mrtreat32

Anyone have one of these and can share their thoughts on the quality? I bought a Garland rawhide mallet to use with my pricking iron about 2 months back but now realizing Its a bit too light in weight and think I need to upgrade. I think I got a 9oz. Saw this brand from a seller on ebay who also carries vergez blanchard tools and it looks nice. Leaning towards this or a Barry King mallet. I dont do any carving so this would be pretty much only for use with pricking irons and setting snaps, rivets. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Peddinghaus-Leather-Working-Mallet-Hammer-32oz-soft-tip-leather-tool-/321386637692?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ad422e97c

I am using the 432 thread with a 9spi vergez iron. Think I will try the 532 for my next order. I also have tiger thread .6mm but its even larger than the 432.

super helpful tutorial! Really appreciate it! After looking at your pics I was curious about a few other things. Did you backstitch at the beginning of the piece when you started and than again at the end to make it look uniform? I might give that a shot if so.. I like the way both sides ended up with symmetrical stitching. Do you punch the pricking iron all the way through the piece? I have read different opinions on this.. I dont see the harm as long as there is something under the piece to protect the tool when the teeth go through. Maybe finishing the whole with the awl gives a better result? What size thread is that? Fil au chinois? My stitches dont have space like that between each one. Im assuming because I have size432 and maybe youre using something finer? Stitching looks awesome. Do you have a website?

ill try to find the video. He has a lot though! thanks I have been trying this a bit but then I end up messing up the previously marked holes when I turn the iron in the ones already punched. Gonna look a bit closer and try to go slower as you suggested! thanks Yeah thats what I did so far with best results. I stabbed them with my awl without the use of the pricking iron. How do you all make a turn on a 90degree angle? Im fairly happy with the results Im getting by punching the corner hole with a scratch awl (round hole) and then resuming back to the pricking iron the next line. If anyone has suggestions which they think are better I would leave to hear that as well.

I cant seem to figure out the correct angle to make my stitching seem seamless. Any tricks or tips for making a rounded turn with a pricking iron. I dont have a 2 prong iron so that may be part of the problem. A big rounded turn I think I can figure out but smaller turns Im having a tough time. I have watched nigels videos and found them helpful with making a sharp turn (90degree angle. I use a scratch awl to make a rounded hole in the corner and than continue with the pricking iron on the new line). But I havent seen any videos of his where he makes a rounded turn like on a watch strap or a small rounded corner. Any links or tips would be greatly appreciated. thanks

thanks thanks I tried beautiful stitching! If you don't mind I would love to hear your technique. Do you punch the holes all the way through with the iron? Do you cast there stitch?

I emailed ludlow leather to see if they carry or can get the .6mm tiger thread and I havent heard back. I have bought the samples on etsy once but you get a much better deal buying a whole spool. Anyone else in the US carry the .6 ritza thread

I personally like the look of the smaller stitches on these. I think you may be swayed a bit by the larger stitch coming out much cleaner as I almost was. But if both came out equal I think the smaller stitch would look a little more sleek. I work as a chef and I think one way of looking at it is. Most people at home when cutting vegetables for soup and other dishes use larger more rustic cut based on skill level which is fine but I think people in the industry look at smaller precise cuts as a sign of craftsmanship and detail. Maybe that doesnt make sense haha. but after awhile you would look at the larger size and find it to be a more rustic and less refined look. I too use the 432 and cant imagine moving to a smaller size yet either. A lot of people on here use .8mm tiger thread for small items and that is much larger so I guess its a matter of preference. I have read conflicting information about the use of pricking irons. Some people say they are strictly used just to mark the holes for your awl. But since having the vergez pricking iron for a week or so I have messed around with different methods and I get better results punching it all the way through. This is how they do it on the fineleatherworking tutorial as well. This guarantees that the back hole is straight with the front as long as you hammer it relatively straight. When I used it just to mark the holes I would sometimes have my awl coming out a bit crooked on the back. I dont see the negative to punching all the way through provided Im using a protective piece of leather underneath to protect the iron. If someone else can chime in on why this shouldnt be done Im open to all techniques and just want to improve.

is the top row set in a groove? Did you use a pricking iron for both? I made a black wallet tonight with black fil au chinois thread which is a blessing and a curse since I cant tell very easily how the stitching came out since their isnt any contrast. But when I look closely under the light Its definitely a bit all over the place.

Im new to leather working but I ordered both tiger thread and fil au chinois. After first using the tiger thread it does feel strange and seem a bit weird to work with. I have been going back and forth between the two brands and not sure what I prefer so far I have a much harder time threading the fil au chinois and sometimes when I tie the knot on the end it seems to fray a bit. The tiger thread ties smooth every time. Both seem to have benefits and drawbacks. The fil au chinois is round so it doesn't twist and lay at weird angles like I sometimes get with the tiger thread and I never pierce it while sewing by accident which I have done multiple times with the Tiger. On the other hand I like the way the tiger thread feels in my hands better when Im working with it. I am also using the 432 at 9spi and I don't find that it looks too big.(Im mostly making wallets and accessories at the moment) But for a watch strap I would go thinner based on my preference. I could be wrong but I think sewing at a higher spi is harder..or at least that has been my experience so far. I started the first week doing mostly 7spi and after switching to 9spi it seems less forgiving to small errors. I would love to hear what others have to say as well.

