Flattening stitching

[ADubya]

I started practicing my saddle stitching today.  I have the Stohlman stitching leather book and am reading it, trying to stick as close to his method as possible.  I see a few things here I could improve on.  This is on a scrap piece of leather that was already beveled.  I assume it would be better to use my wing divider on a squared off edge before beveling.  This is Tiger thread, 0.8mm.  Chisels are Weaver 6mm.  5 TPI I think.  Awl is a small Kyoshin-Elle.  I used wing divider, then chisels, then awl to clean up holes about 3 at a time right before needles/stitching in pony.

My main equation here....  I hammered with the tack hammer after the stitching.  I see indentions in the leather from the hammer head.  Too much hammer pressure or wrong hammer?

When doing for real, I will also start my chisel at the belt tip point.

Any other tips based on what you see here?  

Thanks.

[buzzardbait]

Wrong hammer. You need one with a wider face and rounded edges like a cobblers hammer.

[fredk]

Wrong hammer; a rubber head mallet, a very small one should be sufficient

[zuludog]

Wrong hammer - that looks like an upholsterer's hammer, which has a narrow diameter, flat face for hitting tacks .

What you want is a cobbler's hammer, which has a larger diameter, slightly domed head. They're a bit pricey; a cheaper alternative would be a soft faced mallet, like hide or wood

By the way, if you've just started practising your saddle stitch, that's pretty good. Get a bevel edger next

[Matt S]

As others have suggested you want something with a larger face than that tack hammer. A cobbler's hammer is ideal but I lost mine a while ago and have been using the flat face of a ball-pein ever since.

[ADubya]

Thanks all...will try my rubber mallet and/or ballpeen.  If those don't work well I'll probably go with an osborne #66.

[Tugadude]

One point on the belt end to think about.  If you begin by putting a round hole in the exact middle of the belt, then work backwards down each side, you will end up with a perfect outcome.  As it is, when you simply go around the point of the belt as if it is a curve, it can end up looking wonky.  Nigel Armitage discusses this in relation to corners and calls the round hole a "hinge" for the thread, where it changes direction.  Otherwise, people often struggle with stitch spacing when they approach the corner.  Well, to me a belt is similar.  I always try to begin at the point of the belt with a round hole and then work backwards.  I do this on watch straps too.  I think it provides a professional look.  Try it and see if you agree.  Borrowed this pic from Nigel's facebook page.  This shows one way of doing it.  You may notice the "corner" stitches are a tad longer, they don't have to be, but it looks even and attractive.

[AndyNext]

Keep an eye on eBay, old cobbler's hammer are advertised quite regularly at much better prices than new ones.

[timesofplenty]

make sure the face of the cobblers hammer is polished smooth, no dents, dings, etc

[VabaX]

I just use a large ball peen. I say 'large ballpeen' because really its the same sized head as a normal hammer you'd use to hit nails (obviously dont use one that has hit nails before), but has the ball peeny bit on the other side, and isnt' as unweildly 

[Riem]

I'm Johnny-ccome-late on this post. Like your stitching - very consistent and neatly laid. About the hammering - although some people swear by their hammers, I prefer using a wallpaper edge roller to flatten stitches. That said, it's a case of each to his own.

[Danne]

That hammer works good if you modify it slightly. Take a file and round off the edges. And sandpaper from low to high grit until you have a really nice finish. And of course, because of the small diameter, you have to be a little careful.

[chrisash]

I have one of those small handle (just one hand width long) hammers and have covered the head in a layer of goat skin veg tan, find its just the right weight for tapping down and the leather head stops it marking

[garypl]

I use a small dead blow hammer with a disk of 10-12 oz veg tan glued to the face.

 

[TargetRockLeather]

On 2/4/2019 at 12:20 AM, ADubya said:

Thanks all...will try my rubber mallet and/or ballpeen.  If those don't work well I'll probably go with an osborne #66. 

I use an Osborne 66. The reason it works so well is that the face is slightly rounded and polished. It's great for stitching but I also use it when cementing two pieces of leather together. I find that it makes the bond stronger. If you do get one, don't ever use it on anything other than leather. You do NOT want even the slightest ding in the face of the hammer. As others have mentioned, any blemishes will be transferred to your leather with each impact.

[jcuk]

I also use a cobbler's hammer and i lay a clear piece of plastic over my work,  i also do do this when forming running and fixed loops on my bridle work - 

where i use smaller faced hammer.  Only i use clear sandwich bags and wrap it around several times but you can still see where you are hitting your work.

 

Hope this helps

JCUK

[penguineer]

If you're having a problem with using the right hammer how about using a bone folder to press the stitching down?

Slightly dampen the leather beforehand if it's too hard work.

Cheers!

[SilverForgeStudio]

Ill toss a more frugal (cheaper) alternative to the Osbourne hammer- a Car body work dolly/hammer set at Harbour Freight/Princess Auto or your local Chinesium metal tool distributor will have these in a small set (in the US its about 35 bucks) and you get a couple (one round and one square) head and a couple of "dollies"

I use the dollies as mini anvils and pattern weights.

Just a beginners alternative