Continuing in the series of modifications carried out to my shoe patch machine, in this video I show how I put low friction bushes in the operating arms
I have to say that you have the best looking Chinese shoe patcher that Ive seen on here! I love the brass and blued steel look of the thing, along with the rounded edges on everything make this look positively like a 19th century masterwork.
There's a lot I don't understand here, not being a mechanical engineer, yet I can appreciate the time, effort and craft gone into making something better and it pleases me. Nice to see the Union flag too, we still remain a union after all.
I'm working through your modification on mine at the moment, they're a great help!! The amount of swarf everywhere when I received it makes me think it would have eaten itself within minutes of use. One thing I can definitely recommend is lapping the rack (?), and any other sliding surfaces, wet&dry on a thick piece of glass works perfectly. Mine had enough clearance to insert a 0.1mm sheet of teflon between the rack and frame, and another underneath the bobbin mech....silent running! A 1m roll will last a lifetime for little projects like this, not really seen it used much elsewhere (I don't know why)
What a great video series..I really enjoy the overly clean and organized workshop..and the helpful tips to use this finely engineered and precision manufactured Asian sewing machine by what looks to be skilled workers in their prime skill set..straight out of the box..plug and play quality hardware such as this is well worth the investment..Cheers Mate..
Great Work! I'm converting the hardware to SAE. This thing after all is a copy of an old US design. I made a similar foot lever, but I moved it to the other side of the machine and added a thread cutter to the side of the foot. Cool little machine. I'm drilling and installing zirk fittings instead of using oil. I got a New Tech gc 550s motor/controller for 100 bucks, it came with extra brushes and a foot pedal, linkage and a pulley. It is 110v however, but the company probably has a 220v Comparable UK model. Shipped quick also. Terrific workmanship! I like your channel as much as I enjoy my crappy little sewing machine. it is getting nicer though!
I love mine so much I got two now. Some of these have ball bearings such as one of mine. The round over on arms looks great, think I will do the same and all the brass is Sweet!! I'll be using a wiper motor and gears to add a motor that runs slow but hard.
Awesome looking machine! Great job! Wish either one of us here (husband or myself) had your skills, talent, equipment and shop! Looks absolutely outstanding!
Can't catch every modification, but did notice the nice job of adding linkage to a modified pressor foot cam to allow for front left hand operation...and wooden knob! Off the hook nice!
Cheers Deen, I haven't got the positioning quite right, I was toying with the idea of adding a knee op lifter so if I do I'll alter it at the same time.
@@turboconqueringmegaeagle9006 My Juki has the knee pressor foot lifter. I love it as it goes even higher that the lever. The mechanism is fully adjustable for position and how high it will go. Crazy, as it goes thru cast oil pan for lube, but raised section with plastic mushroom shaped tip. It hits an internal bar that goes upward to the pressor foot lift. I love it, but I am also 6'3". I could not use the metal motor throttle plate as my legs would not fit under it well and my foot did not bend easy. So, I took a scrap 2X4 block of wood, place a 13mm metal pivot, cut a slot to capture the edge of the metal motor control plate, added a couple of wood screws so it could not slip out. Plus, on the foot end, it used two screws for speed limit. I already put a speed reduction from motor to 14" pulley on shaft with 2 inch pulley to sewing machine. Works slow and perfect for me. The things are for factory work and without modifications, that damm thing runs as fast as a weed eater on crack. It would sew 3 meters of material in 2 seconds if held wide open.
I really admire your work here on this machine. You did the things I thought would need done on the machine, and more. Absolutely top notch video series. I feel like I have a good handle on what would need to be done to make one of these things work for me. Thank you for what you do, man. Sharing your knowledge and experience with the rest of the world so a few other folks can improve their lives.
Very interesting mods. I have to say that my recent,y bought machine gas fewer flaws that yours does. It’s likely made by a different company as well, as not all of these machines are exactly the same, or are labeled the same.
@@turboconqueringmegaeagle9006 I just noticed all the typos. Sorry about that. What’s really amazing is that the machine actually works pretty well without the mods. But the mods make it better. So sure, I’ve been modding mine as well. With this type of inexpensive product(cheap!), they make sure they do what they need to do to make it work properly, and don’t bother with anything else. So it’s unlikely to have much wear at the very low manual speeds it’s designed to operate at, but obviously, it bothers us both, as well as many other. I just found out that there’s a Facebook group for this machine with a good 8,000 members. Amazing.
