What Tool Is This? Chisel Or Pricking Iron?

[sheridanman]

hi everyone!

i hope to get some help here. i know this should be in the leather tools area but i think i get more answers here. anyways i attached a link of a video here and i assume most leatherworker has in some way saw this video already. my problem is, i make bags and i usually use an awl and then hand stitch. i dont mind the hand stitching but i have issues with punching holes (although i can align them well) is that it is too time consuming.. i want to pre puch holes and speed up work by not using an awl anymore and just go ahead and hand stitch. yet still make the holes look neat not like using those chisels sold at leathecraft shops that has bigger teeth

the guy in the video does that. he pre punches holes for the bag handle before he sews it and he did not use an awl judging from the video. if he just used that tool to mark the handle for stitch marks and if its a pricking iron which they say are made jsut to do stitch marks not holes , he didn't have to strike it that hard. but in the video it looks it went thru the leathers. and i kept pausing and checking out the video and it seems he is not holding an awl at all.

to me the tool looks like a chisel or an english pricking iron (e.g. blanchard or dixon) but i know a pricking iron is not used to punch hole thru the leather but it is only a marker for the awl to have a guide of uniform hole slanting alignment. it is not meant in other words for pre punching. i heard a guy tell me that when he asked guys working for hermes the blanchard irons are just used for stitch marking for the awl to follow. but how did this guy make this tool go thru like two pieces of 1/8th inch of leather judging from the video? what tool is this or brand. this tool will honestly speed up my work since i sew long one piece gusset type bags. the tool just went thru the leather easily with a mallet. and he made the bag in the video for only two days mine will take me 5 days for a bag like that. please help. anyone? iit woudl be a big favor for me knowing that now orders pile up and i know i can do it if i had this tool. thanks everyone and sorry for the long post.

Edited August 7, 2010 by sheridanman

[sheridanman]

hi again

i went back and slowed the video by pausing over and over on the handle of the bag part of the video. i captured the split second and got it. and low and behold i was wrong. he did use an awl. and i googled the tool more. it looks like and old osborne chisel. i am really sorry for the long post i made. now i can sleep and go back to using an awl for holes. i guess i 'll do it the hard way after all.LOL!

[Hilly]

hi again

i went back and slowed the video by pausing over and over on the handle of the bag part of the video. i captured the split second and got it. and low and behold i was wrong. he did use an awl. and i googled the tool more. it looks like and old osborne chisel. i am really sorry for the long post i made. now i can sleep and go back to using an awl for holes. i guess i 'll do it the hard way after all.LOL!

That looked like a pricking iron to me. He was using it on some thin leather, so maybe it did punch all the way through?

[Kevin]

Is the whole bag handstitched or just the handle? How does that guy have 116 years of experience? I don't count 20 guys having 1 year's experience as 20 years experience. I'm just speaking in general, not that specific Co.

Kevin

[chouinardragon]

Hi,

the pricking iron on this video looks like Barnsley, a UK tool maker.

By the way, I visited Festival des Metiers Hermes last Week in Taipei. I saw the Kelly bag artisan striking the pricking iron all the way thru leather.

I felt she only used the awl to guide the left hand needle. I don't know if the leather matters because the Kelly bag was made of soft print leather. The pricking iron doesn't work well on soft leather.

And of course, the pricking irons are used for making marks ... I believe she will only "mark" on box calf instead of going thru.

Chris

hi everyone!

i hope to get some help here. i know this should be in the leather tools area but i think i get more answers here. anyways i attached a link of a video here and i assume most leatherworker has in some way saw this video already. my problem is, i make bags and i usually use an awl and then hand stitch. i dont mind the hand stitching but i have issues with punching holes (although i can align them well) is that it is too time consuming.. i want to pre puch holes and speed up work by not using an awl anymore and just go ahead and hand stitch. yet still make the holes look neat not like using those chisels sold at leathecraft shops that has bigger teeth

the guy in the video does that. he pre punches holes for the bag handle before he sews it and he did not use an awl judging from the video. if he just used that tool to mark the handle for stitch marks and if its a pricking iron which they say are made jsut to do stitch marks not holes , he didn't have to strike it that hard. but in the video it looks it went thru the leathers. and i kept pausing and checking out the video and it seems he is not holding an awl at all.

to me the tool looks like a chisel or an english pricking iron (e.g. blanchard or dixon) but i know a pricking iron is not used to punch hole thru the leather but it is only a marker for the awl to have a guide of uniform hole slanting alignment. it is not meant in other words for pre punching. i heard a guy tell me that when he asked guys working for hermes the blanchard irons are just used for stitch marking for the awl to follow. but how did this guy make this tool go thru like two pieces of 1/8th inch of leather judging from the video? what tool is this or brand. this tool will honestly speed up my work since i sew long one piece gusset type bags. the tool just went thru the leather easily with a mallet. and he made the bag in the video for only two days mine will take me 5 days for a bag like that. please help. anyone? iit woudl be a big favor for me knowing that now orders pile up and i know i can do it if i had this tool. thanks everyone and sorry for the long post.