Western Auto "Citation", need help w bobbin winder and foot controller
 

http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=497652&stc=1

I found this little machine a few weeks ago at a thrift store. After oiling it, and experimenting with the tension, it works very well. I have 2 issues though that are probably fixable:

1) it winds the bobbin all lop-sided, and I have to use my finger to try and fill the bobbin evenly. My other machines do not use this type of bobbin, but I have yet to try the 66 red-eye treadle.
The set-up of the bobbin winder is different from the one pictured in the manual. The one I have has just the post that the bobbin fits onto and a plastic oval thingy that you press the bobbin towards -- instead of the finger type pictured in the manual....

http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=497657&stc=1

2) The foot controller is not very sensitive at the start of sewing. The machine sews quite fast and races out of the start gate, so to speak. I have oiled the pedal spring, where it touches the metal, but there is no noticeable improvement.

A little more about the Citation:
this machine has a detachable extension plate, which I really like. It is also quite smart: button hole set-up and blind hem, and stretch stitch, all accessible though the selector knob. Also sews buttons on but I doubt I'll ever want to risk that :-) .

It came in a beautiful red case, an accessory box and the original manual. I found an ad for this machine where it is advertised for $150 new in 1976.
Citation, Wizard and Brother are some of the names of related machines made in Japan. Model # 62-8849-2, apparently made by Brother. I have seen similar versions badged as "Dressmaker" - but none of those have the extension table.

TIA for any help, Sabine

That bobbin winder plastic round thingy has a screw in it doesn't it? Loosen it and turn it toward the stud that the bobbin sits on, then tighten it up. It should help it by getting closer to the bobbin and will help the thread wind correctly. Good luck. P.S. push the metal stud toward the plastic. It will make a sound. PS>PS> Take the thread from the spool to one of the knobs above the take-up lever, then over to the bobbin filler. It is the tension for the bobbin filler.

I don't think I can help with your questions but it looks like a very nice machine. I like it. If I saw one like it I wouldn't pass it up.
Rodney

I'd slide open the foot control(may need some muscle) to see if there is lint, spiderwebs, dirt etc. that is causing it to act up.

Compare it to the Mademoiselle.

Cari

Hi Barny -- I actually followed the (tiny) diagram in the manual: thread through the tension disk and then straight to the bobbin on the winder......... Then I tried your suggestion to feed the thread through the tension unit and then the front thread guide and then to the winder... It didn't like that at all. I tried moving the plastic thing but it didn't help, so I changed it back to the same position as the Brother.
I checked "under the hood" and found the tire had worn off to a flat surface (how did *that* happen?), got a new tire from another machine and ..... that didn't help either.

I believe the machine has been dropped -- the front thread guide was bent forward.... I also carefully leveled the tension unit (for the winder) since it was a bit droopy.


I compared the set-up to a modern Brother. I had noticed that the little spring on the stud appears to have no function at all. Looking at the new Brother, I noticed that the spring there actually holds the bobbin firmly in place. On the Citation nothing holds the bobbin in place, I can easily pull it off the stud.
From the manual: "....Place empty bobbin on the bobbin winder stud making sure that the little slot in the bobbin engages the spring on the stud." There does not seem to be any engagement....

On the Brother I can rotate the stud freely, on the Citation it seems to be frozen in place. I assumed the spring would latch onto the bobbin and the stud would turn along withe bobbin if turned manually. It doesn't - even when it is the disengaged position. The notch is only at the top of the bobbin, no channel all the way down.....

Now I'm wondering whether I am using the correct bobbin. The machine works fine with it, but maybe the non-winding issue points to a different bobbin....? The included photo shows that the bobbin is only wound at the lower part....

Any more ideas? Sabine

http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=497670&stc=1
Citation ^

http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=497668&stc=1
Brother^

http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=497671&stc=1



Cari --- nice :-) - thank you!

Hi Candace - thanks for telling me how to open the foot controller. It is perfectly clean, but I found another spot where metal rubbed on metal. I oiled it and it is smoother now. :-)

Adjusting that white plastic deal on the bobbin winder won't affect how the bobbin winds, just how much thread winds onto the bobbin. The post that the thread coming off of the spool wraps around, before going to the bobbin winder, may have some adjustment to it, and usually the manual details what adjustments to make for even winding.

It may be an optical illusion, but it looks like the post that you put the bobbin on for winding is bent, and if it is, likely would cause the bobbin to not wind evenly.

Hi again Sews. I didn't mean to go to the tension unit. I meant the tension on top of the machine, that is over to the left. Mimack is right. The stud looks bent, And you tried to put the bobbin on the stud where there is a groove for the bobbin to fit onto the spring? And it doesn't work? I don't knowLOL All I can say is start the bobbin winding and use a pencil to lift the thread, so it will go on even.