How to Punch Stitching Holes in Leather the RIGHT Way! - Beginner Leather Working Tutorials

Рет қаралды 27,935

Күн бұрын

Punching stitching holes in leather is one of the most basic leather working tasks, but done poorly, it can make your saddle stitching look like trash.
If you're having that common issue where your stitching looks good on one side and bad on the other, your stitching holes are likely the culprit.
Correcting the way you punch stitching holes can make your end product better and help you make more sales.
Tools that will help you get nice straight lines:
Owden Maul: amzn.to/3uabZ1t
Mallet: amzn.to/3dzohZK
Stitching Chisels: amzn.to/2OTv5Jf
Wing Dividers: amzn.to/3rXYYGg
Punching Mat: amzn.to/2NQ5QGS
If you're looking to spend a few more bucks on better quality tools, I'd go with these:
Weaver 2lbs Maul: amzn.to/3unAQhm
Sinabroks Stitching Punch 1mm, 5mm Spacing:
sinabroks.com/products/stitch...
Other Leather Working Tools I use:
Sandpaper: amzn.to/2QmJNbX
Burnisher: amzn.to/3cUMjhl
Tokonole: amzn.to/3tFmg4s
John James Needles: amzn.to/3bzA0r8
Ritza Tiger Thread 1mm: amzn.to/3vfPloA
If you liked this video, check out my Beginner Leather Working Playlist where I make beginner leather working tutorial videos, show you some tips and tricks, and give you a few beginner leather working projects to try out.
• Leather Working Tips a...
In This Video:
0:00 Intro
I introduce the topic of the video... Which is Punching Stitching Holes in Leather... Just like the title says.
0:59 Tools You Need to Punch Stitching Holes
The tools you need to punch stitching holes are a stitching punch (or chisel) and something to hit it with. There are a couple other things too.
3:42 How to Mark and Punch Stitching Holes Properly
This is how I do it but I'm sure there are more ways. Still, this works well for me! If you do something differently, let me know in the comments!
5:54 Getting Your Stitching Line Straight on Both Sides
This is the important bit and, of course, this is where my audio did something weird. I tried my best to fix it in post, but it sounds like I'm talking through a paper towel tube. I apologize and I'll try to figure out what happened.
Find me on Instagram: / blackflagleather
Or Facebook: / black-flag-leather-109...
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For a small amount per month, you gain access to a private Discord server, exclusive content, get a shout out in my videos, and help me to grow the channel and produce more helpful content.
My name is Tim. Thanks for checking out my KZfaq channel. I started leather working in July of 2020. My passion for leather work quickly grew as I learned and practiced. I received a ton of help from the leather working community when I was new and now I aim to pass on what I learn to other beginner leather workers. I post weekly leather craft videos that include tutorials, free pdf pattern templates, how to's, tips and tricks, and any other leather work content that I think could help you out!
#leatherworkingtutorials #leatherworkingtools #leathercraft #leather #leatherworking #leatherwork
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Пікірлер: 112

@cr-eugene Жыл бұрын

Another technique to help keep your stitching iron vertical is punch away/towards you rather than side to side. It is easier to sight down the line and insure your iron is upright. Something I learned that made a huge difference. You will see some folks online do it side to side and have it work out fine, but they've done it 10K times and can stitch a straight line in their sleep.

@hyenova4550 Ай бұрын

Thank you, it’s cool having video to go over the basics more in depth!

@arinuit 11 ай бұрын

I never comment on stuff, but I'm just getting into leatherworking and have watched nearly all of your videos. You've been a huge help, and I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the time you've put into these extremely clear and informative videos!

@doolallychappy 3 жыл бұрын

Always a pleasure to watch your content, very helpful stuff

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Very kind of you to say. Thanks for watching!

@allinsonsherratt418 Жыл бұрын

Nicely explained - thanks

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching!

@southsidekarl 10 ай бұрын

Very informative

@Ruyagozlemi 3 жыл бұрын

I think the stitches looking good are nearly the most important part, its super visible. I don't get a complete straight line with a pinch sometimes, so this will be very helpful 😁

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad to hear it! Let me know how it goes!

