After checking leather repair kit review online, I know you would like to know how to punch holes for sewing in leather. This is exactly what I will cover in this guide. Unlike other materials, leather is usually very thick, making it hard for sewing. For easier neat sewing one must first punch holes in the leather material before actually sewing it. You can either use an Awl or a stitching chisel when punching holes in leather.
The following tools will be used in punching holes in leather.
Before punching holes into the leather, it is advised first to make marks on the leather which will act as your guidelines. For this task, you can use different methods depending on your type of leather.
Marking Sewing Lines Using a Ruler and an Awl
This method is best, especially when your leather is flexible. The clear ruler is placed over the leather and the awl run along the ruler to make a line, the ruler is rotated around curves while making marks. Around the curves maintain the same distance from the edge of the leather. While doing this, make sure the line is straight to ensure neat work.
This is preferable for smaller projects with fewer curves.
Marking sewing lines using the adjustable stitching Grover
This method is applied to a leather that is fairly rigid and needs deeper groove using its blades. Deeper holes result in neater stitches and keep them from wearing out. This stitching Grover has two tips one for creating grooves in the leather. The other tip which is parallel is for making sure the sewing line is at even distance by holding the edge of the leather in place.
The parallel tip can be adjusted in different positions to align with the grooving tip. This tool allows you to mark sewing lines at a different distance from the edge of the leather. This method is best when dealing with leather with many curves.
Marking lines using the adjustable stitching Grover requires a smooth continuous motion, a stop and start can cause rugged lines.
Punching Sewing Holes Using an Awl
First, you are required to mark sewing lines using an overstitching wheel. The stitches should be evenly spaced for neat work by adjusting the head of the overstitch wheel. The spacing on the stitches varies with the size of the project. While smaller stitches are stronger than lager stitches, they are time-consuming and tiresome to punch and sew.
Run the wheel along the marked sewing lines to create dotted lines with the teeth of the wheel. To punch holes, you will need an awl and a mallet. The awl is held upright from the leather, and then the mallet used to punch the head of the awl. You can make different shapes of holes by using different awl attachments. Most important, you are advised to use a soft board when punching holes to avoid the sharp end of the awl from being damaged.
This method requires a lot of energy and is time-consuming but is helpful in very tough leather and also makes smaller holes than later.
Punching Sewing Holes Using the Stitching Chisel
This method of whole punching is less time consuming than using the awl. You can skip the marking lines part since it is designed to mark evenly spaced holes part. It also allows you to punch more than one hole at a go. There are different spaced prongs and can be used to make both larger and smaller stitches depending on your requirements.
The chisel is placed on top of the leather and then gently punched using a mallet. The first prong is put in the last hole of the previous punch. This will ensure even spacing of the stitches continuously. As you move around the curves, switch to a chisel with a smaller number of prongs to prevent messy stitches.
Make sure there is a fairly allowance space from the edge of the leather. Start punching your holes at the same position when there are two materials to be sewed together to avoid unevenness.it is easier to use the material you have punched to make marks on the next material. You can also punch them together, but it requires a lot of energy.
