Lacing Fid

[Davm]

Just getting into lacing.  Now I need a fid.  A lot of tutorials have punched holes, well fast and easy but when you're done the holes are visible.  So, what's the drill?  I plan to punch slits (I have 1 prong, 3 prong and four prong also slanted. These slits will allow once pass but on a braided edge you go through the same hole twice and need a biggger slit but not as big as a hole, so... I am guessing that's the purpose of the fid, to enlarge the hole so you can make a second pass through that hole.  For a beginner such as myself, using 1/8" leather lace, what would be a good fid? I have a Tandy store near where I live and buy most of my supplies there but will consider other options as well.

I first was using rawhide, some of which I cut.  I got the width okay but home made rawhide can be too thick in many instances. You can get away with it on a plain wrap but it is too thick to braid an edge. I've switched to leather.

[fredk]

I just use a regular sewing awl.

If you have a spare sewing awl you can round off the point

[tsunkasapa]

A small flat tip screwdriver works as well.

[LatigoAmigo]

1 hour ago, Davm said:

what would be a good fid?

I would say that the best fid is one designed specifically as a fid such as this one available on Amazon. for less than $9. You will find a fid like this is invaluable if you ever get into the various knots that are in the Bruce Grant Encyclopedia.

 

[Davm]

LA: one more question. I see You-Tubes where the edges are honed on sand paper, etc. I assume this is for making a hole but if you use the same tool to loosen or tighten lace as you braid an edge- it seems the crisp edge might cut the lace, so it seems you would need at least two tools, a fid which makes the hole and then another to pull or tighten up the lace.  Another question, in the past I've used a vise with several wood boards to hold the leather, but on a holster, or large piece of leather, you would have a lot of leather below the edge- is there a way to clamp a holster edge? Right now I have used C clamps and 1/4 plywood and cut two pieces of plywood in the contour of the holster edge.

[LatigoAmigo]

1 hour ago, Davm said:

you use the same tool to loosen or tighten lace as you braid

That is all I use this for. I've never used a fid to make a hole... that is what a punch is for.

[fredk]

As I said, I use a sewing awl, for widening holes, but for pulling lace up tight or to loosen I use a hooked dental probe, which I have blunted

[tsunkasapa]

13 hours ago, Davm said:

Another question, in the past I've used a vise with several wood boards to hold the leather, but on a holster, or large piece of leather, you would have a lot of leather below the edge- is there a way to clamp a holster edge? Right now I have used C clamps and 1/4 plywood and cut two pieces of plywood in the contour of the holster edge.

Yes, it's called a Stitching Horse.

[LatigoAmigo]

13 hours ago, fredk said:

for pulling lace up tight or to loosen I use a hooked dental probe

I'm sure that works great. I had to reform one of my fids to accomplish the same task.

[Davm]

Thanks all, I love the stitching horse, maybe I'll make one.

[sbrownn]

15 minutes ago, Davm said:

Thanks all, I love the stitching horse, maybe I'll make one.

They are pretty easy to make but the wood for the last one I made cost as much as I could have bought one for...granted it was "nice" wood...but still...

[fredk]

or one of these, for now,

Will cost anywhere from £10 and upwards. Mine cost me £10.50 a few years ago. Don't pay over £20 for one

[zuludog]

On 6/13/2022 at 2:51 PM, Davm said:

  Another question, in the past I've used a vise with several wood boards to hold the leather, but on a holster, or large piece of leather, you would have a lot of leather below the edge- is there a way to clamp a holster edge? Right now I have used C clamps and 1/4 plywood and cut two pieces of plywood in the contour of the holster edge.

I've never made a holster, and probably never will, but the usual ways to hold leather are with a small clamp called a stitching pony, as shown by FREDK - you put it on a chair or stool, and then sit on both the pony & the chair....... Or a larger clamp called a saddlers clam, which you place on the floor between your knees. Traditionally it's made from steamed & curved wood, but also from straight lengths hinged at the bottom, a bit like a larger version of the stitching pony ......Or a combination of a stool and a clam together, called a stitching/sewing horse, as shown by TSUNKASAPPER

Shop around & Search on YouTube and Google to see what's available, YT has videos of making your own clam/pony/horse, there are several variations on the theme

You don't have to be an expert cabinet maker. I made a stitching pony from scraps of wood and a hinge rescued from a broken door, just bound with a bungee, as used to hold things on a bicycle luggage rack; not very neat, but good enough. But I think it's more common to line the jaws with leather

Ah, I've just re - read your post ...... a common way to sew leather, and the way I make my knife sheaths, is to glue the edges together with contact glue and hold them together with spring clamps all around the edge until the glue has set, then just hold the piece in a sewing clam/pony/horse to do the actual sewing. Again, there are many videos about this, and it's the same sort of method for most items - sheaths, wallets, pouches, belts, and I assume for holsters as well.

