Leather stitching help

[Wilhelm zu Eltz-Kempenich]

Hey! For jolly olde' Chistmas I got some leather working stuff, including some nice stitching stuff. I know some basic stitching techniques, but I'd like to learn more, stronger and better stitches. Can anyone point me to a tutorial type website with pictures that could teach me this sort of thing? The ones I've come across in my search do not include pictures, and quite frankly, I wasn't getting much out of them. Thanks for the help.

[Jost von Aichstadt]

Hey! For jolly olde' Chistmas I got some leather working stuff, including some nice stitching stuff. I know some basic stitching techniques, but I'd like to learn more, stronger and better stitches. Can anyone point me to a tutorial type website with pictures that could teach me this sort of thing? The ones I've come across in my search do not include pictures, and quite frankly, I wasn't getting much out of them. Thanks for the help.

Nordskogen, cool! One of my favorite groups ever. I don't have a lot to offer, but this page:
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/STITCH.HTM has a bunch of instructions (including pictures) of the stitches used in shoemaking, which will at least give you something to start with - and there should be some overlap between shoemaking and the rest of leatherwork - and besides, the world can always use more cobblers.

[Uilleag]

Azommin,

I have to say, that the majority of what I learned about leathercraft, I learned from good old fashioned books. Most of these I picked up from leathercraft stores.

I know that you may not like this answer, but some of the best information can still be found in books. Looking through the Leather Factory online catalog I found several books on basic leathercraft, to include a few books on different stitches, there uses and how-to type stuff.

The internet has a lot of information, but the majority of it came directly from books that have already been written. Either a direct scan of information, or somebody's interpretation of a book they have read.

Not much help in the near term, I will admidt, but I am reminded of a proverb my dad always used with me...."Give a man a fish and you fed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." It sounds sanctimonious....it always did to me, but its the best I can do. Until I publish a book, anyway!

Seriously, check out some different books on the subject, you will find a huge amount of info that way.

[schreiber]

Slightly anal nitpick:
Cordwainers. Cobblers specifically use clinching nails, which AFAIK are a 17th century development.

It really depends on what you're stitching. If it's a shoe or a garment, I'd stick with the known stiches - in addition to the above link, it would be worth your while to invest in the London Museum's <u>Shoes and Pattens</u>.

If you're working on armor, though, I'd do whatever works. I don't think a lot of the blind stitches and butt stitches for cordwaining would hold up. Perhaps even talk to someone who does saddles, since it's the same leather.

[Anon001]

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[Konstantin the Red]

You'll get a lot of use out of the saddle stitch -- two running stitches in opposite phase, as it were. It's frequently done by putting a needle at each end of a length of thread and running each needle through each stitch hole on up until the thread is close to ended, and tying off so that the knot is sunk into the leather. The stitch is simple, strong, and dual-redundant. A stitching pony is valuable for doing a fast, neat job of it.

The stitching awl stitch mimics the look of a saddle stitch, but the threads do not pass all the way through the leather; instead they link with each other in the middle and return to their respective sides of the sewn seam. A stitching awl works on the same principle as a sewing machine needle, but your fingers do all the thread positioning and keeping.

The pouncing wheel -- that spur-rowel thing -- is valuable both for spacing your stitch holes and for steamrollering the stitch down neatly into the leather by running the rowel over the finished stitches. It's superb for this in combination with stitching into a groove, as is used for good-quality leather shoe soles.

[Alcyoneus]

I use a heavy saddler's needle, and pull them through the holes with pliers.

[schreiber]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this nugget:

Especially for heavy leather, getting a hole punch will go a long way. Tandy and other leather places will sell them with variable numbers of punches - I usually get by fine on an 8 hole and a 4 hole.

The problem with them is the fact that they are chisel shaped and IMO spaced too closely together. That's why I grind off a little of each edge with a dremel and cutoff wheel before using them. Otherwise they tend to create rippable perforations in the leather.

[Konstantin the Red]

Schreiber, you're describing a thonging chisel. Hole punches would be either the rotary punches (get the solid, forged-steel kind whenever they have a sale on it, though it's worth the full price) or what they call the Mini Punch and the Maxi Punch sets, which are mallet-driven.

Thonging chisels are for thonging edges together, or decoration of edges by various plaitings of leather thongs. This isn't a medieval fastening method, btw, however noble it may be -- and it gives handsome effects -- as a leather decorative/fastening technique.

For the old-school stab-awl stitching method, note that the stab awl has a diamond-shaped blade section and two edges like a sword: it doesn't just poke a hole but cuts its way through. In use, angle these edges 45 degrees to the line of stitching so that, as Schreiber says, the leather doesn't tear on the dotted line. The resulting slanty perforations, smaller and less square than even a slant-toothed thonging chisel can offer, are a distinctive visual indicator that a stab awl was used. If you can get hold of old hard stab awl blades, use them! The Tandy iteration of this tool is disappointingly soft. If you know a smith who can make some up for you to put in your awl handle, even better.

[Kel Rekuta]

For the old-school stab-awl stitching method, note that the stab awl has a diamond-shaped blade section and two edges like a sword: it doesn't just poke a hole but cuts its way through. In use, angle these edges 45 degrees to the line of stitching so that, as Schreiber says, the leather doesn't tear on the dotted line. The resulting slanty perforations, smaller and less square than even a slant-toothed thonging chisel can offer, are a distinctive visual indicator that a stab awl was used. If you can get hold of old hard stab awl blades, use them! The Tandy iteration of this tool is disappointingly soft. If you know a smith who can make some up for you to put in your awl handle, even better.

Good advice, K.

azommin,
Find a C.S. Osborne dealer like Weaver Mfg and order "leather awl" blades. I like #43 for anything up to 10oz veg. The stitching awls are a bit dainty by comparison but make better holes. A stabbing awl is round in cross section and not optimal for harness stitches. Look at this site for more detail. They don't sell directly but will refer you to their closest dealer. http://www.csosborne.com/leather_1.html

John James needles and awls from England are far superior but you might have trouble finding them in the US. Their American distributor is less than effective, IMHO.

If you can't get anywhere locally, I'll supply you from my shop in Toronto. You will save some $$ buying locally though.

[T. Finkas]

I also like using a fork-type chisel, the so-called thonging punch. I don't care if it's not exactly like medieval stitches. It's good enough for most (of my) projects.