Tools of the Trade

[jenny_fleishman]

Trimming knife question...on my current project, I skived the edges of the kidskin on the quarters and vamps, and turned in the edges along the appropriate edges. I used tanner's rubber cement to hold the pigskin lining to the kidskin uppers, and machine stitched around the topline, tongue, etc.

I then pulled (to unstick the tanners rubber cement) the lining away from the folded edges of the kidskin, put the pieces lining side down on a surface, and used my Tina knife to trim the lining close to the stitching. I angled the knife downward, toward the stitching, and also tried to angle the sharp edge away from the folded edge of the kidskin. You can probably guess the rest. In spite of my best efforts, I knicked the folded edge of the kidskin in numerous places. Luckily the kidskin is black, so it hopefully won't show, but still, not the results I was striving for. [img]http://www.thehcc.org/forum/images/old_smilies/sad.gif"%20ALT="sad[/img]

Any obvious corrections to my technique? Or is there a better type of knife to use for this purpose? Thanks.

Jenny

[jenny_fleishman]

Trimming knife question...(reposting similar message so it gets a new posting date)

On my current project, I skived the edges of the kidskin on the quarters and vamps, and turned in the edges along the appropriate edges, cementing them down with Barge. I used tanner's rubber cement to hold the pigskin lining to the kidskin uppers along the edges, and machine stitched around the topline, tongue, etc.

I then pulled (to unstick the tanners rubber cement) the lining away from the folded edges of the kidskin, put the pieces lining side down on a surface, and used my Tina knife to trim the lining close to the stitching. I angled the knife downward, toward the stitching, and also tried to angle the sharp edge away from the folded edge of the kidskin. You can probably guess the rest. In spite of my best efforts, I knicked the folded edge of the kidskin in numerous places. Luckily the kidskin is black, so it hopefully won't show, but still, not the results I was striving for.

Any obvious corrections to my technique? Or is there a better type of knife to use for this purpose? Thanks.

Jenny


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[tomo]

Hi Jenny,
I posted a reply last time but it got cut off at the knees

trim the leather with an edge tool. For thin leather it's usually better to use a smaller one say a number 2 or 3. you might need to start the cut by niping the leather with some scissors then pull this tab of lining up as you push the edge tool along the work

4503.jpg

Got my 79 yr old mum to pose - she use to be a fantastic machinist, started in the shoe trade in Melbourne (Australia) when she was 14...
The tool needs to be sharp and a flat bottomed one will be easier for you to sharpen than a hollow ground edge tool.

More power to y'awl
T.

[jenny_fleishman]

Thanks, Tom. I probably even have one of those in my collection, unused. Always nice to find a use for something that is taking up space!

Jenny

[dw]

Tom, Jenny

Ya, that's what I do too. Usually I'm using a "0" (I think that's the size) french edger from Ron's Tools but I've used small skirt shaves from Barnley too.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[dw]

One of the photos I had left over from the latest book. Here's a picture of my sweet antique pegging wheel...marks for 10 pegs to the inch laying in both rows simultaneously. (I just recently changed my email notification in my profile to email me in html format--I wonder if I'll see this pic in my email?)

4505.jpg

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

(Message edited by dw on October 27, 2006)

[dw]

Nope, no photo just that nice buff coloured background. Oh well, can't have everything. Sure is loading and posting fast, though.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[dw]

And here's the result of that sweet antique peg wheel. And my pegging hammer and peg awl in the BG.

4507.jpg

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[tomo]

Hey DW,

Does that peg marker have a single and a double wheel on it? And I guess that screw on the fence allowes you to set the width. Mmm nice.
When you peg a heel do you put the other pegs inside that first row?
...Maybe I should just get the book

More power to y'awl.
T.

(Message edited by Tomo on October 27, 2006)

[dw]

Tom,

Yes, both single and double wheels. I don't use the single wheel or the fence. When I do heel lifts I don't use the peg wheel. I just eyeball the pegs about half an inch apart--I user a much longer peg for heel lifts and then penetrate three to four 12 iron layers so if I put pegs in every layer, I get plenty.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[jenny_fleishman]

Hand burnisher question...do either of these tools (the first two on the page) look like they would work for hand burnishing the edges of soles and heels? Thanks.

http://www.firemountaingems.com/search.asp?skw=burnisher

Jenny

[tomo]

Hi Jenny,
burnishing leather involves generating heat -ie friction, or heating the iron with a gas or spirit flame.
The problem I could see arising is that if you used friction to burnish the edges you run the risk of marking the upper with the pointed end of the tool.
Also most burnishers in the footwear trade are bigger masses of iron so that they hold the heat - the word iron will give you a clue as to its use ie not just because it's made from steel.

You can burnish veg tanned leather by moistening it slightly and rubbing it briskly with brown paper or a course cloth like a white canvas or heavy calico - if you use green canvas, read coloured here, then you run the real risk of staining the edge that colour.

Have a look R A Salaman's book - Dictionary of Leather Working Tools, I'm sure you'll get a great deal of use from it, Proleptic have a paperback version that's reasonably priced.

More power to y'awl.
T.

[dw]

Jenny,

Tom's right...canvas or a brown paper bag and a slightly damp surface will work fine for burnishing. If you need a tool, go down to your meat market and ask for a thigh bone off a steer or cow. Clean it thoroughly. In the summer I hang them in the tree and let the yellow jackets clean them. Then saw the bone lengthwise and shape. Polish with finer and finer grits of sandpaper and finish off with white tripoli.

