Sangrati Report post Posted August 16, 2019 Hi, I am very new to the leather craft and practising it for some time now. Have made quite a few wallets. The issue that I am facing times and again is making the holes accurately. I want to know the right sequence for making holes. I tried it in following two ways. 1. I glued two pieces and after that drew a line and made holes using prong. But then while making holes the glue came off at few places. 2. I made holes and glued it after that. Here the upper and lower holes get mismatched and become quite ugly. Can someone kindly show me how to do it correctly as with sewing, I am quite comfortable and good holes will increase the quality of my work significantly. Regards Sangrati Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted August 16, 2019 (edited) Hello Sangrati; sorry to hear you are having problems as sewing wallets should be straightforward as they are usually soft, thin leather I make knife sheaths which have a similar procedure, except that there are three thicknesses of leather to sew as it includes a welt, and the leather would be thicker than that for a wallet, at 3 to 3,5mm I glue the welt to one side of the sheath, allow it to dry, then glue on the other side of the sheath, clamp it together and let it all dry for a couple of hours. I mark a line with dividers then make the holes with a stitching chisel and an awl, then do the sewing. I don't have any problems with the parts separating while I sew It could be that you are not using a decent glue, or enough of it. I use a solvent based general glue like UHU & Bostik, or leather glue from a craft shop, but still solvent based Search YouTube for 'making leather wallets' there are several videos which will be helpful This video is good for a beginner - How to Make a Simple Hand Made Wallet by Nigel Armitage Also Nigel has made several videos on pouches; although they are on pouches they are masterclasses of neatness and precise methodical working. The same sort of techniques can be used for wallets. Search YouTube for Nigel Armitage - Pouches Hmmm..... I've just re-read your post. When you say 'prong' do you mean a stitching chisel or an awl? The layers shouldn't separate if you are using a stitching chisel as you will be hammering it down onto a flat surface But if you mean an awl it could be that it is not sharp enough and though you will be able to force it through one layer it might not be sharp enough to penetrate the second layer, and instead it will be pushing it away An awl must be absolutely as sharp as possible, to pass through the leather with hardly any effort. A new awl is rarely sharp enough and you must prepare and sharpen it yourself with a fine sharpening stone or wet & dry paper, followed by a strop. Again Search YouTube for suitable videos Edited August 16, 2019 by zuludog Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rockoboy Report post Posted August 16, 2019 Hello Sangrati, I use the 1st method in your enquiry. I use a stitching chisel, so the holes are made all the way through, not just a prick mark for an awl. If the 2 pieces come apart before or during stitching, I do not care. Once the holes are accurately made, my 2 pieces get stitched together accurately. I have tried cutting the pieces to their end size before stitching together, but I think I prefer to make the item oversize, so I can cut the item to match the stitch-line after stitching is completed. If you post pictures of your work, people will be able to make comment based on what they can see, which might be of more assistance to you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sangrati Report post Posted August 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Rockoboy said: Hello Sangrati, I use the 1st method in your enquiry. I use a stitching chisel, so the holes are made all the way through, not just a prick mark for an awl. If the 2 pieces come apart before or during stitching, I do not care. Once the holes are accurately made, my 2 pieces get stitched together accurately. I have tried cutting the pieces to their end size before stitching together, but I think I prefer to make the item oversize, so I can cut the item to match the stitch-line after stitching is completed. If you post pictures of your work, people will be able to make comment based on what they can see, which might be of more assistance to you. Thank you very much. I am uploading some work and you will see the mess. Only the blue one seems little acceptable to me. So still stitches on the inner side card pockets got mixed up. Regards Sangrati Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sangrati Report post Posted August 17, 2019 3 hours ago, zuludog said: Hello Sangrati; sorry to hear you are having problems as sewing wallets should be straightforward as they are usually soft, thin leather I make knife sheaths which have a similar procedure, except that there are three thicknesses of leather to sew as it includes a welt, and the leather would be thicker than that for a wallet, at 3 to 3,5mm I glue the welt to one side of the sheath, allow it to dry, then glue on the other side of the sheath, clamp it together and let it all dry for a couple of hours. I mark a line with dividers then make the holes with a stitching chisel and an awl, then do the sewing. I don't have any problems with the parts separating while I sew It could be that you are not using a decent glue, or enough of it. I use a solvent based general glue like UHU & Bostik, or leather glue from a craft shop, but still solvent based Search YouTube for 'making leather wallets' there are several videos which will be helpful This video is good for a beginner - How to Make a Simple Hand Made Wallet by Nigel Armitage Also Nigel has made several videos on pouches; although they are on pouches they are masterclasses of neatness and precise methodical working. The same sort of techniques can be used for wallets. Search YouTube for Nigel Armitage - Pouches Hmmm..... I've just re-read your post. When you say 'prong' do you mean a stitching chisel or an awl? The layers shouldn't separate if you are using a stitching chisel as you will be hammering it down onto a flat surface But if you mean an awl it could be that it is not sharp enough and though you will be able to force it through one layer it might not be sharp enough to penetrate the second layer, and instead it will be pushing it away An awl must be absolutely as sharp as possible, to pass through the leather with hardly any effort. A new awl is rarely sharp enough and you must prepare and sharpen it yourself with a fine sharpening stone or wet & dry paper, followed by a strop. Again Search YouTube for suitable videos Hi, Thank you very much for a detailed reply. I am attaching the pic of prong. Regards Sangrati Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted August 17, 2019 Dont be to hard on yourself, you can see a great improvement just by looking at those images Nigel armitage has a good set of video instructions on Vimeo that may help and only £3.00 a month and you can cancel at any time, about 50 odd lessons from a master see https://vimeo.com/ondemand/armitageleather Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sangrati Report post Posted August 17, 2019 10 minutes ago, chrisash said: Dont be to hard on yourself, you can see a great improvement just by looking at those images Nigel armitage has a good set of video instructions on Vimeo that may help and only £3.00 a month and you can cancel at any time, about 50 odd lessons from a master see https://vimeo.com/ondemand/armitageleather Thank you so much for your comments. I just subscribed to the link you sent. Regards Sangrati Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RockyAussie Report post Posted August 17, 2019 Hello @Sangrati, I am curious as to why you are looking so hard at the hand stitching methods given that you wording in your profile says " Wallets - Interested in learning about:Machines and sewing materials" Would you not be better learning on a sewing machine? I mostly work on crocodile leather goods and I rarely see any need to do the way slower hand stitching methods. I have very little to show on how I make wallets but some can be seen in this video - I think if you want to have a look in my profile, in the about me section you can find some more information about how to make this line up machine if that is of interest to you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
