silverwingit

Methinks both Bob and Martin represent the opposite ends of the hand stitching spectrum and that are both correct in the context of their respective domains, one American, the other European. My particular style is rooted in experience using both Western and English saddle stitching, which is why I am chiming in here. I am no expert by any means but my work is perfectly serviceable and cosmetically acceptable (see attachment). I started out working from Al Stohlman's books using a stitch groover, overstitch wheel and diamond awl. Classic Western stitching. It took a lot of work but I got fairly good t it. There were two nagging problems, though. I was totally dissatisfied with the thread I could find. I tried everything from the best waxed linen thread to the garbage Tandy sells. Linen was OK but it frayed easily so I had to use short runs and a lot of joins. Tedious and unsightly. The other persistent problem was the pesky stitch groover. I never could get good or even "safe" at using one. I wouldn't want to add up the value of all the projects I've ruined with one. It became an Everest of an issue negotiating sharp bends or corners and then accidentally overshooting, making an ugly and totally un-concealable gouge. I still despise stitch groovers though I will admit that once a groove is successfully laid it actually makes stitching less demanding because the thread will want to go into the straight groove even if it is sightly out of alignment. So I consulted Youtube. I found the video the OP cites and similar ones that didn't really offer what I felt were viable alternatives for my purposes, or weren't detailed enough to reproduce. Then I found Nigel Armitage's first couple of videos, just when he was starting out. No groover, an awl, and a pricking iron replaces the overstitch wheel. And, those gorgeous slanted stitches, front and back. I was elated. Since then, Nige has created several more videos. For the benefit of the OP, this one is a good summary of how he saddle stitches. OP should forget he ever saw the video he has been referring to until he undertakes box stitching. Even then Nige has a better way. I contacted Nigel and found him to be not only as expert as his videos portrayed but very generous in his willingness to share his knowledge and experience with a total stranger from far away. I felt as if chains had been cast off. I ordered Dickson pricking irons and undertook several months working on my technique. Very difficult to get that back side looking good. I was able to do it but it was time-consuming. So I switched to Japanese-style diamond stitching chisels that fully penetrate the leather. Rarely do I use thick enough leather that I have to use an awl to complete the hole that the chisel starts but even then the chisel does most of the work for me. The other thing I discovered watching Nige was that excellent hand stitching thread does exist. I ordered several hundred dollars worth of Tiger thread in various sizes and colors directly from Abbey England and it is a pure delight to stitch with. No more splitting, fraying or joins. Spectrum of available colors and just the right amount of wax. I haven't touched my synthetic sinew, collection of waxed linen or several different kinds of the horrendous threads Tandy sells, ever since. [N.B., Now there is an emerging domestic source of similar woven polyester thread from Lekoza Leather. See one of Nigel's most recent videos. I think Lekoza is a member here as well.] Since discovering Nigel, Tiger thread and working out the kinks in my own stitching, it's been smooth sailing. Instead of being a chore, I find British-style saddle stitching to be fun, relaxing and gratifying. What I've discovered as far as stitch groovers, and what I believe I see in Jean-Luc's work, is that if you put enough tension on the tread, it pulls down pretty much level with the leather's surface so that a stitch groover is unnecessary. Nigel will use a stitch groover on rare occasions where the stitches will be in direct contact-type wear with another component. But for one of his $400 belts or a satchel, no. And, if you think about it, even though there is a strong tradition in American saddle stitching, Europeans have gotten away with making and using personal and heavily-used equine items with saddle stitching for a few hundred years longer than we have. It's difficult to argue with their success. Bottom line, my feeling is that there is a place for using a stitch groover, but that they are unnecessary except in regions exposed to heavy friction. Now I use a groover only when I'm making authentic reproductions of leather items used in the historic American West. One last note. Brits call it casting a stitch when you pass the thread over the needle as it comes through the leather, creating an overhand knot that gets pulled into the stitch hole. The OP found the only video I've ever seen where the maker teaches putting the needles in at the same time and casting both. With British stitching, you hold one needle on top of the other and pierce the leather with one needle at a time to achieve the same thing. This is very effective in maintaining a nice, regular slanted appearance on the back side. I haven't tried it but it could be that one of the potential problems causing the OP's back side stitches to fall in a straight line is the direction of the casting, left-handed vs. right. One way picks up on the direction imparted by the front side stitch, the other cancels it. It's all highly dependent on the direction in which you are stitching. I tell you what. If you really want to suss out saddle stitching, learn to stitch on both directions. That really forces you to think things through. Thanks, Michelle

