thekid77

Hey friends, when saddle stitching a long run that requires you to change threads, how do you keep from spoiling the look of the stitch line? What I mean is that if you are stitching with white thread against a dark leather, the part where you changed threads bulges bigger than the other neighboring threads because the thread is doubled in the place where you changed threads.... I've seen hand stitched belts that don't appear to have any spots where the threads were changed..... Any ideas? Thank you in advance for any experience you could share!! :D

caveat before reading: these are my opinions, fwiw I think what you need is TIME....as others have said in previous posts, you also need to practice. One of the worst things you can do in this trade is to lock your mind into one track. TANDY tools are NOT all garbage....their Craftool Pro Fine Diamond Chisels work great......and I have thrown away and returned my fair share of Tandy tools, believe me...a quality tool is a quality tool I don't care whose name is stamped on it... If you want a better product you will have to make an investment. Period. Invest your time in practice, and eventually you will need to invest in other tools. Not necessarily better tools, but you will need the right tool for the job. There are some tools that a leatherworker simply cannot do without, for example, an edge beveler. Without this tool, appropriately sized, a person will not be able to make a good quality product... Yes, you can use a round awl to poke the holes for your stitches, but the stitch line will not be as strong as the line created with a diamond awl. Round holes leave less leather from one stitch to the next than diamond shaped holes, creating a weaker seam... I have been at it for three years. Come back to this same thread three years from now, and if you have stayed with it, you will have answered your own questions. I'm sure you have discovered that leatherwork is not a cheap trade to get into, and I understand that you are making due with what you have. You said that you want to "figure something out that works and looks better." Yes, as others have said there are people out there who can improvise better than MacGyver and turn a piece of chewing gum into an edge beveler.....the bottom line is, you need to have the right tool for the job. As others have recommended, you need to be watching everything on Nigel Armitage's youtube channel, and also find Ian Atkinson who owns Leodis Leather.....they're both brilliant guys who can break down the fundamentals. Notice though, that both gentlemen have the correct tools for the job!! Good Luck!!

Amen. I never use a groover....I make wallets and card wallets.....when the wallet has cards/cash in it, it makes the inside leather around the stitching puff up......nothing ever rubs the stitches because it hits the ridge of leather first..... also, like I said before.....I am the first one to tell you not to buy Tandy products....however, this is what I have achieved with the Tandy stitching chisels: each to their own but I am a perfectionist and have been satisfied with the results that I've been getting.....here's and example: and this...

Hey there!! I will be the first person to tell you to stay away from most Tandy tools because they are generally poorly machined and made of cheap steel, BUT I would suggest that you also try out Tandy's Fine Diamond Chisel (comes in 6, 7, and 8 stitches per inch, I believe).......the one I use is model # 88056-09 and it works great for wallets and card holders....one of the big advantages of using this chisel is that the teeth are designed to punch thru the leather (they're not tapered), not just to make marks in it as the european pricking irons do..... it's also a time saver (not that anyone doing leatherwork is in a hurry) since you're getting all of your holes punched before you begin stitching, which helps you keep a consistent rhythm and tension going when your feeding the needles thru and pulling the thread tight... If you're punching through thick leather, it can be done with this tool, but i would suggest you punch lightly at first, remove the tool, punch thru a little more, remove, and keep doing this until you're all the way thru....if you try to punch thru 4+ mm of leather or more with this tool, it will get stuck. Also, you may wan to polish the teeth because although the points are sharp, the sides are quite rough.....I hope this helps!!!

Beautiful work!! One question....how do you prevent the strap edges from bulging out when stitching them?

they look great!!! what did you use to cut them out with? and if i may ask, what kind of dye did you use?

Can any one recommend any books on making halters for horses? I have the little 20-30 page book by Preston, but i'm looking for a book with better pictures and more details.... Thank you so much!! :D

Hi! Find Bruce Johnson on this forum...great guy, knowledgable and well-repected here.....he knows all about restoring old tools

hey friends, I am in the process of making a halter for use in possible wet/rainy conditions..... can anyone reccommend how to finish the flesh/grain side so that the halter does not sustain water damage? thank you!!

Chuck Burrows is the man to talk to about this......he made some gorgeous gun rigs, holsters, and knife sheaths using a natural walnut dye.....google search his name+walnut dye and you will find a ton of info.....here is a link to get you started......check out what he says: http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33711

Thank you for the advice! Much appreciated :D

hey friends, when it comes to reconditioning suede, what's the best things to use on it? saddle soap? neatsfoot oil? the suede is a light color and im just hoping to darken it up a bit without using dyes of any kind.....is it ok to use saddle soap or neats foot oil? thank you in advance for your advice!!!

Hi Yes, you can upload pics from your phone....but you need to scroll down to the bottom of the page and there should be a link called "full editor" at the very bottom of the page when you begin a new post......from there, the full editor (desktop view of the page) will allow you to search for and attach whatever pics you want. Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for the advice!!! You guys are amazing!! I really appreciate it

hey friends, i am making a small card holder and the customer has asked me to tool their logo onto the middle of the leather, then to basket stamp around the logo..... how do you keep the basket stamping even when the logo prevents you from spacing the basket stamp evenly from left to right and top to bottom? please see the attached pic.....the logo is in the middle, and today i tried stamping around it but i couldn't get the stamps evenly placed because of the logo in the center... thank you in advance for your advice!!

LOL yes, I was noticing that...I just returned the deluxe punch and went with your suggestion....it has a better edge and I stropped it....still have to see how it does, but for $15 you can't go wrong Thank you!! When I get some money saved up I'll be in the market for a better punch, but for now I'll have to see how the Tandy economy punch holds up....thanks again!!

Yes, you can get a Q-tip, dip it in the dye and roll the dye onto the edges of your leather with the Q-tip.....I have always used this method, and while there may be faster ways to dye edges, this method offers you a ton of control....hope this helps!!

Hey friends, can any of you point me to a good sharp 1" oblong punch? I have tried the Tandy Craftool punch and it was dull as a board....ended up returning it... Thank you!!

Chuck---Thank you so much for your advice, I'm grateful that there's people like you who are willing to share with beginners like me

hey Bruce! great work may i ask what product you use to dye/stain the straps? Thanks!!!

Thanks Chuck!! a couple more questions....when you skive the buckle end, do you skive just the very end, or do you skive both areas that have the rivet hole? and how much leather do you take off? 1/3 the total thickness? Thank you so much!!

Hey friends, I just completed a pair of basic spur straps and noticed that I may have folded the buckle chape wrong just before riveting the buckle in..... I hadn't noticed that the instructions call for the chape to be folded so flesh side faces up out.....i folded it so that flesh-flesh is touching..... Does it make a difference? I'm making another pair and wondering...

watch this video and it will answer your question...

Thanks you for the recommendations everybody!!! :D

Anna, I use Ritza 25 Tiger Thread on everything I make....it is a braided poly that comes pre-waxed to prevent slipping.....nothing comes close to how strong this stuff is......the nice thing about poly is that the ends of the thread can be burned to prevent slipping.....this is what works for me, and the stuff can easily be found on ebay if you ever want to try it