Hand Stitching Heavy Harness

[bkm]

I am using #4 harness needles from Tandy, with Barbour's 5 cord linen thread. I use a Craftool Pro Stitching Groover, and Craftool overstitch wheel that marks 6 SPI, and I run the wheel over the finished stitches as well. I make the holes with a Craftool Pro diamond stitching awl.

I prepare the 5 cord by tapering the ends a bit with my pocket knife, and waxing it. I have found that if I flatten the waxed end and cut it cleanly, I can get it in the #4 harness needle eye even without tapering it. I untwist part of the 5 cord, and pierce it with the needle and draw the loop up to the eye, and wax it more. This is the method illustrated in Al Stohlman's book on hand stitching.

I dye the Barbour thread with Procion MX Jet Black dye, using Soda Ash dye fixer.

Because my threads are fairly short, about 18", and the short threads are more likely to untwist, I add a little extra left twist to the Barbour thread before I wax it. Once it is waxed, it won't untwist.

I am just starting out, and these tools and methods are working well, but I have not tried much else and I am always looking for even the slightest improvements since I am doing a lot of repetition.

I need to order more needles. I have 10, but I use 8 for every strap I sew (two stitches or four needles on each end).

I am thinking of getting a 25-pack of Osborne #5 needles. I am pretty sure I could get the thread in the #5, and that it might work in the leather a little easier, although I am not having much trouble with the #4 needles.

Edited April 13, 2015 by bkm

[bkm]

Edited April 13, 2015 by bkm

[DoubleC]

Although the purists will be frowning upon me, it would be easier to hand sew something that thick if you drilled your holes first Cheryl

[bkm]

My picture doesn't show the thickness, but it is 0.20" folder over on itself. Although the end is skivved, the thick part is 0.40". Drilling would be bad not just because it is impure, or contrary to a tradition, but because it would cut and remove leather fibers, weakening the strap. An awl cuts fewer fibers, but removes nothing and works mostly by wedging between and spreading the fibers apart to create an opening for the needle and thread.

A similar result could be achieved with a multiple-hole "diamond chisel" (as Tandy calls it) which is like a pricking iron but punches diamond-shaped holes through the leather. I considered this, but determined that they are reputed to make too large of holes. Also, according to Al Stohlman's book, piercing the leather too far in advance of the needle results in the leather closing up and therefore he advises against piercing with the awl more than one hole at a time.

Some people might use a drill press with an awl blade to pierce the leather. If I were piercing half an inch of leather, I would also consider this method to produce enough force and keep the holes straight and perpendicular. It took me a little practice, maybe 50 stitches, to consistently keep my awl in the stitching groove on the backside. Although my awl doesn't always emerge in the dead-center of the overstitch wheel dent on the backside, the groove helps locate the thread and keeps the stitch straight.