Jump to content

pgivens

Members
  • Content Count

    48
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by pgivens


  1. Thanks for the update, pgivens. Bear in mind that pricking irons aren't really designed to go all the way through your leather. They are designed to mark spacing and should go just deep enough to help guide the angle of a diamond awl that you use to actually make the hole. The diamond punches/chisels that you referred to are designed to go all the way through, and that's why they are straight sided for most of the length of their "tines". I know exactly what you mean about lining up pricking irons since I ran into the same problem when I first switched to them from the diamond punches. I found that the best way to deal with that one, for me, was to scribe a VERY light line alongside where you want the holes and align the edge of the pricking iron with that line.

    Hope that helps

    Bill

    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.


  2. 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.


  3. There are some home made splitter, if you look on youtube. There is a

    Russian one who even gives you the drawings. It seeems to work.

    That will be my next project after I get my machines to work. I don't have 400 dollars to spare on buying one and they seem fairly simple devices.

    Alex

    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.


  4. Cheers Nigel just had a look at these on Goods Japan if i'm reading it correct it says the 2.5mm gives 10.2 stitches per inch so i'm a bit confused , seems to be a difference between what Nigel's getting and Goods Japan's description .

    here's the link . http://goodsjapan.com/european-leather-stitching-chisel-leathercraft-pricking-iron-tool-6x25mm-1595-p.asp

    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.


  5. 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...


  6. 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!


  7. That stuff looks nice, but at $30 for a 65 yard spool that is not really a viable option. I finally pulled the trigger and placed an order with Abbey England for a few spools of Tiger Thread. I've never used it before, so I hope it's worth the hype! Truthfully, though, it's not any more expensive than Maine Thread. I just had to buy larger quantities than I'm used to buying.


  8. I just posted this in a thread about the new Tandy Fine Diamond chisels, but it seems more appropriate here...



    The sizing on the Tandy diamond chisels refers to the size of the prong, not the space between prongs. The spacing is as follows:



    STANDARD DIAMOND CHISELS:


    • 4mm - 4 stitches per inch
    • 3mm - 5 stitches per inch
    • 2mm - 6 stitches per inch

    FINE DIAMOND CHISELS:


    • 3.5mm - 7 stitches per inch
    • 3mm - 8 stitches per inch
    • 2.5mm - 9 stitches per inch

  9. According to my local Tandy, these are the stitches per inch of the older "standard" crafttool diamond chisels and the new Fine Diamond Chisels:

    STANDARD DIAMOND CHISELS:

    • 4mm - 4 stitches per inch
    • 3mm - 5 stitches per inch
    • 2mm - 6 stitches per inch

    FINE DIAMOND CHISELS:

    • 3.5mm - 7 stitches per inch
    • 3mm - 8 stitches per inch
    • 2.5mm - 9 stitches per inch

  10. Just to give an update, I did save the piece! I bought one of the Preval sprayers, and while I do really like it, it wasn't the best tool for fixing my botched work. I ended up using a sponge, applying generous amounts, and rubbing in circular motions as was suggested.

    I will definitely use the Preval sprayer in the future. I think it will help me get a nice even coat the first time around.

    post-38750-0-86580000-1398661136_thumb.j

    post-38750-0-79397600-1398661137_thumb.j


  11. I actually did dilute the dye about 50/50 with denatured alcohol. I'm not sure why I thought water would help either, but it seems like the problem is that when the dauber first touches the leather, wherever it is laid down heavy sucks it up and stays dark. Even if I coat the area right next to it 3 seconds later, it's too late. Like the amount of dye that first touches the leather is how dark it will be and there's no going back.

    I guess I'll just try to make sure I apply much more liberally from the get-go. That's where a large sponge or sheepskin.

    Speaking of sheepskin--can they be washed and reused? Seems pretty wasteful if not.


  12. Please help!!!

    I dyed some veg tan last night for a project and it came out really bad and streaky. Is there anything I can do to fix it?

    It was done using Fiebings leather dye. I'm thinking the reason it came out so streaky is because the leather was too dry? I should maybe have dyed it while it was a little bit damp so it doesn't slurp up the dye the second it hits the leather? I don't have the original bottle anymore so I can't read the directions. Let me know if this is on the right track.

    More importantly, is there any way to salvage this? I don't mind if putting more coats on makes it darker, but how do I get the coloring to be more uniform?

    Thanks!

    post-38750-0-00592500-1398083967_thumb.j

×
×
  • Create New...