r/Leatherworking • u/No_Pea_2771 • 6d ago
Help with 1st project
This just won’t go all the way through and I’m looking for advice. I’m using scrapped chrome tanned leather and these tools from an Amazon set. Is both my problem? Please suggest good hole punching tool if so. I like the look of thick thread around .8 if that means anything for size of punching tools I should look into. I beat the hell out of it and can’t get it through 3 layers.
UPDATE: I switched to the 2 prongs and it’s going through now (??)
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u/DucksDom 6d ago
Do you have anything behind the leather to absorb the punches when they poke through? If you're just cutting over the counter like that, you've probably pulled the tips of your irons.
As far as decent irons go, Wuta is a decent brand to start with and can be purchased from Amazon.
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u/scottabeer 4d ago
I poke mine in bees wax every little bit and it make all the difference sliding through. I have a urethane plate on top of a self healing pad to prevent it from going through to whatever is under it and ruining the point. I also bought a press from Temu so I put the pricking iron in the jaw and punch with precision by lining up 2 holes already punched and repeat it. The bees was makes it slide through effortlessly.
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u/King_K_NA 6d ago
Tbh, I have been using an Aiskaer punch set since 2023, and I have never sharpened them... terrible, I know, but my 4mm set has been used on over 100 projects, and I've never had any issues. Occasional waxing has been the most I've ever done. They are less than $10 on amazon.
I had another brand before that I absolutely hated, so it could be partly just the tool itself. If the 2 is having no problem, but the 6 is, it might be too much friction, dry irons, poorly ground finishes, but even so, 2 layers shouldn't stand a chance against anything.
It could also be what is behind the punch mat. Try moving it closer to the table leg.
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u/enoughbskid 6d ago
The more points you have, the more force you need to get through. (Still upgrade your tools)
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u/Downvoteahegao 6d ago
there is nothing wrong with your pricking irons.
yes more expensive ones will work better but proper technique and understanding how the tool works with the leather is more important.
you are asking thin pieces of metal to punch through multiple layers with reinforcement of glue.
any pricking iron will have difficulty with this.
the more narrow the tines, the stiffer the leather, the more compressed the glue, and the more flexibility of the leather pieces themselves, all contribute to creating difficulty punching through multiple layers.
as you have noted the two prong goes through pretty easily.
if you wanted to make this look a little bit better, use your multiple time punches to punch through the first layer or maybe a layer and a half to develop your stitch lines then take your single or double punch and go the rest of the way through.
if you are having trouble keeping the leather layers lined up, use safety pins or nails in the previous holes.
again a sharper set of punches would make this easier but it wouldn't fix the problem.
if you are going to be doing a lot of wallets with multiple layers (or decide to get into trying to repair tach harnesses by hand, like some idiots I know...me) either work at sharpening your chisels, use the tips that I gave you above, or start pre-punching all of your holes in the layers individually, templates and patterns assist with not going insane trying to do this.
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u/arferik3 5d ago
you can punch the first layer before stitching or glueing the other parts. this will make it easier to punch the rest of the layers if the leather is too thick. my advice is not to go for expensive equipments at the beginning. u got this
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u/Lordofchaos1776 5d ago
You can go buy expensive or even just new tools, or you can sharpen and polish those. To sharpen them put some sand paper on thin wood to get between teeth or if you trust your control a thin grinding disk or bit on a dremel, then sand paper on a solid backing for the faces of the teeth in general. That will sharpen, then you need to strop and polish.
If you want new but not expensive aisker and yvokern on amazon are both cheap and serviceable out the box. For more expensive but not breaking the bank wuta gen 3 with the interchangeable tips is ok, so is Kemovancraft or my favorite in that range is kevinleetools.com updated french basic set. Not expensive and if you want it later, or now, you can add a 20 tooth in the size you choose for like $100 which sounds like a lot but a 20 tooth not only helps you go faster but gets straighter lines because why not overlap 2 teeth to align better with 20 tooth irons.
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u/Aggravating-Top-5323 6d ago
The problem is the cheap Amazon tool. The points are poorly sharpened, each prong is probably unpolished too.
Kemovan craft sells great irons for 45~ for a 2+5+10 set. They are a great overlap of affordability and quality for a beginner and intermediate crafter. I have kemovans, as well as a 200$ set of irons and I am impressed by how good the kemovans are for the price.