zuludog
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There is a lot of confusion around this topic, and it crops up regularly on this forum. Browse through some previous threads & posts
Strictly speaking, pricking irons have short stubby prongs and are used to set the spacing of stitching holes by making indentations in the leather. Then you make the actual holes with a saddler's awl
Stitching chisels have longer prongs and are intended to be knocked all the way through the leather, thus they both set the spacing and make the holes; though there is nothing to stop you just using them for spacing by hitting them with only moderate force
What sort of leather are you using? I expect it will be veg tan about 3mm thick, so for a knife sheath there will be front + back + welt = 9mm. This is about the limit for a chisel so you might have to do a bit of extra work with a saddler's/harness/diamond awl. If you need to enlarge the holes use a round/scratch awl; this will stretch the leather without cutting it. Afterwards the holes will close up
6 holes per inch is about 4mm spacing, so you have chosen the right size chisel, and the individual holes should be big enough
Britain and USA use two different systems for describing the size of needles, and I'm not too sure what size 0,00,000 is, and I haven't been able to find a comparison/conversion chart. But a commonly used size for thickish leather is John James size 2, in the British system. If you order a size 2 under the USA system that will be too big. Nigel Armitage shows this very well in his video 'Saddle Stitch in Detail' at about 3min 40sec to 4min30sec.
This supplier's website has a table & description of needle sizes and thread combinations, including ritza/tiger thread www.rmleathersupply.com
You shouldn't have much difficulty hand sewing. You should be able to use your fingers about 95% of the time, with a slight resistance or drag, the exception being when backstitching. There are lots of videos on saddle stitching; those by Nigel Armitage are good, but watch as many as you can, and gradually pick up ideas & tips
If you do have to use pliers to pull the needle & thread wrap the jaws in tape to prevent damage to the needle. Whether by hand or with pliers use a straight pull. Resist the temptation to waggle the needle about, that is what causes it to break at the eye
I assume a laser will make a round hole, like a small drill bit. The hole made by a stitching chisel or a saddler's awl is more like a slit, and this will expand & stretch a bit more than a round hole. You may well find that when you change to the chisels, the needles pass through easier. Lubricate the prongs occasionally with beeswax, that will make them easier to pull out
Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather and Jackal;ore have some excellent videos on making sheaths, but there are others. Again, watch as many as you have the stamina for
It is possible to sew a sheath by making holes in the two sides separately, then lining them up together to sew, but you have to be careful & precise. Glue the welt to one side then make holes in one side and one side+ welt
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Have a look at this video by Nigel Armitage on YouTube - 'Saddle Stitch in Detail'. Between 3min 40sec and 4min 30sec he describes the different sizing systems for needles in UK and USA
It could well be that you know you need size 2 John James needles, but when you have asked for them in USA you have been given USA size 2, which are bigger. The video shows this quite clearly
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As far as I know, the reasons it is difficult to pass a thread through leather are
The needle is too thick
The thread is too thick, causing extra thickness where it folds over at the eye
The holes in the leather are too small
Any combination of these
Now; a #2 needle is one of the larger sizes, but is still very common in leatherwork
1 mm thread is a thick - ish thread, but again not excessively so, and I should imagine that this combination is one of the most commonly used in leatherwork
So it could well be that your holes are too small. As suggested, use a bigger saddler's awl or enlarge the holes with a round awl. if you use a round awl the holes should close up afterwards and revert to their original size & shape. If you use a larger saddler's awl and the holes look like they might join up and run into one another then your spacing could be too close together. I'd say 3 to 4 mm is about right for your combination of thread & leather thickness
You should be able to push or pull a needle & thread through leather by hand about 95% of the time, with just a slight resistance or satisfying drag. The exception is when you are backstitching, but even then it shouldn't reduce you to blood & tears. Try using small pliers with the jaws wrapped in masking tape to prevent scratching the needle
Whether by hand or with pliers, if the needle becomes stuck, use a straight pull. Resist the temptation to wriggle it about or it may snap at the eye
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FREDK
I haven't actually done it myself, but soon after I became interested in knife making and also wanted to make the sheaths I went on a sheath making course at The Identity Store. That exercise was demonstrated with paper patterns and various sized pieces of leather, going up to a full hide
When you see it explained & demonstrated like that, it's obvious
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Basically you can use any part of the hide except the belly
Go to Tandy's home page and scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on 'Leather Buying Guide' to see the parts of a hide. You can use Whole hide; Double or Single Shoulder; or Single Butt, but you will have to avoid the belly. If you buy a Bend or Double Bend the belly has been trimmed off for you
Scroll further down the page to 'Making Leather Products'. You can see that for sheaths you need 6 to 8 oz leather which is about 3 to 3,5 mm. You could go thicker for a heavy knife or an axe
You use vegetable tanned leather which you then dye and treat as you wish
Search YouTube for 'Making knife sheaths'. Videos by Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather and Jackloreknives are good
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OK, thanks. I'll ease off on the oil in future
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NVLEATHERWORX - thanks for your comments
If I wet form the sheath as you have described, what do you then treat your sheath with, so that it does not then become too oily/greasy and soft?
