pgivens

Yeah I know they aren't meant to go all the way through, I just mentioned that because I know a lot of people use them that way. I have tried both methods. At this point I feel less comfortable using them than I do the diamond chisels, but I think it's mostly due to my lack of comfort in aligning the tool to my scribe line and the fact that I don't like how my .8mm thread looks through these holes. Have you switched to pricking chisels for good? Never to go back to the diamond punches? At this point I'm not sure which way I'll end up going long term.

So I guess it helps if you read the description =\ "OurAnnatto Roo products are dyed by hand with annatto and dark beeswax" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annatto I guess he just rubs wax and the powdered seeds of this plant onto it? Anyone have any experience with this kind of dyeing?

Does anyone know what kind of dye this is? It looks like he is rubbing some kind of dry powder into the leather. Image taken from http://barrettalley.com/devilish-wallet-annatto-roo

I forgot to update this thread but I too received mine this week. I paid for the mid-grade shipping and the tools arrived in 7 days (5 working days). First impressions are that they are very nicely polished. Any fears I had about the teeth being too large have been erased. I bought the 8SPI (3mm) set and I think that .8mm Tiger Thread is too thick for these holes. Need to pick up some .6mm now :[ These euro style pricking irons are harder to line up than I had anticipated. With the diamond chisels, you have a point to set on the line so it's easy to keep perfectly straight. With these, you have a sideways surface and you're trying to get the line right in the middle of it. I'm sure I will get better with some practice. There is also no issue with going all the way through two pieces of 4-5oz with these. It does make the hole on the front side pretty large to go all the way through, though.

Do you have a link to the Russian plans? I have looked around at making a DIY splitter but I've never seen any plans provided.

Most likely laser engraved, yes. You could probably get a reasonably similar result using some kind of heat stamping though. There is definitely heat involved to get the letters so crisp and black like that.

It actually says 10.2 holes per inch, which should equate to 9 stitches per inch. I am curious though if Nigel was just estimating or if GoodsJapan has their measurements off.

Can't get a better recommendation than that! Placing my order today

Are these "dome rivets" what you are talking about? http://goldstartool.com/Rivets-_Dome_Mushroom_NICKEL_or_BRASS_-100_sets.html They have dies for those.

What size thread is that? And which SPI iron did you use?

That's great. Would you be able to post a picture of the stitching you did?

I'm kind of thinking about just pulling the trigger and if they are too thick maybe taking them somewhere to be filed down a bit thinner. Kyoshin Elle is a reputable manufacturer so I figure at least the steel will be decent.

Thanks for the response zuludog. I guess I should have been more explicit. I have been hand stitching for as long as I have been in this hobby (a couple years now) using various methods. I mainly use the diamond chisels from Tandy that I originally started with (I have the 5SPI set as well as one of the new "fine" diamond chisels that runs 7SPI). I have also experimented with using an overstitch wheel and piercing manually with an awl. I much prefer the workflow of using the diamond chisels, but in my quest to take my stitching to the next level I have started thinking that I need to use a pricking iron. In this case, I'm not using pricking iron as a generic term. I am differentiating between pricking irons--which make a very thin / / / / / shaped mark meant to be followed with an awl--and diamond chisels, which make a larger diamond shaped hole and can be driven all the way through the leather. I think for really elegant looking stitching that exaggerates the slanted pattern I need to start using a pricking iron. I just don't want to spend $280 on a set from Vergez Blanchard. This is the only decent looking substitute at a reasonable price point I have seen. I think they are pretty new, so I wouldn't be surprised if no one has used them, but here's hoping...

http://www.goodsjapan.com/european-leather-stitching-chisel-leathercraft-pricking-iron-tool-6x3mm-1596-p.asp Has anyone bought and tried these tools? It looks like it is made by Kyoshin Elle and it is their attempt to provide a pricking chisel. They are priced pretty reasonably compared with Dixon (and especially compared with Vergez Blanchard) but I'm a bit skeptical. The teeth look a bit thick to me. I've never used pricking irons and I want to move in that direction but boy are they expensive!

Something like this might be a cheaper/easier alternative to a full letterpress setup. It's not as good obviously but it would allow you to stamp a couple words at a time rather than one letter at a time.