Pricking Irons Mark Size

[King's X]

I do all of my stitching by hand. I guess I do it the old fashion or long way. I grove my stitch line and then use a stitch maker when I decide on the number of stitches per inch. I then use my awl and make 5-10 holes and stitch my way around. I know how 50 years feels, the Dixon Pricking Irons are way to expensive for me. I did take a Tandy diamond punch and regrounded the teeth to resemble the pricking iron teeth and I will occasionally use it, but I have gotten used to going back to the old way.

I know that Kyoshee Elle and Craft Japan sell pricking irons that are about 1/2 of Dixon, but if you do that much work......it might be worth the cost.

Dixon has a website and some of our UK brothers or sisters may chime in with an address for you.

Good luck.

[evandailey]

I do all of my stitching by hand. I guess I do it the old fashion or long way. I grove my stitch line and then use a stitch maker when I decide on the number of stitches per inch. I then use my awl and make 5-10 holes and stitch my way around. I know how 50 years feels, the Dixon Pricking Irons are way to expensive for me. I did take a Tandy diamond punch and regrounded the teeth to resemble the pricking iron teeth and I will occasionally use it, but I have gotten used to going back to the old way.

I know that Kyoshee Elle and Craft Japan sell pricking irons that are about 1/2 of Dixon, but if you do that much work......it might be worth the cost.

Dixon has a website and some of our UK brothers or sisters may chime in with an address for you.

Good luck.

There are Dixon's of all sizes on eBay for between $40 and $60. Just search for pricking irons and scroll to the bottom of the page.

I've been intrigued about pricking irons for a while now. I can't help but think the people stating that the blades are too big don't have the right thing. If you watch

, the Dunhill craftsman uses a pricking iron to punch his holes and it is very fine stitching.

[King's X]

Here is the website

http://www.josephdixon.co.uk/products.asp?page=4

[Ferg]

I researched the Pricking Irons until my head hurt. I finally bought one just to see how the darn things are actually made.

#1 conclusion: Pricking Irons are not intended for "PUNCHING" the stitching holes, only to mark the spaces and slant for the awl.

#2 Conclusion: Pricking Chisels, Stitching Chisels, etc. are intended to punch the sewing holes through several layers of leather if need be, no awl necessary.

Main problem with the chisels? The holes started to close before you got around the item you were sewing, need to open the slots with an awl anyway.

The Pricking Irons are not sharp on the end as a chisel. The stitching is supposed to cover the marks left by the Irons but they are so big you need to rub them out

with a modeling tool or similar. Doing so all around the item leaves the area you rubbed out at a different texture than the opposite edge considering that you kept the stitches to one side or the other.

If you center the stitches on the marks it helps but with smaller thread you have two lines of marks to rub out.

So, I have a Pricking Iron I have absolutely no use for to remind me of how expensive it is sometimes to declare I didn't need it to begin with.

My hands are getting so crippled up that I simply cannot hand sew anymore unless it is absolutely necessary. I do love to do it.

I am back to, "LEARN the skill of placing the awl at the correct angle on the dots made by a stitching wheel."

ferg

Here is the website

http://www.josephdix...ucts.asp?page=4

[Nutty Saddler]

Dixons are normally really good - if you contact them and ask them to make you a 7/inch pricking iron but with a width/thickness similar to that of a 10 or 12 they will probably do it for you . As they mill the tools themselves , special requests are not a problem - they made me a 16 / inch tool which is not listed in any catalogue .

An old pricking iron is also an option as they never used to be so fat - I have an old 8 / inch which is about half as thick as my new one

Edited July 27, 2011 by Nutty Saddler

[mlapaglia]

Place your awl with the wide part horizontal. That will give you a straight stitch