chuck123wapati

yup they need to be razor sharp another method that i use is to glue a piece of 1000 grit sandpaper to a popcicle stick then hold the awl still and flat and polish the edge similar to using a file on a piece of steel. then a piece odf 2000 grit. I find it much easier to keep the shape and angles of the awl that way. Good luck on whatever method you choose.

creepy cool !!

i'm sure you will figure it out. good luck!

awesome tooling there, i like the absract pattern very unique.

great job!!! i make some of my own tools also, i would suggest useing stainless bolts as the steel can sometimes stain the leather black. regular small or jewlers files will cut stainless bolts just fine if you want to cross hatch and such. These are easy to make also lifters, modeling tool and stylus made with stainless all thread and brass nuts, i used leather washers for handles. i chuck them up in a drill and turn them against my grinding belt to get the nice taper.

Do it how ever you want to i'm not going to argue the point any longer if you think adding a couple steps in the process is faster then go ahead and do it that way most beginers do until they get good at sewing. I did i still do but the fact reamains taking less steps is always going to be faster. As i said to tug and you probably read but decided to re state any way. i used the wrong word in enlage, you have to re open them that is what a diamond chisel does it cuts a slit but the shape opens a hole in the center after a few minutes it closes and has to be reopened either with the needles or an awl of some sort. thats what diamond awls and chisels do thats why the hole closes after you sew it up thats why you hammer it a bit to set the thread and close the holes. i also wrote this to tug. Most of the miscommunication comes from us because we all make diferent products with diferents leathers and diferent personal opinions. Beating a chisel through three layers of 10 oz is not the same as running a chisel around the edge of a 2mm wallet and takes alot longer to do than just useing an awl and neither is sewing the two the same by any means. I can easily sew a wallet without re-opening the holes not so much with a holster.

yes finish with an awl.

the dif between a car and a sewing machine. every house still has a couple or three cars so there is still a mechanic in every town maybe two or three. sewing machines have gone away as a houshold item so the service and repair shops have too. some more of my post. "I had the great fortune in my working career to buy equipment for a number of trades including textiles it was always in our purchasing contracts to provide initial setup and training but on our part we had to know what we were going to be making start to finish, we had few problems but most all the machines no matter the trade had to be setup or fine tuned for what we wanted. I don't see how any company could provide this service to the private citizen without it costing a lot of money that the private citizen or the industry simply doesn't have." and With that said if you cant get reliable training and service and have to be self taught buying a brand new machine isn't cost effective imo.

Very cool job!!!!!

wing dividers are used for more things than just creasing. Marking, measuring and creasing.

i dont have to enlarge, i did use the wrong word sorry, them at all but they do close back up thats the whole point of the diamond shape and why videos i have watched show most folks either working thier needles or opening them back up with an awl of some sort.. I use chisels like i said they work great and are a lifesaver for those of us who dont have the experience to use an awl with nice even results. But they are what they are a tool that evens the palying field for those that dont have the experience or dont want to go the extra mile and learn thtraditional awl sewing. No big deal IMO no one is wrong or right on this subject so feelings neeed not be hurt. Most of the miscommunication comes from us because we all make diferent products with diferents leathers and diferent personal opinions. Beating a chisel through three layers of 10 oz is not the same as running a chisel around the edge of a 2mm wallet and takes alot longer to do than just useing an awl and neither is sewing the two the same by any means. I can easily sew a wallet without re-opening the holes not so much with a holster.

i dont have the experience as you by any means i use chisels now on the front then use my awl to go the rest of the way through then sew. That way only the back is jacked up lol.

90% of the miscommunication on the forum. lol

i used to punch the front piece first then mark carefully the top hole on the second piece then run my chisels through the rough side , no need for reverse chisels, then use small brads to line up the holes glue and set the leather. Both sides punched and lined up. not fast by any means but it works well.

its very simple you hold the awl in your right hand with your needle you poke the hole and stitch it. Takes a second or so compared to punching all the holes with a seperate tool then going back and enlarging them because they closed during the time you were fiddling with it then stitching it. Or punching one side then having to go back and use the awl then the needles.

https://leathercraftlibrary.storage.googleapis.com/Archives/PDFs/The-Art-of-Embossing-Leather-by-Al-and-Ann-Stohlman.pdf

i tend to talk of either tool in stitches per inch,makes life more understandable than mm's. you can also talk about spacing wheels and such then in the same context. i use 1 mm theread with 7 spi chisels they are the craftool fine diamond in 3.5mm. I feel that thicker thread looks better in most cases than thiner thread no matter the spacing.

sometimes i even use a spacing wheel of the same SPI pushes em down real nice.

I've stretched a few canvases but not leather lol. I would stretch it the same way though. No glue needed imo.

learning to use the awl removes a ton of lost time and headaches trying to figure out how to line up pre punched or chiseled holes for sure. The old saying "practice makes you perfect". I can see not useing a clam or clamp for large items but i dont think thats what they were made for i think they were made to hold small items that you cant hold and sew at the same time. I dont see any person holding, using an awl punching and sewing with two needles a wallet with just two hands easilly. And my spell check isn't working for some reason?

learn as you go!! I second that and have fun. There are tons of patterns out there for about any type of leather work you find interesting. Start with those they take most of the guess work out of the hardest part.

very nice !! its -9 farenheight here today so a warming thought is great!

i use a small one just a few ounce head but i dont use the ball peen i use the flat face for stitches, ball peen for copper rivets.

need more info.

lol I don't have a machine for leather, but have others and have read through the thread, i would love to get one someday so gathering all the info i can. Seems a leather sewing machine is just like any sewing machine, from what i have read, can use a number of threads, needles feet and any number of add ons that will do whatever one needs. I guess my question to all the folks on here knocking the sellers is how in the heck can they send you a machine tuned and ready for every single thread needle combo and gadget that you can think of? How do they know what you are sewing? what you may sew in the future and or what thread, needle and gadget combo you may dream up during your morning shower? Sewing machines are amazing machines and at one time almost in every house, with a company or more selling and repairing in every town, not now they are dinosaurs living on borrowed time now and finding someone that even sews let alone can work on one is rare. I had the great fortune in my working career to buy equipment for a number of trades including textiles it was always in our purchasing contracts to provide initial setup and training but on our part we had to know what we were going to be making start to finish, we had few problems but most all the machines no matter the trade had to be setup or fine tuned for what we wanted. I don't see how any company could provide this service to the private citizen without it costing a lot of money that the private citizen or the industry simply doesn't have. Every person who has ever tried to machine sew anything will tell you that you have to know how to maintain them and tune them. With that said if you cant get reliable training and service and have to be self taught buying a brand new machine isn't cost effective imo.