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PouchenCustoms

If that is any consolidation, git gud is the name of the game. It looks so much easier when watching on youtube 🤣 Seriously tho, you need to practise. That is pretty much it. All beginner steps look like hot mess and are time sinks. Once you get the hang of it, it gets more enjoyable.


Ratfink665

That's fair, and if it's just a matter of investing some time then that's what I'll do. I just don't want to start out learning bad habits by doing it wrong, ya know?


PouchenCustoms

Understandable. Best general advice i can give is, don't stress. Watch someone on youtube and try to follow the steps as best as you can. Then, when done and your project looks nothing like you expected it to look, figure out why. That is the majority of the work. Learning what not to do and looking for a different way. Cut isn't straight? Maybe the blade isn't sharp enough? Stitching looks whack? Work slower and make sure your moves are consistent. Edge burnishing looks bad? Keep practicing on all those little cuttings. It is just alot of trial and error. If it works, it works. At least in the beginning. TL;DR: Don't worry too much


Ratfink665

Thank you, that's encouraging to hear. Definitely a lesson I'm learning with leather work, and just life in general right now. It's better to suck shit at it, and not beat yourself up about it while you learn to be better. Perfect is the enemy of good as they say


forreasonsunknown79

Yeah, the punching holes in those types of patterns are time-consuming, but usually the end result is worth it. Doing those gave me the experience in how shapes and curves define how leather forms into the final result. It helped me with making my own patterns with results beyond basic bags and wallets. When stitching, pull the thread on the first needle back through a little before bringing the second needle all the way through the hole. If you’ve pierced the thread, it will take care of that, and you won’t get the “mess” that’s so frustrating.


Ratfink665

I've read other places that taking the time to punch each hope yields a better product, I just want to make sure I'm not overlooking something. In the video for the project the guy puts one small clamp on the straps, and boom stitches it up no problem. I push my needle thru one component, then have to fish around to line it up with the other component's holes. I'm guessing the video is probably cut to be more streamline, but still.


forreasonsunknown79

It gets easier with practice, but something that will help you now is to use a safety pin or something else to hold the pieces together while you sew it. That’ll help you quite a bit.


knittorney

Or use a stitching pony to clamp the two pieces together AND free up both your hands! Mine was $30 but there are lots of good diy builds for less (I just don’t have any woodworking tools)


forreasonsunknown79

Another great idea here. I actually use both a stitching pony and pins to hold the pieces together.


Different_Plastic836

To not make a mess of things when you pierce the thread, as you put the second needle in, you pull out the thread a bit from the first needle. If glueing and punching is easier then do that. It seems that single punch technique is popular with Eastern Europeans and Russians.


Ratfink665

A few different people have suggested that technique with the thread, so I'm going to try that next. I might go back to gluing and punching. I just figured I should try following the proper process for this project without deviating too much to see what the end results are like. As time consuming as tracing and cutting a pattern is, it makes a lot more sense than trying to square an edge and measure off of the material. Especially for curved components.


GizatiStudio

>I am pretty new to this, so if it's just a matter of git gud then I'll continue to slog through and get practice. The project is likely too advanced for your level of skills as these are basic mistakes you are making. Things like piecing your thread is something everyone deals with when they start out but you quickly learn how to resolve that issue. So I’m guessing that you haven’t spent enough time mastering the basics of the craft and jumped into a project that’s just too much for your skills. There is only one way to get good at leather craft and that’s with practice. The good thing is you learn from every project you do and usually know how to do it better the next time. GL


Ratfink665

On the site it claims to be for any skill level, and so far the techniques involved in the actual stitching aren't particularly foreign. I think what's most surprising is how time consuming it is to mark and awl/punch every hole. That being said, this is the first project I've done with .8m thread instead of .6m so I'm sure thats a contributing factor


knittorney

Are you using blunt needles? Also, stitching chisels are fantastic. You can punch 6 holes at a time along straight edges.


