New Pricking Irons Dull?

[TKGeorge]

I'm new to leather working and just recieved some of my tools in the mail. I got an 8 tooth 3mm Amy Roke pricking iron, along with a 2 tooth. The 2 tooth works perfect, but the 8 doesn't seem to go in to the leather to mark it, it looks as if the teeth are just pushing the leather down, if that makes sense. Is this normal? I guess since there is more surface area it may be harder for that many teeth to pierce, but I dont feel like this should be an issue.

Should I go ahead and just gently polish each tooth, making sure to not change the angle obviously, to try and get it to pierce rather than just push? Am I crazy and just doing things wrong? Any help is appreciated.

[fredk]

You're lucky the 2-tooth makes holes. Very often these tools need sharpening and the edges 'polished'. An afternoon, or evening, doing the sharpening and polishing will transform them

[zuludog]

Most pricking irons and stitching chisels can be improved by polishing & sharpening the prongs

Use a needle file followed by home made 'wands' or buffers, made by gluing 600 grit and 1000 grit wet & dry paper to a sliver of wood,  such as a lollipop stick

After you've done that, it helps if you lubricate the prongs with beeswax 

Edited February 4, 2019 by zuludog

[Grumpymann]

Also make sure you are on a hard enough surface.  At the bottom and a pound board on top of that,if your using the irons to go all the way through the leather. 

I use a quartz slab with an old cutting board on top of that. It works well for me.

[zuludog]

15 minutes ago, Grumpymann said:

Also make sure you are on a hard enough surface.  At the bottom and a pound board on top of that,if your using the irons to go all the way through the leather. 

I use a quartz slab with an old cutting board on top of that. It works well for me.

Yes, I'd forgotten about that. I use a polypropylene kitchen chopping board about 15mm thick

[TKGeorge]

Thanks all for the help! I assumed a light polishing would be fine, but wanted to make sure before I went ahead with anything. And I did have a hard surface underneath, but good to,know that this could mess it up. I'm sure Ill be back with some other questions later, and hopefully some finished projects as well.

[YinTx]

I am surprised at this.  I've never heard of Amy Roke's needing additional sharpening out of the box!

YinTx

[JerryLevine]

Very interesting to hear about polishing pricking irons teeth: thanks for sharing the info. It sounds like you're using your pricking irons to pierce holes all the way through the leather.  Purely for interest, my English (Dixon's) and French (Vergez-Blanchard) pricking irons are designated in teeth per inch, according to the number of stitches you wanted per inch, rather than millimetres. They were also not used to make holes  in the leather, rather just to make consistent, evenly spaced marks to show where to use your awl.

[TKGeorge]

17 hours ago, YinTx said:

I am surprised at this.  I've never heard of Amy Roke's needing additional sharpening out of the box!

YinTx

It could have been bad technique, or rough scraps of leather causing issues, but after sharpening them for 10 minutes they did work much better. The actual quality of them is superb, I'm not upset with my purchase, and will be ordering them in different sizes soon! So dont take this as a bad review if thats how it came out. Just trying to make them function at their peak.

[TKGeorge]

14 hours ago, JerryLevine said:

Very interesting to hear about polishing pricking irons teeth: thanks for sharing the info. It sounds like you're using your pricking irons to pierce holes all the way through the leather.  Purely for interest, my English (Dixon's) and French (Vergez-Blanchard) pricking irons are designated in teeth per inch, according to the number of stitches you wanted per inch, rather than millimetres. They were also not used to make holes  in the leather, rather just to make consistent, evenly spaced marks to show where to use your awl.

I was just using them to mark, but when they dont pierce into the leather they leave a raised bump on the back of the leather since the teeth were just pushing the surface down, if that makes since. I think I may just get into the habit of a light polish/sharpening for each new pricing iron I get.

[Tugadude]

I found this information in the product description.  So apparently they intend on them not being "too sharp"...

The Amy Roke pricking irons are all hand polished to allow the teeth to pierce the leather really easily and slide out without and issues. They also have a carefully tested design to not cut through the leather too sharply but rather create a nice rounded opening. This helps ensure as you stitch the thread doesn't pull out leather fibers. 

Also, the picture shows to my eye a sort of blunt finishing, almost rounded.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Tugadude

[AndersenLeather]

On 4/2/2019 at 3:45 PM, TKGeorge said:

I'm new to leather working and just recieved some of my tools in the mail. I got an 8 tooth 3mm Amy Roke pricking iron, along with a 2 tooth. The 2 tooth works perfect, but the 8 doesn't seem to go in to the leather to mark it, it looks as if the teeth are just pushing the leather down, if that makes sense. Is this normal? I guess since there is more surface area it may be harder for that many teeth to pierce, but I dont feel like this should be an issue.

Should I go ahead and just gently polish each tooth, making sure to not change the angle obviously, to try and get it to pierce rather than just push? Am I crazy and just doing things wrong? Any help is appreciated.

If you intend to punch the iron all the way through the leather then i'm afraid you bought the wrong tool. As @Tugadude said this is not what the amy roke pricking iron is intended for. They are like the old pricking irons which are only ment to mark the leather. What you should have bought is sometimes described as a hybrid pricking iron. These are sharp and able to punch all the way through. Wuta and kevin lee and almost all of the highend chinese pricking iron are like hybrids.

Edited February 6, 2019 by AndersenLeather

[Dun]

I am also very new but I use stitching chisels as pricking irons to mark the leather and actually pierce with a sharpened awl. The pricks guide the awl. 

 

I didnt like the uncontrolled smooshing that the Tandy chisels did to the leather when hammered in, so I just use hand strength alone to prick my stitch marks in. 

 

[Tugadude]

Stitching chisels certainly can be used as a conventional pricking iron and some pricking irons can behave like a chisel.  For that matter, a kitchen fork could suffice so long as the times weren't bent.  If the leather is quite thin, the C.S. Osborne and Blanchard pricking irons will cut all the way through.  The thing to watch out for is that their teeth are tapered and in thicker leather, by the time they would penetrate, they would leave a gigantic hole that will not close up properly.

Same holds true for awls.  Controlling the depth with which you push the awl through the leather will provide consistency but if you only stab part-way through on some and all the way through on others, you will have odd-sized holes and irregular stitching.

So there is a lot going on and a lot to be aware of, hence the fact that in order to get really good at saddle stitching you have to work out the details.  Then repeat them!