thecapgunkid
40 Cal.
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- Oct 9, 2014
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This series of posts is to help craftsmen in making their leather stitching more authentic. The appearance of hunting bags, bullet bags, wallets , pouches, sheaths and so on will show a marked difference when this technique is used.
It differs from modern leatherworking techniques in that;
Ӣ The stitches are smaller and tighter than those taught out of current craft manuals
Ӣ The holes are smaller than those made by rotary punches
Ӣ Needles, or bristles, used are considerably smaller than those used in modern stitching
Ӣ The thread is a different texture, substance and color that that used in the modern way (including artificial sinew)
Once a craftsman starts stitching in this historical technique, the work produced will have a distinctly different look. Once gotten used to as a practice, it will be hard to go back to pre-waxed thread, hole punchers and large harness needles.
Before this series of posts goes any further, please allow me to clarify one point; I am not claiming to be the only way to stitch, nor am I claiming that everybody in the 18th century stitched this way to the discredit of Al Stohlman or anybody else. If I have noticed one thing through the years it was that everybody likes to work in his own groove, and my only advice to readers is to learn the way you were taught FIRST, and then go and modify along the way.
What is herein is the way that works for me, in close duplication ot what my Master taught me because he knew his stuff.
We are going to use cowhide as our example here. You’re going to put your work in a clamp, sometimes referred to as a ”¦”clam””¦ such as the ones in the picture. The big boy is what I use in seatwork. The little guy I used to shove in a bracket on my work bench when I stood up to work. When you put your work in the clamp, tighten it in place so that it is low enough in the clamp and does not flop around.
Before you do that, do this;
I like to lay my work down on the bench or my lapboard. Most guys use a divider to draw their stitch line at the edge of their piece. That’s OK. I like to use a tool that has a dull cutting edge and is fastened to a kind of brace. The brace rubs along on the edge of the leather and the blade scribes a shallow groove”¦not enough to bury the stitch unless it’s a feather on the inner sole of a shoe”¦that barely describes a nesting place for my stitches in a line true to the edge. You got terms for this stuff, but I don’t like throwing terms around to show everybody I know what I am talking about.
There’s a great book called the “ Dictionary Of Leatherworking Tools “ if you like that stuff. If you are going to use the divider, apply some pressure to assert the groove. If you are going to use the scribing tool, caress the leather they way you would a woman. You don’t want this groove too deep, and I don’t cover irons here because I am one of those guys who can burn the house down.
Doo dis firss ting before you doo the sekkin ting. Capeesh? ( Goodfellas, 19something or other)
Most of us will apply a wheel run down the length of the groove to mark our stitches evenly. Some guys call it a pricking wheel, but I got small grandchildren running around the house so I call it a marking wheel. Then there’s a second wheel that is used to flatten the thread. It’s a wider wheel, called an Overstitch, so when you run that guy on wet leather, it makes an adorable groove between the hole marks. I like to use that wheel to mark the grooves I made. I favored either/or rather than marking and overstitching, because the point spacing between the marking wheel and overstitch has to be exact and the wheels have to match.
The general rule that I started off with is this;
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOUR STITCHES WILL BE EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE TWO PIECES OF LEATHER TO BE SEWN, AND THE DISTANCE FROM THE EDGE WILL BE THE SAME AS THE THICKNESS OF THE EDGE. Having said that, there is probably a host of guys working out there that will swear by the “so-many-stitches-to-the-inch” documentation they have seen, but I like that ratio because it makes me plan before I stab the first hole.
My Master could space his stitches by eye, without a wheel, but whenever I try it I have to be devoid of thinking about anything else and I can’t stop and pick up my work again. Once you understand that rule, break it as often as you need. This may be hard to visualize now, but remember your stitching will define your work because it is part of your finish.
So, here’s where you stand at this point. Whether or not you nominated me for the Pullitzer Prize or discarded what I wrote as fast as you could, you read the post on awls and the one on tapering and waxing thread and the one on setting up the stitch. You got a sharp, polished awl. You got a Span of thread waxed to saturation and threaded with dangerously small, albeit blunt, needles or bristles. You got a project in your clamp that is gonna win an award at some show somewhere when you are done. Go for it.
