Patcher Question

[Dwight]

OK . . . after watching a half dozen videos . . . and realizing there is no way I can pop 3 grand for a patcher . . . 

I've been very much tempted to grab onto one of these 150 dollar Chinkomatic hand operated patchers.

My questions are

DO ANY OF YOU HAVE ONE???

HOW RELIABLE IS IT??

FROM WHICH SUPPLIER DID YOU GET IT?

I'm sure some are better than others . . . they surely didn't all come off the same hand made forgings . . . 

Thanks to all . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[kgg]

1 hour ago, Dwight said:

I've been very much tempted to grab onto one of these 150 dollar Chinkomatic hand operated patchers.

I do have one of those cheap Chinese patchers which I fondly call a "Tinkers Delight". If you want a frustration generator go for it. If you would like a 29k clone patcher on a limited budget I think maybe something off Amazon like what is available in Canada new for about $800 cad ($600 usd).

Available from for $799 cad:

1. Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/INTBUYING-Industrial-Machine-Leather-Stitching/dp/B09VXL421L/ref=sr_1_11?crid=208W2UFMBWVPC&keywords=Leather+Sewing+Machine+Sewing+Mending+Machine+Shoe+Repair&qid=1670125739&sprefix=leather+sewing+machine+sewing+mending+machine+shoe+repair%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-11

2.  Asc365.com:  http://www.asc365.com/SearchProduct.asp?action=search

I can't speak to the quality and there probably is no product support but for the price it maybe something to consider.

kgg

[Wizcrafts]

@Dwight

Don't do it! Unless you have a machine shop and are skilled with metal working tools you are asking for more trouble than you can imagine.

Why don't you check your local Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace for an actual working used Singer 29ksomething patcher?

[Burkhardt]

I have one and you can look at in 2 ways, if you know how sewing machines work it might be easier, or if you don't you will by the time you get it to work. When they say they need adjustments is a understatement, the biggest thing I had was the filing and polishing. A lot of the parts come with almost a soot kind of coating that ain't fun to polish off but its got to go if you have any chance at getting it to  work. It took me weeks not days and about equal time watching videos on timing and tuning. Bought mine off Ebay for 80.00 and use the 135x16 (or the standard home sewing) needles which are available and cheap. I use 207 top thread and 138 on bobbin (they are little). Sewing a straight line is damn near impossible and would I trust one enough on anything for anyone, doubt it. It did its job half assed most of the time because you have 2 choices, high presser foot pressure and leave marks or it slips and scratches what you're sewing. So do I still have mine, yup, do I use it, rarely. Got sick of wrecking pieces and having to re-do so I bought a 441 clone. Hope this tells you what your getting. Knowing now would I do it again, if based completely on finances, yeah. I am now questioning the last sentence after writing it.

[Dwight]

Thanks everyone . . . I mostly thought about it because I've got a leather jacket . . . and a whole batch of patches I want to put on it.  

Locally . . . patches are 12 bucks  pop . . . and my thought was if it wasn't too awful much of a project . . . I could get one . . . do my patching for the cost of the patches I need done . . . and would wind up with another sewing machine.

Looks like it just ain''t gonna happen.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Wizcrafts]

56 minutes ago, Dwight said:

I mostly thought about it because I've got a leather jacket . . . and a whole batch of patches I want to put on it. 

Dwight;

Sewing patches onto vests, hats, jackets and riding suits is at least 33% of my income from my shared leather shop. Some days it is 100%. A person with the right equipment and skills can do well in this side of the business. Obviously, the person you asked is charging what they think the job is worth. They have probably invested a small fortune in their machines, multiple colors and sizes of thread, bobbins, extra shuttles, needles, thread snips, staplers, double sided tapes, oil and repairs as needed. Unless you intend to go into competition with that person, I would take the work to them. They will know how to accomplish the positioning you want and save you hundreds of dollars in supplies and machines you don't otherwise need.

The cost of the parts is only half of the equation. There is a significant learning curve to be effective in the patch sewing business. You have to learn about sewing over single, double and triple pockets, opening and closing linings, avoiding sewing through a zip open back or side lining, or accidentally sewing over a zipper. There are hidden seams around pockets that will deflect the foot and break a needle if you don't know they are there and take measures to deal with those internal obstacles. Then there are the different border colors that require you to stock multiple shades of colors like browns, yellows, golds, oranges, grays, etc. Some patches are best sewn with a round point needle rather than a leather point needle. There's a lot to learn.

Pay the man or woman to do the sewing and let them save you a lot of time and trouble.