@irapelletier5506 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome video dude! Getting a nice stitch line is so important in making your work look really good! The back is just as important as the front!

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, brother! 100%! You can have the best stitching in the world but if you punch unevenly, it'll still look like crap!

@railwaymaniac 3 жыл бұрын

Great video! - thanks for this ...

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I appreciate it!

@rogerjoesbury9410 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video ,very good.info for me.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it!

@StefanMakes 2 жыл бұрын

this was such a helpfull video

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!

@lenklauck8268 3 жыл бұрын

Great vid bro!

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Len! I appreciate it!

@jenette16 8 ай бұрын

Hmmm, just did an ax sheath. Came out wonderful. I used a small no bounce hammer i had. Plywood for a backer, oops, all i had.scribed the line with a compass i had. Holes came out great. Guess i was lucky? Dunno. It worked just peachy

@sergiocarrillomolina9977 3 жыл бұрын

Great video! Very good quality of image and audio!! Keep it up 🔥

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Dude that means a lot! I've been working hard on trying to improve the lighting and audio. You made my day!

@sergiocarrillomolina9977 3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods I can tell since i have seen some videos in a raw because im starting leathercraft and im just devouring every single channel that i find hahaha. Its been a huge improvement for real. What are the keys that have you tweeked? Any items that you bought or things that you recommend? I love how people keep talking about apparently the same theme but they add really small details that makes the difference. Like you did with the mallet/the round one (sorry my english is not perfect haha) or the number of hits

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks man! It's honestly mostly just practice. New tools definitely help, but learning the skills is more important. Probably the biggest upgrade I've made to make it easier is buying Sinabroks Stitching Punches. I don't think they improve the quality of my work, but they let me work way faster.

@dave8709 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for spreading love brother your the only one teaching us the real tricks and not pointing us the wrong way of leather work

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

Thanks, brother! Doing my best!

@hethuszar01 3 жыл бұрын

Wonderful advice. I had to go a different route. i use a press machine for the stiches. It is not only always 90 degrees, but is also quiet. And that was the most important part for me, as I live in a building complex, and simply cannot hammer anything. But this does have a more "craftsmanlike" feeling :-)

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Oh that's a brilliant idea if you can't make noise! I'm fortunate enough to have a basement I can hide in and hammer away but if I was in an apartment or condo, your way for sure would be the way to go! That could make a good video in itself - how to leather work when you need to be quiet. Thanks for watching!

@irapelletier5506 3 жыл бұрын

Haha yes! When I was working out of an apartment I had to use a stitching awl to keep the noise down!

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Haha now that's perseverance! Did it take all day to get all your holes punched? I guess the plus side is you can do whatever spacing you want between holes!

@irapelletier5506 3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods haha no way! I do a traditional saddle stitch where I punch the holes with an awl as I go. It goes along pretty quick once you get the hang of it. I mark the holes with a marking wheel before I start.

@irapelletier5506 3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods I’ll do a video on it one day!

@pacanis 8 ай бұрын

I was hoping to see how you transferred the holes to the back side, or second piece of leather.

@cjaydustie1867 Жыл бұрын

Made sure to like even though I don’t want you in my recommended lol. Was a good and informative video though, I don’t know how you don’t have more of a following.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

Hahaha as a KZfaq fan I totally understand this and it's much appreciated. The following is coming slowly. Always increasing!

@cjaydustie1867 Жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods best of luck my friend! I know where to come if I need any more leather work info 🙂

@indigocml 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the great video. I heard some guys say they double-punch now to get the lines looking great... How does one do that? from both sides? Cheers!

@dpexile Жыл бұрын

Just FYI, if the arch in the rubber mat bothers you like it did for me, you can take a heat gun to it while using a lot of elbow grease to bend it back and it should flatten out some.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

I'm going to try that! Thanks!

@smug8567 3 жыл бұрын

I'll have to try this on my wheelbarrow tire.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Haha let me know how it goes!