Here’s the task sequence;
Ӣ You stab a hole through which your needles will fit tightly.
Ӣ You lead with the left needle
Ӣ You follow with the right needle
Ӣ You make a half hitch as you pull the stitch tight
Ӣ You come to the end of the seam and double back three or four stitches
Ӣ You flatten the seam
Simple, huh? Nope. Your fine eye, innate talent and everything positive about you except your good looks is going to determine whether or not you get a neat, flat seam or an uneven mess. So, let’s break it down and practice some simple technique that requires practice but grows your skill significantly as you pick up speed with experience.
We’ll assume you are seated, with the clamp and your work at a comfortable position. When Stabbing”¦Your polished awl needs to be braced on the back side of the leather you are stabbing. Use your index finger and thumb and park them just a little to either side of the hole you are going to make. Work slowly when new to this, because you want the awl to go straight in at a perfect 90 degrees. If it goes in at an angle, then the stitches you make will be uneven on the back side of the leather; a dead give away of a novice. You will learn over time how far to stab with the awl to make the right size hole. I can’t help you here. This is touchy feely. We’re talking teeny-tiny dimensions here, where the widest part of your diamond shaped hole, from third base across to first base, is barely large enough to accommodate two threads. You’ll see why in a moment.
Keep your awl in your hand. This is where the thing about wrapping the neck of it in a previous post shows its value. If you don’t put the awl down you can still use your fingers, avoid dropping it and breaking the blade, and work faster.
I’m right handed, so you lefties have to reverse what is written here.
When leading with the first needle from the left”¦As soon as you get the needle through the hole, pull it through by the thread. Not the needle, Gipetto, because you will pull the needle off the thread if you keep yanking on the needle. By the thread, not the needle. Bring the needle through about half the thread length, leaving a loop on the left side and the needle now on the right side. If it went through the other thread, now is the time to undo it.
When following with the right needle”¦ push it through the hole aft of the thread you just put in from the left. It should go in tightly, with some resistance without being stuck. Now grab BOTH the needle poking out to the left and the thread next to it and pull the needle through partially.
Looking down on this arrangement ( this is important) the thread that came in from the left side should be closer to you than the thread that came in form the right side. If your second needle went through the thread, now is the time to undo it because if you try to close the stitch you’ll ball up everything and maybe break your thread.
This is the only way to defend your locked thread on the needle AND make sure the needle did not go through the thread on its way through the hole. Using the thread behind the needle that just emerged on your left, pull it about halfway closed.
STOP
Look at where you are. You have two needles and two thread loops on either side of the leather. When you look down at this from the satellite view, the thread that came in from the left is closer to you that the first thread that went in from the left. They are tightly nestled in the hole you stabbed, one closer to first base and one closer to third base.
When you pull the stitch tight”¦Never snap it. My Master will come back from the grave and give you the strap. Before you begin closing the stitch, pass the right needle up through the thread loop OR the left needle down through the loop. When you close the stitch, two things will happen. By pulling the needle through the thread loop first, you make what is referred to as a half hitch”¦just like the first knot you make when tie-ing your shoes. That’s why hand stitching does not come apart so easily, because each stitch has a half hitch.
The Second thing that happens is the wax on the thread burns into that tight hole you stabbed as you draw the stitch closed. Beeswax will help protect the leather around the hole. COAD will actually waterproof it if the hole is tight enough. Re-wax your thread maybe each third of the way through your seam.
Your technique, AND THE DIAMOND SHAPE awl blade, will ensure that each stitch sits end-to-end rather then skewing right or skewing left. Small, but you can actually see that mistake.
When you finish your seam, don’t make a knot, otherwise during hard times the Elves won’t come to your shop and help you out. Besides, knots are kind of like cigarettes hanging out of a pretty girl’s mouth. Degrading against something otherwise beautiful. Rather, turn the clamp around and go back maybe three or four stitches. Well waxed thread will hold up.
When Flattening your seam”¦Some guys insist on that tool known as an overstitch wheel to flatten the thread. Other guys will use the knob of their awl to rub it flat. Others will tap, tap, tap with their hammer to flatten. Still others boast that stitching the right way will forego the need to flatten. Just flatten the seam, awreddy”¦OK?
