wife has used it a couple times, and she said there were no issues other than a very small bobbin birds nest where I think she forgot to lower the presser feet before sewing. I am getting frustrated with this. I wonder, since the only real issue seem to be when the bobbin thread is released, I wonder if the needle positioner isn't off a bit, and I'm just assuming it's at the top of the stroke? Going to go try that now....

[Cthomas1998]

That was my problem. It truly wasn't at the highest position to release the bobbin thread. I was trying to pull it our before it was truly released. This is an easy adjustment. Thanks for the advice and help !!

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

See attached, this is how handwheel should appear, with both white dots aligned to remove the bobbin. That's what these marks are for. They are fixed on the handwheel, and the handwheel is fixed by set screws on a v ditch and slot. Older 206RBs had the dot on the handwheel with an adjustable ring.

In addition, the feed dog carrier could be a hair too low, and impeding the bobbin case from coming out as well, but this is a sensitive adjustment that can easily be too high or too low.

[Cthomas1998]

Thank you Gregg. The white spot on the pulley was hidden by the upper belt guard. Now, it's been removed and I can see it clearly now.

[CKnox]

I bought a used Consew 206rb 5 a couple months ago. I would like advice on how to rewind the bobbin. The bobbin keeps slipping. All the while, the sewing machine part is running; is there a switch that turns off the sewing part while the bobbin mechanism is trying to fill the bobbin? In addition, how often must these machines be oiled?

[Quade]

I oil mine every time I use it. 

If you have the bobbin feeder that leans against the belt.  Mine's split. I can shove a screw driver in it to expand it when it gets loose.  Don't go too far with it. You just want enough to grab the inside of the bobbin.