If you have made up & wet formed your sheath from, presumably, untreated veg tanned leather, surely you must use something to penetrate into the leather and condition it?
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Briefly, this is how I make my sheaths -
Dye the leather and sew it up, as far as I can, to the correct size. Then I soak the sheath thoroughly with leather oil inside & out. This softens the leather enough so that when I put the knife in it, I can knead/shape/form the sheath to a close fit. I don't do any other kind of moulding or wet forming
I've been watching a few videos on sheath making, and I notice that some of them coat the inside of the sheath with Resolene or Tan Kote to protect the leather from any dampness brought in on the knife. If I did this, would I still be able to soak the leather with oil and mould it?
Incidentally, I've been watching videos by Jacklore, they're excellent!
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I have one from Tandy; you can get spare/new blades. It does the job, but I don't know how it would compare with any top class makes
I sharpen mine by rubbing a length of thread with stropping compound and pulling it through the blade hole; and stropping it backwards, just like a knife, but in miniature. If you search YouTube for 'sharpening a stitching groover' there is a video showing that.
Incidentally, I was fortunate enough to go to a demonstration & talk by Nigel Armitage. His opinion is that we use the stitching groover too much, and only really need to use it when we definitely need to recess the thread, like on saddles. For most of the time all we need to do is to mark the line of the stitching with a compass and/or a creaser, then flatten it down with a mallet or an overstitch wheel
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ROCKOBOY -
I've turned an old plane blade and an oddment of wood into a Japanese style leather knife and the result was pretty good. A friend did the grinding & shaping for me on a bench grinder then I finished it with a fine stone & a strop
Search YouTube for 'Japanese leather knife'; there are several videos showing how they are used for both cutting out and skiving. The asymmetric/offset blade was a bit odd at first, but now I've been using it a while I find it works pretty well
HUNHUNT
I have made 40mm wide hacksaw blades into skiving knives and 25mm wide hacksaw blades into kiridashi Japanese style craft knives. When you've worked up the blade with a bench grinder, then a stone, then a strop the edge is excellent. Be careful as it is tricky sharpening such thin hard steel on a bench grinder. Be patient and use lots of water quenching/cooling or you will burn the steel
Unfortunately for us, old industrial hacksaw blades are a highly sought after commodity, and any engineer that uses them will almost certainly have a queue of people waiting! Search Google & YouTube for 'donkey saw' and you'll see the sort of machine that the new blades are intended for.
BILLYBOP
Yes, a shallower angle or longer bevel is preferable for skiving leather, but this is difficult to do on an angle grinder. I bought a cheap coarse diamond stone from a chain tool merchants (Screwfix) just for that purpose, then did the final work on a fine oilstone and a strop
No actual cash changed hands for all this work, it was all done on favours - a few pints; restoring an old sheath; making a knife; and so on
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I see now that there are a couple of mistakes in my post Ah well, it was late at night and could have done with better proof reading. I'm sure you'll manage
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PLINKERCASES - this is how I made up my beeswax
I took the part used up piece from the Tandy starter kit and a lump of beeswax rescued from my father-in-law's shed. He reckons it's years old, possibly dating back to the 1960s
I bought (and ate!) a meat pie, and kept the aluminium foil tray intact. At this juncture I should point out that people from the north of England are well known for their fondness for pies. Babies in this part of the world usually progress directly from the breast onto a diet of pie & chips and strong tea, so such items are readily available
Make up a water bath from the foil tray and a small frying pan or similar, and place the wax into the tray. The water in the frying pan should be just hot enough to melt the wax, barely simmering; you do not want to boil like crazy. Hold down the tray with long nosed pliers to stop it wobbling about and spilling the wax
As the wax melts estimate the volume and add 5 to 10 % linseed oil; stir it all together with an old tent peg. Then turn off the heat and let it cool
When the wax mixture is more or less set but still warm & malleable, tear off the foil tray and knead the wax into a sort of squat sausage -like or cylindrical shape, then let it cool fully, say overnight
Cut off the desired length of thread; fold it over about half the circumference of the wax cylinder and hold it down with your thumb; then draw the wax through/across the wax.
