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!

[katsass]

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!

Got to agree with ABN......the overstitch in my pics is over 30 years old, and was bought at a Tandy store back then. It appears that somewhere along the line they went to a cheap tool maker, but back then there stuff wasn't too bad.........I know my favorite awl was made by Osborne and was purchased at some other Tandy store many years ago. Mike

Edited September 2, 2010 by katsass

[Deanimator]

I use a 5per Tandy. My objection to it is that it wobbles, causing it to walk out of my stitch groove unless I'm VERY careful, and even then it sometimes happens. I also wet the groove before I use it, which gives me better results.

[katsass]

I use a 5per Tandy. My objection to it is that it wobbles, causing it to walk out of my stitch groove unless I'm VERY careful, and even then it sometimes happens. I also wet the groove before I use it, which gives me better results.

As I said, Tandy stuff wasn't too bad.....30+ years ago. They have definitely changed, both in their store quality and their choice of suppliers. JMHO Mike o

[RWP]

i agree i've had several problems with tandy as far as quallity and service go thats why i just made a BIG A$$ order from springfield lol should be in sometime next thursday im dying for the stohlman holter book i ordered im gonna TRY and work on one i've done just doing from instinct later on during the day today

[mugwump]

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

take it with a grain of salt, but i also would suggest getting an osbourne for your oversticher over the tandy's in general if for nothing else the quality check when it was made. the main problem with the tandy's is twofold (again ymmv), one is the hardness/composition of the metal used for the wheel (too soft), and how the tines are shaped (or actually mis-shaped/blunted too much). if you do opt for the tandy, make sure to look at and carefully examine each overstitcher they have in the place, and compare the tines to find the one(s) that came through the mfg process and shipping still useable. also, the multi-wheeled one they sell has the spacing closer toghter than the individual overstitchers, so a '6' in one, might not be a '6' in the other... hope i helped and didnt muddy the water too much...

eric

p.s. i mainly use the '6' for general use, and use either a '5' or a '7' depending on how the actual product will be used, and the stress the stitched area will receive and the material.

[Deanimator]

im dying for the stohlman holter book i ordered

It's a good book.

A lot of the designs are kind of dated, with exposed trigger guards, etc., but in terms of basic technique, it's fantastic.