[Dwight]

Thanks, Wiz . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[Garyak]

Switch needles systems to 135x17 23 needle and time it up tight to the hook and the CLSP is a cheap machine that can sew heavier weight material with heavier thread (207) than the Cobra 29-18 patcher. I own both. Using the recommended universal HX-1 needles will get you no where fast. Mine paid for itself first time I used it, and has completed many jobs the Cobra couldn’t even attempt. Tip; do not pay extra for someone to “go thru it first”. Only thing that’s gone thru is your cash. 

[Dwight]

Thanks Garyak . . . that looks like quite a machine.

May God bless,

Dwight

[chuck123wapati]

14 hours ago, Garyak said:

Switch needles systems to 135x17 23 needle and time it up tight to the hook and the CLSP is a cheap machine that can sew heavier weight material with heavier thread (207) than the Cobra 29-18 patcher. I own both. Using the recommended universal HX-1 needles will get you no where fast. Mine paid for itself first time I used it, and has completed many jobs the Cobra couldn’t even attempt. Tip; do not pay extra for someone to “go thru it first”. Only thing that’s gone thru is your cash. 

i'm going to get one of these things. 

[chuck123wapati]

On 12/3/2022 at 7:01 PM, Dwight said:

OK . . . after watching a half dozen videos . . . and realizing there is no way I can pop 3 grand for a patcher . . . 

I've been very much tempted to grab onto one of these 150 dollar Chinkomatic hand operated patchers.

My questions are

DO ANY OF YOU HAVE ONE???

HOW RELIABLE IS IT??

FROM WHICH SUPPLIER DID YOU GET IT?

I'm sure some are better than others . . . they surely didn't all come off the same hand made forgings . . . 

Thanks to all . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

just saw this on ebay it might be a better choice however i dont have a clue if it is .https://www.ebay.com/itm/175519867019?hash=item28ddcca08b:g:JmUAAOSwws9jjbjM&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4KF6KWiybMXD%2BYAu5FHmSL%2BLXn6krZ3Cq4JyddSJrexZZPvCVBYzgjyZywhG2V60Ua9FFPVSDAw%2BZdNbTP2411ovHWLouCUohlwBw7glVyrOXHJsqCAqB3JpBN0Bnb2hFE20asrT2VhCX%2BsMJLoLKqR5eCU3sIoXjlYK9yFCHNzP7g%2FXZigbH%2B1ysqxFJqrInIFcvi%2BVhuXmjMllaxDuc1rcasdvoFDtSZdG0mqpZUbpj8hFyUXoAmBJYdOdboaIcWB1KPW4EfVu2vyIXDs29DHmGfNazOa1qsg9qTYdnjef|tkp%3ABFBMhPnjqpxh

[Dwight]

Thanks, Chuck . . . that's interesting . . . just wish I knew what the throat depth is . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[Wizcrafts]

5 hours ago, Dwight said:

Thanks, Chuck . . . that's interesting . . . just wish I knew what the throat depth is . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

I read the specs on the eBay page and I believe it listed the throat length as just under 12 inches. It is a clone of a clone of a clone of a Singer 29ksomething. Each time they clone a mold it shrinks a little. The same thing used to happen to belt buckles that were copied in China in the early 1990s, ripping off the US based Bergamot and Siskiyou buckle companies.

[Dwight]

Oh well . . . it was gone anyway . . . someone got it before I could really get a full chance at it.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Garyak]

14 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

just saw this on ebay it might be a better choice however i dont have a clue if it is .https://www.ebay.com/itm/175519867019?hash=item28ddcca08b:g:JmUAAOSwws9jjbjM&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4KF6KWiybMXD%2BYAu5FHmSL%2BLXn6krZ3Cq4JyddSJrexZZPvCVBYzgjyZywhG2V60Ua9FFPVSDAw%2BZdNbTP2411ovHWLouCUohlwBw7glVyrOXHJsqCAqB3JpBN0Bnb2hFE20asrT2VhCX%2BsMJLoLKqR5eCU3sIoXjlYK9yFCHNzP7g%2FXZigbH%2B1ysqxFJqrInIFcvi%2BVhuXmjMllaxDuc1rcasdvoFDtSZdG0mqpZUbpj8hFyUXoAmBJYdOdboaIcWB1KPW4EfVu2vyIXDs29DHmGfNazOa1qsg9qTYdnjef|tkp%3ABFBMhPnjqpxh

There’s a few of the eBay patchers that are made at the Ta-King plant and actually use the same parts as Cobra, and any other brand name manufactured by Ta-king. Which few I don’t know. They do a good job of making them all the same. I do know that after market support, and parts are non existing for most of them. I’d suggest going cheap on the China patcher. If anything you’ll learn something messing with it. There’s really no reason why it can’t be a valuable addition to your hustle. There’s folks making top o the line product on nothing but a China patcher. Then save up and buy the outrageously priced patcher of your choice. Definitely worth the investment.