This is the book where I saw the linseed oil softening tip. I think it is a very good guide to starting leatherwork
'Leatherwork: A Practical Guide' by Chris Taylor
If I'm doing a long run of stitching I sometimes re - wax the thread in situ
I do leatherwork for a hobby, and waxing thread seems to me to be a satisfying part of the whole process. But I can see that if I was a professional, or had to do a lot of sewing, I would consider ready-waxed thread
My son is about 1,83 cm weighs about 82kg, does kick - boxing and runs marathons. He still eats pies
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Probably like a lot of people I started doing leatherwork with a Tandy beginners kit. It included a packet of 10 needles and I'm happy enough with them, I don't feel any need to change. I don't know what size they are, but I'm sure Tandy would tell you if you asked them
I started with the synthetic (nylon?) thread that came with the kit, but after a while I thought I'd try linen, so for a long time I used unwaxed 18/3 linen which I waxed myself
I've tried tiger thread but I don't like it
Recently I found a British supplier of fil au chinois linen thread, so I ordered some 5m samples of #332 in different colours. I've yet to use it in anger, but it looks pretty good, and I'm looking forwards to trying it
I make mostly knife sheaths and belts with 3 to 3,5mm veg tan leather. If I was using thinner and/or softer leather I might go to smaller needles and thinner thread
A couple of incidentals -
I read in Chris Taylor's book about melting & mixing your beeswax with about 10% linseed oil. When it sets again the wax is softer & stickier
A few months ago I went to a demonstration & lecture by Nigel Armitage. His opinion is that you don't need to make a groove with a stitching groover; just marking the line with an edge creaser or dividers is good enough. So I've been doing that, and the stitching seems good enough, though I flatten it with a mallet
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That looks good. What make is it, please? And price?
As you use it, you'll work out how to get the best results from it. And also as you use it and resharpen it you can get the edge just how you want it
Soon after I started doing leatherwork I made a decision, which was that I would not get a round knife, for two reasons
1) I don't do enough leatherwork to become sufficiently skilled with one
2) Even a Tandy head knife is expensive, and I've heard they're not very good. A good one, one that's worth having, is even more expensive
I use a Stanley knife with resharpened blades; a home made kiridashi; a home made Japanese style leather knife; and a 3 1/2" carbon steel vegetable knife that I no longer use in the kitchen
For a working surface when skiving, I use the glass oven door off an old cooker
You will need a second knife which can be more or less anything you want - a Stanley knife; a penknife, a cheap snap - blade knife, and so on. Use it for opening parcels, cutting string, sharpening pencils etc. It's purpose is to make sure that you use the first knife exclusively for cutting leather
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Swann Morton's website is https://www.swann-moron.com
Their USA distributor is http://www.cincinnatisurgical.com
Although this website is British it gives you a good idea of the range available http://www.scalpelsandblades.co.uk
Have a look at # 4 or # 6B handle and # 25 blades. Or see if there are any taster or starter packs which would give you a handle and one of each type of blade, these are usually good value for money
I don't know about USA, but in Britain there are lots of outlets & suppliers. Shop around craft, hobby, and art stores
Also search YouTube for 'scalpels and blades' There are several videos
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I made a knife similar to the Blanchard one from an old 25mm hacksaw blade
A Japanese craft knife is similar, Search & Surf Google & YouTube for a KIRIDASHI. Also Search YouTube for 'skiving leather'; there are a few videos
You could also look at a Japanese Leather Knife. Again Search & Surf to see what it looks like, and how to use it. Videos by 'leathertoolz' are good & useful
Both of these can be used to both cut out and skive leather. You can get them at a reasonable price, though as with anything you can pay as much as you want. They are straightforward enough to make from an old hacksaw blade or plane blade
The key to any leatherwork is to have very sharp tools. You will need a fine stone; oil-, water/ceramic-, or diamond-, whatever you fancy. Because they have been around for a long time you can often find oil-stones secondhand
Make your own strop from oddments of wood & leather, but treat yourself to some proper stropping/honing compound. It's not that expensive, and a bar will last you for years
Yes, scalpels are good, I use them on model planes, just Search Google. Matt S has found what suits him, but can I suggest that a number 4 handle (and appropriate blades) might be a better choice for leatherwork?
