Changing Spi For Thicker Leather?

[mrtreat32]

I've used essex from horween and it is just stiff enough to stitch. My rule of thumb I go with now is the area has to be glued all around the area of stitching, the leather has to be 3mm or thicker(total of all the pieces) and preferably stiff. Upholstery leather with a softer touch can work and so can horween, just not stretchy chrome tanned.

After a lot of trial and error I will usually buy a small piece and stitch with it and then I can tell if it will work.

just searched the essex leather and it looks real nice! You buy direct from horween? If so what are their prices and order amounts like.

[DavidL]

I buy a sample before I buy the whole hide usually. It was from Springfield leather. From talking to them I found if you order a horween sample and think it is good then the actually whole hide they send you will be better. They usually send out the lower grade leathers for the samples so that the better selections are for the whole sides.

Email the horween representative and they respond within 5 hours with the price list. Fee is 30 dollars for handling regardless of order and price is only justifiable for shipment of 5+ hides. Under 5 hides Springfield leather has a better deal.

sorry not exactly understanding this. Can you go into a bit more depth?

the spacing the pricking iron makes will be exactly the same distance apart no matter the thickness. Do you mean it will change the way the thread goes through the holes when it is thicker?

thanks

The thicker the leather the more you will have to pull to secure the stitch which in turn will give you a shorter stitch than one made with thinner leather.

For reference the two pictures of the shoe and black leather were made with the same 7spi stitching iron.

If the leather is stretchy it can cause the spaces between the pricking iron impressions to expand (like how a overstitch wheel impression looks like). More noticeable on leathers like upholstery. It can probably be flattened.

With the small amount of time i've used upholstery (aniline tanned) the stitches look very nice front and back. It does look different than veg tan. Less spaced out. Leather has more give to it, just enough strength to not distort like cheaper chrome tan.

Edited May 9, 2014 by DavidL