IRONWALLS Leather Cobbler Manual, Heavy Duty Hand Shoe Repair Mending Sewing Machine with Needles, Leather Stitching Sewing Machine for Canvas Cotton Linen, Bags, Cloths, Tents

Arrived double boxed and in styrofoam as seen in online videos. Not a lot of grease to remove but definitely needs a good wiping down. The aluminum frame is painted well and the chrome plating is decent. No rust as far as I can see. The handwheel is grooved which is nice if one wants to motorize it one day. The machine is pre-threaded with some fishing line-like thread and it appears to sew right out of the box. It is not a swiss-made precision tool by any means but one cannot really expect that from a sewing machine that has to be manufactured, asssembled, and tested for maybe $30 to be retailed for about $120. It is in significantly better condition than I expected and not as rough as I have seen some in videos on youtube. EDIT: Plenty of rust under the bobbin cover but not a technical problem. Makes swiveling the cover hard though. Will remove cover, sand, oil, and replace. FURTHER EDIT: After spending some time smoothing out the bobbin case, bobbin shuttle, and bobbin with needle files and 400 grit sandpaper, getting some bonded nylon upholstery thread instead of the supplied stuff (which is useless IMHO), after dropping the needle bar by about 2mm it now works well, after messing aound with the tension of top and bobbin, and after oiling every metal to metal moving part, it now works! Definitely needs work before it sews but the dollar/performance ratio is awesome.

Right out of the box, this machine was a chaotic setup. I kept it as basic as possible, but even then, it was a disaster. The operation was far from smooth or easy, definitely not what I expected. Then again, considering the price, I probably shouldn’t have expected much. The build quality feels cheap, and it just doesn’t perform the way I’d hoped. If you’re serious about leatherwork or sewing, I’d recommend saving up for something more reliable and well-made.

Read other reviews and did my research on this one. I knew what I was getting into when I bought it. Package came in with all the parts intact. It looks like someone did a poor job painting this thing to make it look good. However they neglected to remove the rust before painting it chrome in some spots. I put in some elbow grease cleaning and doing some basic maintenance and dremel work so smooth out certain areas to make the handcrank action buttery smooth. I highly suggest looking up (chinese leather manual sewing machine) on youtube. Tons of vids of people going step by step on fixing this thing up to be usable. Turns out this sewing machine design is based of an old american patent that expired and the chinese saw an opporunity for some quick cash. While it might be a chinese product, it is based off an old american design. I have watched a guy on youtube sew through tire tread with this thing. So all in all, once you square it away, you'll have a solid machine that even down the road you could add an electric motor to it. The handcrank actually has a groove to add a belt to it. So it all just boils down to how resourceful you are.

Be ready for a surprise..its..!fun ! Finally got set up and matched thread ,needles ,ability to listen some great tutors out there.much thanks

The "guide" page is woefully lacking. I wish it told us what kind of thread to use or how to adjust the machine to work with the particular thread. It worked fine with the transparent thread on the bobbin. But when I tried it with the thread that comes in the package, nothing worked.The Tripod stand that comes with it is sorely lacking. You definitely need to mount it on something more sturdy.

I bought my first "leather patcher" in 2017. It came in a box that was disintegrating, packed in cosmoline, ratty paint, rough castings, overall poor fit and finish. there was one bearing in the entire machine.Jump forward to the Ironwalls machine - it came well packed, the frame is now cast aluminum with a good paint job. Real bearings. Zinc finish. Information still lacking so expect to go to YouTube for the howto, especially if you need to set the timing. It is not difficult but you need to know how.A little increase in price but a huge improvement in quality. Great product.

Keeps cutting the string due to rough edges. Literally spent hours trying to figure it out with videos of others who has one. I will be returning it .

The one I received has a lot of really rough edges everywhere and stuff that didn't line up like it should. Can't use it at all because it keeps cutting the string before it can pull it through to finish an entire stitch.And yes you read that correct. it's cutting, not just breaking from tension. I tried troubleshooting for the tension Incase that would help any, but when I looked back at the stitches I did get out of it, all over the stitched threat are cut strands sticking out. Found some places along the machine where the thread crosses flashing from casting and raised edges from punching/drilling.I thought about filing and sanding the surfaces down but it would be an "all over the machine" kind of job. For now it just sits in the attic until I have time to actually put work into it for it to be usable.