I bought a small amount of the cigar tiger thread on ebay..very nice color but I got it in .8mm and cream in .6mm. I found the .8mm to be a little thick for the look I wanted but most people recommend that size on here. How many spi do you normally use?

just searched the essex leather and it looks real nice! You buy direct from horween? If so what are their prices and order amounts like.

sorry not exactly understanding this. Can you go into a bit more depth? the spacing the pricking iron makes will be exactly the same distance apart no matter the thickness. Do you mean it will change the way the thread goes through the holes when it is thicker? thanks

what types of leather are you using now? you have worked with chromexcel? how did it compare to the veg tan when stitching?

I also forgot to mention that I wish my stitching looked as good as the one you don't like as much! I would be pretty happy with both of those results!

Not sure if you are talking about the same thing but I just started sewing a prototype for a new wallet and the stitching along the border doesn't seem to be slanting barely at all. I have been practicing my sewing on thinner leather and the stitches look a lot nicer. Not sure if the thickness of the wallet is changing the way the stitches look. Did the outside 3-4 oz leather and the ends are overlapped with 2 layers of 2-3oz card holders. Using a vergez iron which is 9spi.

So Im mainly working on wallets at the moment and have made 2 bi folds without lining so far. The inside panel on the unlined wallets was cut a bit smaller which I learned from reading on here so that when folded it would bend properly and it worked great. Now Im trying to make a tri-fold style wallet and attaching all the pockets onto a liner which will than be glued and stitched onto the outer shell. With this design the lining area needs to be identical to the outside so that none of the flesh side of the outer part is showing on the inside. I havent yet attached the lining yet but from testing it by folding the wallet up it seems like it wants to push out past the outside panel. Once I cement this down and stitch along the border will this be fine or do you thin Im going to get bubbles and gaps in the lined area? I could also be doing this completely wrong. haha and open to any suggestions. Also quick beginner question. I have some embossed alligator printed cowhide that I want to try making some stuff with but for a wallet it seems like it would be a bit flimsy. If I want this to show on the outside would my best bet be to basically attach it to the smooth side of a piece of veg tan kind of like a reversed lining? Attaching it to the smooth side would make more sense and having the rough area be the inside pocket or I could cement it to the rough side and have the inside of the pocket be smooth? thanks.

When leaving my edges natural in color how do I get them to keep their light natural color. Im currently using "quick slick" and following most of the steps listed above but whenever I apply the quick slick or begin rubbing the edges with canvas or sanding they start to look a bit dirty and darken. I usually end up painting them since the color isn't too pleasing if I let them be. Is it possible its the canvas Im using? Also how do people get a colored stripe in the finished edge? I tried to find a google image but can't at the moment. Are they dyeing/painting one edge before the piece is assembled to just that layer has a different color. thanks

Yeah I can't tell what its doing exactly but it seemed to work last night when I tried it. I pretty much followed "the leather working handbook" instructions as best I could. left needle(back side) through first. Right needle passed through behind first needle while holding the thread back so it stayed in place and wouldn't pierce thread. As right needle is emerging through back side take thread in left hand and wrap it over the right handle needle once. pull tight. I was wrapping it around once only. Does wrapping it around in the other direction or more than once change the look at all? Its pretty crazy how small differences in the sewing technique can completely change the look.

Yeah agreed but for solid brass they seem to be cheaper than other places. Ohio Travel bag has a great selection but seems like a pain to order especially if Im not ordering for a business. Any other snap hardware sites . recommendation?

The buckle guy website has nice looking hardware but the snaps they use are different from the standard line 20 and 24. Does anyone know if you can set them using osborne tools or do I need to purchase the buckleguy setters specifically for thei hardware. thank you

what does casting the stitch do exactly? I tried it on a piece of scrap leather last night and it made the backside a bit more slanted instead of straight on my sample. I did it a bit different from the video posted above though. In the video he was wrapping it around towards his body and it looked like 2 times. I did it away and only went around once. Is it strictly done to get a angled look on the back?

How many spi are you looking for? I just went to fineleatherworking where I ordered mine and it let me add a 4tooth iron to my cart so I think they have them. Did you call and they told you otherwise. I have messaged the ebay seller before who sells vergez and he got back to me very fast and was helpful. Out of curiosity..How much are they directly from Vergez?

Thanks all for the suggestions. I have started using a chair in my kitchen that swivels to different heights and it has made it a lot easier. The length of the clam requires you to sit a bit higher to get the correct angle (a bit more vertical but still slanted) At least that is whats working a bit better for me Really bummed though! Was using it for just the second or third time at my kitchen stool and when putting my awl down the clam slipped and hit the floor. Didnt think anything at first but when I went to resume sewing the jaw wasnt holding the project as tight. I took a closer look and it had developed a crack down the side! I think I can maybe repair it somewhat but annoyed that a $200 clam would be so fragile with basic use. I contacted fineleatherworking where I made the purchase online it to see if they offer any type of warranty before I attempt a fix myself! What is the "Swiss one" ? curious to see a picture.

I was going to mention the same thing about the seller on ebay. He has the compass I ordered as well for a few dollars cheaper. But I have ordered from frineleatherworking once already so I decided to order from them again. I didnt order a 2 tooth iron. just a 4 tooth iron