@smug8567 3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods It saved me from doing all that yard work the wife wanted done.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

@@smug8567 saved you from it or just delayed it? Haha

@smug8567 3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Prolly delayed

@user-ms1ps6ff3v 9 ай бұрын

Howdy guys! I realize this was posted awhile ago and hope this comment still gets read. I'm just starting out ...Can I use my grommet board for hole punching or will it ruin it for grommet use? Should I get a completely different board specifically for this task?

@pirrurrashon 2 жыл бұрын

It took me a while to realize that I was punching my holes incorrectly. I would get frustrated and had to cut my edges too much to get the leather aligned properly. Sometimes I the stitching on one side would be too close to the edge because I tried to correct my leather being misaligned.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

I think that's part of the learning process. Same thing used to happen to me

@edcubberly8907 Жыл бұрын

Do you have a video on punching holes in multi ply leather at the same time ? Glue first, then punch all the layers ?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

I don't really have a video on how to do it but I do it in several videos. Here's a short I did of me punching through 2 layers of thick leather kzfaq.infolUfKVJHDt64

@markdaniels388 Жыл бұрын

Can you tell me where you bought that backstitch punch that multiple one I’m looking right maybe I’ll look in the right place

@fyrfyter1035 Жыл бұрын

So why is there not or is there like a 3 piece jig / tool where the thinner middle plate would be adjustable to how far from the edge you want to punch holes , could just rest the punch straight down against the top piece of the jig and punch down the edge of it without having to scribe a line on the finished side to follow ?

@joserocha1424 3 жыл бұрын

I enjoyed the vid, I just have a question. I have heard of a stitching groove. Do you know the best way to create one? I do not have that steady of a hand when it comes to hammering, and was wondering if that would help me out.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Hey, Jose thanks for watching! You can make a groove using a stitching groover: amzn.to/2Q5KEhA You will still have to punch holes but the groove should make it easier. Another option is you can get an arbor press and mount a drill chuck on it. Then you can punch holes with your press.

@julianad2563 2 жыл бұрын

Hi, thank you for the great video! I do have a question thought, maybe you can hel. When I punch holes in two layers of leather, first layer is punched through fine, but on the back side of the second one there are usually no holes, just slight markings of something that i supposed to be a hole. Why so?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

Hmmm how thick is the leather and what are you using to punch holes? If you're using old school pricking irons, that's what is supposed to happen. Then you would use your stitching awl as you do your saddle stitch to open up the back side.

@TheCrepusculum Жыл бұрын

how do you get the diamond thorns out of the leather if you use three layers? the leather is 4 mm inside and 2 mm on both outsides.... these are 0.15 inches and 2x 0.078 inches.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

Try placing a small block of wood alongside the chisel to hold the leather flat and pull them out.

@madcat1007 Ай бұрын

Howz about punching curved stitch lines?

@what76485 4 ай бұрын

Poke inverse lil bit with awl

@something8886 Жыл бұрын

I have a problem where the tool is really hard to pull out of the leather can you tell me why?

@edcubberly8907 Жыл бұрын

Can I use the Sinbroks punch in a drill press to punch 4 or 5 layers at once ? Aside from gluing first, how can I keep all the layers in alligmnent while punching ?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

I suppose you could use a drill press but 4-5 layers is a lot no matter what you use. If you are gluing, the layers should stay aligned.

@usernamemykel 2 жыл бұрын

QUESTION: I'll be attempting to restore a dried out, stiff leather briefcase which has most of the machine- made double-stitches dry rotted. The outside surface of the briefcase has some leather particles flaked off. I have saddle soaped the leather, and so far have applied Bick 4 conditioner 3 times to make the leather supple enough to work with - that is, without the edges too brittle to take the stitching. Because of the flaking and the overall condition of the leather, I won't be using a divider to score any lines. I'll make my line using a ruler, and to see the line I'll have to make the line on the inside (fleshy/rough) leather, where I'd be able to see the line. So basically, I'd be making the line(s) and punching the leather from the fleshy rough inside to the outside. So, the question is: Is there any problem which might occur from punching from the rough side to the finished side? Thank you!

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

Whoa that sounds like a hell of a restoration. The only issue that could arise punching from the back side is that you're more likely to have an inconsistent straight line. Just really make sure your stitching punch is straight up and down.

