doe Report post Posted April 22, 2015 I am a beginner. I bought a bunch of scrap leather to start working with so I don't make my mistakes on the good stuff. There is a mixture of different weights and finishes in the pile, very little of which (just a strip here or there) is veg tan. Some of it has a textured surface (embossed design, or pebbled/shrunken) and when I go to mark a stitch line or the stitches themselves, the mark simply doesn't show up. Especially on the darker colors. So using a fid or overstitch wheel is all but impossible on some of this stuff, and I was wondering what people do in this situation. I have a white marking pencil for fabric, but even that doesn't show up. I managed to cut out all the pieces for a wallet out of thin leather, which has a saffiano type texture, but I cut my losses when I realized it would be nearly impossible to assemble if I can't mark a line or stitch positions. I am currently working with wing dividers and a crappy stitch wheel from a cheap sewing kit. I have a nice set of overstitch wheels and diamond chisels coming from Japan, but it will be at least another week or two. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DS STRAPS Report post Posted April 22, 2015 You could use a leather pen sold by Tandy or Springfield http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/2097-00.aspx and a groover to cut a line in more textured material http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/8069-00.aspx I consider myself a beginner so I am sure some of the experts will have a ton of things for you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nuttish Report post Posted April 22, 2015 So you can practice for the time being, you might consider sacrificing a fork to make a rudimentary (and useful!) pricking iron that can make marks approximate the same size as you'll get from the Osborne and Blanchard pricking wheels I've seen. Have a look at the points of a proper European pricking iron and file the tines to the same approximate angle, making sure to thin then on both sides and flatten the ends a hair so you don't puncture your leather. Then bend the forks inward until you get the approximate number of stitches per inch you wish. You'll have a narrow iron, but it will be perfectly serviceable for your purposes. You don't really need to whack thin and soft leather that hard — anything like a short cutoff of 1x2 will be fine. Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doe Report post Posted April 22, 2015 The leather marker is a good idea for marking a line. I'll look into picking something like that up. It still seems though that the overstitch wheel won't be usable on these leathers and I'll have to wait for the chisels. I love the idea of filing down a fork to make my own, but I'm useless at metalworking and don't have the tools. It's always about the tools! Thanks both for your suggestions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DS STRAPS Report post Posted April 22, 2015 Try eBay for cheaper alternatives tools to practice with if you don't want to spend the big bucks up front Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildthings Report post Posted April 22, 2015 Lay a piece of masking tape down and draw your line on it, then use the pricking iron to punch your holes. Remove the tape prior to stitching Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doe Report post Posted April 23, 2015 Lay a piece of masking tape down and draw your line on it, then use the pricking iron to punch your holes. Remove the tape prior to stitching Brilliant! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DS STRAPS Report post Posted April 23, 2015 Lay a piece of masking tape down and draw your line on it, then use the pricking iron to punch your holes. Remove the tape prior to stitching Now that is good!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doe Report post Posted April 23, 2015 I just tested out the masking tape trick to mark glue lines on the pieces I'd cut out for the wallet. In addition to marking the line, of course it also masks off the glue line so I can keep a thin and even edge. Definitely one of those "why didn't I think of that" tricks and I think it will do nicely! What I will probably do for stitches is to mask a stitch line and draw on stitch positions to bore through with my awl. The wallet is just for practice while I wait on my tools from Japan so it's OK if my stitching is uneven. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sorenhume Report post Posted April 23, 2015 This thread just got me through some seriously hurdles thank you. Love the masking tape. Brilliant! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DoubleC Report post Posted April 23, 2015 Do you don't need to file the fork. I used a fork probably on my first 4-5 projects. Give it a try, Cheryl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildthings Report post Posted April 24, 2015 Great Glad it worked out for you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
