stupid question about using diamond chisels

[battlemunky]

Yeah, I'm in the "used a piece of leather between the work and the poly board" camp too. Also partially in the "not sharp enough" camp. Once I polished up the teeth on my one set, which sucks and is quite tedious, it worked far better...then I ended up getting Sinabroks and now I just don't worry  !

@Frodo, do you mean they used too many teeth on the corner, say, the 4 tooth instead of the 2? If not, I don't know what you mean they used the incorrect chisel so please elaborate on that if you could.

[fredk]

3 hours ago, Alaisiagae said:

The teeth are electro plated, so to sharpen them I'd end up scraping that off... I'm a little reluctant to do that. 

a. they are not electro-plated

b. nor are they 'electrophoresis' coated

c. they have a chemical blackening

d. you need to ignore all that and sharpen the teeth. You need a very sharp cutting edge and smooth sides to each tooth

[zuludog]

Averagely priced stitching chisels such as Tandy only come with a basic finish or sharpness, so they can be improved by polishing & sharpening the prongs yourself

Make a small file by gluing some 600 grit wet & dry paper to a thin sliver of wood like a lollipop stick; or a piece of thin, stiff plastic; or a thin strip of aluminium. Than carefully polish all the prongs. This is a bit of a tedious job, but worth doing. This will remove the black coating, but that doesn't matter

Lubricate the prongs before use by stroking them over beeswax

When removing the chisels, hold down the leather by pressing down with a piece of wood right next to the prongs, to avoid distorting the leather and the holes

I work on an old magazine. They are effectively free; and have just the right combination of resilience and support, but soft enough not to blunt the prongs. Just replace it when it's worn

Mark the line of stitching with dividers. Place one tip against the edge of the leather, and the other onto the leather, with a gap of about 3 or 4mm

Search on YouTube for using stitching chisels, there are several videos. Also for making pouches and wallets, you'll see how other people stitch thin leather. In fact as you watch YT videos on making any leather items you'll see the tools & techniques used

Nigel Armitage has a series of videos on making pouches, starting with a simple 2 piece model, then building up to more complicated designs

[chrisash]

Have a look at jo's video's on this youtube link, she covers most of what beginners need to make

https://www.youtube.com/c/JHLeather/videos

 

[johnv474]

These chisels aren't bad.  They are a durable set that can provide decent holes, and they are a good starter set.  You can achieve stitching that will impress the entire public and all but the finest leatherworkers with such a set.

*** WALL OF TEXT WARNING.  TL;DR: step by step how to improve your stitch hole makin'. ***

Before you start, you need a sturdy, non-bouncy table or surface.  I would rather punch holes on the sidewalk or a tile than a folding card table.

First, scratch a line to stitch along, at the same distance from the edge as the distance from tip to tip on your chisel, or barely closer.  Don't use wing dividers as a beginner to scratch a like, or a groover.  Instead,.use a straight edge and a scratch awl or pen with no ink in it, drawn backwards.  Don't use wing dividers because beginners need to get better at cutting straight edges and curves first, (but you will).

Second, overlap by two prongs, not one, and rest the prong at the other end right in the center of your line.  You should by looking down the line while doing this... pointed toward you and not side-to-side.

Third, have belt-thickness leather under your entire project so it is laying flat.

Fourth, if you have a two prong chisel, use that in the corner, exactly centered on the corner where your straight lines would cross, i.e. each one the same distance from the corner.  End the lines just before they cross--ideally, so the two prong chisel will barely touch the ends.

If you don't have a two prong chisel, use your scratch awl to poke a hole just inside of where your straight lines would cross, so the awl hole barely touches both lines.

Fifth, Punch the rest of your holes from each corner out.  When you are punching, first rest the head of your mallet on the top of the tool, and then raise or lower the handle until it is exactly horizontal.  The chisel must be exactly vertical, the mallet, horizontal.  Then, try to raise your mallet using just your forearm and swing down along the same path, firmly but not heavily... enough that more than just the tips penetrate the other side.  Pick up the project with the fork still in it and check at first.  (If you don't ensure this you will need to use a diamond awl at least as big as the holes and very carefully insert it straight into the diamond holes so they are the same size.)  This is to ensure that you are hitting your chisel straight down instead of hitting the edge of the tool (which can bump it at an angle and make your holes on the back wobbly).

