China/India manual machines?

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings my dear netizens ....

being a cheapskate and a luddite, I am always looking for something oldtimey and cheap.

what do you folks think of these hand cranked, manual cobbler thingies?:
Has anybody worked on e of these, or even seen one?



They remind me of the hand cranked jig saws and the like from the 1880's ....

as found on
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Manual-Industrial-Shoe-Making-Sewing-Machine-Shoes-Repair-Leather-Stiching-Equip/383798508076

Now, one must remember that I am also the nitwit crazy wacko guy that wanted desperately to import an India Made
Lister single cylinder diesel engine to run on veggy oil and hook up to run a freestanding 12kw generator.




but after sufficient cogitation, and the discovery that these things can overheat, run wild, and destroy the flywheel sending
1-10 pound cast iron fragments in all directions, I got an LP conversion kit for my Home Depot 12kw genset instead...

soooo.
watcha think?
be honest, opinions are cheap and I am thick skinned.

prf mvl

[Kent Shootwell]

You should buy that engine! A bit of excitement will take your mind off the cost of things and open a whole world of gadgets to buy.

[Professor Marvel]

You should buy that engine! A bit of excitement will take your mind off the cost of things and open a whole world of gadgets to buy.

I ALWAYS wanted a steam engine ever since I saw these at the Museum of Science and Industry Gift Store in Chicago





But no, the parental units were far too frugal to spring for such a wonder....

The Lister Diesels are marvels cast in old school iron!
They run on almost any burnable fuel, can be started just by rotating the flywheel,
and are still going in many 2nd and 3rd world countries, and in the outback regions where
heavy iron and reliability is paramount! They can be easiuly fixed with silver solder and baling wire,
and probably JB Weld.

They are as much grief fun as the old hit-or-miss engines.
I ran across them whilst searching for DIY stationary steam engines, having seen several at the historic
farm I used to blacksmith at.  ( aw crap you made me end my sentence in a proposition!)

However, after sufficient research into the things I discovered the reasons for moving away from such
dark ages tech as steam and lister diesels:
- there is a reason for the rqmt of a steam engineer license.
   steam engines and boilers can and will kill ya. many historic blowups & deaths.
- Listers have a history of "runaway" and heating up to the point of dull red. Boom. Ouch. Poo.

but back to the insane stitcher...

the blasted thing is SOOOO reminiscent of the 1880's crank powered tools







If I get one, and actually manage to make it work, I can put it next to my 2 "hand presses"

kinda like this


I really need to build a new "shed" just to house my crap books and "museum"

prf marvel

[Dave T]

Professor,

I always enjoy your posts. Even on subjects I know nothing about like a cobbler's sewing machine. (smiley face goes here)

Dave

[Coffinmaker]

  Ah, My Good Perfesser   

Whilst employed as Journeyman Cabinet Maker and Master Woodworker, I had a penchant for Antique tools.  Most of which were much better than modern iterations of recent manufacture.  One particular example was a Pedal Powered Scroll Saw, a faithful copy of 19th century technology.  I use to demonstrate it in our local Woodcraft Store.

Ergo, so long as you're not trying to be profitable, I think the Hand Crank Cobbler thingie would be fun as heck.

I do admit though, to preferring my Cobbler to be Peach Cobbler or even Apple Crisp, although I have never seen "Crisp" referred to referencing a "Tool."  I would, however, be somewhat reticent to run that Diesel contraption anywhere near my domicile.  I also once observed a Hit and Miss engine, at a levee, that had been pumping water for 30 years continuously.  It made an incredible Racket.

Go for It. 

[Cliff Fendley]

I ALWAYS wanted a steam engine ever since I saw these at the Museum of Science and Industry Gift Store in Chicago





But no, the parental units were far too frugal to spring for such a wonder....

The Lister Diesels are marvels cast in old school iron!
They run on almost any burnable fuel, can be started just by rotating the flywheel,
and are still going in many 2nd and 3rd world countries, and in the outback regions where
heavy iron and reliability is paramount! They can be easiuly fixed with silver solder and baling wire,
and probably JB Weld.

They are as much grief fun as the old hit-or-miss engines.
I ran across them whilst searching for DIY stationary steam engines, having seen several at the historic
farm I used to blacksmith at.  ( aw crap you made me end my sentence in a proposition!)

However, after sufficient research into the things I discovered the reasons for moving away from such
dark ages tech as steam and lister diesels:
- there is a reason for the rqmt of a steam engineer license.
   steam engines and boilers can and will kill ya. many historic blowups & deaths.
- Listers have a history of "runaway" and heating up to the point of dull red. Boom. Ouch. Poo.

but back to the insane stitcher...

the blasted thing is SOOOO reminiscent of the 1880's crank powered tools







If I get one, and actually manage to make it work, I can put it next to my 2 "hand presses"

kinda like this


I really need to build a new "shed" just to house my crap books and "museum"

prf marvel

We got my grandfather one of those miniature steam traction engines when I was a kid. It became a tradition for a few years that we would fire it up every year after Christmas dinner.

