Macca

ohh, those dies look very, very nice !

top quality as always Hunio

wouldn't sell this one, I have a number of blanchards etc though. Where are you based ? if you're US I would recommend Bruce for tools, he does a fantastic job refurbishing old tools & would be cheaper than me shipping to the US http://brucejohnsonleather.com/content/index.php/leather_tools_for_sale/strap-cutting-tools-plough-gauges-and-draw-gauges/ I find them much easier to use than draw gauges, which are common over there.

Heres an English plough gauge, haven't touched it yet. H.Brindley 1915 Bit unusual as it uses a lead screw to set the strap width, Dixons did one of these, but this is a different design.

Cant think of many things worse than having to make the same thing again & again, you will get sick of it very quickly. Seriously, drop the mass volume idea, for handmade its just dumb. Point of handmade is something unique, something the volume guys can't do. The market is saturated with low cost wallets/card holders, I don't get why you think there is room for you there ?

Your marketing will determine the price in all honesty. Cost+ pricing is really not a market you want to be in, someone will always undercut you. There are quite a few makers who nailed social marketing & are selling very basic product for healthy margins You are looking to sell into a very crowded market, either you create a buzz, you offer a unique product or you fight on price. I would never suggest fighting on price.

Well, its not down to the thread, so theres only a few variables left ?

No, I mean your stitching technique. That's likely the cause of poor appearance on the back

pictures would help Sounds like technique more than thread thickness though 0.8mm is not too thick for what you want to achieve, in fact, thread thickness will have little to do with this.

Agree on the pricing If you are aiming for high end eventually, then stop selling your starting practice pieces like these spend time developing your skills/technique/patterns etc then work on your marketing strategy Then start selling

broken link

what type of leather ? What finish would you like to achieve ?

Tiger thread smallest size is 0.6mm though & looks thicker than that when stitched & flattened. Lin cabel goes down to 0.43mm

Looks good Walter, will message your for payment details

I'd be interested in this Walter, those clamps looked very good. do you have a picture ?

Great find !

sounds like your awl is making large holes ? got a picture of it (against a ruler or something so we can see the width of it) also what needles ? you say you need large holes to get them through I'd be looking at 8 SPI as the largest stitch for a wallet, preferably 10 or 12, depending on the look. 8,10 or 12 should be easy to do without damaging the leather, so sounds like you have might have problems with awl/needle size or maybe stitch angle ? as above, 8 SPI & 0.8mm Tiger thread should work ok, higher SPI & you'll have to drop the thread size

5 SPI & thin thread would look a bit odd Hole size, SPI & thread thickness all have a part to play in getting a good looking stitch, change one alone & you might find you don't like the result 0.6mm tiger thread is the smallest they do & is good for 10 SPI so no sure why you want thinner at 5 SPI ?

http://www.fineleath...t-kyoshin-elle/ http://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/foreign.html

Ivan stuff is pretty bad quality, ask them for a refund, using a creaser hot is normal

Many thanks ! Very interested to see what they are like

Well, the diamond types are a fairly recent idea, so some of it has to do with tradition, it's how fine goods were done in Europe, marked with the pricking iron, or wheel at a high SPI then the hole made with an awl. You won't get near the same SPI in diamond chisels, around 8/9 SPI is about as fine a stitch as they will do, thats about the starting point for most euros, it's pretty chunky for Euro tastes, although has become a bit more common, around 9 is common on bags, higher for wallets etc It's not uncommon to see 10 or 12 SPI over here, some even go to 14 SPI also, the diamond chisel tends to distort the leather a bit too much, they punch pretty big holes compared to using a pricking iron/awl As for cost... Well the Blanchards are made in France so that explains a large part of it (very expensive country), also, they tend to be for pro's/businesses so are priced accordingly. Don't forget too, they are made by a craftsman, no machine milling, they are ground & filed by hand, not an easy job to do well, especially high SPI irons.

Link to the Japanese ones ? Very interested

Very nicely done Hunio ! French leather ?

chinese knock offs unknown quality though goodsjapan do pricking irons, more like diamond shaped punches, very different type of tool, but still good quality. http://www.goodsjapan.jp/category/pricking-irons-stitch-punch/catId=4252442