Dwight, after happily consuming your nearly 3,000 some helpful posts I am privileged to have the opportunity to help you out a little. In my experience, one factor that has a big impact on how flexible the item is after finishing is how flexible it is before finishing. If I want a piece to be flexible I'll flex the heck out of it before I apply the final finish. After cutting the piece, I first apply a thin coat of neatsfoot with a piece of trimmed shearling or old t-shirt, with the oil mostly daubed out. To do that I use a more heavily soaked piece of shearling or rag to make an application to the flesh side. The flesh side can take a lot of neatsfoot and when I am done there the shearling/rag is daubed out enough to allow gradual, repeated applications to the grain side. Don't apply it in one heavy coat. Rather, use a mostly daubed-out piece of shearling or rag. After the oil has dried I apply a relatively generous coat of carnauba cream. I really like carnauba cream for the texture and flexibility it imparts to the leather. I even like the way it smells. I apply it in the same sequence, flesh side first, so that my shearling or rag isn't sopping wet by the time I turn my attention to the grain side. Once there, that mostly daubed-out applicator can be used to go over a piece multiple times until the desired amount has been applied evenly across the piece. If you go at the grain side with an applicator wet with carnauba cream, it will streak. After the applications of neatsfoot oil and carnauba cream the grain surface is made pliable so that it won't be nearly so susceptible to cracking. I am then able to safely flex the leather through a fairly sharp angle. At that point I'll take a strap, for example, and put one end against my (clean, divot-free) workbench surface grain-side down and bend it down as much as I dare without cracking its delicate surface. Then I'll "roll" that bend back and forth across the piece from one end/side of the piece to the other. Meaning I press down with an even amount of pressure and roll the piece back and forth between my hand and the bench top until the leather "gives" and then move that bend along so that the it travels all the way along the length of the strap. Then I'll do the same thing with the flesh side out. The sharpness of the bend (how much force you apply) and the number of times you roll it over a given spot as you move along/across the piece determine how flexible or even floppy the end result will be. If the piece will be destined for a certain curvature, say cuffs, you can leave that curve in and move on to your next operation. Otherwise you can roll a bend in vertical, horizontal, and any other direction to create flexibility in those directions as well. When I've achieved the desired amount of flexibility I'll do whatever other operations the piece requires and then apply a final coat of yes, Bag Kote. I've tried most all final finishes and have found no better than good old Bag Kote for protecting my work. I don't care for shiny finishes and Bag Kote leaves a very pleasing matte finish. It's also much more user-friendly than, say, Resolene, which can be finicky. You can and, in fact, should apply it with a wet applicator and it will soak in, leaving a nice, even coat without streaking or spotting. Most of my products aren't destined for outdoor use but if the product does get wet, as long as it gets fully, not partially wet, it will return pretty much to its original condition. Bag Kote will allow spotting if only parts of the leather get wet, though. I haven't found a fully waterproof finish that isn't waxy, really shiny, or that cracks when flexed so I settle for the best looking and wearing dry-compatible finish I know of, Bag Kote. One of the best things about Bag Kote is that it will flex without cracking and that was your original question. I hope this helps some. Thank you, Dwight, for all your generosity on this forum! Michelle

Bummer. You could split the tongue to the required thickness to allow it pass through the slot. I'd use my splitter but you could also hand-skive it. You may also have to narrow the tongue slightly at the part that can pass through the buckle, but that could be done tastefully. Michelle

