Markwell Report post Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) Hey guys! I have seen some leather workers confuse the pricking iron, stitching chisel and the lacing chisel. So I though i'd briefly describe and show you the difference. The basic concept: - pricking iron- marks the holes for piercing with the awl. Requires you to master the awl - stitching chisel- not only marks the holes, but also pierces them. So basically a combination tool of a pricking iron and an awl. Easier to use than using the pricking iron and awl combo - lacing chisel- a different tool, used for lacing. Works on the same principle as the stitching chisel. It marks and makes the holes, but for lacing. The holes are usually horizontal (sometimes slanted) and wider. A closer look: I hope this will help some tell the difference! Mark Edited June 30, 2017 by Markwell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted June 30, 2017 Good informative video. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ContactCement Report post Posted July 5, 2017 Yes a simple refresher of what I researched online. Yet I have other questions to address regarding various brands and dimensions before blindly experimenting dumping money on pricking or stitching chisels. My biggest complaint is how sellers attempt measure and describe stitching chisels. They demand top dollar for an often times poor description of their products. Most don't even attempt to make their product work and measure the actual stitch length and put that very simple yet necessary information on their advertisement. I read that some measure from the inside flat edges of prongs yet fail to give the tooth width or thickness. Again other sellers measure from the tip of the tooth to tip of tooth and often fail to give measurement for the tooth width or thickness. If I was manufacturing this stuff, the tool length, metal type, tooth width and thickness, stitches per inch and stitch length and even suggested thread size would be in the advertisement. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
strathmoredesigns Report post Posted July 5, 2017 (edited) @ContactCement I agree. The product descriptions are all over the place and there's not much standardization. When I was picking out my chisels, I found Nigel Armitage's reviews to be really helpful. He does YouTube demos and reviews of a bunch of the more popular chisels or if you don't have the attention span to watch a video, he's also summarized his findings on his website. I also sort of ran with Ian Atkinson's recommendation that a 3 mm and 4 mm set would cover just about anything I needed (I have a 3 mm, 3.5 mm, and 4 mm). Also, note that Ian's made a mistake in his list and says 6tx3mm twice, but he links to the correct products. @Markwell thanks for putting this together. It's a great resource! Edited July 5, 2017 by strathmoredesigns Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Markwell Report post Posted July 6, 2017 Thank you for the comments guys! I really do agree and can also recommend reviews by Nigel. Alas, the only way to actually see how a tool will perform is to actually try it. This can get quite costly, since tools don't come cheap, especially if your are trying out multiple tools with the same function. Anytime you are buying online, you are basically kicking in the dark. But as @ContactCement stated, an accurate description of the tool goes a long way! Mark Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
