The New Cobbler Machine 10 -Bearings,Shoe Repair Hand Leather Sewing Machine, Shoe Cobbler Machine with Nylon Line, Manual Mending for Leather/Shoes/Bags/Clothes/Quilts/Coats/Trousers…

This thing is great. For leatherworking, I'd recommend making sure you're getting the right needles and thread, which are available from various sources, thread should be bonded nylon in either #69 or #138, and needles are easily found by searching "Chinese patcher machine needles" on google, and you'll get some good results that you can purchase from various sources. The frame of the machine is cast metal and is very sturdy once mounted appropriately.First, check that the thin sheet metal portions of the machine have not been bent out of shape during transit. The small arm through which the thread passes immediately before going down from the top moving arm to the needle was bent to the side so that it interfered with the needle's connecting arm, and i had to unbend that. The bobbin winder was also squashed a little bit, but was easy to bend back into shape.Then use 400 grit wet sandpaper to knock down the sharp edges, then a Dremel with a felt polishing wheel or 800 grit sandpaper to polish anywhere that the thread will touch. I hit the hole through the lever arm as well as the ring above the rotating head which the needle and presser foot come down through. The thread passes over the 90 degree edge of the ring.Use a magnet of some sort, or a screwdriver with a strong magnet attached to the side of it to remove the bobbin and bobbin shuttle, and polish them as well.Use youtube to thread everything correctly, ***including the bobbin*** as it has a tensioner spring that the thread must pass through in order for the machine to function.Use youtube to find out how to time the machine correctly. It comes with extra bobbin carriers in the box, but the one that was in the machine as it was packaged was broken on arrival and didn't keep time.Lubricate all of the metal-on-metal points of contact, all of the bearings, the cams on the back portion of the machine, the track and pins on the flywheel that time the moving arms, and the rack and pinion for the bobbin movement.Make sure the presser foot is not tilted or interfering with the needle's path, it can be adjusted by loosening the screws, moving the arm, then re-tightening it. This could cause the needle to break or the presser foot to guide the leather/fabric to one side as it stitches.The grooved flywheel/10 bearing model is easily adaptable to accept a servo with universal sewing machine belts or v belts from an auto parts/tractor parts store.All in all, very solid purchase.

This is an ok cobbler machine for what it is, and there are parts available for them.They can and do work well, if you spend the time to getting it working to its potential.But just be aware these are primitive machines and will likely require some fine tuning of the timing, and some cleaning up of the cast parts.Nothing overly complicated and once done it will be a very reliable machine.If you are looking at this machine, you probably already know how primitive it is, and the amount of work you will need to finish to get it to its full potential.They do arrive with a few stitches done with the actual machine, so they can sew out of the box, but likely will not be smooth or fully up to the real potential of the machine.

It's rough. VERY rough.It arrives dirty. VERY dirty.It's finicky. VERY finicky.BUT BUT BUT... with a little patience... it works.I will echo other reviewer's sentiments that, if you want a plug-and-play machine, this one is not for you.If however, you are mechanically inclined and don't mind the task of cleaning, filing and polishing it up, learning the ins and outs of how it works, and doing some regular tweaking, then I can confidently say it is worth the time and effort.In order to reach it's potential value to you, half your fun must be in the pursuit, and not the goal. I personally enjoyed the shining up process, learning how it works, and learning how to make it work properly. I watched at least a dozen youtube videos (highly recommend Harrison Hightower's Manly Acres youtube series before purchasing). There is a Facebook page dedicated to this machine, also recommended. This machine has forced me to learn a lot about how a sewing machine works, basics of thread sizes and tensioning, and trouble shooting, kind of like boot camp for sewing machine operators. Having passed this test I fear no machine should I ever decide to upgrade.Through the process I have bonded with this little hunk of junk, that has been part of the joy of the experience, and for the moment it is running smoothly and reliably. So what do you have to lose? Well, besides $120, there's several hours of your time, frustration, part of your sanity, and deep seated feelings of failure and shame if you give up and toss it in the trash.Why are you still here? Stop reading and go get one already. Don't say you weren't told.