greywuuf

I find myself , trough over exuberance and under investigation, the owner of two old CONSEW industrial machines. I beleive they qualify for discussion here as they are basically SINGER clones.

I purchased through DOD auction a pair of machines from a parachute/rigging shop. trouble is I did not inspect them prior to bid. What I have is a Consew 206 RB (no dash number ) and a consew 225.

While these are both good machines, mine were stripped of parts being being sold... everything under the face plate, needle bar end is missing, as is the hook and bobbin case etc.

the 205 seems to be the more rugged and more expensive of the two , but parts ( at least on e-bay) are not as readily available and higher priced than the 225. the 225 i think needs more parts but appears easier to source parts for


my question is .. which to concentrate on first ? ( or maybe only )

also .. has anyone treadled a machine such as these ? or what about a big amp household motor , just to get it running before I jump into an industrial table and clutch ( or servo) setup.


more projects than sense
Dan in Alaska

tessagin

I'm going to see what the experts say. I have no clue!

ThayerRags

I took my Singer 31-15 out and stuck my Singer 111W153 into my MUTTIN Treadle (stripped-down industrial treadle) a while back. The 111W153 is about comparable to the Consew 225. It treadled really smooth and easy with nothing under the feet, but when I put a couple of 8-9 ounce pieces of Oak-Tanned leather (about like a quality tooled belt doubled) under the foot to sew them together, I had to push so hard on the treadle pedal that I was afraid that I might break something, so I stopped the experiment. I was getting belt slippage too. I had a non-leather size 18 needle in it and was using Tex90 bonded polyester thread, so a leather-point needle may have made piercing a little better.

If you’re sewing thinner or “less-dense” materials, it should work ok. The Singer 16-188 is a medium-duty walking foot machine, which I believe, was treadled back in the day before electrification.

I have a Consew 225 that I wouldn’t trade for anything. It has a clutch motor and an 8:2 speed reducer on it, and it’s a pleasure to sew with. I’ve never used a Consew 206 (or 205, whichever it is). Lots of guys swear by the 206RB because of the reverse. The 225 doesn’t have reverse, and was patterned after the Singer 111W155, the workhorse of the Singer WF flatbed machines.

If you decide to re-home the Consew 225, give me a holler. Maybe I can trade you for something.

CD in Oklahoma

Rodney

I know pretty much nothing about industrials except I'd like one. Consew is a respected brand. I know that much. I hope you didn't pay too much given that the machines were robbed of parts and then from the sound of it made to look like they weren't. I hope you're able to get at least one back together for a reasonable amount.
Rodney

greywuuf

nah.. was a $50 minimum bid for the pair.. I was the only one dumb enough to bid I spend more than that going to the movies these days. I will try to get some pictures up. but they are just typical paint worn industrials. things like tensioner parts hooks cases and the like are pretty much consumable in industry so are easy to source ... but the linkage for the rocker frame and walking foot are not so much ... looking to have about a $200 parts bill to have either of them running.

greywuuf

here is some quick and dirty pictures of the machines in question, mostly of the 225 because I did not lift the other out,

both are missing all of the needle bar rocking linkage.. the 225 seems to have the hook and case so that is something.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]519100[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]519101[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]519102[/ATTACH]

ThayerRags

They're pretty well stripped, aren't they.

CD in Oklahoma

greywuuf

well kinda.... but the undercarriage, clutches and all are there, it is just the needle end. and as i said tensioner assembly is cheap and easy..... the only thing I have not found actually ( I think) is the shaft on the back side...I can find needle bars ( again pretty cheap almost a consumable ) and even the needle bar rocker frame and bushings etc ...seems like high usage applications replace them things....

greywuuf

CD, would you happen to have a picture of the Back side of your consew ?

ThayerRags

No, I don't have a good clear photo of the back. I'll have to see if I can get one.
In the mean time, here's a photo of the back side of my Singer 111W153....

CD in Oklahoma