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Chinese leather "patcher" Sewing Machine
- Thread starter great white
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- Jan 25, 2015
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I've done that before too.....works for the most part, still needs cleanup after cutting.
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Just ordered one from Amazon , I’m sure my boss ( wife ) will have something to say about the purchase lol . I’m sure I’m going to have some questions . From what I’ve read/watch the stand that comes with it is pretty much useless so that might be a project
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Showed up today:
Shows up pretty much ready to run. I'm fairly impressed (for a "ripped off" Chinese copy that is). Bolt on the flywheel, build the stand and you're stitchin' !
It even has a little "proof of function" included with it:
That little leather patch is also hard as heck! it barely bends and this machine has punched right through and made a nice little run of stitches.
All covered in cosmoline, but that's to be expected.
I had hoped I was getting one of the cast iron bodied machines, but this one is the "newer" aluminum cast frame, which is supposed to have a few improvements over the earlier cast iron models.
Came with a few bits and bobs as well. Spare bobbin and shuttle, a big spool of "mystery" thread, some needles and the obligatory "cheapo tools" to assemble some bits.
Fit and finish is actually better than I expected, which is to say "poor", but certainly "clean up-able" with a little bit of work....
Shows up pretty much ready to run. I'm fairly impressed (for a "ripped off" Chinese copy that is). Bolt on the flywheel, build the stand and you're stitchin' !
It even has a little "proof of function" included with it:
That little leather patch is also hard as heck! it barely bends and this machine has punched right through and made a nice little run of stitches.
All covered in cosmoline, but that's to be expected.
I had hoped I was getting one of the cast iron bodied machines, but this one is the "newer" aluminum cast frame, which is supposed to have a few improvements over the earlier cast iron models.
Came with a few bits and bobs as well. Spare bobbin and shuttle, a big spool of "mystery" thread, some needles and the obligatory "cheapo tools" to assemble some bits.
Fit and finish is actually better than I expected, which is to say "poor", but certainly "clean up-able" with a little bit of work....
Last edited:
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- Jan 25, 2015
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I’ve read of guys using 207 polyester.
It takes standard sized needles (15x7) so that limits it a bit. You can do a small mod to the needlebar and use industrial sized needles though.
the real limiting factor is the bobbin. Its pretty small and using thicker thread just means it holds even less.
I’ve read that a bobbin with 207 is good for around one knife sheath and then it needs to be rewound.
I’ve got it in my head to make a little modification to it to fit a larger bobbin, but need to do sone figurin’ first…
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I have no experience with sewing or leather, however, my wife has a leather making room. She currently has a Tippman Boss and she hates it (I believe it was close to a grand.) This one seems too good to be true? Are any of you familiar with the Tippman? Would you believe this Amazon machine would function better for her. I don't know the specifics of her dislikes, but if this would make her life easier, I'd buy that in a heartbeat. She probably spends 30 ish hours a week on her side hustle and just stiches by hand over using her machine.
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Can't answer those questions, only your missus can.
These are also used in India and China by roadside cobblers and are (supposedly) quite popular. Probably mostly because they're cheap, manual and portable.
Perhaps go over to youtube and have your missus look at a few reviews and people sewing with it.
But I'm guessing if she doesn't like the Tippman, she's not going to like this one either.....some people just prefer to hand stitch (as a hobbyist).
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So I'm looking at this minimalist machine and the bobbin is pretty small. I read one post where a gent was using it for thick thread and it would only last 12 stitches. That's pretty low, even for a machine that's supposedly for small repairs and sewing on patches.
I explored some options for more thread, but the basic design of the machine is what limits it. Im thinking I'm going to design a new lower arm that will take a larger bobbin.
I've got several other machines on hand, from industrial to retail. I'm planning to examine them closely and chose a design that will work for me.
Off the top, it will have to be a oscillating hook and not a rotary, as the machine doesn't have the mechanism to run a rotary hook. The drive arm for the original hook is a rocker shaft and without adding gearboxes, that's too complicated to try and drive a rotary hook....
I explored some options for more thread, but the basic design of the machine is what limits it. Im thinking I'm going to design a new lower arm that will take a larger bobbin.
I've got several other machines on hand, from industrial to retail. I'm planning to examine them closely and chose a design that will work for me.
Off the top, it will have to be a oscillating hook and not a rotary, as the machine doesn't have the mechanism to run a rotary hook. The drive arm for the original hook is a rocker shaft and without adding gearboxes, that's too complicated to try and drive a rotary hook....