Hand Sewing Gun Belt...Wet or Dry?

[dmr400]

Hello, this is my first post. I'm very new to all of this, and I am deployed to Iraq right now so getting tools/supplies is kind of a head ache. I plan on buying Stohlman's book on hand sewing but it won't be here for a couple of weeks and I have a question in the mean time. I'm going to make myself a double layered gunbelt, and glued up and grooved a short piece to practice on before I cut the whole thing. I know my stitching awl isn't as sharp as it could be (trying to find rouge over here has been quite an undertaking) but i'm having a hell of a time getting it through. I tried wetting the leather with a sponge last night and it made it MUCH easier! Is there a reason I shouldn't be wetting it? What do you experienced hand sewers do? Any tips and tricks would be appreciated! Thanks, -SGT C.

[MADMAX22]

If I stitched something when wet it would look like a tazmanian devil got to it.

I do my stitching when the leather is dry, usually just before dying or after words.

I have found that even with my awl being very sharp and polished smooth it helps to have a little block of wax ( I have some parafin/bees wax 50/50 that I use for this job) that I stick the awl in. Basically after the first few holes it warms the awl and then I just poke the wax and then start doing the leather, after about 10 stabs I poke the wax again and go back to the leather.

There were some others that did the stitching the proper way with a stitching horse and had the awl on one side and a awl looking handle on the other side that had a wax head on it and they would poke thru the leather into that and it would wax the awl everytime. For me though I prepunch usually so the block works fine.

As for rouge any polishing compound can work, there are various different grits of it but it seems if you look for rouge good luck finding it but if you look for polishing compound you have far better luck.

[Lobo]

When damp, leather can be damaged very easily. One would have to be extremely precise with each use of the awl and needles to avoid making errant impressions in dampened leather.

[dbusarow]

dmr400,

A double layer gun belt is a pretty ambitious start to leather working! Not because it is technically more difficult than some other project, just because it is one heck of a lot of stitching. When you finish it your hand stitching will be worlds ahead of where it was when you started.

So with that out of the way take a look at this

http://www.wrtcleath...therstitch.html

The prepunching that Chuck describes does two things for you. First it makes it a lot easier to keep the stab holes straight (perpendicular) and that helps a lot in making the back side stitches look good. Second, even though you still want a sharp awl blade it's not quite as imprtant since you are using a mallet or maul to drive the awl through the leather.

After you get all the holes prepunched you will still want to use the correct technique of holding the awl and needles in your hands at all times and using the awl to stab each hole a second time just before running the needles through. That reinforces the correct technique and makes the actual stitching easier.

One thing I did different than Chuck (that's Chuck Burrows who is a member here, take a look at some of his work) is just hold the awl blade between my fingers when prepunching. I found that when the blade was in a handle I didn't have the "feel" to keep it perfectly straight.

Lastly, post an address. I bet some supplies would find there way to you.

Thanks for your service!

Dan

Edited October 24, 2009 by dbusarow

[dmr400]

Actually, that "heck of a lot of stitching" is why I chose the belt to be first! I wanted to at least have the basics down before I tried it on a holster. And as far as the time goes, having a project you can work on that is monotonous enough to help you relax helps a lot over here, keeps a guy from thinking too much

And do you ever have an "Oh S$*&!, why didn't I think of that" moment? Punching the holes through the first piece for a guide should help a lot, though I have gotten a good enough edge on my awl and have made enough mistakes that now I have a workable method for stabbing this piece that's already glued. And boy is it some ugly stitching for the first couple inches! Getting better with every inch though, which is what I was after. But I will try the pre punching the face piece when I actually start the belt!

As far as supplies go, I'm getting a little bit better situated. The only things I can't seem to find over here now that I didn't get with my original order are some kind of polishing compound for sharpening the awl, wax (didn't know about waxing the awl), and some edge burnishing supplies (the first tutorial I read the guy used a bone folder and Gum T, which works but it's not getting exactly what I want, and after doing some more research doesn't seem to be the preferred method.). I'm kind of enjoying the scavenger hunt though, I never realized how much I took a good hardware store for granted until I didn't have one But it's kind of fun to visit a few little locally run shops on base and gesturing and drawing pictures of the thing I want trying to breach the language barrier...if you want an interesting intellectual exercise, try thinking of a way to communicate the concept of polishing compound to a tool shop owner that has just enough skill with english to dicker a deal for a hammer or screwdriver. I still don't think I've gotten it across, so I've been walking all the little aisles checking for myself I'm going to try a jewelry shop today for the polishing compound and see if I have better luck.

