I might have a chance to get a Industrial Sewing Machine from a former collector. One is a ConSew 226 and the other is a Riccar with the tag missing. They can't tell me anything about either of them and they both have tables. I have some pics to help out. I am looking for some advice. Which is a better machine and what can I check out to see if it is worth buying? They are selling this weekend only so I have to move fast. My background: I am not much of a sticher with a basic machine that does not do Upholstery. Done some repair by hand but really a beginner. Thanks for your help.
When youre not a pro, then these machines will complete whatever you wanna do. Only thing can be parts, equipment,etc.in differences. Good Luck!
when i was at Wyotech I didnt want to let go of my Consew... I dont have any experience with the Riccar
Another vote for the Consew. I bought one new in 1985 and taught myself to do upholstery work. They are very user friendly to operate and easy to repair.
I would stick to the Consew or a Pfaff. My Dad used a Consew for than 20 years, nothing wrong with 'em at all.
OK, got a little more info. The Consew does have a reverse lever. I ran it a bit, didn't thread it but it seems to go smooth and will go through 4 thick layers of Zodiac no problem. You turn it on and it sounds like an A/C compressor charging. Motor definatly sounds powerful and moves quick. And has the walking foot. A few more pics. Thanks everybody for your input!
Consew, all the way. Built well, almost infinitely serviceable. Walking foot is what you really want. That Riccar looks like a Juki 555 knockoff. The Juki it looks exactly like is what I run, but who knows about the Riccar?
How much $= Looks like neither have had much use-little paint wear on the head of the machine. Never heard of an Riccar. Juki is a good machine.Both have reverse. The Consew Is the one to buy, If the Riccar is cheap enough, buyv that to and sell it for more. Some people don`t know what these things are worth.
the thing about a consew vs a pfaff is the consew is way simpler so when it goes "out of time" it can be timed by the operator. anyone i know that has a pfaff takes it to the shop. most pfaffs that are 20+years old generally "increase" in value.
The Consew is the way to go! The Riccar is actually a good machine, as long as the gears are good, but it is a high speed dressmaking machine - not well suited for upholstery use at all. The Consew is set up with a walking foot which will get you through anything that you put in front of it. parts for the Consew are very readily available, the Riccar could be a problem.
Thanks for everyone's help. I got it!!! Yay? Now I just need to figure out how to get it set up and working. I already have my first project set up. I have included some pics of what I ended up with. Maybe you can tell me what I have and what I am missing. They took out the bobbin to show me how it ran on Friday and I think it got lost. Only one foot and one needle. Missing a few knobs and some things look bent? I won't really know what I have until it gets set up and I can run a panel through it. Here is also some stuff I got with the machine. It seems most of it goes to another machine. There was a few half-moon shaped parts the old owners kept that were in the drawer. Do I need those items?
****Bonus***** When I picked up the Consew they gave me a deal on this Singer Serger/ Hemmer(?) that I could not pass up. Don't know anything about it. Did I get a good deal?
You will like the durability of the consew. Wise choice. The only thing is, some of these machines are set up for speed and that will give you fits doing upholstery. The parts you have are for various machines. The spool rack is sweet, I would like to have one like that for myself. The foot on the machine looks like a zipper foot, it is a must for some things but you will want other types too. I picked up some generic ones from my local machine repair shop. The name brand ones are almost tripple in price. The generic ones work great on my singer. If you have lost the bobbin case you will want to hunt that down it will be spendy and you cant sew without it. Also pick up a mini oiler to get it ready for use- a little oil goes a long way in a sewing machine. If the machine needs adjustment it will make you crazy, a tune up is well worth the investment, until you get used to the machine and you will be able to do it yourself. The serger is handy for some things but it will be limited for upholstery. Good luck.
I looked back through the pics and noticed the top thread tensioner is missing the nut and tension disc. I cant tell what else is missing. You might be able to find a manual on google that can help you identify any other missing parts. I think consew shares parts with other machines so you should be able to come up with the parts pretty easily.
That "hemmer" is a blind hem machine for doing things like dress pants and drapes. I can't think of any practical uses for it in automotive applications. It is worth some bucks though to someone who does alterations, so it might have some retail value. The item in the last picture, (the Rube Goldberg lookin' thing) is a low shank ruffler for a household machine. It won't do you a bit of good for this machine, but to a dressmaker it's got some value. It probably actually went with the Riccar, but it should fit most household type machines. It sounds to me like you need to get in contact with a good commercial machine repair guy ( they're different than household machine guys) that can get this set up for you to use. I too see the missing tension knob, and with most machines that have sat unused for a while it should be competently clean and oiled prior to use. The good news is that tension knob shouldn't cost more than a couple of bucks. Also, once its dialed in, they have a tendency to stay dialed in.
The Jalopy Journal