I have an intense dislike for Resolene. Its inherent fake-looking shiny finish can be dealt with by diluting with water as you did. But, that isn't my problem. Resolene once ruined a nice project I had worked long and hard on. It dissolved the Fiebings Antique paste that I had applied and rubbed it all over the piece. It dried so quickly that I couldn't remove the streaking, not unlike your picture. My takeaway: In spite of its popularity I'll never use it again. Michelle

I'm a tad surprised no one has mentioned your edge treatments, or lack thereof. Little touches like carefully finished edges are what separate a high-quality hand-made belt from those churned out in a factory somewhere offshore. For me, the glitz of fancy buckles are mere distractions from the absence of fine workmanship. I'd opt for good, solid construction and a simple buckle Add the fancy buckle and keepers after you have nailed proper construction techniques. Look at Nige's belts for examples of what I'm talking about. At least that's the way I see it, Michelle

Not exactly on the topic of burnishing slits (don't even try), but I've found a way that I burnish holes. I make a lot of no-stitch boxes with the method described in one of Stohlman's box & case books. To do this you punch holes at the corners where the leather is bent at right angles and folds over on itself. It's always bugged me leaving the edges of those holes unburnished after I spend so much time finishing the rest of the edges. I do have a cocobolo drill press burnisher with a small diameter section but it's in my shop and it's sort of a hassle dropping everything and running out to the garage to use it. I normally just finish edges by hand with a cocobolo slicker, beeswax and a patch of canvas following Bob Park's method. So I've been wanting a way to do finish those pesky holes by hand right at my workbench. I recently got one of those Tandy Craftool stainless steel burnisher/awl tools with the black handle just for this purpose. It's been working pretty well. I use the usual wet/saddle soap/burnish then rub the tip of the tool with a little beeswax and go over it again, this time spreading a little beeswax. Not quite as nice as the straight edges but far better than just leaving them unfinished. They certainly don't draw the eye like the formerly ratty looking unfinished holes. Michelle

I imagine from your profile that this is a laser engraved Delrin or similar plastic stamp. The stamp itself is amazing enough but I am very curious about how you actually make the impression. It is amazingly uniform in depth. I've tried everything from maul to dead blow hammer to arbor press to hydraulic shop press and I don't think I've ever gotten that even of an impression. Would you mind sharing how you manage such a uniform impression? Thanks, Michelle

Methinks it's the total mass of whatever piece of rock you're pounding on. A piece twice as large area-wise but half as thick will yield the same inertial resistance. Michelle

Very nice tooling! Is the concho function or decorative? Looks good whatever it is. Thanks, Michelle

I have a pretty intense dislike for Acrylic Resolene, beyond the fact that I don't care for the way it can make project look so shiny (undiluted). Depending on your finish, AR can be a disaster. I used it over antiquing once and it dissolved the antique paste and ruined my project. I'll never use it again. Other people swear by it but I prefer Bag Kote. Michelle

On matching shades... +1 on needing not only the same hide but taken from the same part of the hide and split down. Leather more towards the belly will take dye differently than back or neck leather. Also, +1 on diluting. That's the only way so control the shade unless you want your products to be very dark. Lastly, I find that I get my best results by letting the dye completely soak the leather. Fewer issues when finishing edges and the only way I've found to ensure uniformity of shade. I leave my workpieces to soak until they quit bubbling. I use Pro Oil dye. It takes a few hours to dry before I can continue working, but overnight works best. If I do these things I can count on the shades of the different pieces of leather that make of a project to be the same. Michelle

Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I made a two-sided wood strop with horse butt and put the grain side out. Now no matter what I do it won't take or keep polishing compound. I wish I'd have made it flesh side out. I've sanded it with coarse sandpaper and that helps but my little belly leather strop with the flesh side out works much better. In fact, I am just about ready to make a new flesh side out horsehide strop out of frustration. Michelle

Antique paste or gel.