Other than the need to run your seams lengthwise along stress lines, that’s it. I got nuthin’ more.
Next time, we’ll get into butt seams and curved awls.
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It differs from modern leatherworking techniques in that;
Ӣ The stitches are smaller and tighter than those taught out of current craft manuals
Ӣ The holes are smaller than those made by rotary punches
Ӣ Needles, or bristles, used are considerably smaller than those used in modern stitching
Ӣ The thread is a different texture, substance and color that that used in the modern way (including artificial sinew)
Once a craftsman starts stitching in this historical technique, the work produced will have a distinctly different look. Once gotten used to as a practice, it will be hard to go back to pre-waxed thread, hole punchers and large harness needles.
Before this series of posts goes any further, please allow me to clarify one point; I am not claiming to be the only way to stitch, nor am I claiming that everybody in the 18th century stitched this way to the discredit of Al Stohlman or anybody else. If I have noticed one thing through the years it was that everybody likes to work in his own groove, and my only advice to readers is to learn the way you were taught FIRST, and then go and modify along the way.
What is herein is the way that works for me, in close duplication ot what my Master taught me because he knew his stuff.
We are going to use cowhide as our example here. You’re going to put your work in a clamp, sometimes referred to as a ”¦”clam””¦ such as the ones in the picture. The big boy is what I use in seatwork. The little guy I used to shove in a bracket on my work bench when I stood up to work. When you put your work in the clamp, tighten it in place so that it is low enough in the clamp and does not flop around.
Before you do that, do this;
I like to lay my work down on the bench or my lapboard. Most guys use a divider to draw their stitch line at the edge of their piece. That’s OK. I like to use a tool that has a dull cutting edge and is fastened to a kind of brace. The brace rubs along on the edge of the leather and the blade scribes a shallow groove”¦not enough to bury the stitch unless it’s a feather on the inner sole of a shoe”¦that barely describes a nesting place for my stitches in a line true to the edge. You got terms for this stuff, but I don’t like throwing terms around to show everybody I know what I am talking about.
There’s a great book called the “ Dictionary Of Leatherworking Tools “ if you like that stuff. If you are going to use the divider, apply some pressure to assert the groove. If you are going to use the scribing tool, caress the leather they way you would a woman. You don’t want this groove too deep, and I don’t cover irons here because I am one of those guys who can burn the house down.
Doo dis firss ting before you doo the sekkin ting. Capeesh? ( Goodfellas, 19something or other)
Most of us will apply a wheel run down the length of the groove to mark our stitches evenly. Some guys call it a pricking wheel, but I got small grandchildren running around the house so I call it a marking wheel. Then there’s a second wheel that is used to flatten the thread. It’s a wider wheel, called an Overstitch, so when you run that guy on wet leather, it makes an adorable groove between the hole marks. I like to use that wheel to mark the grooves I made. I favored either/or rather than marking and overstitching, because the point spacing between the marking wheel and overstitch has to be exact and the wheels have to match.
The general rule that I started off with is this;
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOUR STITCHES WILL BE EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE TWO PIECES OF LEATHER TO BE SEWN, AND THE DISTANCE FROM THE EDGE WILL BE THE SAME AS THE THICKNESS OF THE EDGE. Having said that, there is probably a host of guys working out there that will swear by the “so-many-stitches-to-the-inch” documentation they have seen, but I like that ratio because it makes me plan before I stab the first hole.
My Master could space his stitches by eye, without a wheel, but whenever I try it I have to be devoid of thinking about anything else and I can’t stop and pick up my work again. Once you understand that rule, break it as often as you need. This may be hard to visualize now, but remember your stitching will define your work because it is part of your finish.
So, here’s where you stand at this point. Whether or not you nominated me for the Pullitzer Prize or discarded what I wrote as fast as you could, you read the post on awls and the one on tapering and waxing thread and the one on setting up the stitch. You got a sharp, polished awl. You got a Span of thread waxed to saturation and threaded with dangerously small, albeit blunt, needles or bristles. You got a project in your clamp that is gonna win an award at some show somewhere when you are done. Go for it.
Here’s the task sequence;
Ӣ You stab a hole through which your needles will fit tightly.
