Apologies if this is the wrong place to post this. I bought a Champion shoe machinery stitcher, and am looking for any info I can find about it. I understand that parts for old machines can be next to impossible to find, but I manage an equipment repair shop and can make most small parts in house. I have tried using multiple search engines, but haven't only found a couple pictures that look like this one. What model is it? Is there anyway to tell the year it was built? I don't intend to ever sell it, being more valuable as a tool to me than money, but approximate value?
Pedal operated, having to sit and pedal backwards compared to a bicycle. Seat slides side to side to match up to the 3 pedals. The former owner has owned it for 20 years or so, and had only used it once in that time. He kept it in a heated shop, and clean. We sewed 3 layers of 8-10 oz leather to verify that everything worked on it as intended, and after getting proper tension on the thread it performed very well. The mechanic in me was listening for anything that sounded like loose or binding parts, but everything sounded smooth. It did come with that little plastic tote with extra awls, needles and various other parts that look to have been repaired, rebuilt, or original. Also came with a copy of an instruction manual, but the manual seems to be for a newer(?) machine, although still mostly applicable.
Now I just need to haul it home, and get used to using it. It will be a huge upgrade for me as I've been hand stitching all my projects since I started doing leather work 10 or so years ago.
