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ewayne53

Lacing/Stitching Chisels

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I hate show my ignorance but here goes. I recently purchased some leather working tools that included flat blade tools Lacing/Stitching tools. I’ve noticed they also make Diamond Hole lacing/Stitching Chisel tools. Other than the obvious shape of the hole is there a big difference in which one you use? I’d be curious to hear your personal preferences and why. 
 

Thanks for your input and God bless.  
 

If the grass is really greener on the other side. Maybe it’s because someone else is taking care of it.  

Edited by ewayne53

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The lacing chisel looks like this:  _ _ _ _    It makes flat slots in a line for decorative edge lacing, using flat lacing and lacing needles. 
A traditional pricking iron or stitching chisel looks like this (more or less): \ \ \ \  or  \  \  \  \  or  \   \   \   \ depending on the size you have (usually millimeters, measuring either the width of the gap or from center of each tooth to the next center).

  • a pricking iron:  you use it with a light mallet stroke only to MARK the holes on one piece of leather, then, as you sew, you use a stitching awl to make the hole on that mark.Can be used as a chisel, but not meant to be. Straight or lightly tapered. 
  • a stitching chisel: you put the two pieces of leather together (usually glue), then use a heavier mallet stroke to punch through both pieces at the same time. Straight or lightly tapered. 

Diamond stitching chisel is like the above stitching chisel, but it opens up larger, diamond shaped holes rather than the narrower, slit-like holes. The tips have a much heavier taper than the sides of the teeth. 

Preferences:
The lacing chisel is used for lacing to decorate/protect an edge. It's a traditional technique, that works well with certain period pieces. You can also sew using those holes, but you might not like the way it looks, with a lot of empty hole showing. I only use it for the few projects I lace (like this one or this one.)

Some very good hand stitchers use the pricking iron method -- Nigel Armitage has quite a view videos discussing it, and he is considered by many on this forum to be the master of this old-fashioned technique, which is how stitching was done for centuries. It creates a lovely diagonal stitch which is the mark of a hand-stitched item (machines can't do it) with a particular flair.  It makes some practice to do it well, since you must have absolute mastery of the awl to make the holes perfectly straight on the "back" side of the leather (Nigel Armitage's videos, again, show how this is done.) To do this well (and smoothly) you must learn to stitch without putting down the awl. 
This is why many of us use the stitching chisel: with care to align the chisel straight vertically and on the line of the stitches, one good whack (or more) makes a quick line of aligned, matching holes through both pieces of leather. This allows us to stitch without having to also hold the awl in the hand along with both needles, and makes the stitching time faster.
It also can be used to create the traditional diagonal stitch (or if you want, you can make straight stitches too). I used a stitching chisel on a long wallet project -- you can see what the stitching looks like on the outside and the inside:

FinishedSide.jpg 

 

For the pricking iron or stitching chisel or diamond chisel: You can vary the size/spacing of the iron/chisel and the thread size to match the project-- heavier projects will use bigger thread and fewer stitches per inch, whereas smaller ones (like watch straps) use smaller thread and more stitches. 

The diamond chisel, to me, seems to be more for thicker leathers -- the tapered teeth mean that the hole on the BACK side is smaller than that on the front side. It opens up a bigger hole. They look like this on the leather:
Diamond Hole Chisel Set

So to recap:
Lacing the pieces together? Lacing chisel.
Barely visible slit-like holes with tight spacing (requires more care with the needles to avoid stabbing the thread)? Pricking iron/stitching chisel
Bigger holes okay (may be easier for some to stitch because of the size)? Diamond chisel.

In ALL cases: wing dividers to make a stitching line! Some people recommend a stitching groover (so the threads go below the surface of the leather) but I don't use mine anymore, finding the wing dividers a lot more secure and flexible to use: fewer goof-ups, and quickly adjustable to width. And polished chisels are SO much easier to use, since those polished teeth don't "stick" in the leather like the rough machined teeth do. Either pay a premium for polished chisels, or buy cheaper ones and prepare to spend a few hours polishing them.

I started with only an awl (because I was young and dumb, and didn't really think to ask anybody), then a lacing chisel, then the diamond chisel, and now I have two different sets of stitching chisels (3 mm and 4 mm).

Others with more time and experience stitching have some other recommendations or tips for when  you might prefer one over the other.  It will be interesting to see differing ideas than mine!

Edited by DJole

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DJole has given us an excellent explanation, but here are a couple of other comments -

To make things clear, you should not hit the chisels with a steel hammer as that will damage them; instead use a soft faced mallet, such as wood, hide, or nylon

This video gives a demonstration & explanation - 'Pricking Iron vs Stitching Chisel vs Lacing Chisel' by Mark The Braider

There are several other videos, Search YouTube accordingly

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