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I will cover 3 machines I have and my opinions. Any shoe patcher should be test sewn with a pc. of fabric under the leather because of surface tension. I glue a pc. of teflon 1m onto the toe . I've done this for 25 years. 30-1 Great build quality, stupid parts prices small bobbin. Singer 29-4 Primitive, cheap. Relatively easy to refurbish including stitch length and lifting height. CLSP Chinese shoe patcher. Cheap including parts, stitch length up to 1/4", high lift only one a of the 3 with adjustable needle bar. Adjustable arm for centering needle and easy hook timing. Larger bobbin than the above. Any of three will work in your application. Attached photo is a insole stitcher that I intend to buy for insole and side stitching.

Other than paint it looks like my Mitsubish 280l. I heard this design went to Juki

You can view these machines on Amazon. Colored Peas CLSP or facebook chinese leather shoe patcher. The $100 model gets a lot of bad press I would call it a great design but poorly executed. However there is heavy duty $300 with high lift and larger bobbin. Though manual it would be no more difficult than a 29 singer patcher to motorize. There is another model that has a 45 degree foot with a high lift that would work for inseaming. My preferred sole construction is sew the insole and midsole . Than sew the midsole to the outsole. This technique is also called Blake Rapid.

I am in a similar situation. I make my own shoes because it's difficult and I have issues. Being elderly I'd rather sit at the bench than ply my trade. Auto trim, upholstery, and leather. My choice would be a cb3200 or a Singer 45k variant. The cowboy would probably fill all your needs. A alternative would be a one of the 45k. For example a 45k69 was designed for shoes and has a unique walking foot. I have a 45k76 which has a lifting foot with no feed, sewing a stitch at a time still faster than handstitching, these can be cheap. I paid $50. This machine is easy to mount to a shoe patch table and could than operate with a treadle. They come with a heavy flywheel. Finally explore a Cowboy Outlaw or Tippman. Or a heavy duty version of the CLSP .

I like this machine it will sew 138 thread with a 135/16 /23 needle. The foot can be moved. it has needle timing and hook timing. That's the good stuff The bad rough finish on hook and shuttle needs polishing. Lot of these machines need work, however with couple of hours it will sew. Go to facebook chinese shoe patcher and read the files and post.

I have a 45k. The second picture shows thread behind tension disc should be between. Other issues needle timing and needle to far from the hook. If you can't fix let me know and I will check rising needle timing to hook. If you have needle to far from hook you can bend needle bar where needle is inserted. Not recommended but hey I only paid 50 bucks for the machine.

If you go to needlebar.org and then search for ken's life or ken jerrem's you will find a excellent article on shimming various parts on a 29-4. You can buy 1mm shim stock buy the inch from NAPA

I purchased 3 clickers in the 90's A USMC model C a mechanical clicker running on 220 single phase. A Fipi 20 running 220v 3 phase using a phase converter. Best feature reads die height automatically, also has dial for pressure. Did conversion and found difficult because euro wiring colors and application are problematic. Today the internet would help a lot. Third was a Schwabe model D a dead simple machine with manual height adjustment, also 3 phase which I found easy to wire to phase converter. This machine was USA made. These were well used but all three required less than $300 dollars in parts. The USMC is mechanical and requires good mechanical skills and a operator manual. All machines are industrial and have a very long life. The hydraulic machines are noisy, theModel C is quiet except when tripped. When I sold business I kept the USMC Model C The Fipi and the Schwabe are still in use in my old business.

there is needlbar.org (kens life)site about 29-4. Very good info. I also am working on a 29-4. Bent handwheel (fixed) bell crank work in progress. Clearances seem tight, screws are not chewed up, don't think I will to shim rack. Hook has little wear and picks up thread. However it looks terrible on the outside but good on the inside. There is also a facebook forum site 29k and others. 1mm shim stock was 63cents per inch. from NAPA. Trying for 5spi.

I have straitened needle bars and shafts on 29-4 and 45k. Singer steel is very ductile but strong. Similar to 1045 steel which was used in making wheels. My favorite hammer is a flooring hammer used to hit a nailer. For a surface I would use lead, a poundo board, or even a cheap cutting board. I use my 2" pad on my clicker.

The original clicker pad on my model C mechanical clicker was end-grain hardwood. Although it is serviceable I use 2x20x40 red poly pad. I think a hardwood stump would work ok. You could keep up the surface with belt sander.

Just for your info. These line-shaft clutches usually have a simple 3/8" leather belt as a clutch material. just a spot of glue holds them. We all are thinking about that 75lb. 3450rpm or 1725rpm pc. of garbage about 2 out of 10 have any control. However my wife loves her 206rb with that style clutch but she started working in the garment factory over 50 years ago.

I would really like to play with this setup. I would keep the clutch add a smaller pulley to motor, and add a hinge to the back of the motor. You may be able to use one belt to change speeds on the clutch which has 3 different diameters. I would add a smaller pulley to motor The top looks like plywood refinish with veneer or thin plywood. The machine looks pretty good. I would spray all moving parts with PB Blaster or similar. Do this multiple times and do not blow out with air ( just sends dirt into moving parts, some with little clearance) Now is the time to test for sewing. If it sews good leave it alone. If not y-tube is your friend, like Uwe Grosse, Wiz, and Cowboy Bob. Of course use this site also. Do not change the toothbelt just yet. Run the machine and see how easy and smooth it turns. An new belt may be a little stiff and may not show other issues. Adding a larger pulley at the handwheel will give you even more control and you can reduce tension on the drive belt. Finally this machine has high lift (1/2") and long stitch. If all goes well and you like it you may want to convert to a larger bobbin. Good Luck

Four things I would look at. Take up spring. Should release before take-up descends to bottom. Timing Adjust needle down a touch 1/32" , if it gets worse go up. Timing I assume lower shaft is keyed, I would see if hook is to far from the needle Thread release. Make sure thread is not releasing as feet go to second layer

ameriken online probably has your punches.