What size Tiger thread do I need for this chisel?

[brainmonster]

I want to buy some tiger thread for this chisel which I bought:

https://tandyleather.com/products/88043-535-pro-line-diamond-stitching-chisels?variant=33863169638531

I don't know what size holes or what the SPI is. What thread do I need? Maybe .6 or .8?

Also, if I buy another chisel, which cheap size should I buy for larger or smaller to accommodate either .6 or .8 that this chisel doesn't cover? I'm thinking about buying the cheap import chisels like this one:

https://ebay.us/Gj0Rjj

But again it doesn't say what size thread to use for each chisel, 3mm, 4mm, etc.

[Hardrada]

Tiger 0.6 mm.

SPI depends on the project. 2 mm is too tight, if you ask me, even for small goods like watch bands. You might need to use Fil au Chinois 632 or even 832 with those chisels you got. (https://www.rmleathersupply.com/collections/thread-sewing)

Check out this reference: https://www.ianatkinson.net/leather/leatherguide.htm#stitching

Ghostery prevents me from accessing your link, but my emphatic advice is that you don't waste your money on crap. Whenever I hear 'cheap import' it usually means Chinese-made by the lowest bidder—actually, scratch bidder, because the junk is so terrible that they didn't even qualify to bid. If you want inexpensive and still good quality and reliable, get yourself a pair of Seiwa chisels from goodsjapan.com:

https://www.goodsjapan.com/seiwa-diamond-leather-stitching-chisel-leathercraft-pricking-iron-tool-2x3mm/a-19396

https://www.goodsjapan.com/seiwa-diamond-leather-stitching-chisel-leathercraft-pricking-iron-tool-6x3mm/a-20901

That's what I have for my 4 mm spacing: a two-prong and a 6-prong: they do the job flawlessly.

[zuludog]

I'm with HADRADA on this

Nigel Armitage has several YT videos on stitching chisels, and on his recommendation I chose Seiwa as shown by Hadrada, and I'm happy enough with them

Obviously a top class tool such as Crimson Hide would be better, but they are very expensive, and the Seiwa work well enough if you're careful about placing them, and polish the prongs

Wider spaced prongs are easier to use and sew with, so start with the distance between the prongs of 3 to 4mm, and only get closer spaced chisels after you've gained some experience, and if you decide you need to. 

0,6mm dia synthetic thread will be OK for most stitching. 18/3 or 432 linen thread is about the same diameter 

Go to the 'Sewing Leather' section of this forum. The first Thread is all about stitching chisels, and there is a lot of good advice on there

EDIT - I've just re - read your post and I see you've already bought a chisel with 2mm spacing, which is very narrow, and I think you may well have difficulty sewing with it. If you go ahead I would use thinner thread such as 0,4mm synthetic, or, as Hadrada stated, 632 linen

I would get chisels with 4mm spacing - a 2 and a 4 or 6 prong - and 0,6mm thread, and get used to those first

Edited August 12, 2020 by zuludog

[johnv474]

Wait.  Tandy labels their chisels differently than anyone else I know.  They do not label their sizes based on tip-to-tip, like every other company.  They list just the distance between the sides of the teeth.  This is dumb. Since teeth size vary between manufacturers, and even among Tandy's lines, this is frankly a useless measurement, and confusing to customers trying to comparison shop.

Tandy's 2mm chisel is the equivalent of a 4mm chisel anywhere else, and gives you 6 stitches per inch, or very close.  Their 3mm is 5 spi. (should be called 5mm). Their 4mm is 4 spi (should be called 6mm).

For the 2mm (6spi) Tandy chisel, I recommend 0.8mm Tiger thread for a thicker look or 0.6mm for a slightly finer look.  I like 0.8mm for their 3mm (5spi) chisels, though others may like 1.0mm.

(Side note: the highly esteemed Nigel Armitage aka DangerousBeans on this site, commonly uses 7 spi and 0.6mm Tiger thread in his excellent Youtube videos, for example, and also in his excellent-er Vimeo channel.  It's worth checking it out.  For $4/month it is the very best single bang-for-the-buck leather learning resource I know of. Try a month and you'll see it pays for itself in the leather you won't mess up).

Edited August 13, 2020 by johnv474