Yankee63

Why would you give a "junk" machine to those who bought high dollar machine? Sounds like you would be shooting yourself in the foot for future sales. Nobody is trying to lose sales for you by not buying a high dollar machine when basic stitching is all you need for leather. Were the china machines so crappy when you supposedly "gave" them away? Did you tell your customers they were basically just junk ? It don't make sense. Doug

All I had to do was adjust the thread tension. I padded the foot to remove presser foot trails and adjusted the tension on the foot. Simple, basic stuff. Doug

My chinese patcher puts a good stitch through very thick leather. The stitching looks only as good as you have it adjusted for. Yes, you have to adjust tension big deal. The only down side to the machine is the stand it comes with. So if my patcher can sew a nice stitch then that is all I need it for. I do not need a big name brand leather sewing machine, I just need a leather sewing machine. I am quite happy with mine, that is all that matters. I could have spent my money on just a sewing machine, but instead I bought a nice knife grinder and polisher and a cut off saw/ vertical band saw AND a sewing machine that will do the job. Sewing leather is not what I wish to be limited to. Doug

I have spent enough time reading of how the "pig" can sew. It may take a few adjustments, or improvements but I am handy so I will work through it. Thanks for the pointers SilverForgeStudio. Doug

I cannot show a picture with the size allocation to show the spare parts Oh well. Have fun all Doug

here's what I got

Its the regular size. My wife used it to sew through 3 layers of dry horse hide. Granted I need to work on my foot pressure and sharp points, but it is easily capable of 3 layers of 5-7oz. Once I get a few minor bugs out of it, I do believe I can easily sew 2 layers for a holster. It will also allow to spin the leather around and follow the original stitch holes to double up the thread. Worked nice for a basic set up and run. I will snap a picture of it. Just the regular ol cobbler machine. I think a table around the needle would suit it better to do more than just patches. Proof is in the pudding. When I get it set up as I want it, I will show ya all the results. Doug

Sure thing, I understand. I will take my time at it because I kinda like the crank...lol I need to just spend time on the machine and get used to it first. Doug

Good, I figure at original gearing it would make a scooter move forward. It should be enough for starting a sewing machine. It will only cost a few hours and the $15 dollar controller that comes with the On/Off switch and separate dial for speed. Give me a couple months to put it all together and I will display a few pictures. I move slowly..first a drawing then gather materials and assemble. Thanks for your input. Doug

Could I get a idea of what wattage motor you guys run on your different machines? My wifes machine only has a 35 watt motor and I see replacement motors rated at only 90 watts. Just trying to get a guesstimate of how powerful a motor I may need.... Thanks all Doug

So, I bought a HU-JI, looks like model 43-6. My painted casting has no sharp edges, the machine was completely pre threaded so I could just tie off new thread and pull it through. This patcher came with 12 spare bobbins, a new crank rod looking replacement part and it came with a shiny new take up lever for the top front of the machine. It came with a spool of thread, a pack of needles and even a new bobbin carrier spare part. Top that off it had 2 layers of leather sewn and needle holding it in place to show that the machine worked prior to shipping. The stand for it is completely useless, but I attached it to a chunk of wood to hold it securely. I will build a stand for it with a removable table to make flat surface around the needle area. Here are my questions. 1) Can I run 207 thread with a 22 needle? or am I at max thread size with 138? 2) Are there alterations I can make to use larger thread? Other than those questions I do have it up and running fairly smooth for breaking in a hand cranking machine that does go through 3 layers of tough horse hide. I have a major helper as my wife used to work for Boy Scouts sewing and making patches. Her knowledge of sewing machines has really helped me. So, if I can get some help on thread sizing by people who use these machines it would be greatly appreciated. The more experienced people with these machine may know a way or trick to use nice thick thread for my holster sewing. Thanks Doug

OK, too technical for a leather forum. I will adapt and test. Doug

I have had a idea using parts I already have. The motor and sprocket from a scooter. The motor is rated 300 watts at 24v DC 16.4 amp. 11 tooth sprocket and 65 tooth for wheel I can get a variable speed controller for this motor for about $15 Is 300 watts enough at 5.9 to 1 ratio? It is kind of a hair brained idea but I do have 2 12v marine batteries laying around. And, I do have a 24 volt DC circuit already installed to inside my house to run inverters so I could easily install a charging station to recharge my batteries. (they are old but I think still good) It seems it should work in my mind. Ideas from others welcomed. Doug

I just bought one ($110), it should be here in a couple weeks. I have searched through this site and I have all the information (and a great video) for set up and adjustment. I only need it for small projects but it will be a great time saver for me. Thanks for all the great information here, everybody. Doug