Got wallets?

[Zippin23]

I’ve been working on some wallets lately.  

Edited August 9, 2023 by Zippin23

[Zippin23]

I’ve been working on some wallets lately.  

[chuck123wapati]

one for every day of the week! those all look pretty nice.

[MarshalWill]

Those look good. I like the makers stamp inside them.

[Heartless]

they do like nice for the most part, but (constructive criticism) work on keeping those stitch lines nice and straight - a couple look a bit wobbly

[Tugadude]

In addition to keeping the stitching straight, aim to have it the same distance from the edge, and not too far inward from the edge.  A couple of the wallets have a bit too much leather between the stitching and the edge.  One way to "fix" that, is to cut the edge AFTER stitching, which may not occur to some.  Not saying to do that all of the time, I certainly don't, but it can be a help.

[Zippin23]

Thank you guys for the tips I appreciate it.  I can use all the help I can get.  I’m on my next 3 now.  I get the stitches to lay nice and strait on the side I punch the holes but,  I’m struggling with keeping them strait on the opposite side where the irons exit.  Im doing my best at holding the irons strait but they seem to sometimes exit the leather off the line.  

[MarshalWill]

I talked to one guy who put his diamond awl tip in his drill press. He didn't turn it on, but he set the angle and was able to get all the holes cut straight through the piece he was working on. I've never tried it but it may be something you might think about. There is an arbor press type tool with a chuck for just that purpose. Here's one listing but they are priced all over the board from $60 to $150.

[Heartless]

yeah, I have one of those little presses (you can get them on Amazon as well), and it is great for punching holes with a hole punch... but diamond chisels, not so much.. sure they go in perfectly straight, but getting them back out again is a bit of a chore - you cant tilt/wiggle the chisel to get it loose. Using an awl tip, one hole at a time? nah.. even more of a chance to get out of line - even a tiny bit out and it shows when stitched.

It does take a little practice to get those irons going in straight and coming out where you want them to

 

[MarshalWill]

58 minutes ago, Heartless said:

yeah, I have one of those little presses (you can get them on Amazon as well), and it is great for punching holes with a hole punch... but diamond chisels, not so much.. sure they go in perfectly straight, but getting them back out again is a bit of a chore - you cant tilt/wiggle the chisel to get it loose. Using an awl tip, one hole at a time? nah.. even more of a chance to get out of line - even a tiny bit out and it shows when stitched.

It does take a little practice to get those irons going in straight and coming out where you want them to

 

Interesting that they don't work well with a diamond awl but do with punches. Thanks for that bit of information.

[fredk]

3 hours ago, Heartless said:

yeah, I have one of those little presses (you can get them on Amazon as well), and it is great for punching holes with a hole punch... but diamond chisels, not so much.. sure they go in perfectly straight, but getting them back out again is a bit of a chore - you cant tilt/wiggle the chisel to get it loose

Use one of these to hold the leather down;

I made this one out of a scrap piece of clear acrylic plastic. You van buy all different designs now, including plastic and metal ones with a wee handle on

[SteveOz]

@Zippin23 G'day Mate, Nice wallets you've made there, they should sell really well! As other people have mentioned, a press with a chuck to hold your chisels can help you straighten your stitching lines. I made a lightweight press recently from scrap. I sell watch straps and I use my diamond chisels with this little press without a problem at all. It's not my invention. I hope this helps you.

 

[Heartless]

23 hours ago, MarshalWill said:

Interesting that they don't work well with a diamond awl but do with punches. Thanks for that bit of information.

i didnt say they dont work well with an awl - i said they dont work well with the diamond "chisels" - with multiple points....  there is a difference.
a single point awl blade would work just fine, but again, you have a greater risk of getting off line.

21 hours ago, fredk said:

Use one of these to hold the leather down;

I made this one out of a scrap piece of clear acrylic plastic. You van buy all different designs now, including plastic and metal ones with a wee handle on

yeah, i 3d printed one that works a treat but still does NOT work well with that little press because you can not tilt the irons to pull them out like you would do normally..
just trying to push straight down does not work as nearly as well.
 

[MarshalWill]

51 minutes ago, Heartless said:

i didnt say they dont work well with an awl - i said they dont work well with the diamond "chisels" - with multiple points....  there is a difference.
a single point awl blade would work just fine, but again, you have a greater risk of getting off line.

yeah, i 3d printed one that works a treat but still does NOT work well with that little press because you can not tilt the irons to pull them out like you would do normally..
just trying to push straight down does not work as nearly as well.
 

Have you tried bees wax to stick the point in every few stitches so it comes out of the leather better?

[fredk]

3 hours ago, Heartless said:

yeah, i 3d printed one that works a treat but still does NOT work well with that little press because you can not tilt the irons to pull them out like you would do normally..
just trying to push straight down does not work as nearly as well.

You should resist the temptation to wiggle and tilt the irons to get them out. I used to do that. But the wiggling around distorts the holes and can make the stitches look wonky

[fredk]

On 8/12/2023 at 3:54 AM, Zippin23 said:

Thank you guys for the tips I appreciate it.  I can use all the help I can get.  I’m on my next 3 now.  I get the stitches to lay nice and strait on the side I punch the holes but,  I’m struggling with keeping them strait on the opposite side where the irons exit.  Im doing my best at holding the irons strait but they seem to sometimes exit the leather off the line.  

Try using a set of these. You still need some care to get the teeth in alignment both sides but its easier, and they work fast and silently

[SteveOz]

@Zippin23 I don't drive my chisels all the way through. I drive them in half way, then prick the centres through with a needle to the other side of my work. I then flip my work and drive a reverse chisel in from the other side lined up with the needle holes. You could use an awl to open the wholes from the back if you don't have reverse chisels. This gives me uniform shaped holes front and back. There's some great videos by Nigel Armitage on saddle stitching on YouTube. These are no nonsense techniques by a real expert. They helped me perfect my stitching.

[Zippin23]

3 hours ago, SteveOz said:

@Zippin23 I don't drive my chisels all the way through. I drive them in half way, then prick the centres through with a needle to the other side of my work. I then flip my work and drive a reverse chisel in from the other side lined up with the needle holes. You could use an awl to open the wholes from the back if you don't have reverse chisels. This gives me uniform shaped holes front and back. There's some great videos by Nigel Armitage on saddle stitching on YouTube. These are no nonsense techniques by a real expert. They helped me perfect my stitching.

Thank you Sir and everyone else.  This is exactly why I joined this forum.  The knowledge you all have and are willing to share is greatly appreciated.  I think I’m going to punch the holes and open them up with my awl making sure they stay strait on the reverse side this attempt.