@usernamemykel 2 жыл бұрын

Black Flag Leather Goods Thanks for your advice. The briefcase, about 45 years old, was made by my dad when he was working with his brother and my grandfather in their orthopedic shoe manufacturing business. When dad died in 1974, my sister acquired the briefcase, but very apparently didn’t take care of it, perhaps just left it in an attic/basement/garage as it’s natural oils evaporated. So, I’ve a labor of love, a family “heirloom”, which has now received four applications of Bick 4. At this point, it probably wouldn’t take dye, because of the conditioner, but restitching the seams has priority. I decided that instead of a line in the rough side, to run a length of masking tape along the edges to be sewn together, and draw a line on the tape, which I’d remove as I progress. A simpler solution. 👍

@thewiredmonk Жыл бұрын

Can you use a little hand press for this?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

I'm sure you could!

@randalhunter4177 Жыл бұрын

How do you keep your stitching irons from getting stuck in thick (10-11 oz) leather? I'm using diamond shaped chisels similar to those that you have listed (unpainted). I love your videos btw and am thankful to have discovered your channel.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

That's thick leather and it'll be a little bit tough no matter what you use. I would make sure you strop the chisels just to make sure they're nice and sharp. Also a bit of wax on them should help it slip out. And if you have a small block of wood, butt it up beside the chisel to push down on the leather then pull it out. Those should help! And thank you for the kind words!

@randalhunter4177 Жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Thank you so much for the advice! I'm excited to give it a shot.

@candyfloss362 Жыл бұрын

A complete beginner here. I was gifted an amazon basic leather craft kit. Does the rubber mat and the hammers make a difference to the punching of holes. Thank you

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Жыл бұрын

Absolutely. The rubber mat stops your punches from going dull. A mallet or maul with a poly head protects the part of the punches that you actually strike.

@nickybeingnicky 11 ай бұрын

I dont have a cutting board. But i have a glat earther book i got for a dollar. We will see how it goes.

@V3leathercraft 2 жыл бұрын

Casting in round holes required?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't say it's required. If you want a slightly angled stitch you can do it though.

@ImTheOnlyV 3 жыл бұрын

Can you please send me the direct links to purchase the tools that you’re using in this video? 😬

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks for watching! Check the video description. Links for everything I use are there. I think the maul I use is sold out currently. It goes in and out of stock as it's pretty popular.

@scottd8555 2 жыл бұрын

Do you wet the leather or stitch punch dry leather?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

No need to wet it for punching stitching holes. Thanks for watching!

@Joseposada702 2 жыл бұрын

nice tutorial. what size are your stitching hole punch?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! They are 1.2mm punches. 5mm spacing.

@Joseposada702 2 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods thank you

@luceafarul579 2 жыл бұрын

I’m trying to copy what you do but when I hit the chisel with the mallet the holes will not penetrate, I’ve hit it as hard as I can. What am I doing wrong?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

That's weird! What kind of chisel are you using?

@luceafarul579 2 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods the amazon kind listed under your description. Even after I’ve hit it hard it did penetrate but I still have to use an awl to make the hole bigger because there is no way a chisel made hole will be large enough to push both needles through with the thread on the bottom bent like that. And if I have to constantly use a lot of force to push the thread through the impact is gonna be very damaging to my joints in the long run. The holes are just not big enough for me.

@sylents8487 3 жыл бұрын

Another great vid! What is the max number of layers you punch through?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!! I generally only punch through two layers at a time. Sometimes three but I try to keep it at two. I'd recommend sticking with two if you don't have sharp pricking irons or stitching punches. Thanks for watching!

@sylents8487 3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Thx. I'm working with no-name punches from Amazon that are actually pretty decent but struggle with anything more than two layers. How would you line up stitch lines if you have four layers and need to punch them two layers at a time?

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

@@sylents8487 Good question! I'm going to do a video on my solution to that actually! Basically what I do is make the 2 pieces of two-ish layers. Let's say it's a wallet. So you have one side which is your pockets, etc and the exterior piece. I mark my holes on the pockets alone like I normally would. Then I place the interior where it should sit on the exterior and poke my awl through the first hole all the way though the exterior piece. This makes my starting point for punching those holes. Then I just mark and punch holes along the outside piece the same as I did inside. After that's done I just line them up and glue them together and stitch. It's important to just make sure you punch the same number of holes on each, obviously. They should line up perfectly in theory, but it does give you a bit of wiggle room if they don't. It's a bit tedious but it really helped me get nice straight lines using cheaper tools.

