Consew Model 229

[oldfarmboy]

Hello everyone. Haven't been here for quite a spell.

Yesterday I purchased a Consew model 229 post sewing machine. Today I hope to test and looking in the manual it mentions a bobbin case. I don't see one. I called the dealer (150 miles away ). Chatting with the service man It seems some use bobbin cases and others don't. Is this correct? Attached is a picture of the bobbin area. Could someone help me out on threading this machine?

 

TIA

Edited June 19, 2020 by oldfarmboy

[oldfarmboy]

The parts manual that came with the machine lists a bobbin case number 12124. If it is indeed needed, and by looking closely, it appears to be AOL, where is a good source for another? I've tried trading and the thread always get caught in the hook so I'm almost certain there should be a bobbin case.

[shoepatcher]

A Consew 229 is a copy of a Singer 168.  The bobbin caps should be interchangeable.   In the picture shown, your bobbin case tab is not in the slot on the underside of the throat plate.  Yours will need the bobbin case cover.  Should thread the same as a Singer 168.     Hope that helps.  I may have a bobbin case cover around here.

glenn

[oldfarmboy]

Thanks Shoepatcher. After studying the machine for couple hours and comparing to my Pfaff walking foot I came to the same conclusion it's missing the cover. In fact the cover from the Pfaff almost fits except the hole is too small for the post. :( I'll check locally but hopes are not great. Watch for PM.

[oldfarmboy]

54 minutes ago, shoepatcher said:

A Consew 229 is a copy of a Singer 168.  The bobbin caps should be interchangeable.   In the picture shown, your bobbin case tab is not in the slot on the underside of the throat plate.  Yours will need the bobbin case cover.  Should thread the same as a Singer 168.     Hope that helps.  I may have a bobbin case cover around here.

glenn

Hmmm can't send PM???

[Constabulary]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Post-Bett-Slide-Platte-221215-fur-Singer-51W-52W-136W-138W-Nahmaschine-/16378209174

this slide cover should work - it even fitted for my decades old Singer 51w looks like they remained all the same.

Edited June 20, 2020 by Constabulary

[oldfarmboy]

Link doesn’t seem to work. :(   I have the slide cover. Need the bobbin cover

[Constabulary]

sorry - my bad...   link was for a slide cover

[oldfarmboy]

Anyone have this machine that could post a picture with the slide cover removed and the bobbin case in position? Also some closeups of the bobbin case itself? If caliper available as well some measurements? Crazy thought here. I'm going to attempt machining a cover. I have lots of tension springs from Singer bobbins that I can use. It will be from ordinary steel not tool steel to begin with.

[Wizcrafts]

Campbell-Randall has a bobbin cap for sale for the Singer 168. It should also fit your Consew 229. I searched for more but nothing much came up, aside from a Koban  brand bobbin cap from Japan. It was sold by a dealer in the UK and would cost as much with shipping and taxes.

[oldfarmboy]

Thank you. $43.75. Plus shipping. That's US$ too. Ouch. Looking at $75 approx in our funds. My good deal on this machine is evaporating quickly.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

7 hours ago, oldfarmboy said:

Thank you. $43.75. Plus shipping. That's US$ too. Ouch. Looking at $75 approx in our funds. My good deal on this machine is evaporating quickly.

That's a reasonable price for this bobbin case cap from the prices I'm finding, see attached image, this is what it looks like.  That old Seiko machine looks like it was hardly used at all.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Gregg From Keystone Sewing

[oldfarmboy]

That’s a better picture of the cap. Shows the gap on the side. I intend to machine one soon as a can. The cap looks fairly simple. What I’ll need to do is experiment with the size of the tab and opening. The other measurements are easier. 

[Wizcrafts]

3 hours ago, oldfarmboy said:

That’s a better picture of the cap. Shows the gap on the side. I intend to machine one soon as a can. The cap looks fairly simple. What I’ll need to do is experiment with the size of the tab and opening. The other measurements are easier. 

