Craftool pro fine diamond stitching chisel 3.5mm photo of holes made.

[ContactCement]

My hands and I don't tolerate an awl and awl haft very long without feeling pain later. Many stitching punches are poorly described leaving people in the dark. Here is what I found out when I received my order and opened the package. I'm asking other leather crafters to took the time to post their favorite brand, spacing and results. My results are limited for now as I'm waiting on # 150 heavy waxed thread and needles to ship.

I just received my Craftool Pro Fine Diamond 3.5mm 88057  01 and 08 tooth in the mail today and I'm impressed with the quality and that they are sharp. I have not tried the holes made with waxed thread in punched leather yet (still getting supplies shipped) My first diamond stitching chisels were imported to the US from China and produced a nice 8 stitches per inch. Anyhow my Craftool pro fine stitching punch 3.5mm  dimensions are nowhere near 100% accurate as in tool and die. They are approximate measurements using a steel rule and cheap imported h f digital caliper. Single punch tine thickness shoulder to shy of the tip 0.041"- 0.055 1.09mm -1.51mm  Single punch tine tapered width 0.123" 0.125" 2.63mm -3.08mm  Tine length 3/8" 9mm,  Handle length 4 1/2" 114mm,  Handle width 5/16" 8 mm,  Handle thickness 3/16" 4.68mm  The Large Stitching Punch is 1 3/16" width and tip to tip is 0.144 &  4mm. Using folded paper as a feeler gauge in between the times on an angle 0.38" -.040"  The photo shows the tines markings into cardboard because leather closes up. The craft tool pro 8 tooth stitching punch (is approximately  7 stitches per inch) The holes it made are approximately 5/32" center of diamond to center of diamond. The corner of diamond to corner of diamond is approximately 1/8"   Compared to the un-named Chinese import corner of diamond to corner of diamond  1/16" with 1/8" approximately spacing with 8 stitches per inch.

If you have a favorite brand or quality diamond stitching chisel that doesn't break your piggy bank and makes your work look great or favorite spacing please speak up and post some images. I still have to order some thread to get started.

Edited May 10, 2017 by ContactCement

[zuludog]

I have a Craftool 2 - prong, 4mm stitching chisel, #88046 - 02, and I'm happy enough with it; but now I would like a 4 - prong to match, and also some chisels with narrower gaps, say 3mm

This is where the fun starts as I'm getting confused. There are so many to choose from. I've just spoken to my local Tandy store, and they say they have three types of chisels, but the full range of sizes & prongs is not shown on their website

Then there are the variety of Chinese & Japanese chisels on the Net, Amazon, and so on. Some of them are better known (Craft Sha, Seiwa) than others; presumably the quality will vary as well. Yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice

Searching YouTube for 'leather stitching chisels' will produce lots of videos; watch as many as you have the stamina for. In particular Nigel Armitage has done several reviews of different brands. In fact anything by Armitage Leather, Leodis Leather, and Leathertoolz is worth watching

Be careful with the measurements and specifications as some refer to the gaps between the prongs, and some to the distance between the points. Also, the Chinese & Japanese chisels are probably made from the ground up in metric measurements, but I suspect that some of the Tandy chisels will be fractions of an inch that have simply been rounded to the nearest millimetre equivalent.

I have decided to stay with Craftool chisels as I know they are OK for me, but I'll be visiting my local Tandy store soon and may just change my mind if I see anything better. Perhaps I'm a bit old fashioned but I'd rather pay a bit more to actually see & handle the goods before I buy them.  On the other hand, some of the imports are so cheap it might be worth trying them, and no great loss if they're not very good. Decisions, decisions.....

Whatever you get it's well worth fettling or polishing the prongs with a needle file and a home made 'wand' made by glueing some wet & dry paper to a sliver of wood like a lollipop stick; use 500 or 600 grit, then finer if you wish. There are a couple of videos about this

Similarly with an awl. If you have difficulty using it, work on getting it as sharp and as smooth & polished as possible. If you haven't done it already, make your own strop from oddments of wood & leather, and use a proper stropping compound. This will be just about the easiest piece of leatherwork you'll ever do

It helps with both awls & chisels if you rub/lubricate them with beeswax before you use them

If you still have problems using an awl you could try adapting a drill press. In fact I think there have been a couple of threads about that on here; search away!

As for thread, try starting with unwaxed, natural, 18/3 linen, and take it from there. Ask your supplier for needles to match

 

Edited May 11, 2017 by zuludog

[bikermutt07]

I would look at the crimson hide line of chisels.

They are made like awl blades (tapered diamond). I plan to purchase some in the future.

Check out Nigel's video.

[alpha2]

I have a couple of Craftool Pro chisels. The pic illustrates the issue I have with them. I stopped by the Tandy store in Cheyenne yesterday to look at their stock. Most of them had the same issue, one or two didn't.

The "serrated" sides on the tines don't help the tool easily enter or exit the leather. I can file them down, and I likely will do so, but it's frustrating that Craftool didn't see their way clear to make them properly. I could also grind and sand and polish my regular Craftool chisels, too, but that's kind of the point of spending the extra on the "Pro" series, isn't it?

I have a serious hankerin' for the Crimson Hide tools, also. $$$

[zuludog]

I've just had a thought about your problem with an awl. Are you using the 4-in-1 awl sold by Tandy and others? It's not very good (that's the polite version!)