@sylents8487 3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods Appreciate that. Thanks, dude!

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Anytime man!

@V3leathercraft 3 жыл бұрын

I am using Wuta 4mm & Citian 6mm. Both round hole. I tried & tired of bad look onnthe back side 😥😥. Holes not coming perfect on the back side. And stitching looks worse 😥😥😥

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

I had a similar issue before switching to the Sinabroks. I was using the Kemovancraft round hole punches which are really similar to the Wutas and Citians. One of the major issues I found with those was that the prongs on them were really dull. Kemovancraft does make a sharpener that you can put in your drill and sharpen the prongs with: www.etsy.com/ca/listing/793583275/sharpening-tool-for-leather-chisels The sharpener helps, but it still isn't perfect. What really worked for me was punching my stitching holes on both sides separately and then putting them together to stitch them up. This way your back side of each piece will be sandwiched in the middle. I still use this technique if I have a lot of layers of leather to go through. Another option if you want to stick with round holes could be to switch to round dent chisels. I've never tried them, but they seem like they'd be easier to keep sharp. Thanks for watching! I hope that makes sense and helps!

@randomscandinavian6094 3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods I think I want to try punching from both sides like you say but I’m uncertain about how to go about it. My chisels, which I believe are really lacing chisels, don’t easily go through a thin wallet. So how to know where to go in from the reverse side when there is no mark there? Accurately starting from each corner and simply counting could do it perhaps. I saw a Russian guy who punched holes from each layer separately and then aligned the layers when gluing them together using needles through several of the holes. I think that might be worth exploring.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

@@randomscandinavian6094 How i do it is hard to explain... Maybe I'll do a video on it in the future since there seems to be some interest in it. One way of doing it is taking precise measurements of both sides and marking where the holes should be. It's time consuming but it works. How I do it is this: let's say you're working on a bifold wallet and just have the interior piece and the exterior piece where the bills go left to put together. I punch the holes on my interior piece first. Next I mark my stitching line on the grain side of the exterior piece, using my wing dividers. Now just put the interior and exterior pieces together where they are supposed to go without gluing or anything. Now push your scratch awl through the first and last holes. If you push it all the way through, it will mark your starting and end points on the exterior piece. Sometimes I mark the holes in the corner too. If your holes are a bit off the stitch line, it's probably just how you used your awl. You can move them onto the stitch line when you punch and it should still line up. Now finally mark and punch all your holes. Add glue and line them up with needles like you mentioned seeing before. I hope that makes sense! Thanks for watching!

@randomscandinavian6094 3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods thanks for taking the time to read all of that and answer! Yes, I think I understand your explanation. I’m thinking that I should maybe punch through with the awl before marking the final stitching line on the outside so that adjustment is possible. What I did on my first wallet wallet (this one is no. 2) was to work with segments that are 4mm oversized all around and then cutting off the excess material after glueup. If I start with finished holes all around the inside piece, then punch the corners through to the outside, align the holes, then cut off the excess material on both pieces sandwitched, then separate them and adding the stitch line to the outside… punching the final holes from the outside, gluing and aligning with needles before stitching from the outside… I think it should be perfect? I will to think on this with a fresh brain tomorrow I think. Thanks again!

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 3 жыл бұрын

Yes! You're on the right track! I always cut everything a bit bigger too so I can trim it flush later. Let me know how it goes!

@driftinso 2 жыл бұрын

Put a white background under a dark leather. It was difficult to see your technique as leather blended right in with work top.

@BlackFlagLeatherGoods 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Yeah that video was five months ago. I was very new to making videos. It's slowly getting better.

@WOMPITUS Жыл бұрын

My biggest problem is stitching holsters and sheaths with welts. I prick my holes fine and sew fine but getting the holes to line up through 3 layers of thick leather when I glue it is hell. Any tips?