A very dense, fine grained wood such as boxwood will also do nicely.

The tool you are looking at is made for silver and gold...metal... and jewelry work...I'm not sanguine about its prospects as a leather tool.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[erickgeer]

So, I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, and finally some pictures.

My neighbor gave me this bending fork with some minor modifications from his shop. For real it would have the "tines" set closer together.



The principle is that, rather than cold forging that aneals the spring steel making it more brittle, bending the shank is somewhat less brutle to the molecular structure (still anealing, but less agressive). One should still wear safety glasses just in case the metal shatters, but the idea seams sound. It is a lot easier than hammering, and the level of control is very good, once you get used to where to hold the shank.



I will try to post any developments in this creation.

Erick

(Message edited by erickgeer on November 03, 2006)

[erickgeer]

Sorry, I fotgot to edit the size of the picture- here is the repost:

So, I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, and finally some pictures.

4536.jpg

My neighbor gave me this bending fork with some minor modifications from his shop. For real it would have the "tines" set closer together.

4537.jpg

The principle is that, rather than cold forging that aneals the spring steel making it more brittle, bending the shank is somewhat less brutle to the molecular structure (still anealing, but less agressive). One should still wear safety glasses just in case the metal shatters, but the idea seams sound. It is a lot easier than hammering, and the level of control is very good, once you get used to where to hold the shank.



I will try to post any developments in this creation.

Erick

[jenny_fleishman]

Thanks, Erick. Often a picture is worth a thousand words! When you refer to the "fork" is that the thing with the round and square pieces that the shank is between, or the tool in your hand? (I'm guessing the former.) Is this thing something you can buy, or did your neighbor design and build it?

Jenny

[dw]

I picked ups some sewing awls the other day--3 1/4" Indian Head diamond point sewing awls. They are different than anything I've seen before. I believe that they are vintage and they look kind of like a cross between a German sickle awl and a standard English style sewing awl.

I really think I'm gonna like them since I have been known not only to use a sickle awl for inseaming on occasion but I also have been sharpening my English awls so that they have a diamond point on them.

These are needle sharp. The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't have that sweet reverse curve that the old English style awls have but that's just aesthetics and I'm sure it won't even factor in when I start using these.

Thought you all might like to see what they look like.

4575.jpg

4576.jpg

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

(Message edited by dw on November 25, 2006)

[tomo]

Hi DW,
Yes, I had packet of those, I think I might only have one left?
The one in this handle has been in it for 30 years give or take. I put the turks head on the heft when I put the blade in back in the 70's
They do break easily and I'm always careful with it. I like your awl as it's much stronger, however these awls are great if you need to work on something gently as they cut as they go which means you don't need to push as hard.

4578.jpg

More power to y'awl
T.

[dw]

Tom,

Were the awls you had the same brand? Indian Head? The German sickle awls can break pretty easily sometimes too. So you kind of have to be selective about where you use it and never "pry" with it.

Actually, I've found that the English style awl...which is often sharpened as a flat blade, cuts the leather far more than the diamond point. Especially since most people have a tendancy (and once you acquire it, it's hard to shake) of wiggling the tip of the awl before it's fully through the holdfast. This swings the tip in small arcs and with the bladed awl, each swing cuts.

That's a nice looking turk's head...looks to be on the end of a Barnsley haft.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[tomo]

DW,
Is "Indian Head" a brand? We don't have those here, I had or got these awls in a little brown paper packet, but without the outer label and I'm assuming or suspect they're Barnsley.
Yeah the wiggle comes in handy sometimes, and I must admit there were times when I was dope slapped for doing it.

More power to y'awl
T.

[dw]

Tom,

Yeah, Indian Head is a brand...mine came in a little brown envelope with a label glued to one side. So, if your's didn't have any label it could have been Indian Head. I've never seen nor heard of Barnsley making such a thing.

Your's look to be about two and a half inches long...going by the grid you photographed against. Is that about right?

At any rate given what I paid for these, and what the going rate is, even if they are a little fragile I don't regret buying them at all.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

[jenny_fleishman]

Mallet advice...I am going to embark on making my first stacked leather heels soon. I have the leather, and that's about it. I'm gathering I need a 3 lb. mallet to hammer-jack the leather. Is there a specific type of mallet (i.e. material it should be made of?) I should get? Thanks!

Jenny

[tomo]

Hi Jenny,
I'm using a Club hammer and as you can see it's steel. A rawhide or plastic mallet won't work right as they're too light.

4615.jpg

I never bought it special as I had it at home and it works good.
It weighs 2 1/2 lb, a 3lb hammer is quite heavy - ie it's hard on the wrist especially for a smaller person, I wouldn't want anything heavier.
It just means you need to "hold the blow" more ie don't let the hammer bounce so much when it strikes the leather- sort of hold it down.
So get a steel hammer that's heavy enough to do the bizzo but still feel comfortable in YOUR hands.

More power to y'awl.
T.

(Message edited by Tomo on December 27, 2006)

[sorrell]

What is this tool?

4666.jpg

Lisa

[sorrell]

And while I'm asking questions and posting pictures, what is this tool called? I've started cutting the channel for my curved needle before I stitch the soles. I only leave the blade in the machine down far enough to slightly open the channel I've already cut. It's really helped me do a better job at stitching soles. But since I love and depend on this tool so much I'd like to know what it is.

4668.jpg

Lisa