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Topic: stitching chisel Context: Total newbie to shoemaking (I make buckskin moccasins and want to move on to more structured shoes in firm leather). I have lists of the *kinds* of tools I should get, but the lists are general because the exact sizes/specs depend on the kind of shoe you want to make and the weight of leather you want to use. I need more specific advice in order to get the minimal set of serviceable tools. Intended use: To start, I want to make simple medieval-ish high shoes and ankle boots from work-shoe leather, roughly 2mm (5 oz), vegetable tanned, lined in leather as well. I want the work to be strong without looking too coarse, so I'm guessing .55 or .6mm waxed linen thread at around 7 or 8 stitches per inch for the tops? And to stitch the soles... I don't know. Suggestions? Problem: For the sake of neat regularity I'd like to use a diamond point stitching chisel. The ways these tools are described and marketed is completely baffling me. I can't choose. Request: What's the appropriate tooth size and tooth distance for what I want to do?? And what is the best value-for-money brand for a tool that fits that description? Whatever you recommend, please, I need it to be good out of the box. (I don't have either the willingness or the power grinders and stuff to refine a sloppily tooled tool. I have Arkansas stones and Crocus cloth.)

Hey Folks, I´m selling 5 sets of Wuta pricking irons: 7, 8, 9, 10 SPI obverse and 7 SPI reverse. I will only sell them as a set. All irons are in mint condition. Asking 425$, plus shipping that means you get one set for free compared to Msrp. I will ship worldwide, insured and tracked, cost will depend on the destination. Cheers Scorpio

Looking for some quality flat lacing chisels for buck stitching a belt. I have a smaller set but.. I have checked all the usual suspects and they either don't have that size or they are out of stock.

Hi everybody. I make a lot of wallets and I recently got a new set of pricking irons. In the past, I've used the diamond stitching chisels from Weaver leather supply, and they were okay. I switched to the Sinabroks 3.38 mm pricking irons because I wanted something a little more refined. I've really enjoyed using them so far but I've come across a problem. If I'm stitching down a row of pockets like in a vertical long wallet, I can't seem to figure out a good placement for the holes. If I put one tooth on the bottom edge of one pocket and another tooth on the top edge of the next pocket, there isn't enough clearance because of the slant of the teeth, so there's only a tiny bit of leather there to hold onto the thread. If I were to stitch that up, it usually rips the edge of the leather. On the other hand, I can't put a hole between the two pockets because then there will be thread going between them and they won't meet up edge to edge flush and clean. Is 3.38 mm just too small? I'm pretty certain I've seen people stitch up wallets with that size before, even finer sizes. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

I'm looking for a place/ supplier to get some high quality diamond hole stitching chisels (particularly around the 3 mm size). I've heard that some of the Japanese ones are great, but most of my internet searches seem to turn up cheap looking ones. Right now I'm using Craftool and Craftool Pro chisels and I just want to invest some $ in better quality chisels. To be clear, I'm looking for stitching chisels that punch diamond shaped holes, not lacing chisels that punch slits. If anyone knows a high quality brand or a source that sells some top notch chisels, please let me know. Thank you!

There are three tools that look similar, but cause confusion; at least they did to me when I started. Here is my explanation. A PRICKING IRON has a row of short prongs. It is used to mark the position & spacing of stitching holes by tapping onto the leather with moderate force. This will leave shallow holes or marks, but to make the holes all the way through the leather you must follow up with a saddler's awl. It is used for sewing leather with thread A STITCHING CHISEL has long, narrow prongs that have a diamond shaped cross section and are set at an angle to the main body of the chisel. They both mark the position & spacing of stitching holes, and make the holes themselves by knocking the prongs all the way through the leather. Often this is enough, but you will have to complete the holes with a saddler's awl if the prongs are shorter than the combined thickness of the leather. It is used for sewing leather with thread. A LACING CHISEL has long prongs that are broader and have a flat cross section, and are set flat in line with the main body of the chisel. It is used to both mark the position & spacing of the holes, and to make the holes all the way through It is used for sewing leather with laces or thongs. For all three types there are variations in the number of prongs, and the distance between them, which in turn sets the stitch length They can usually be improved by careful sharpening & polishing with a needle file and fine abrasive paper There is another tool for marking the position & spacing of stitching holes. It is a wheel set on a handle, and has short teeth or prongs around the rim. By rolling it along the surface of the leather it will leave a row of marks or shallow holes, but the holes themselves must be made by following up with a saddler's awl. You can get different wheels to set different stitch lengths It is used for sewing leather with thread, and is called a STITCH MARKING WHEEL or an OVERSTITCH WHEEL Be careful as some suppliers use the term 'pricking iron' and 'stitching chisel' when they mean the other thing Be sure what you're asking for, and try to see an illustration before you buy

I'm contemplating ditching two of my tools for (namely my groover and overstitch wheel) for less-irritating alterbatives. Both of mine are, Tandy Brand (which despite being a potential root of my aggrevation) have a habit of slipping and veering off course during use, no matter how slow I try to use them. While a metal ruler or square provides a quick fix for enabling me to still use a groover, the fact that the overstitch wheel makes it difficult to see the groove line without positioning myself directly over top of my work doesn't help matters. So, I've been contemplating buying a multiple diagonal-prong stiching chisel. Since my projects are primarily holsters, I'm unsure what prong distance would be best. Also, While S/L offers quite a few for lacing and thonging, (the latter term of which is unfamiliar to me) I'm unable to find a stitching model with a diagonal prong configuration. Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thanks, Bob Boyd AKA Samcolt45