diamond chisels line up issue

[CLW]

 Any tips on how to properly line up inside and outside pieces for saddle stitching holes using diamond point chisels?

I am having a dickens of a time lining up the saddle stitching holes i make with a diamond chisel on the front of my card case or wallet with the holes i punch in the inside pieces.  I have tried using the BRL precut templates which come with hole marks but none of my diamond chisels match the spacing and doing a project with a one hole chisel seems crazy.  Last time i had the holes on the outside piece going in one direction and the holes on the card case inside pieces going in the opposite direction.  (A shame because I spent a lot of time tooling some sumo wrestlers.)  I can't afford a drill press or anything like that. Any ideas and pointers will be most welcome.  Thanks !

[Webicons]

The way I do it is:

1.  Glue or tape the pieces together.

2.  Scribe a line where I want my stitching line to be.

3. Place piece on a solid surface and put a scrap piece of leather or similar under by pieces.

4.  Orient stitch line away from me (north/south direction).  Place Chisel on scribed line perpendicular to the piece.

5.  Look down the stitch line like sighting a gun to make sure Chisel is strait and right on stitch line. 

6.  Hammer in Chisel. 

[CLW]

Awesome, thanks.  Does this mean you punch holes after tooling and dyeing? Or do you use a non permanent cement to glue them together  for hole punching then tool and dye?  Double sided tape??

[Mattsbagger]

I use the same steps. I dye and finish all pieces before sewing. I use different colored thread for contrast. Also I primarily airbrush my dye on. Only people I know that dye after sewing are ones who dip dye. Does all that make sense? I does in my head.lol

[alpha2]

I use contact cement and occasionally double sided tape, but not just any tape. It has to be tape that is designed to hold leather together. The stuff Tandy has is actually quite good for the purpose. Make sure to hammer pieces together, (with a scrap leather to protect the project). Alternatively you can just use a roller made for the purpose, or a rolling pin to do the job. This makes sure the cement has good adhesion. 

Remember, any cuts on the leather will accept the dye much more readily than the grain surface of veg tan. Holes, edges, slots will have dark edges as the dye gets right into the flesh of the leather at those locations. PRACTICE on some scrap to see what the piece will look like when dyed. For that matter, try your stitching chisels on some scrap first, to get your technique down.

Keeping the chisel in line and vertical is the key. Hang in there! We've all been there...some still are, ask me how I know.

Jeff

[Dun]

6 hours ago, CLW said:

 Any tips on how to properly line up inside and outside pieces for saddle stitching holes using diamond point chisels?

I am having a dickens of a time lining up the saddle stitching holes i make with a diamond chisel on the front of my card case or wallet with the holes i punch in the inside pieces. 

Do you mean like "with the single chisel set you have it's hard to line up the angled holes when you have to flip the project over?

 

I have seen that some pricking irons can be purchased with a reverse set as well https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Pricking-Lacing-Stitching-Piercing/dp/B01MZH91I7 (i havn't tried those it just came up in a search)

[bikermutt07]

You should be pricking\chiseling from one side only. Attach your pieces with an adhesive and strike from the "front" side.

[CLW]

Thanks... I think what is happening is that I punch the holes separately in the front and inside pieces and don't attach them first to punch holes.  I am going to try that, then peel apart for tooling etc.  It makes sense if you punch first to attach them but I was letting the how do I get them apart or line them up correctly get in my way.  Thanks to all and will let you know how it goes....

 

[Mattsbagger]

22 minutes ago, CLW said:

Thanks... I think what is happening is that I punch the holes separately in the front and inside pieces and don't attach them first to punch holes.  I am going to try that, then peel apart for tooling etc.  It makes sense if you punch first to attach them but I was letting the how do I get them apart or line them up correctly get in my way.  Thanks to all and will let you know how it goes....

 

Never punch holes before anything. It's the last step for me before sewing and then last step is edges. Why do you want to punch holes first? 

[billybopp]

Leather tends to distort and "grow" a bit when tooled.  If you punch holes then too, they likely will not align again after.  As Mattsbagger said, punching holes for sewing is usually near the end of the process.

- Bill

[CLW]

21 hours ago, alpha2 said:

I use contact cement and occasionally double sided tape, but not just any tape. It has to be tape that is designed to hold leather together. The stuff Tandy has is actually quite good for the purpose. Make sure to hammer pieces together, (with a scrap leather to protect the project). Alternatively you can just use a roller made for the purpose, or a rolling pin to do the job. This makes sure the cement has good adhesion. 

Remember, any cuts on the leather will accept the dye much more readily than the grain surface of veg tan. Holes, edges, slots will have dark edges as the dye gets right into the flesh of the leather at those locations. PRACTICE on some scrap to see what the piece will look like when dyed. For that matter, try your stitching chisels on some scrap first, to get your technique down.

Keeping the chisel in line and vertical is the key. Hang in there! We've all been there...some still are, ask me how I know.

Jeff

Does this mean that you don't punch stitching holes or even make a stitching groove until after you have completed the project.. so that when you adhere front to back it is with permanent cement??

[alpha2]

Depending on the item, I might make a LIGHT scribe line where the stitching will go, only to establish the edge of the project so I can cut/sand the edge to an even distance from there stitch line is. I rarely cut a groove anymore.

[CLW]

OK, I think I have finally figured out what i am doing wrong... Duh me!  Thanks to everyone.  I need to punch holes AFTER i have finished with tooling and dyeing when the pieces are attached to each other... rather than try to line up holes and punch before the project is ready to stitch.  Too many prepunched Tandy Kits in my past I guess.  Thanks again....

[CLW]

That is a darn good question... why do i want to punch holes first.... I think it is, (now was!), because i thought that the straight edge for marking a stitching line and holes was the straightest before tooling  etc.  But even as I type that it doesn't really make sense.  It makes sooooooo much more sense to punch through all layers of leather once they are cemented together.... Punching straight wasn't the problem, it was getting two pieces of leather punched separately to line up...   Again, thanks to all!  

[bikermutt07]

41 minutes ago, CLW said:

That is a darn good question... why do i want to punch holes first.... I think it is, (now was!), because i thought that the straight edge for marking a stitching line and holes was the straightest before tooling  etc.  But even as I type that it doesn't really make sense.  It makes sooooooo much more sense to punch through all layers of leather once they are cemented together.... Punching straight wasn't the problem, it was getting two pieces of leather punched separately to line up...   Again, thanks to all!  

No worries, we are all learning.