Get a simple fixed blade awl like Tandy Stitching awl  with 1 1/4" blade, #31218-01, or, if you can afford it, Craftool Pro Stitching awl #83020-00. And remember to polish them on a strop

[ContactCement]

My individual Craftool Pro Fine Diamond Stitching Punch 88057-08 shipped to me is a pretty nice punch and the pointed tips are sharp enough out of the box.  I personally chose to gently hone the angles flats in between the prongs / teeth as they were getting stuck easily. With the larger thread size I should get a decent looking stitch as the teeth / prongs are pretty wide. Various thread size recommendations will be greatly appreciated.  So far people have suggested Tiger thread .6mm - .8mm 1.0mm  I have seen someone use the stitching pony in a video to support the leather when pulling the chisel straight out.

I used a dirt cheap Revlon diamond nail file wrapped with a folded strip of 400 wet dry and it worked fine with no glue needed as the diamond grit held the sandpaper in place. The angled space in between the prongs or teeth is easily honed and polished using slow controlled strokes with light pressure. It took approximately 44-50 minutes to remove most of the machining marks. To preserve metal, strength and tooth geometry I personally chose not to go crazy honing and removing enough metal to obtain a glass smooth surface like I do on my professional hand plane irons finished with 1000 and 2000 grit that are razor sharp. When honing in between the prongs or teeth stop and take measurements of the flat area of each prong near the radius and the tip, measure both sides. Also slip a steel machinist ruler along the angled prong / tooth and measure the length. I did not hone or polish the diamond pointed tips, flat handle surfaces or the flats shown above the ruler. Good luck. If needed practice you filing and sanding skills on some junk scrap metal first.

 

Edited May 11, 2017 by ContactCement

[ContactCement]

3 hours ago, zuludog said:

I've just had a thought about your problem with an awl. Are you using the 4-in-1 awl sold by Tandy and others? It's not very good (that's the polite version!)

Get a simple fixed blade awl like Tandy Stitching awl  with 1 1/4" blade, #31218-01, or, if you can afford it, Craftool Pro Stitching awl #83020-00. And remember to polish them on a strop

Quoted wrong person.

Edited May 11, 2017 by ContactCement

[zuludog]

I think there has been a misunderstanding. I wasn't referring to a stitching chisel but to the 4-in-1 AWL, Tandy # 3209-00. Not many of the members on this forum think much of it either

It's also quite expensive. For less money you can get the better quality Craftool Pro Stitching awl # 83020-00 plus the scratch awl #3217-00

Edited May 11, 2017 by zuludog

[alpha2]

I got the 4 in 1 when I started out. It's beyond bad. Live and learn, now I have the Pro ones, so I didn't save by buying two sets!

[ContactCement]

4 hours ago, alpha2 said:

I have a couple of Craftool Pro chisels. The pic illustrates the issue I have with them. I stopped by the Tandy store in Cheyenne yesterday to look at their stock. Most of them had the same issue, one or two didn't.

The "serrated" sides on the tines don't help the tool easily enter or exit the leather. I can file them down, and I likely will do so, but it's frustrating that Craftool didn't see their way clear to make them properly. I could also grind and sand and polish my regular Craftool chisels, too, but that's kind of the point of spending the extra on the "Pro" series, isn't it?

I have a serious hankerin' for the Crimson Hide tools, also. $$$

I agree about quality issues. It makes me want to buy some 0-1 precision flat ground tool steel and hacksaw my own custom teeth then quench it in oil. I have never hand cut any long prongs / teeth before though.

What the number of the stitching chisel in the above photo ?  This will help others avoid it or in the very least know what they may end up with. I tinker with metal and restore metal hand planes. Your stitching punch will require more than a simple final honing. If your lucky the teeth will have the same dimensions and equal spacing. When filing, shaping and honing your teeth / prongs keep the stroke length and pressure the same. Some people count the honing strokes for router bits. Take measurements as you go and try to avoid accumulative error in measurement. When making a box joint in woodworking even a 1/64" error will add up fast as each slot is made until you have a mess.  I personally would call and email the manufacturer with a photo. Good luck. 

Edited May 11, 2017 by ContactCement

[alpha2]

Craftool Pro 88057, 3.5mm (7spi) is the tool, other sizes I saw in Cheyenne Tandy store had the same issue, as did those in a couple of the Denver area stores.

[zuludog]

Nigel Armitage has a review of that very tool on YouTube, it's well worth watching - 'Pricking Iron Review 10 Tandy 3.5 mm'

[ContactCement]

4 hours ago, alpha2 said:

Craftool Pro 88057, 3.5mm (7spi) is the tool, other sizes I saw in Cheyenne Tandy store had the same issue, as did those in a couple of the Denver area stores.

I may have gotten a recently manufactured Craftool Pro Fine Diamond Chisel 88057-08  3.5 mm or just very, very lucky as the handle and prong surface my 6" ruler is resting on in the photos was that way when it came in the mail. The angled surfaces between the teeth did have a few light horizontal machining lines as shown in your photo. But they weren't as deep as the photo of your teeth / prongs. I sure hope its not a gamble every time a order a stitching punch from them.

Edited May 12, 2017 by ContactCement