If you have to fudge the spacing of a hole, err on the side of a short stitch or two instead of a long ones. They are less noticeable than in a corner or the middle of a line.  Next time, make a pattern that include punch holes measured/marked/made to avoid fudging the spacing.

Sixth, when you pull the chisel back out of the leather, press your finger firmly near the teeth, so that you don't distort the leather by pulling at and angle.  Or, use something like your bone folder laid flat.

Seventh, stitch.  In choosing between two thread sizes, it usually looks more refined to choose the thinner one, and more rugged to choose the thicker one.  Watch Leodis' Leather and Nigel Armitage's Youtube videos to get incredible instruction from two of the most prolific and experienced leatherworkers on Youtube.  Both seem to genuinely want to help preserve this craft by teaching, and are generous with their knowledge. 

Eighth, tap down your stitches lighly with a smooth faced mallet or hammer.  If needed, go back over your holes with a matching overstitch wheel, or by very lightly pushing your dull chisels into the stitching, or by using a dull stylus or a ballpoint pen with no ink in it to push down the space between each stitch equally so they all look the same.

Ninth, eventually put some sealer over your leather, like acrylic Resolene.  This will help keep your stitching in place and help slow down any discoloration from jeans, etc.

Tenth, freely share to others, as others have with you.  The better the results we all get, the better it is for our future customers' satisfaction and loved ones' delight, and the greater the demand will be for well-made, beautiful leather goods... which helps us all.

 

This was long, but I hope it was worth it.

[Frodo]

8 hours ago, battlemunky said:

Yeah, I'm in the "used a piece of leather between the work and the poly board" camp too. Also partially in the "not sharp enough" camp. Once I polished up the teeth on my one set, which sucks and is quite tedious, it worked far better...then I ended up getting Sinabroks and now I just don't worry  !

@Frodo, do you mean they used too many teeth on the corner, say, the 4 tooth instead of the 2? If not, I don't know what you mean they used the incorrect chisel so please elaborate on that if you could.

YES, that is what i meant.   Sometimes i think others can read my mind LOL  

[Alaisiagae]

Thanks, @johnv474, @Frodo, @zuludog, @battlemunky. @fredk This actually is electroplated rather than chemical blackening. I used one of the interchangeable chisel heads in my arbor press, the ram has a hiole and set screw, and I tighted the set screw. The pressure caused the set screw to squish the threading on the interchangeable chisel head and the black coating flaked off in some areas. I do have chemically blackened tools, and these are indeed different.

I will use the techniques you all have described, and punch some holes today to see if that solves the wrinkly-back-hole problem. My poly board is thick (about 1/2 inch) and I've driven my chisels and hole punches into it before - it's not like a thin cutting mat. Nonetheless, I'll use a thick piece of leather (I've got some scap belly I practiced stamping on) under my project piece, and coat the chisel prongs in beeswax more frequently. I'll also follow johnv's excellent tutorial for how to hold my chisel and mallet - I am definitely guilty of striking at a slight angle (my poor mallet head). 

I glued (Fiebing's leather glue/cement) the two pieces together last night, which raises a question: do you make your chisel holes before or after dyeing? If I use a strong permanent glue, I can't separate the two pieces to dye them (specifically, if I want to dye the flesh sides).

[zuludog]

4 hours ago, chrisash said:

Have a look at jo's video's on this youtube link, she covers most of what beginners need to make

https://www.youtube.com/c/JHLeather/videos

 

Yes, Jo's videos are good, and an added bonus is that you get to hear a perfect Middle Class English accent

If you ever want to upgrade from Tandy, have a look at Weaver Leather Supply and Rocky Mountain Leather Supplies

I dye before I glue and make the stitch holes, whether it's just one side or both

Edited August 30, 2020 by zuludog

[Alaisiagae]

Okay, so I did all the recommended changes, and here's the back side of the piece. I see that when the chisel punches through, it's pushing the leather outward into a little dome around each hole. Is this normal, or does the tool just suck?

I recall having this same wrinkling/bowed out problem when I used a leather drive punch (round) on the flesh side; the grain side look really crappy. 

 

EDIT: same thing happens with my thonging chisels, they're brand new.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Alaisiagae

[tsunkasapa]

Try stitching a couple of scrap pieces, then "set" your stitches with a smooth faced mallet. Do this on your marble and I think those "little domes" should go away.

That being said, it does look like a sharpness issue.