[Davm]

Okay, I bought the C S Osborne fid and just received it.  The edges are not sharp so I guess I have to hone them.  The fid holes I've seen are diamond shaped and this tool has a flat top and bottom and 90 degree sides.  Should I hone the tip into a diamond shape? All help appreciated. Thanks.

[LatigoAmigo]

1 hour ago, Davm said:

The fid holes I've seen are diamond shaped and this tool has a flat top and bottom and 90 degree sides.

A fid is for working lace, not cutting diamond shaped holes. Could you be thinking of something like this?

Weaver Leather Supply Diamond Stitching Chisel Set, 4mm, stainless steel for Leather Craft DIY

 

[Squid61]

A fid is used to do things in lacing, splicing and knotting that your fingers can't do.  Splicing and knotting fids are usually tapered round tool, marlinspike for example, with fairly blunt tips.  Lacing fids should be tapered flat tools with polished smooth edges and a blunt tip.  The idea is to insert the fid under the lacing not to cut or punch holes in anything.  Holes should be prepunched using either a round or flat punch not a fid.  I don't believe a diamond punch is appropriate for lacing.

[Davm]

I wanted to make a diamond shaped holes for lace, I thought that was what a fid was for- I am new at all this. I have some standard punches from Tandy but they all make a slit about 1/8" wide and on some braid type procedures you need to go through the same hole a couple of times. Maybe what I want is a diamond point stitching awl.  

Edited June 18, 2022 by Davm

[LatigoAmigo]

@Davm Braiding and stitching are completely different as you probably already know.

• Braiding uses lace, which calls for punching a hole, leaving an opening that the lace can "go through the hole a couple of times."
• Stitching uses thread and that is what your Tandy chisels are for.
• The diamond stitching chisels don't make a hole, but cut a slot, and are also for thread.
• Correct me if I'm wrong, but nothing that I know of will give you a diamond shaped "hole" big enough that you can lace through more than once. 
• There is also buck stitching, which uses lace and chisels.

Here is a book on braiding that you might enjoy, it's one of my favorites.

 

Encyclopedia_of_Rawhide_and_Leather_Braiding.pdf

[fredk]

19 hours ago, Davm said:

I wanted to make a diamond shaped holes for lace, I thought that was what a fid was for- I am new at all this. I have some standard punches from Tandy but they all make a slit about 1/8" wide and on some braid type procedures you need to go through the same hole a couple of times. Maybe what I want is a diamond point stitching awl.  

You don't need, nor, afaik, can you get a chisel for making diamond shaped holes for lacing. The holes are straight sided rectangles

I use my 'fid' to widen the the hole when a second lace has to come through. It doesn't cut the leather it just pushes through to make the hole wider, then I have to be quick to lace through as that hole closes up soon

btw; I use 4mm chisels for 3mm/1/8 inch lace. The chisels punch a hole but do not remove leather. After lacing up, an easy tap with a mallet to flatten the lace and the tapping also closes up the holes more. I use 4mm not only just for the extra working clearance but I've bought '3mm' lace that was closer to 3.5mm, and 1/8 inch which as wider as well.

[Frodo]

Do not sharpen your fid. 

big one is for paracord

the middle size is for my lace

here is a tip. if your lace breaks off inside your fid. use your lighter to heat the fid and the leather will come out 

[Davm]

Thanks everyone for the help. It has been quite an adventure.  I wanted to make a "western" holster with a rawhide lace in wraps around the edge.  I used a regular hole spacing wheel to set up the cuts but I made my own lacing awl (?) from a spare wood carving chisel (the cheap kits for $5 with half a dozen carving tools.  The rawhide was home made so I ground down the carving tool to a 3/16' width- which matched the rawhide.  In any event I was looking at a photo of an old holster and the lace had disappeared in a few areas but the holes were diamond shaped.  At the same time I started reading about braiding the edge. AND an order is in for said book, so a lot going on.  I subsequently found out that on the old photos, what I thought was rawhide lace was actually a white or natural calfskin.

[fredk]

On 6/19/2022 at 1:05 PM, Frodo said:

 

I know all of these as lacing needles

[Frodo]

34 minutes ago, fredk said:

I know all of these as lacing needles

They must call them different names in different placers,  I call them fids'

I call this a lacing needle, And I have no idea if I am right or wrong  

 

[tsunkasapa]

6 hours ago, fredk said:

I know all of these as lacing needles

I know them as 'Life Eye Lacing Needles'. Tandy carried them at one time, don't know about now.