The hand-crank machine is gritty and mean and I'm in love!
I ordered mine from bantamsaddletack and it arrived quickly. I've been using it on full grain leather boots, jackets, gloves, and more.
Taking hints from motorcycle maintenance, I wiped mine down with denatured alcohol, polished a few parts with Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish, and I'll be lubing the cams with a low viscosity, full synthetic oil (replacing the castor oil I have been using, whose smell I quite like).
How exactly does one change the stitch length on these machines? Ole South inquired about the max length; I am interested in a shorter stitch length. I reckon' it's a real simple turn of a screw, but I'm scratching my head at which one. Please enlighten me!