Matt S sums it up - time, practice, try different knives till you settle on what works for you; and be prepared for a fair amount of frustration
I use mostly 3 to 3,5mm leather and use a kiridashi and s Japanese knife. If I was using thinner leather I might use something different
Remember that if you use one of these types of knives you will need work on a hard smooth surface like a thick sheet of glass, a tile, or a marble slab
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For inspiration and examples, search Google for 'handmade leather belts'. If you want to go up market, search for 'raised leather belts'
This video on YouTube is good 'Making of an Equus Lined and Raised Belt'
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It could be the leather grease that has come to the surface and dried. Just try polishing it off
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Search YouTube for 'making a leather belt'. there are several videos, I'm sure you can pick up lots of ideas & advice from them
In particular, Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather has a video 'Making a simple Leather Belt' where he discusses how to measure the length
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I have a spare, new, 2 3/4" John James awl blade & haft which you can have for the price of a pint. PM me if you're interested
Same offer goes for anyone else in Britain if goody2shoes doesn't want it
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I have found a supplier of linen thread in Britain. It is run by a German lady, Hilke Kurzke; she stocks linen thread from several European manufacturers, including Fil au Chinois
You can order as little as 1 X 5 metres of thread, then various samples and variety packs, up to full reels; there is a wide range of colours available
Search Google for 'buchertiger supplies' or http://kurzke.co.uk
She is pleasant & helpful, with a quick response & delivery time.
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Search YouTube for 'making a leather wallet'; there are several videos, but especially good are those by Armitage Leather and Leodis Leather. In fact anything by Ian Atkinson/Leodis and Nigel Armitage is worth watching. Nigel Armitage has a video 'Making a simple handmade Wallet', or some similar wording; that's good
There are about 10 pages on leatherwork on YouTube, each with about 20 videos. There must be something useful among that lot! Watch as many as you have the stamina for!
Besides that, work through this forum, especially Getting started; (hand) sewing leather; and Tools
Get a book on basic leathercraft. It will show you the basics, and they usually have a few projects, probably including a wallet. 'The Leathercraft Handbook' by Valerie Michael is the one most often recommended, or see what you library has
Once you start to make a shopping list of tools etc you'll see that it may well be worth joining one of Tandy's discount schemes
Finally, a word of caution. Don't be tempted by the 4-in-1 awl sold by Tandy, and others. It's expensive, and not very good. You're better off getting a separate fixed blade saddler's/harness awl and a scratch/round awl. Tandy's Craftool Pro awl is as good as any to start with, especially if you can get it at a discount
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Thanks for the tip about the lollipop sticks. I have been using scraps of leather under my clamps but, as you say, the lolly sticks will spread the pressure more evenly
I glue small patches of 600 grit wet & dry paper to the sticks which turns them into very small files or wands to polish the prongs on my stitching chisels
But I don't buy the sticks, I pick them up in the street; just give them a quick wash then let them dry
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I also use a Stanley knife. Although the blades are disposable they cut better if you resharpen them on a fine stone & strop when they become blunt. This is because you polish them, and reduce the shoulder of the bevel
There is a sharpening section on this forum, or you can Search YouTube
In fact the key to good leatherwork is to have razor sharp tools, but you will quickly realise that you can spend a lot of money on stones, and there is a bewildering choice from diamond, ceramic/water, and oil. Because they have been around for longer you can usually find oilstones in secondhand tool stalls in markets. I got mine for £3
You can make your own strop from oddments of wood & leather, this will be just about the easiest leatherwork project you'll do. But treat yourself to some proper honing/stropping compound. It's not that expensive, and a bar will last you for years. I use Veritas Honing compound #05M08.01. Again, search YouTube
You will also need another knife. This can be just about anything you want, and is used to cut string; open parcels; sharpen pencils; and so on. It's purpose is to make sure you use the Stanley knife (or whatever else you use) exclusively for cutting leather
John Lobb make very expensive hand made shoes. I saw a TV programme about them a while ago; they keep their rivets, eyelets, and similar small components in old jam jars
Stiching holes
in Leatherwork Conversation
Posted
This topic crops up regularly on this forum; browse through some old threads & posts
there are 3 reasons for stuck needles
The hole is too small; the needle is too big; the thread is too thick, creating a larger bump where it folds over at the eye. Or any combination of these 3
I use the standard Tandy needles to when sewing knife sheaths, the eyes are a bit big, but not impossible. But in future I'm going to use John James #2. Beware! Britain & USA use two different systems for sizing needles, make sure you know which is which. Nigel Armitage shows this well in his video 'Saddle Stitch in Detail' at about 3min 40sec to 4min 30sec
This supplier has a chart of needle & thread sizes on their website www.rmleathersupply.com
You should be able to pull needles by hand about 95% of the time, the exception is when backstitching
If you need to use pliers to pull needles through wrap the jaws in tape to prevent scratching the needle. Whether by hand or pliers, use a straight pull; resist the temptation to waggle the needle about or it will break at the eye
As mentioned, it would have helped if you'd given us more information about stitch spacing; type of leather used; type of thread used, and so on