Overstitcher?

[RWP]

what size overstitcher do you guys use if any? just trying to get a handle on what most prefer because the one i have right now is WAYYYY too small for me to see easily after i go over the groove line. thanks for the advice!

-Robert

[katsass]

what size overstitcher do you guys use if any? just trying to get a handle on what most prefer because the one i have right now is WAYYYY too small for me to see easily after i go over the groove line. thanks for the advice!

-Robert

Well, I use a #6 overstitch for most holsters, and even the few other items I make. Are your parging (dampening) your leather prior to running the overstitch to mark your stitch spacing? I cut my groove, dampen the leather, run the overstitch right down the groove and ............. there it is. A couple of pics. hope this helps, Mike

[RWP]

thanks katass i do wet the leather before i run the overstitcher over my stitch line the stitcher i have though is just so close set that its hard for me to see as good as i SHOULD be able to ( im only 21 and have horrible vision with things close up lol) but thank you again for your reply

[katsass]

thanks katass i do wet the leather before i run the overstitcher over my stitch line the stitcher i have though is just so close set that its hard for me to see as good as i SHOULD be able to ( im only 21 and have horrible vision with things close up lol) but thank you again for your reply

RWP: 6 stitches per inch is a pretty normal size for most stitching. Mike

[Lobo]

+1. Six stitches per inch is just about perfect for holster work.

[abn]

Robert, I don't know if this is your problem, but I recently switched to a C.S. Osborne overstitcher because I couldn't get a good imprint with the cheap ones Tandy sells. Here's an idea of what one looks like, and it comes in 5, 6 and 7 marks per inch:

http://www.csosborne.com/no485.htm

I purchased mine from Springfield Leather.

Hope this helps!

[RWP]

abn i think that having the cheap one from tandy IS part of my problem my friend uses the c.s. osbourne one from springfield too and the difference is night and day when put side by side thanks all for the advice

[abn]

If you decide to purchase the C.S. Osborne Spacemarker, don't throw away the Tandy overstitching wheel. Although the CSO model is great for marking stitch holes, it doesn't work at all as an overstitcher -- i.e., a tool you run over your stitch line when finished to even it out. Only the Tandy model can do that.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Most generally I use 6 stitches per inch. I switch to 7 when I am working on something that requires it, however; 6 seems to be the norm.

Bob

[RobDude30]

thanks katass i do wet the leather before i run the overstitcher over my stitch line the stitcher i have though is just so close set that its hard for me to see as good as i SHOULD be able to ( im only 21 and have horrible vision with things close up lol) but thank you again for your reply

I've got the bad close vision thing going on, too, so I understand your dilemma. Getting a good overstitcher will help, but I'll share a little trick that helps me find the marks, even when stitching in sub par light while watching TV. I typically stitch moving away from me (not what the Stohlman book says but works for me). When I am ready to find the next mark for my awl, I will lay the awl in the stitching groove about an inch in front of the last stitch and lightly drag the awl toward me. I can feel each little bump that way even if they aren't very visible to the eye. When I reach the closest bump I line up the awl, push it through, and stitch. This method may slow the process down a tiny little bit, but then again I'm not on a production line. Hope this helps!