Greetings from Michigan

[Primosand]

Elizabeth,

After contacting the Amazon seller "Zero Express" for a return authorization for the Consew 3000 (they email authorization and if you ask a free UPS shipping label) I sat down at my computer last night and ordered a new servo motor AND bit the bullet and ordered a $$$ speed reducer pulley. I bought the old style Consew Premier 550-1 with the finger dial on the body where you have to reach under the table to adjust speed. The cheapest SRP I could find was on Ebay : http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/302295377518?vectorid=229466&lgeo=1&item=302295377518&rmvSB=true

It was $169.28  with California tax and free shipping !! The servo motor was only $105 with no tax and free shipping. I can't believe the Chinese or the US sewing machine import merchants can't flood the US with speed reducer pulleys on the cheep.

So now I wait a week. I'll need to figure out what size my second belt will be and get that ordered. I have to drive an hour into the garment district in Los Angeles to buy these things but after the gas and $12 for parking it's usually cheaper to buy on Amazon.

As for finding a reputable service guy. Don't waste your time or money. You need to learn to be your own "go to guy". I did. I fix my own machines now .... all of them. I've restored 4.5 domestic vintage machines (sold two and made money) and I fixed/replaced the "tension release slide arm" on my Consew 226. When I bought the 226 it was my 1st industrial machine and the seller/repair guy said it was in great shape and that he'd had gone through and fixed any and all issues and it would last me forever. I paid $730, it came with a Consew 550-1 watt servo and a clean, decent but not new table. (No locking caster wheels) 

When I realized the thread tension wasn't releasing when I lifted the presser foot I went on-line to see what was up. And lucky for me and you there was this guy "Uwe Groose " who makes the very best "how to fix your industrial sewing machine" videos in the world. His videos are so well done it made the repair look "doable ".... and it was. It is extremely satisfying to do your own repair work. When you do your own repair you know "what was really done" you know "what it really cost" AND "how your machine works". Others that helped with that repair was Gregg O'Neil at KeyStone Sewing Machines http://www.keysew.com/ who got me a Japanese made part after I bought a Chinese made replacement part that was junk. Constabulary and Wizcrafts are two more forum members that know their stuff and were willing to help. There are a lot of very experienced members on the Leatherworker.net forum and they've all been very willing to help "us" less experienced figure it all out so ..... ask your questions and learn to do it yourself.  Tip number 1:  Take a ton of pictures as you dismantle a machine to make a repair.

enjoy your new machines. 

[RhodesAveDesigns]

You are my new 3rd-best-friend (I promise this is a compliment, lol, after my dog, and my human best friend). Having read- and re-read your previous machine post, together with several members' ongoing, unequivocal recommendation of the dial-type Servos, that was the route I was leaning toward; this post just nudged me over the edge. As I will have 2 machines, I will start with the basic Servo, and probably order a second, rather than opt for an iffy "upgrade" at 2+ times the $$$ (there's the promise of a third vintage machine, I swear this is crazy, but I won't "look a gift horse in the mouth", not after turning up little to nothing at lower price points for months). Thankfully, my brother in law sells/creates/installs custom production line set-up, so there is the promise of pulley systems of any size/ configuration. You are right in that the Chinese systems could definitely be more readily available, at far better prices.  

Definitely plan to work on my own machines, more so than I already am. I am big on "do-it-yourself", grew up with the example if you don't know how to do something, you research/read/learn, and DO IT. Like I said, one bad experience with someone who charged for messing my machine up worse = never again (turned out was a design issue, and nothing I could have done, and had tried, helped). The amount if information offered by this site is incredible; once I am an "adult" again, not facing endless student expenses, I'll be able to give back in turn (I hope). Knowing there is assistance if I get stuck is enormously helpful. 

I'll post updates as they occur. THANK YOU, again.

- Elizabeth