Ӣ You lead with the left needle
Ӣ You follow with the right needle
Ӣ You make a half hitch as you pull the stitch tight
Ӣ You come to the end of the seam and double back three or four stitches
Ӣ You flatten the seam
Simple, huh? Nope. Your fine eye, innate talent and everything positive about you except your good looks is going to determine whether or not you get a neat, flat seam or an uneven mess. So, let’s break it down and practice some simple technique that requires practice but grows your skill significantly as you pick up speed with experience.
We’ll assume you are seated, with the clamp and your work at a comfortable position. When Stabbing”¦Your polished awl needs to be braced on the back side of the leather you are stabbing. Use your index finger and thumb and park them just a little to either side of the hole you are going to make. Work slowly when new to this, because you want the awl to go straight in at a perfect 90 degrees. If it goes in at an angle, then the stitches you make will be uneven on the back side of the leather; a dead give away of a novice. You will learn over time how far to stab with the awl to make the right size hole. I can’t help you here. This is touchy feely. We’re talking teeny-tiny dimensions here, where the widest part of your diamond shaped hole, from third base across to first base, is barely large enough to accommodate two threads. You’ll see why in a moment.
Keep your awl in your hand. This is where the thing about wrapping the neck of it in a previous post shows its value. If you don’t put the awl down you can still use your fingers, avoid dropping it and breaking the blade, and work faster.
I’m right handed, so you lefties have to reverse what is written here.
When leading with the first needle from the left”¦As soon as you get the needle through the hole, pull it through by the thread. Not the needle, Gipetto, because you will pull the needle off the thread if you keep yanking on the needle. By the thread, not the needle. Bring the needle through about half the thread length, leaving a loop on the left side and the needle now on the right side. If it went through the other thread, now is the time to undo it.
When following with the right needle”¦ push it through the hole aft of the thread you just put in from the left. It should go in tightly, with some resistance without being stuck. Now grab BOTH the needle poking out to the left and the thread next to it and pull the needle through partially.
Looking down on this arrangement ( this is important) the thread that came in from the left side should be closer to you than the thread that came in form the right side. If your second needle went through the thread, now is the time to undo it because if you try to close the stitch you’ll ball up everything and maybe break your thread.
This is the only way to defend your locked thread on the needle AND make sure the needle did not go through the thread on its way through the hole. Using the thread behind the needle that just emerged on your left, pull it about halfway closed.
STOP
Look at where you are. You have two needles and two thread loops on either side of the leather. When you look down at this from the satellite view, the thread that came in from the left is closer to you that the first thread that went in from the left. They are tightly nestled in the hole you stabbed, one closer to first base and one closer to third base.
When you pull the stitch tight”¦Never snap it. My Master will come back from the grave and give you the strap. Before you begin closing the stitch, pass the right needle up through the thread loop OR the left needle down through the loop. When you close the stitch, two things will happen. By pulling the needle through the thread loop first, you make what is referred to as a half hitch”¦just like the first knot you make when tie-ing your shoes. That’s why hand stitching does not come apart so easily, because each stitch has a half hitch.
The Second thing that happens is the wax on the thread burns into that tight hole you stabbed as you draw the stitch closed. Beeswax will help protect the leather around the hole. COAD will actually waterproof it if the hole is tight enough. Re-wax your thread maybe each third of the way through your seam.
Your technique, AND THE DIAMOND SHAPE awl blade, will ensure that each stitch sits end-to-end rather then skewing right or skewing left. Small, but you can actually see that mistake.
When you finish your seam, don’t make a knot, otherwise during hard times the Elves won’t come to your shop and help you out. Besides, knots are kind of like cigarettes hanging out of a pretty girl’s mouth. Degrading against something otherwise beautiful. Rather, turn the clamp around and go back maybe three or four stitches. Well waxed thread will hold up.
When Flattening your seam”¦Some guys insist on that tool known as an overstitch wheel to flatten the thread. Other guys will use the knob of their awl to rub it flat. Others will tap, tap, tap with their hammer to flatten. Still others boast that stitching the right way will forego the need to flatten. Just flatten the seam, awreddy”¦OK?
Other than the need to run your seams lengthwise along stress lines, that’s it. I got nuthin’ more.
Next time, we’ll get into butt seams and curved awls.
