Kulafarmer Report post Posted December 16, 2015 So been fooling around with pricking irons and hand stitching etc, One thing im not real thrilled with is how big the holes are, Have a VB #5 and even that makes a big hole unless you just mark with it and dont really punch, Other than the big holes making it easier to sew, whats the reason? What do some of you do to keep the holes tighter? I see the high end bags and such and wonder how they do their stitching etc, One thing ive been doing is honing and power polishing my tandy diamond punches, made the holes a little smaller, am thinking about taking the needle files to them and cutting them down a little more, so far its making it look much nicer, will post pictures when i get it where i want it Anyway, be interesting to hear what others are doing, im pretty sure im not the first to want tight holes! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
25b Report post Posted December 16, 2015 (edited) So been fooling around with pricking irons and hand stitching etc, One thing im not real thrilled with is how big the holes are, Have a VB #5 and even that makes a big hole unless you just mark with it and dont really punch, Pricking irons are ONLY supposed to be for marking. You're supposed to use your awl to then make the holes. If you want to punch through completely, you need to be using stitching chisels...they are a constant width all the way up each tooth. Edited December 16, 2015 by 25b Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted December 16, 2015 Have a look at this thread, posted by myself on 01 Dec 15 in the 'Sewing Leather' forum Irons, Chisels And Holes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kulafarmer Report post Posted December 16, 2015 Pricking irons are ONLY supposed to be for marking. You're supposed to use your awl to then make the holes.If you want to punch through completely, you need to be using stitching chisels...they are a constant width all the way up each tooth.Ahhh,,, Ill look for them, havent seen those, Any links for buying good ones? Have a look at this thread, posted by myself on 01 Dec 15 in the 'Sewing Leather' forum Irons, Chisels And Holes Will do, am going to search it now Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kulafarmer Report post Posted December 16, 2015 Have a look at this thread, posted by myself on 01 Dec 15 in the 'Sewing Leather' forum Irons, Chisels And Holes So what do you think the tandy chisel qualifys as? The holes are pretty big IMO, easy to sew buut Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidL Report post Posted December 16, 2015 So what do you think the tandy chisel qualifys as? The holes are pretty big IMO, easy to sew buut They qualify as beginner tool. I would assume professional leather workers tune their vb pricking irons like their awl to their desired size. You would easily ruin the iron if you dont know what your doing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
25b Report post Posted December 16, 2015 David -- Nigel uses the stitching chisels and approves of them and I would not think they are a "beginner" tool because of that. Kulafarmer -- The ones I use are made by Seiwa...I think maybe leathercrafttools.com might sell them? I'm sure you can get them on ebay...just make sure they're Seiwa and not fakes... In addition to reading zuludog's post he sent the link to, make sure and watch Nigel Armitage's reviews of all sorts of stitch marking tools on youtube. It is very comprehensive and thorough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kulafarmer Report post Posted December 16, 2015 David -- Nigel uses the stitching chisels and approves of them and I would not think they are a "beginner" tool because of that.Kulafarmer -- The ones I use are made by Seiwa...I think maybe leathercrafttools.com might sell them? I'm sure you can get them on ebay...just make sure they're Seiwa and not fakes...In addition to reading zuludog's post he sent the link to, make sure and watch Nigel Armitage's reviews of all sorts of stitch marking tools on youtube. It is very comprehensive and thorough. I saw the links to his vids on another thread, will watch them for sure, The tandy chisel makes neet holes, especially since i polished them, saw some of the seiwa chisels on ebay, pretty cheap for sets of 4? Irons i think,,,, Will order a set and try them, This stuff is all new to me so sorry i seem like a kook,,,, When i was a kid and did leather work, we used the marking roller then made the holes with an awl then if you wanted to, went back over the stiches with the roller and some wax, but that was a long long time ago and the saddle guy who showed me that was an old old guy wayyyy back then. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
25b Report post Posted December 16, 2015 When i was a kid and did leather work, we used the marking roller then made the holes with an awl then if you wanted to, went back over the stiches with the roller and some wax, but that was a long long time ago and the saddle guy who showed me that was an old old guy wayyyy back then. Yeah...overstitch wheel...ok for "rustic"...not so ok for fine leatherwork, but that's just my opinion. I used one before, then also used pricking irons and stitching chisels and found that I far preferred both of those to the finished product of an overstitch wheel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted December 16, 2015 How small or fine do you want to go? I once visited a professional leatherworker and besides general leatherwork, luggage & shoe repairs to mearn the money, he specialised in, would you believe, wallets and bondage. He did some very tight & fine stitching. He made a sort of template or pricking iron from thin scrap sheet steel to have very small stitch spaces, and a homemade awl - and very careful measurement. The handle was turned by a friend who did woodturning and the awl blade was very narrow, probably only about just over 1 mm wide, and possibly made from an old darning needle Any work done by this method was quite slow, and rather expensive Mind you, he had years of experience If the leather was thin you could probably do something similar with glovers needles Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kulafarmer Report post Posted December 16, 2015 Yeah...overstitch wheel...ok for "rustic"...not so ok for fine leatherwork, but that's just my opinion. I used one before, then also used pricking irons and stitching chisels and found that I far preferred both of those to the finished product of an overstitch wheel. Agreed,,, But in the 60s there was no internet, mass media or facebook,,,, So the 85 year old Hawaiian saddle guy was all there was, his saddles and stuff were real nice, didnt make too terribly many designer purses, and frankly wasnt interested in that trash back then anyway,,, You make do with what you have sometimes,,, Thats where Im at in this moment, just trying to figure out what i can do with what i have or how i need to modify it or modify my use of it in order to get the results others expect,,, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidL Report post Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) David -- Nigel uses the stitching chisels and approves of them and I would not think they are a "beginner" tool because of that. Watched the video you are referring to. A stainless iron was shown, the black tandy iron was what I was talking about. For a functional tool the tandy iron looks like it would work, the iron in nigels review had a tooth knocked off that doesnt inspire confidence. Dont see the tandy version being better than the cheaper Japanese stitching chisel. It does look more like a dixon or vb than not. Edited December 17, 2015 by DavidL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