I've wanted to get myself and old hit and miss engine but never have. I'm scared I'll get hooked on one more hobby I can't afford.

[Mickey Lugo]

I just set one of these up this week, it still needs some fiddling, but i think it will do what  I need.

[Professor Marvel]

I just set one of these up this week, it still needs some fiddling, but i think it will do what  I need.

My Good Mickey, welcome and please keep us informed!

I have been finding numerous videos about mounting these things on a table, tuning them, and converting to motor driven...

Yhs
Prof marvel

[greyhawk]

My Good Mickey, welcome and please keep us informed!

I have been finding numerous videos about mounting these things on a table, tuning them, and converting to motor driven...

Yhs
Prof marvel

Professor
Cobble machine looks mighty interesting a la early singer boot patcher - set up on a table and motor drive (gear which I have on the shelf) could be a useful unit - rotating presser foot and multidirectional stitching - these things can do a lot .

Lister engines - seen hundreds of these old bangers powering line shaft gear in shearing sheds - they will do half a century of sterling service - put a decent coolant tank on and they NEVER overheat - never heard of one bolting and throwing the flywheel about - dunno where that came from but I would rate these things as about as reliable a piece of iron was ever made .

[Professor Marvel]

Professor
Cobble machine looks mighty interesting a la early singer boot patcher - set up on a table and motor drive (gear which I have on the shelf) could be a useful unit - rotating presser foot and multidirectional stitching - these things can do a lot .

Lister engines - seen hundreds of these old bangers powering line shaft gear in shearing sheds - they will do half a century of sterling service - put a decent coolant tank on and they NEVER overheat - never heard of one bolting and throwing the flywheel about - dunno where that came from but I would rate these things as about as reliable a piece of iron was ever made .

My Good Greyhawk -
In my perusals of the interweb, I saw references to these things being copies of the "old singer boot patcher"
with the long free arm I can see that!

I have to go find the link again, but one industrious amature blacksmith put together a bench to bolt it on and a removable sewing table
that fits around the free arm, so he has the best of both worlds.

RE: Listers running wild - that one was on a dedicated website of India Lister Nuts, who were importing the things from India,
putting in a LOT of work cleaning them up and finish machining and tuning, & etc....  The durn things did not even have their flywheel
balanced.

The "free run" problem seemed to be that they were not well versed in the history or field of Listers....
they were "re-inventing the wheel" without going back to gthe Old Pharts with actual knowledge.
So nearly all of them were running  the things by the seat of their pants and I don't recall any had a
cooling system installed ( these things are air-cooled, why would I?" )

As I recall some did not even come with the governor... which would have alleviated that problem entirely...

Hopefully we will hear from Mickey regarding his new chinese boot patcher!

yhs
prof marvel

[Mickey Lugo]

First thing I'll need is some good thread and needles, then to make a better base.

My Good Mickey, welcome and please keep us informed!

I have been finding numerous videos about mounting these things on a table, tuning them, and converting to motor driven...

Yhs
Prof marvel

[greyhawk]

My Good Greyhawk -
In my perusals of the interweb, I saw references to these things being copies of the "old singer boot patcher"
with the long free arm I can see that!

I have one of those in my shed - missing a bobbin case - one day I get aroundtuit

I have to go find the link again, but one industrious amature blacksmith put together a bench to bolt it on and a removable sewing table
that fits around the free arm, so he has the best of both worlds.

RE: Listers running wild - that one was on a dedicated website of India Lister Nuts, who were importing the things from India,
putting in a LOT of work cleaning them up and finish machining and tuning, & etc....  The durn things did not even have their flywheel
balanced.


Perfessor

The Listers I saw were proper listers - looks like the indians are following the same learning curve that cheep chinese manufacture took (is still on to a fair degree)

The "free run" problem seemed to be that they were not well versed in the history or field of Listers....

So nearly all of them were running  the things by the seat of their pants and I don't recall any had a
cooling system installed ( these things are air-cooled, why would I?" )

Ours water cooled - the cylinder head is a tank - works ok for light duty / short runs - for proper work they have a water tank installed anywhere 50 to 100gallons and works on the thermosyphon principle

As I recall some did not even come with the governor...THAT could be kinda fatal!

Hopefully we will hear from Mickey regarding his new chinese boot patcher!
yeah that gadget is extremely interesting