And posting an address isn't something I can do, since this is a public forum. Kind of an odd rule (we're kinda hard to miss, you aren't going to overlook several square miles of little america and a few thousand great big Mine Resistant Ambush Protectant Vehicles, I think they know we're here ) but if anyone has anything laying around they'd like to find a new home for, PM me and maybe we can work something out! I'm pretty limited on space over here though, so I am trying to stay minimalist when it comes to tools and supplies. Although I forsee my workshop overflowing with leather, tools and what not when I get home, I'm really enjoying this and think I will start really getting into it when I get home.

Edited October 25, 2009 by dmr400

[dmr400]

Allright...so we have the face cut, grooved, and punctured...and I learned a valuable lesson about making sure the edges are exactly straight when hand trimming from a hide! That stitching groover follows the edge more exactly than I thought it would, but I guess the slight imperfections in the straightness of the stitching will give it "character"

Time for the glue up tomorow!

[Bronson]

I guess the slight imperfections in the straightness of the stitching will give it "character"

A knife maker friend of mine calls them "subtle variations in the hand-crafted product."

Bronson

[Shorts]

Allright...so we have the face cut, grooved, and punctured...and I learned a valuable lesson about making sure the edges are exactly straight when hand trimming from a hide! That stitching groover follows the edge more exactly than I thought it would, but I guess the slight imperfections in the straightness of the stitching will give it "character"

Time for the glue up tomorow!

For this reason I do not edge belts before grooving. On holsters its not as noticeable, but belts show. If you go this route you do want to be steady-handed when you edge so you don't fray or cut into the stitch line. I have not encountered any trouble by going this method compared to edging first. Just a matter of preference.

[dmr400]

For this reason I do not edge belts before grooving. On holsters its not as noticeable, but belts show. If you go this route you do want to be steady-handed when you edge so you don't fray or cut into the stitch line. I have not encountered any trouble by going this method compared to edging first. Just a matter of preference.

Shorts,

I guess I wasn't clear enough on my post, I have not beveled or burnished the edge yet, was just referring to geting a straight cut when i cut the blank from the hide since I don't have a strap cutter yet. There were some slight variations, also only working with a 12 inch straight edge and a "Job" box/footlocker top that is not flat as a workbench, I'm getting some plywood tomorow to even it up and cover the recessed logo's etc on top. The joys of working in a containerized housing unit with no workbench

[Shorts]

Shorts,

I guess I wasn't clear enough on my post, I have not beveled or burnished the edge yet, was just referring to geting a straight cut when i cut the blank from the hide since I don't have a strap cutter yet. There were some slight variations, also only working with a 12 inch straight edge and a "Job" box/footlocker top that is not flat as a workbench, I'm getting some plywood tomorow to even it up and cover the recessed logo's etc on top. The joys of working in a containerized housing unit with no workbench

Ah, I see. Before getting a strap cutter I was cutting pieces in a similar fashio as you but using a 3' piece of strap aluminum as my guide across the side.

lol You've got a pretty tough shop to work in - best of luck out there and stay safe

[barra]

Dmr400. You will be surprised what you can scrounge/creatively acquire amongst standard Military equipment for your leatherwork. A couple of plywood planks held together with a wing nut will do at a push for a stitching horse. If you have no edge tool, The edges can be taken off with a gentle scraping with broken glass. When you attach your liner cut it ever so slightly over size. This will allow you to trim up to the size of the top peice. To burnish your edges just dampen the edges with water and vigorously rub with coarse canvas or cordura (gotta have plenty of cordura). You can then rub the edges with beeswax and use the canvas again. Boiled bark (whatever you can get hold of) or strong tea or walnut husks with some form of glue added will make a good edge stain. Use it as mentioned before to dampen and burnish the edges. If you can't find polishing compound, you can polish your awl blade with the striker from a match box and then give it a final polish with toothpaste.

Barra