Stitching questions......

[j williams]

Im fairly new to leather. Ive made a few pieces. An axe mask, a couple sheaths, and a baldric rig. Im getting alot better thanks to all the info from friends ive recieved. :thumbup:

Probably dumb questions, but....

When using your stitch groover, how deep do you make the groove? How many passes does it take? Wet or dry leather?

When using an overstitch wheel, what size do you use? Is a 6 ok? Do you use this on wet leather, or dry? One pass, or do you typacly have to go over it a few times? I have a 6, but I havent used it yet. Ive been using the 3 prong punch and stitch groover lately.

Im having alot of trouble getting my holes straight. I have no drill press, and no dremel. Im not really opposed to buying one, but was wondering how everyone here does it? Ive seen somewhere about building a jig for a power drill and using a brass nail in the drill to punch it, but I have no idea where. Anyone have any suggestions? Rotary punch? Do you make your holes in wet leather or dry? Ive been making them in wet leather, using the 3 prong punch and a small hammer. I glue up and kinda sqaure the edges of the welt. Stitch groove, then punch the holes about half way on one side, then flip it over and do the other. Hoping to connect the holes. This has been frustrating and Ive screwed up a few times. Also while doing this to wet leather, I ALWAYS end up with marks and wrinkles along the stitch line. What should I do to avoid all this?

Do you stitch wet or dry leather?

I get this stuff. Ive been having luck with dye, and I cooked up my own sheath dressing with beeswax, pine pitch, and a touch of neatsfoot oil. Finally got the mix to where I want it. Heres an idea for you guys that Ive found to work well and save my but from a chewing from the misses. I use a lamp and a small ceramic dish to melt the wax. Get a small bowl that fits well on the lamp shade, and set it on top. A 75 watt lightbulb under the dish worke great to melt the wax and wont make a huge mess and ruin a pan. Those wickless candle things they have work good for this too. Ive seen em at walmart.

Heres acouple things Ive done.

 

[Wild Rose]

This might help......
http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_leatherstitch.html

 

[GrizzlyBear]

When using your stitch groover, how deep do you make the groove? How many passes does it take? Wet or dry leather?

I like to make my grooves at least 2 passes deep, this allows the thread to really set well and be in further than the surface of the leather. I groove on damp leather, seems to cut better.


When using an overstitch wheel, what size do you use? Is a 6 ok? Do you use this on wet leather, or dry? One pass, or do you typacly have to go over it a few times? I have a 6, but I havent used it yet. Ive been using the 3 prong punch and stitch groover lately.

I believe I've been using a 5 for all my stuff, seems to be right in the middle between too large and too small. Use on damp leather. I like to do it a few times to make sure it really sets the stitch areas. Then, when done stitching, I dampen the stitches and run the wheel over them again, working them down.

Im having alot of trouble getting my holes straight. I have no drill press, and no dremel. Im not really opposed to buying one, but was wondering how everyone here does it? Ive seen somewhere about building a jig for a power drill and using a brass nail in the drill to punch it, but I have no idea where. Anyone have any suggestions? Rotary punch? Do you make your holes in wet leather or dry? Ive been making them in wet leather, using the 3 prong punch and a small hammer. I glue up and kinda sqaure the edges of the welt. Stitch groove, then punch the holes about half way on one side, then flip it over and do the other. Hoping to connect the holes. This has been frustrating and Ive screwed up a few times. Also while doing this to wet leather, I ALWAYS end up with marks and wrinkles along the stitch line. What should I do to avoid all this?

Up until getting my drill press, I've been using a sharpened round awl in my dremel to bore stitch holes. Here was my process for doing that, that allowed my holes to line up straight front to back on a pouch sheath. Make sure edges are fairly square and glue in your welt. Then, run your groover around the front and back where your stitches will be. Next, use your overstitch wheel to mark your stitches on the front side. Then, bore your holes through the side with the welt (usually the front side is glued to the welt first). Then, glue your sheath closed and once the glue has set, you can begin boring the holes through the back of the sheath. When using the dremel, you can watch as the awl point begins to come through and make it fall in to the groove on the back. It's much easier to go through 1 and 2 thicknesses of leather than trying to do 3+. I do all this with dampened leather, not dry or overly wet.

Do you stitch wet or dry leather?

I stitch, again, on dampened leather. Lightly damp allows the needle to slip on through and then the leather closes up (or 'heals') around the thread.

I get this stuff. Ive been having luck with dye, and I cooked up my own sheath dressing with beeswax, pine pitch, and a touch of neatsfoot oil. Finally got the mix to where I want it. Heres an idea for you guys that Ive found to work well and save my but from a chewing from the misses. I use a lamp and a small ceramic dish to melt the wax. Get a small bowl that fits well on the lamp shade, and set it on top. A 75 watt lightbulb under the dish worke great to melt the wax and wont make a huge mess and ruin a pan. Those wickless candle things they have work good for this too. Ive seen em at walmart.

Even better, and less chance for disaster, is an old crock pot or electric skillet picked up from a yard sale or pawn shop. Currently, I have neither, so I've been using a double boiler setup on my glass top range. Quick, easy and it works well. I use a similar mix with beeswax, paraffin and neat's foot. I think you basically recreated Montana Pitch Blend with your mix. Also, if you have trouble with your sheaths feeling extra waxy in warm/hot weather, I've read that if you add a candle making acid (crystal form) to the mix, it effectively raises the melting temp of the wax. Just food for thought.

Good luck on your future projects!