In my World, time is money. I'd buy the damn cap and get to sewing in a week or two. You will spend a lot more than $75 dinking around on a milling machine or lathe in time, metal and electricity.

[Constabulary]

When you find a "complete" machine for a very cheap price then in comparison new spare parts will always appear to be expensive / overpriced. Thats normal.

But you have sewing machine dealers in CA too. I´m sure there is one who can supply these caps. You do not find everything online. Not all brick and mortar dealers have a web shop for parts on their homepage.

When you are into tinkering (like me) you probably can replace the entire hook with a new made "el cheapo" Chinese hook. I do not have an overview of all post bed machine and their hooks but I guess most of them are pretty much the same. Especially when the machine is based on a Singer model. I have replaced the hook on my approx 1920´s / 1930´s Singer 51w with a Durkopp hook (Durkopp & Singer share lot of parts) I had floating around (actually form a flat bed machine). The OEM hook had a cap like yours. The new hook is a drop in hook. But thats not everyone's cup of tea its probably trial and error.

But here I agree with Wiz - bite the bullet and buy the cap - fire and forget... done.

 

[oldfarmboy]

I don't HAVE to get this machine running immediately but would be nice to test run. It's not a complicated cap or all that difficult. I've made several parts for my 29K2 which was in terrible shape. Here's a one of the shuttle hooks that was really worn. Made a gear for the bottom. Rebuilt the long rack and modified it as well too for timing the shuttle. Rebuilt the revolving head. Sewing isn't my primary passion. I'd  soon starve. (nor is machinist. Ask my former co-worker who was a journeyman machinist). It's the challenge and satisfaction when it works out. We'll see.

[oldfarmboy]

There is a dealer 150 miles from here. Been in contact but didn't yet ask about price or shipment. I've purchased a few parts before. One time he got snarky when I wanted a part but Friday he was OK again. LOL  I try to avoid him.

[Constabulary]

I know what you mean - I´m a tinkerer too but certain things are just not worth to DIY. Don´t underestimate this cap. Its not just a cap it also has a tension spring which is held by 2 tiny (and I mean tiny) counter sunk screws. It´s a precise part. It never ever would be worth the time making one but if you like it why not go ahead. The 29K2 is a different story because lots of parts are obsolete. The shuttles BTW you can get from Ebay for bargain prices this would not be worth the time as well but again - your time.

Good luck.

[oldfarmboy]

The shuttle was easy. I had more trouble with the gear which drives the shuttle carrier. There is a hardened bushing in the arm. It was worn too. A new gear wouldn't have fitted well unless the bushing  was replaced too. So I made the journal on the gear oversize to fit. The gear has only three teeth so the teeth have to be fairly precise. Later models used more teeth. I can understand why the change. Had to mess with the shape of the teeth a bit. But it works great now. All the parts in the machine were there but man were they worn. As usual I paid too much. I learned a lot from that project.

[oldfarmboy]

Ya. It sews. Not so sure about top tension though. It seems it could be a bit tighter but then it starts to pucker the material. You can see the top thread (black) showing on the underside. There is no tension at this time on the bobbin case. Straight out the side of the bobbin case through a hole in the side. First off I discovered that the tab on the bobbin case base has to fit under a gap in the needle plate. Someone had it apart and didn't replace it properly. Very much the same principle as the Featherweights use. Also discovered the tension release wasn't working properly. The depth of the bobbin case should be have been deeper. Had intended to make it deeper then changed my mind to make it the same as the Pfaff bobbin case, 0.250 inches. I believe it should be deep enough to rest on the bobbin case base, but it does work as is. This was sewn at a low speed. Haven't the courage yet to try high speed. LOL I do like how this clutch motor works. So much better to control than the other clutch motor machines I have presently and had in the past.

Edited June 26, 2020 by oldfarmboy