Irons, Chisels, And Holes

[zuludog]

There are three tools that look similar, but cause confusion; at least they did to me when I started. Here is my explanation.

A PRICKING IRON has a row of short prongs.

It is used to mark the position & spacing of stitching holes by tapping onto the leather with moderate force. This will leave shallow holes or marks, but to make the holes all the way through the leather you must follow up with a saddler's awl.

It is used for sewing leather with thread

A STITCHING CHISEL has long, narrow prongs that have a diamond shaped cross section and are set at an angle to the main body of the chisel. They both mark the position & spacing of stitching holes, and make the holes themselves by knocking the prongs all the way through the leather.

Often this is enough, but you will have to complete the holes with a saddler's awl if the prongs are shorter than the combined thickness of the leather.

It is used for sewing leather with thread.

A LACING CHISEL has long prongs that are broader and have a flat cross section, and are set flat in line with the main body of the chisel.

It is used to both mark the position & spacing of the holes, and to make the holes all the way through

It is used for sewing leather with laces or thongs.

For all three types there are variations in the number of prongs, and the distance between them, which in turn sets the stitch length

They can usually be improved by careful sharpening & polishing with a needle file and fine abrasive paper

There is another tool for marking the position & spacing of stitching holes. It is a wheel set on a handle, and has short teeth or prongs around the rim. By rolling it along the surface of the leather it will leave a row of marks or shallow holes, but the holes themselves must be made by following up with a saddler's awl.

You can get different wheels to set different stitch lengths

It is used for sewing leather with thread, and is called a STITCH MARKING WHEEL or an OVERSTITCH WHEEL

Be careful as some suppliers use the term 'pricking iron' and 'stitching chisel' when they mean the other thing

Be sure what you're asking for, and try to see an illustration before you buy

Edited December 1, 2015 by zuludog

[25b]

zuludog, on 01 Dec 2015 - 05:03 AM, said:

There is another tool for marking the position & spacing of stitching holes. It is a wheel set on a handle, and has short teeth or prongs around the rim. By rolling it along the surface of the leather it will leave a row of marks or shallow holes, but the holes themselves must be made by following up with a saddler's awl.

You can get different wheels to set different stitch lengths

It is used for sewing leather with thread, and is called a STITCH MARKING WHEEL or an OVERSTITCH WHEEL

There are also pricking wheels and they are not the same as an overstitch wheel.

Pricking wheels make short, slanted marks and every overstitch wheel I've ever seen just makes small, round (not slanted) dots...for whatever that's worth...

Edited December 1, 2015 by 25b

[billybopp]

It should also be noted that stitching chisels can be quite effective when hit lightly to mark the stitch position and helping to guide and awl in much the same manner as a pricking iron .. If the situation calls for it.

Bill

[zuludog]

OK, thanks. Looks like I was mistaken, and as you have described, there are two types of wheel

My apologies and I hope this confusion doesn't go any further

[25b]

It's all good...it is very confusing for new people that haven't seen all the tools at once.

Maybe it would be good to include pictures of each tool so that they'll be able to know what they are when they see them for sale somewhere?