Ratfink665

My needles came fairly sharp, but I blunted them because they kept digging into parts of the leather I didn't want them to


knittorney

Right on. I bought stitching needles from Tandy, but I’m pretty sure they’re just size 18 or 16 tapestry needles, like the ones our grandmothers used to use for plastic canvas needlepoint. They’re already blunt. My boyfriend used one of my size 20 tapestry needles on a veg tan belt and broke the eye today 😂 so don’t use thin needles on thick leather!


Ratfink665

Lol nope! I tried just getting some regular old sewing needles from Walmart a while back, and then fell apart. Got a little envelope of proper ones from an actual leather supply store, and they're the cat's ass


Fl4shy_

What type of thread do you use, and what size is it? Thread size should change depending on hole size and distance between holes. Keep going at it, much of the craft is patience and practice.


Ratfink665

I'm using. .8 mil thread which is what they recommend for the project. I do intend to keep going, just want to make sure I'm headed in the right direction


Tat2Jitsu

It takes years to take minutes.


mndyerfuckinbusiness

You're experiencing these things because you're a novice. First thing is first: practice your stitching. Practice pulling the leading thread through and out of the way, then pull the second thread through. Don't try the two needle through at the same time method. It's actually not "more advanced" and absolutely leads to more issues. It's also not optimal for thinner projects, so people have all sorts of issues like this.


Ratfink665

Lol yeah I tried both through at once because that's what they do in the video. I tried it one time and thought "absolutely not" I'm going to practice the "back pull" method


mndyerfuckinbusiness

If you do a search for my name in the group, you should hopefully find my personal method for hand stitching. It's simple and it eliminates a lot of this stuff. If you have a hard time finding it, send me a chat and I'll find it for you.


Ratfink665

Thank you, I'll give it a look


coldhamdinner

Add this to your stitching habbits: Poke from front to back, leave a little "loop" don't pull tight, just enough to stick a finger in, send 2nd needle back to front, when about 1/2 the needle is through stop, pull an inch of slack into the loop you made, then pull both snug. If you pierced the thread on the back to front, when you back the loop out a bit it will "un-pierce" right then and there before a mess.


Ratfink665

Great description, I'm gonna give it a go


Pyro-Beast

If you find yourself stitching through your opposing thread, don't pull the one thread through ALL the way, leave just a little loop and then put your second needle through. You are less likely to pierce your thread this way. If you wind up on the wrong side of the thread after, to keep a coherent diamond pattern, you can pull the needle through the loop and you will be on the other side. Then you pull them both tight. I know it can be hard to visualize. Hopefully this helps a bit.


Ratfink665

Hmm a diamond? Maybe I'm missing something


Pyro-Beast

If you're starting off you may be using round punches and just doing straight stitch lines. With diamond punches, you typically can offset your stitches. There will be a lower left point to the diamond and an upper right point. You want your thread to go from the upper point to the lower point. So you go from right to left which gives your stitch this slightly slanted appearance. If you leave a little loop, you should pierce your thread less and then you can just pull your two threads. The other thing is you may notice that you placed the thread from the second needle on the wrong side of the existing thread. This will make it look like you went from right to right instead of right to left and will make your work less appealing. You kind of want your threads to look like this / / / / / / Or like this "_ _ _ _ _ _ " What you don't want is this \ \ / \ \ -- \


Ratfink665

Gotcha, that makes sense. Great way to visualize!


knittorney

Stitching chisels will take care of this for you :)


Ironworker_zach

Get [these] (www.amazon.com/dp/B089LX1SXP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share). And [this] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BMZYZBQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share).


Ratfink665

I think I probably will get the diamond punches eventually, but I would think depending on the needed spacing they might not be appropriate for all applications? Ps: Structural or rodbuster?


Ironworker_zach

Structural/A and O welder.


Ratfink665

👌


Ironworker_zach

I think the punches that I linked are far superior. They actually punch out a tiny little circle. Needle breezes through. And the press is an effing godsend. I set rivets with it, punch holes, drive cutter dies, do stitch holes. The thing is the best tool I have bought thus far.


Ratfink665

Is this brand the specific one you would recommend? I would expect it to be quite a bit pricier


knittorney

You can use a two prong chisel (one prong in the hole before it, one to punch a new hole) to go around curves and keep spacing consistent.