Presser foot for Vilh Pedersen #308 damaged. Help repair or replacement?

[Westaussie]

Hi leatherworkers,

I have a Vilh Pedersen 308 sole stitcher. Unfortunately it is near impossible to stitch in a straight line and I suspect it may be because a previous owner seems to have “modified” the foot, possibly to get a bit more space for the needle to go into the leather without hitting the foot. Subsequently the 2nd row of teeth are missing from one side as well a about 1.5mm in width of the toe part.

So I have two questions:

                                          [1] Am I correct in believing that the toes on the presser foot, that is the section with the ridges that move the leather forward are supposed to be equal in size, shape therefore perfectly symmetrical and able to move the stitches in a straight line?

                                          [2] Is there any way to rectify this problem of poor stitching as I doubt anybody has a spare presser foot to sell or is it possible to have one made, perhaps 3D printed?

Thanks for all and any information so that I can get this wonderful old machine working as it should.

Regards

Cheryl in Perth Western Australia