King's X Report post Posted January 20, 2009 Can anyone shed some light on what is a "Prickling Iron", I spelled it correctly? I saw one in a photograph where the crafts person appeared to look like it was being used to saddle stitch. I was flat, and the teeth were very small and spread evenly across. There were about 20 teeth tapering to a thin shaft. Are these tools still available? Where can you get them? I appreciate it. Greetings from Round Rock, Texas ~ Remember: Stop & Strop ! ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luke Hatley Report post Posted January 20, 2009 check out "SIEGEL of CALIFORNIA" they have all sizes of them Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyc1 Report post Posted January 20, 2009 Yes, they are still available, I just don't know where you'd get them in the States. Correct spelling is Pricking Iron and they are used to MARK your stitch spacing, not to PUNCH through the leather. Tony. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
barra Report post Posted January 20, 2009 (edited) Pricking irons and wheels. When I was taught the saddlery trade we used pricking irons to mark out our stitch length. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 stitches per inch (SPI) were the common sizes. When I bought my tools form a retiring saddler he had pricking wheels. I had never seen these before, but now quite like them. From the pics. Pic 1 is my pricking wheel carriage with a 6 SPI wheel. Pic 2 is a pricking wheel on it's own before it is attached to the carriage. Pic 3 is a pricking iron. As mentioned either version is simply to mark out your stitch interval and is not intended to make holes, that is what you awl is for. Pic 4 is probably blurry a bit but I hope it shows how the pricking wheel (or iron) lays down the marks at a 45 degree angle. The bottom row of marks has been made with a common stitch marker/over stitch wheel. The combination of the mark at 45 degrees and pushing your diamond blade awl thru at the correct angle (forming a kind of parallelogram shape) helps to lay your stitches at an angle. This is indicative of good hand stitching. Slightly side tracking here and getting away from the pricking iron. The correct placement of your awl is crucial. I have seen some of the old timers form beautifully laid down stitches completly by eye. That is they could stitch 6, 7, 8 SPI etc consistantly without stitch marks of any kind. One more thing. Pricking irons and wheels are as dear as poison brand new so unless you venture past hobbyist or have plenty of moolah, I'd start out with the overstitch wheel and concentrate on using the awl at the correct angle. Just my 2 Bobs worth Barra Edited January 20, 2009 by barra Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldtimer Report post Posted January 20, 2009 (edited) Can anyone shed some light on what is a "Prickling Iron", I spelled it correctly? I saw one in a photograph where the crafts person appeared to look like it was being used to saddle stitch. I was flat, and the teeth were very small and spread evenly across. There were about 20 teeth tapering to a thin shaft. Are these tools still available? Where can you get them? I appreciate it. Greetings from Round Rock, Texas ~ Remember: Stop & Strop ! ~ They are mostly used in English saddlery. Dixon makes them, and you could find them at Abbeys in UK http://www.abbeysaddlery.co.uk/product_detail.cfm?id=FA018 / Knut Edited January 20, 2009 by oldtimer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryLevine Report post Posted January 20, 2009 Pricking irons and wheels.When I was taught the saddlery trade we used pricking irons to mark out our stitch length. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 stitches per inch (SPI) were the common sizes. When I bought my tools form a retiring saddler he had pricking wheels. I had never seen these before, but now quite like them. From the pics. Pic 1 is my pricking wheel carriage with a 6 SPI wheel. Pic 2 is a pricking wheel on it's own before it is attached to the carriage. Pic 3 is a pricking iron. As mentioned either version is simply to mark out your stitch interval and is not intended to make holes, that is what you awl is for. Pic 4 is probably blurry a bit but I hope it shows how the pricking wheel (or iron) lays down the marks at a 45 degree angle. The bottom row of marks has been made with a common stitch marker/over stitch wheel. The combination of the mark at 45 degrees and pushing your diamond blade awl thru at the correct angle (forming a kind of parallelogram shape) helps to lay your stitches at an angle. This is indicative of good hand stitching. Slightly side tracking here and getting away from the pricking iron. The correct placement of your awl is crucial. I have seen some of the old timers form beautifully laid down stitches completly by eye. That is they could stitch 6, 7, 8 SPI etc consistantly without stitch marks of any kind. One more thing. Pricking irons and wheels are as dear as poison brand new so unless you venture past hobbyist or have plenty of moolah, I'd start out with the overstitch wheel and concentrate on using the awl at the correct angle. Just my 2 Bobs worth Barra Just to add to the above from Barra... First things first - Barra's spot on - new pricking irons ARE very expensive. Try finding them on eBay. They come in different widths (usually 1/2", 1" and 11/2" - Abbey Saddlery stocks all sizes) and you need to judge what's best for you depending on what you're doing. Anything with a tight corner needs the smallest width you can get, and even then, you may need to tip the iron on to its corner to engage on 2 or 3 teeth only, to get round the corner without making a mess. I use 10 SPI on English bridlery, but in the olden days, they apparently used to go down to 16 SPI - hard to imagine! Another thing to be careful of is alignment. Pricking iron teeth tend to be wider than any stitch groove you might use and if you aren't very careful when you're checking the alignment of the marks, you'll get out of line and things start looking messy. Just to be certain, I overlap 1/3 to 1/2 of the iron's teeth to keep everything in line. As Barra says, you don't punch through the leather but use your (appropriately sized) sewing awl at the proper angle. This takes some practice, but persevere and it will be worth your while. Once you've got your awl at the right angle that's comfortable in your hand, you may find it helpful to carve a notch for your index finger in the handle so your grip is always consistent. Finally, pricking irons come in left and right handed versions. Make sure you know which version you're buying. Good luck! Jerry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted January 22, 2009 I appreciate the education. I guess the "stitching wheel" kind of does the same thing. I referred to your suppliers and yes they are very expensive, so I guess until I go into business I will stick to my "stitching wheel." Thanks to all those who responded. Greetings from Round Rock, Texas ~ Remember: Stop & Strop! ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gary Report post Posted January 22, 2009 I appreciate the education. I guess the "stitching wheel" kind of does the same thing. I referred to your suppliers and yes they are very expensive, so I guess until I go into business I will stick to my "stitching wheel." Thanks to all those who responded.Greetings from Round Rock, Texas ~ Remember: Stop & Strop! ~ Just for interest, 'left-handed' pricking irons are sometimes (but not often these days) called 'portmanteau' prickers as they were used on corners and joins in leather (usually large travelling cases) where the maker wanted a symmetrical appearance on the finished article. The join looked like: \ | / \ | / \ | / \ | / \ | / \ | / \ | / Rather than: \ | \ \ | \ \ | \ \ | \ \ | \ Gary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyc1 Report post Posted January 22, 2009 I never knew that. The Old Timers took their work seriously and had tools for every application, didn't they?Tony.And I guess that's why they have left and right hand twist with machine needles!Tony. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
