srtboise Report post Posted January 9, 2016 Are these a decent alternative to the more expensive pricking irons? Or are these strictly for cutting lacing slots? http://springfieldleather.com/41841/Chisel%2CPricking%2CSize9/ Thanks steve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerdad Report post Posted January 9, 2016 If you have not done so already, I highly recommend watching the series of videos on pricking irons by Armitage Leather on Youtube. The craftsman, Ian Ermitage, offers a free, downloadable summary of the several irons he evaluated. This includes some inexpensive ones that work quite well. Armitage offers the best evaluation of irons that I've seen. Perhaps others can offer more ideas. Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tannin Report post Posted January 9, 2016 (edited) There are now many cheaper alternatives on ebay, mainly Chinese pricking irons; the Chinese seller never used to use/know the phrase "pricking iron" but it appears more often now - even so, try some creative searching and you will find lots from lots of different sellers. Shop around & shop carefully - don't buy the first ones you find, there are dozens & dozens of listings for these & prices vary considerably for similar products/shipping. Prices seem to be falling too and I just heard China is currently devaluing its currency again. Most of the sellers are selling similar or identical models but there are a few variations in design. There are even a few that are very similar looking to the English/French pricking irons but they cost much more and might be too "fat" for my needs (e.g. the width of the tynes) stitching with 0.8mm & 1mm thread - the regular, cheaper, flat ones have worked well for me so far. I started out with an English made 1.5" Dixon 7spi iron (before they went under) - ~£55 +£13 shipping - and had to wait for it to be handmade to order! That is my "benchmark". Then I bought a set of these 4 pricking irons for about £15 inc. shipping though Amazon - they are about 8SPI, work very well but the handles are shorter than Dixon irons (they are on all Chinese irons that I have encountered). I later bought a set of 4 6SPI/4mm pricking irons for less than £6.85 inc. shipping from ebay seller west197712. Recently I bought 2 sets of 4 pricking irons from ebay seller saleforever15 : 5SPI/5mm & 4SPI/6mm, they cost less than £5.50 per set inc. shipping - fantastic value At the same time but from 2 different ebay sellers, I also bought the optional, extra wide 10-prong irons for 5SPI/5mm & 4SPI/6mm- bit of a luxury really (~2" wide+) - they were more expensive @ £7.50 each including shipping but still quite reasonable - I expect their price will fall though; unfortunately the last one (widest one, 4SPI/6mm), unlike all the rest, was inexplicably sent in a thin, unpadded, light plastic bag and unsurprisingly one of the end prongs had snapped off in transit - disappointing, however the seller refunded the price immediately & I got to keep the now only 9-prong pricking iron effectively for free (would have preferred the tool undamaged but can't complain at that outcome); for everybody's sake I hope & expect they will not make that mistake again. I actually prefer them to the Dixon's pricking iron except for the significantly shorter handles, which mean you need to be a bit more careful when you are tapping them with a mallet. On the other hand, they are smaller, lighter, take up less room and are therefore also easier to carry/ship. If you are a professional making a lot of heavy horse straps you might be better off looking for vintage English/French Blanchard/American Obsourne/the more expensive Chinese "Euro" irons. I spent quite some time researching my purchases & writing the details up above - so I hope that helps others Edited January 9, 2016 by Tannin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tannin Report post Posted January 9, 2016 (edited) Sorry I mis-read your question - my response above may be of use though. Re. your specific question, that looks a lot like my Joseph Dixon iron when it first arrived - and it does not surprise me that they suggest it is intended for lacing. After using mine a couple of times, with horrible results, I sent it back to Dixons for them to re-grind slimmer (I had specified "slim" when I ordered but apparently that meant nothing to them but they were willing to grind it to my required width without any additional hassle or cost - you pay a lot but they provided good service, before they went under). So my guess would be that you could use it for stitching BUT (unless you are doing some big, heavy, horsey leather work that needs 3mm+ wide slots) that you will be disappointed by it UNLESS you are willing & able to grind the sides down yourself to make the slots much narrower (to maybe 1.5mm?). There is a cheaper & simpler solution in my post above: either cheap, short Chinese irons or the more expensive Chinese Euro irons - although it is possible that the latter are base on a similar design & might have the same problem , check dimensions carefully. Edited January 9, 2016 by Tannin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
25b Report post Posted January 9, 2016 The craftsman, Ian Ermitage, offers a free, downloadable summary of the several irons he evaluated. Not trying to be a smart alek, but the name is Nigel Armitage. I think maybe you're thinking of Ian Atkinson? Anyway, just wanted to correct Nigel's name to make it easier for folks to find his videos on youtube. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerdad Report post Posted January 9, 2016 Quite right 25b. My apologies to Nigel. The "Ian" was my mistake (yes, probably an unconscious Atkinson reference). The "E" in Ermitage was an auto-correct glitch. In any case, check out Armitage Leather on YouTube for the series. Great guy who offers lots of useful information. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
srtboise Report post Posted January 10, 2016 Thanks so much for the replies! I subscribe to Nigel's YouTube channel and am surprised I missed his pricking iron review videos. I will spend some time looking over these new options. steve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thefanninator Report post Posted January 10, 2016 The Chinese brand that's getting a lot of attention is Amy Roke. But I've read that the ordering process is a hassle and the wait might be a bit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerdad Report post Posted January 10, 2016 I ordered 12-prong and 2-prong irons from Amy Roke. After I got their email address, ordering was easy. The delivery took a few weeks, partly in production, partly in transit. Simply put, I think they are fantastic. The irons punch all the way through. I'd get more without hesitation. I think Peter Nitz uses these now, and that's a strong recommendation as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thefanninator Report post Posted January 11, 2016 I ordered 12-prong and 2-prong irons from Amy Roke. After I got their email address, ordering was easy. The delivery took a few weeks, partly in production, partly in transit. Simply put, I think they are fantastic. The irons punch all the way through. I'd get more without hesitation. I think Peter Nitz uses these now, and that's a strong recommendation as well. Cool that sounds better than I had thought. I'd buy some but I've got VBs for the time being. They look great. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerdad Report post Posted January 11, 2016 I'm sure the VBs are good, too. A thought for the future. D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dangerous Beans Report post Posted March 4, 2016 That Ian Ermitage is awesome... I watch him when I can't sleep! Sound like you have some good advice going here... let me know if I can help.or if you can't sleep... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu5txPOIXtG1WRnPzzpxACppYwf_inmYhNige (AKA Ian Ermitage) :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
