Members ADubya Posted February 3, 2019 Members Report Posted February 3, 2019 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. Quote
Members buzzardbait Posted February 3, 2019 Members Report Posted February 3, 2019 Wrong hammer. You need one with a wider face and rounded edges like a cobblers hammer. Quote
Contributing Member fredk Posted February 3, 2019 Contributing Member Report Posted February 3, 2019 Wrong hammer; a rubber head mallet, a very small one should be sufficient Quote Al speling misteaks aer all mi own werk..
Members zuludog Posted February 3, 2019 Members Report Posted February 3, 2019 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 Quote
Members Matt S Posted February 3, 2019 Members Report Posted February 3, 2019 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. Quote
Members ADubya Posted February 4, 2019 Author Members Report Posted February 4, 2019 Thanks all...will try my rubber mallet and/or ballpeen. If those don't work well I'll probably go with an osborne #66. Quote
Members Tugadude Posted February 4, 2019 Members Report Posted February 4, 2019 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. Quote
Members AndyNext Posted February 4, 2019 Members Report Posted February 4, 2019 Keep an eye on eBay, old cobbler's hammer are advertised quite regularly at much better prices than new ones. Quote
Members timesofplenty Posted February 6, 2019 Members Report Posted February 6, 2019 make sure the face of the cobblers hammer is polished smooth, no dents, dings, etc Quote
Members VabaX Posted February 6, 2019 Members Report Posted February 6, 2019 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 Quote
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