The Leather Element: Hand-Sewing Tricks Pt. 2 

OLD Leather Smith here, excellent as always Chuck, I had client bring me a belt with a split seam and wanted it repaired by machine which I don't do. He also knows that. So I stitched it with machine thread covered with Bees wax, which I have found works very well. I get all my Bees wax from a local farm. The thread I prefer using is by MAIN THREAD COMPANY, BEST I HAVE EVER FOUND and MADE IN THE U.S.A. GOD'S BLESSINGS ✝️⚾🙃

As for episode ideas: I would love to see something on different gusset styles and tricks around those. E.g. what leather type/temper/thickness for turning a seam inside out. When to chose a side gusset vs a middle seam etc.

Awesome video Chuck! Been doing the single needle diamond chisel method for quite some time.

Excellent as usual, Chuck! Thanks for the tips and the clarification on several important points.

I love your programming style Chuck. Regards.

This ist a very helpful video, thank you 😊

Thanks Chuck, I tried to figure out thread size comparisons by my own research and ended up confused many times.. you answered it in seconds. It's such a hassle not being able to see things in person any more You're awesome bro

Hand sow is the way to go

Someone needs to make a manual stitching hole machine. Like, you turn a crank to select the type of punch - diamond, round, etc. Then you can turn a dial to lower down the number of thines you need - say, between 5 and 30? Something like that. Then another dial can adjust the spacing - 2mm to 8mm? There would be an ridge to line the edge up against, and then a bar could be flipped down that has a groover on it. The groover bar would move the row of thines above it - align the leather to the edge, adjust the distance between the groover and the edge, lower the groover, slide it along the edge. The end of its slide be beyond the line of thines, so it would be out of the way and you wouldn't risk shifting the thines out of the groove. And finally, pull a lever down to punch your stitch line. If your piece is longer than the maximum number of thines, slide it down to stopping point of the groover, so if overlaps exactly, then groove in the other direction as far as you need to go to finish your line. Repeat if needed. For curves, there could be another knob or something to adjust the guide until the curve you've already cut fits into it cleanly, which would adjust the thines to match the curved line. ... But Oldbear, you say, aren't you describing what a Lazer cutter can do? Couldn't so complex machine be more expensive than a Lazer cutter? Well yes and yes. But this is a machine that is manually adjusted. It's steampunk and cool. But Oldbear, you say, isn't this a massively over engineered solution to a non-problem(using chisels)? Yes. BUT IT'S STEAMPUNK AND COOL.

I love the look my diamond chisels create, but the extra work is time consuming on some projects. Looks like I see a set of flat chisels in my future.

Chuck, thanks so much for your videos: straightforward, to-the-point, and full of good tips. Was wondering: When it comes to stitching two pieces together, is it the best practice to glue them together and then punch stitching holes? Is there ever a case where you'd punch holes in each piece separately, then stitch? I'm trying to clean up the backside stitching so it's a pretty as the front.

If you take the 6 tine, instead of using the last hole and punching 5 new holes. Overlap the six 3 holes back. You're punching the same amount of holes as you would with the 4 tine. But it keeps your chisel at the same angle all the way down the stitch line so you don't end up with that swirly stitch line on the back side.

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A bit of wax on the points can help a lot on removal but be aware the wax can block dye from getting in.

Chuck, you keep saying, “use a saddler’s stitch.” That is so far the ONLY hand stitch I have come across in my meager leather education. What are the other hand stitches used in leatherwork? 11:31

My biggest problem, hand sewing through two heavy weight layers of leather, after using my diamond chisel, is the eyelet gets snapped off. There's nothing more depressing than to look at how many I have , and realize I only have two left.

Recently I made a small project using 12/13oz skirting leather for the first time. It was a REAL struggle to get the 6 prong chisel back out of the leather.

Is there a part one? I must have missed that

Hey Chuck, I’ve got a little bit of a situation. Maybe you can help me out what would be the best way to cover these four sections of the roll bar and hide were all the joints meet together this is my first time handstitching, a rollbar in a Car can you give me some pointers or tips or photos on a way that I could cover all four sections with one piece of leather to finish off where everything ties together. I have this in multiple areas in the car. I don’t have a way to send you a picture of what I’m talking about. Could you send me an email that I can forward this photo to you for your advice thank you.

Why doesn’t Weaver make a wider diamond chisel? A thicker diamond chisel would solve your problem and entice people that don’t use diamonds chisel to start like me. I have diamond chisels but they are pain to use. So they just sit in the rack. Best regards, Richard

I had contacted Weaver on email over a defective product/quality concern and I have never gotten a response or refund. I was hoping to just send it back and get a replacement It was a set of flat chisels I ordered online, the batch seemed to be defective with distinctive metal blotching, and the single prong snapped with first use. I was using a poly mallet and proper surface. I've done leatherwork for 3 years and have never seen this sort of issue. Highly disappointed. I understand this isn't Chuck's fault, but I have been deeply saddened by Weaver's customer care. :( Perhaps I used the wrong contact email, but I hope I could get in touch.