One thing about backstitching. If your machine doesn't put the needle in the exact same holes, all manner of ugly stitches can result, especially on the underside. My Cobra 4 has a longer backstitch than its forward stitch. For a long time I didn't know why my backstitches were so gnarled and protruding. I don't go to Michael's length to finish by hand. I'm lazy and I get better results using the machine to maintain its tension. I get my best results by backstitching without the machine's motor using the hand wheel and lifting the foot to position the needle to be spot-on the same holes created by the forward stitches. Another option is what you'd have to do if your machine didn't have a reverse stitch. Lift the foot (while the needle is down, after the stitch is competed) and manually turn the workpiece around and forward stitch. That will put what are now the backstitches in those same holes. Michelle

In a word, Wowza! Chief, you would be doing all (well most all) of us a big favor if you'd make a detailed video of your different basketweave stamping methods. Your work is textbook perfect. In fact, better yet, you should write a book! Michelle

The elastic strips I'm aware of are woven from thread wound around elastic "strings." So there are many little rubber threads running throuh them. Cut a strip apart to see what I mean. Michelle

Just good, clean impressions on well-cased, high quality natural color vegetable tanned steer hide. Michelle

Stitch it on. Works for me. But you need to stretch it out first or it won't want to "shrink" to fit. Michelle

Forget stitching wheels and awls, especially for a beginner. Not necessary if you use a Japanese-style stitching chisel. Much quicker, easier and more regular on the front and back. It takes a lot of skill to use an awl. That requires lots pf practice. You can start using stitching chisels immediately. Nigel reviews a bunch. I like Seiwas. They are good quality and inexpensive. You can get a full set for half the price of a single European pricking iron and they punch all the way through the leather instead of just marking hole locations. This is a good company to deal with. https://www.leathercrafttools.com/tools/punch/diamond-hole-punch/list.jsp I haven't used an awl in a long time except when the leather I am stitching is thicker than the length of the Seiwa chisel's tines. Then I just use it to penetrate the leather fully by extending the depth of the chisel holes. A bit of time taken polishing the chisels makes them even easier to use. I really like my CS Osborne palm awls. Great little chuck and nice feel to the handles. Also inexpensive. I actually like to use them better than my Barry King awl handle which is a full-on work of art. I stitch wet-formed pouches and need to get right next to the side of the protruding pouch. The CS Osborne palm awl haft's chuck is smaller than Barry's and let's me do that without marking the protruding pouch. http://www.csosborne.com/no142.htm The next thing you should get is some Tiger thread. I'll leave that up to you. Michelle

Kipskin. 2/3 oz. and very smooth. http://www.weaverleathersupply.com/Catalog/ItemContent.aspx?ItemNumber=3804 Michelle

I use a Dayton belt/disc sander from Zoro tools. Under $200. I've used Dayton power tools for decades. They are affordable and long-lasting. Several cuts above Black & Decker. Michelle

Built your own CNC mill? You are a "Builder of Stuff" indeed! I just bought a Harbor Freight mini hydraulic shop press specifically for pressing my maker's mark. My 1/2-ton arbor press just wasn't cutting it for the chrome-tan leather I've been using because I have to keep it under pressure for the impression to hold. Been working great. It also has the capacity to make larger impressions. Thanks for the reply, Chris. Michelle

Looking good, Chris. What are you using to actually make the impressions? That stamp's too big for a maul. An arbor press or an hydraulic press? Also, do you mind haring what CNC miller you are using? Thanks, Michelle

You might try a violin maker's plane. Search ebay. They're inexpensive and come in flat- or curve-faced models. I have an ebony curve-faced one from China. With a little practice you can get pretty good with one. I use it for skiving edges but there's no reason it would work over a larger area. After all, if it worked for Stradavarius it might work for you. 8^) I've seen a famous saddle maker skive a huge area underneath the seat of a saddle with a safety skiver. He was a master at it and it came out smooth as a baby's rear end. You might also try to find a local leatherworker who might have splitter. Michelle