110/18 needles with v62 thread (I think) I've tried leather point needles but found they broke more frequently than the ball points, I'm sewing two thickness of 2.5- 3mm veg tan and feel this is the reliable limit for the machine, I've tried larger needles, threads and thicker leather but it won't pull tight, the whole machine flexes and it'll miss stitches.
Hello. Perhaps you can help. I bought the Chinese shoe patch machine in October of 2022. I spent a month watching videos, etc. For some reason I could not get the machine to pick up the bobbin thread. So frustrated I put in the closet for a year. Pulled it out recently, and finally fixed the bobbin thread issue. Once the bobbin pickup worked, then I had an issue of the upper thread breaking. Watched some more videos, and did some intense sanding of all the bobbin parts. That stopped the breaking. Now, the thread is too loose. Before I just immediately tighten the bobbin spring, can you tell what would be causing the bottom thread to be too loose on my finished tests?
Awesome work. but here is my question...do you propose this machine to someone who begin to work with leather? I mean is cheap but with many small problems. Perhaps a more expensive machine will perform better from the begining.
That is a very hard/good question, I am only just starting with machine sewing, this is helping me understand what I want out of a future machine but for a beginner with an experienced tutor who will help select something more appropriate and avoiding costly mistakes this is probably an unnecessary step.
I just bought one of these machines...I've used the Singer treadle version for years in a motorcycle leathers business situation. So I was highly disappointed with the Chinese machine when it came, but you have given me hope. Thanks for the videos, I understand all the processes but unfortunately have neither the skills or equipment to do all your modifications. I'm still going to polish it up, realign what I can and perhaps install bearings and bushes. I've never done this kind of thing before but it's got to help yes?
I can understand your disappointment, regarding if modifying the machine is worthwhile is completely dependant on what sort of work you are doing, I'm in a position now where it works semi reliably with 110 needle on about 4mm total thickness but really I want to be using heavier needle/ thread and when I do the whole machine flexes and being low quality cast iron, I'm pretty sure it's going to let go one day and break in a way that destroys the frame. What are you trying to do with it?
I’m a costume maker and often need to modify pre made clothing and footwear. Recently we cut the legs off an over the knee boot and stitched to a shorter boot to ‘copy’ the style for a stunt person who required a safer, lower heel. Replacing the heel was not as reliable and therefore not as safe. It’s also easier to alter leather sleeves with the long arm and multidirectional feed...lots of unusual tasks come up that my industrial flat bed machine just can’t handle
That sounds like really interesting work! There is a Facebook group for these things with some very experienced knowledgeable folk who are helpful, this is the first machine stitching I've ever done with leather so I don't know how helpful I can be to you but from the perspective of a mechanic, I can't see this machine ever coping reliably with modern western footwear. Even if you modify it to take industrial needles and run a bit smoother, you will hit the same structural limitations that I am now up against, some people brace the arm to stop the flex but as you are actually using it in boots unlike most, that isn't an option, sorry I'm not more positive but it sounds like you were coming to the same conclusion by yourself.
Are the arms cast iron or steel? I assume they are steel, since you're bending them and welding on them. Thanks for the great videos. I really enjoy watching.
@@turboconqueringmegaeagle9006 I would be very interested to see one of these machines being made. From the looks of them, I would say that the foundry that turns out the parts isn't much more than a back yard black smith's shop. I plan on getting one of these machines in the near future, and your videos will come in very handy when I start the "refinement" process. Thanks again for taking the time to make such informative and entertaining videos, I am a fan for life!
@@cleophusA cheers mate, comments like that, and the few quid RU-vid send me make it all worthwhile! Judging by the range of finishes and quality of just the sheet metal parts I'm guessing the components on my machine came from a few different factories, there are cadmium plate, chrome, bright zink and intentionally carburized parts. There are a couple of set up/trouble shooting videos on here that look like they are being filmed in the assembly factory..... It doesn't look like a particularly pleasant place, probably very interesting for a sightseer though!
I had been using nylon tiger thread but switched to another brand and size but I'll have to remind myself what the sizes are, it's really important to use the correct combination of thread/needle otherwise it'll skip stitches
It really is worth experimenting with different threads. 5 years ago I made a leather golf bag on one. A good quality industrial sewing thread completely transforms the stitching to a whole new level.
I have one of these Chinese shoe patchers and it is a piece of rubbish. At least the Chinese chainsaws, while being of poor quality, work which is more than can be said for their shoe patchers.
