Members billybopp Posted January 24, 2015 Members Report Posted January 24, 2015 Thanks for the update, pgivens. Bear in mind that pricking irons aren't really designed to go all the way through your leather. They are designed to mark spacing and should go just deep enough to help guide the angle of a diamond awl that you use to actually make the hole. The diamond punches/chisels that you referred to are designed to go all the way through, and that's why they are straight sided for most of the length of their "tines". I know exactly what you mean about lining up pricking irons since I ran into the same problem when I first switched to them from the diamond punches. I found that the best way to deal with that one, for me, was to scribe a VERY light line alongside where you want the holes and align the edge of the pricking iron with that line. Hope that helps Bill Quote
Members JanC Posted January 28, 2015 Members Report Posted January 28, 2015 But the difficulty is my record stands at about 1 hickup and hour... I was thinking of running a wheres the hickup competition for each video, but i couldn't afford the prizes It is a no brainer... I have used Dixon irons for years and they do do the job, that has to be said. but the steel isn't strong, the two tooth irons, certainly in the slimline versions can bend and the finished quality leaves something to be desired. I am quite taken with the Kyoshin European irons... I will add that the polished finish you see in the photo above is how they come. They do not stick in the leather like Dixons irons can, even when tapped gently. I haven't had them long, I haven't been using them years like I have the Dixons, so this opinion is very much here and now, but... if you had a full set of the Kyoshin Elle irons, I do not think you would be disappointed. I will also add that Goods Japan have excellent customer service. For the price to quality ratio... at this time... a winner. Nige Any hints as to when the iron comparison drops? Quote
Dangerous Beans Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 Jan, I am all ready to go... I am waiting on the final irons to land from Goods Japan, the last order apparently landed in the Caribbean. I toyed with the idea of omitting these or doing a second add on but I think it would have been too disjointed. I will wait, it shouldn't be long now... if they land when expected, Monday, by the end of next week would be a fair bet. i hope! Nige Quote The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. www.armitageleather.com
Members pgivens Posted January 29, 2015 Author Members Report Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks for the update, pgivens. Bear in mind that pricking irons aren't really designed to go all the way through your leather. They are designed to mark spacing and should go just deep enough to help guide the angle of a diamond awl that you use to actually make the hole. The diamond punches/chisels that you referred to are designed to go all the way through, and that's why they are straight sided for most of the length of their "tines". I know exactly what you mean about lining up pricking irons since I ran into the same problem when I first switched to them from the diamond punches. I found that the best way to deal with that one, for me, was to scribe a VERY light line alongside where you want the holes and align the edge of the pricking iron with that line. Hope that helps Bill Yeah I know they aren't meant to go all the way through, I just mentioned that because I know a lot of people use them that way. I have tried both methods. At this point I feel less comfortable using them than I do the diamond chisels, but I think it's mostly due to my lack of comfort in aligning the tool to my scribe line and the fact that I don't like how my .8mm thread looks through these holes. Have you switched to pricking chisels for good? Never to go back to the diamond punches? At this point I'm not sure which way I'll end up going long term. Quote
Members JanC Posted January 29, 2015 Members Report Posted January 29, 2015 Jan, I am all ready to go... I am waiting on the final irons to land from Goods Japan, the last order apparently landed in the Caribbean. I toyed with the idea of omitting these or doing a second add on but I think it would have been too disjointed. I will wait, it shouldn't be long now... if they land when expected, Monday, by the end of next week would be a fair bet. i hope! Nige Feel free to only release it to me for now Can't wait! Quote
Members billybopp Posted January 30, 2015 Members Report Posted January 30, 2015 I still use chisels as well as irons. In situations where it's better to punch the holes em masse before sewing the chisels work better and I punch all the way through. I also use have chisels in SPI sizes for which I don't have pricking irons, so I use the chisels more to mark the spacing in that circumstance, and use an awl to make the hole. I do think I get a slightly better result with the pricking irons, mostly because they really help to keep the angle of the awl just right. The chisels help to keep the awl close to the right angle, but since the mark is considerably larger there's more room for error. Bill Quote
alexitbe Posted February 3, 2015 Report Posted February 3, 2015 What sizes do you use most? I think I will mostly be using 6oz (2.4 mm) leather and a maximum of 10 oz (4.0 mm) for boxes? I have the following book: The leatherworking handbook by Valerie Michael, she suggests 7 stiches per inch for a leather thickness from 2.5 mm to 6 mm. It is not clear if she means total thickness of leather or the thickness of one layer. What do you guys think? I am thinking of getting a Barnsley pricking iron. Cheers ALex Quote
Members JanC Posted February 5, 2015 Members Report Posted February 5, 2015 Jan, I am all ready to go... I am waiting on the final irons to land from Goods Japan, the last order apparently landed in the Caribbean. I toyed with the idea of omitting these or doing a second add on but I think it would have been too disjointed. I will wait, it shouldn't be long now... if they land when expected, Monday, by the end of next week would be a fair bet. i hope! Nige *cough... cough* Quote
Dangerous Beans Posted February 5, 2015 Report Posted February 5, 2015 Alright... sheesh!!! talk about pressure... Still no irons from GP so I think I'll just have to move forward without them. Shame really as it was the Seiwa irons and I thought they had a few things right from what i have been told. Nige Quote The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. www.armitageleather.com
Members vicroll91 Posted February 6, 2015 Members Report Posted February 6, 2015 Just started using the six-prong/3mm Euro iron from GoodsJapan. Very happy with it so far. Pricks 8 stitches per inch cleanly, and has a great polish on it that helps with removal. I have a 2.5mm version on the way that I hope to use on wallets after I have skived the edges. Should make a handsome watch strap as well! Quote
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