Consew 206RB-4 Shredding Thread

[RockyAussie]

25 minutes ago, garypl said:

Mike, I took your advice and removed the cover plate from the hook area and sewed the same piece of 8 oz leather - see video here:

It sewed perfectly!  I ran two lines of stitches without any problems - see picture showing two rows of stitches on top edge.

So, the only thing I did was remove the cover plate.  Upon further examination of the cover plate I saw that the LH edge was bent - see pictures:

I never noticed this before, but I do remember that the feed dog seemed very close to the left side of the cover plate slot - feed dog was probably rubbing against it.  

So I think my next step is to order a new cover plate and ensure there is clearance between it and the feed dog.  I never would have thought this would be the problem.  Just goes to show you that we have to take note of every small detail when troubleshooting a problem.

My thanks to everyone for pointing me in the right direction, especially Mike, who suggested running without the cover plate in place!  I will update this post after I replace the cover plate and verify it still sews!

Gary

Gary I have to ask was this test done without any cardboard support under? If so I guess the plate was not sitting down as it should making the leather tilt as the needle went through and then occasionally divert it away from the hook. If cardboard was under it then it may disguise that the dog foot hole has become extra wide with wear and that as well can lead to missing stitches because the leather goes down in and stops the thread loop from forming fully. Going through the cardboard would be like having a tighter hole in the feed dog if you get what I mean.

[garypl]

8 minutes ago, RockyAussie said:

Gary I have to ask was this test done without any cardboard support under? If so I guess the plate was not sitting down as it should making the leather tilt as the needle went through and then occasionally divert it away from the hook. If cardboard was under it then it may disguise that the dog foot hole has become extra wide with wear and that as well can lead to missing stitches because the leather goes down in and stops the thread loop from forming fully. Going through the cardboard would be like having a tighter hole in the feed dog if you get what I mean.

Good point Brian.  I did not have a piece of cardboard under the leather - it was just sitting on the feed dog.

I am going to replace the cover plate as it is very obviously bent down on the LH edge as well as being a bit chewed up.  Also replacing the feed dog.  Once I get the new parts I will see how it does with thicker, firmer leather.  

Got me wondering whether this bent plate is also the reason why I struggle to load bobbins.  Seems I have to play around for 5-10 minutes trying to install the bobbin case because something is obstructing it.  Tomorrow I will see if the bobbin case slides in and out easily with the cover plate removed. Time for my beauty sleep now

[JJN]

Gary, You do know the balance wheel has to be in the right position to change the bobbin on a 206rb. I started with a Juki 1541s that doesn't seem to care about that but when I got a Consew, it had me struggling until I  figured it out.

[garypl]

3 hours ago, JJN said:

Gary, You do know the balance wheel has to be in the right position to change the bobbin on a 206rb. I started with a Juki 1541s that doesn't seem to care about that but when I got a Consew, it had me struggling until I  figured it out.

I have noticed that turning the handwheel does affect the ease of inserting or removing the bobbin case.  It seems easier without the cover plate installed, but still much harder than my other machines.

just went down and test sewed some more with a piece of thin cardboard under the leather and still getting occasional skipped stitches on 8 oz veg tan, but I think my tension settings need to be adjusted - seems like there might be too little top tension now.  Think I will let things alone until new feed dog and cover plate arrive next week and start fresh with tweaking tension adjustments.

Gary

[mikesc]

I'm thinking that your bobbin thread may be catching on the underside of that bent plate occasionally , as it goes over the hook / basket assembly* ( and so the lower thread necessary to form the stitch thread in the bobbin of a machine that should only run 138 on the bottom as it can't clear the underside of the RH plate every cycle, so it skips stitches sometimes..You could try a few "taps" with a hammer , or work on removing some thickness from it with a Dremel ( like one does to be able to get away with 207 thread in the bobbin, to improve the underside clearance of the damaged plate ) while you are waiting for a new plate to arrive.

* would explain why it works OK with the RH plate off.

Edited August 1, 2019 by mikesc

[garypl]

I’m heading out in 30 minutes to go shoot trap, so this will have to set until I return home this afternoon.  I’ll play with it later tonight just to see if I can pinpoint what is happening.  

[garypl]

I played around today to see if I could get this machine sewing without skipping stitches.  Still misses the loop occasionally as seen in this video.  Starts acting up at the 33 second mark:

It looks to me that the hook/needle timing is ok, but the loop that is forming looks small to me.  Any ideas on how to make the loop bigger?  I am using a 23 needle with 138 thread.

Maybe the problem is that I am running without the cover plate installed.  I have a new feed dog and cover plate coming tomorrow and I will install them and test again.

Gary

[brmax]

I think, from my view I would advance the hook a bit. Possibly a little higher in the scarf. 

Its difficult to arm chair your problem, but adding to that, the inconsistency of the issue can throw another contributing issue in the mix. So I have to say its a guess, although another few photos showing the hook timing itself can be a benefit. 

It may be a burrr on the feed dog bottom side or where a loop is designed to form. 

 

Good day

Floyd

[garypl]

Thanks Floyd.  I will go over all of the adjustments when the new parts come in.  Will post results in a couple of days!

[cdthayer]

I don't have one of that model machine, so I'm not familiar with the hook assembly, but is there any adjustment in and out (closer/further from the needle) on it?

CD in Oklahoma