A good stitch for helping waterproof ??

[tuxdad]

Hello all,

I'm hoping to find out about a good stitch for helping with the water proofing of a couple of bags I'm thinking of making .. I plan to use tallow and beeswax for the bag itself, but just not sure what stitch would best help with this.. The stitches I'm thinking of are either a whip stitch or maybe saddle stitch.. If you can recommend a better stitch I'd be greatly appreciative of this..

Thanks in advance !

Tux :hatsoff:

 

[rabjr]

Well I use the saddle stitch with welts on all my bags and the veg tanned ones need to be soaked before turning them inside out and I'm always amazed at how they hold the water with no visible drips when I hold a bag full of water up at the sink. If stitched right and treated with a water proofer I can't see water seeping in through any of the stitching if thats what your worried about. :idunno:

 

[tuxdad]

Welts ?? The little strips along the seams correct ?? Will this work as well for keeping water out ?? :redface:

Sorry, still getting the hang of leathercraft...

 

[rabjr]

Yep! They sure seem to make my bags want to hold water. :haha: :thumbsup:

 

[tuxdad]

Thanks !! :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

How thick/thin should the welts be usually ? Should they be of the same type leather ??

 

[DNICK]

I use the same leather for the welt as was used for the bag and cut the welt about 3/8 of an inch wide. Duane

 

[SpottedBull]

The number of stitches per inch that you sew can also have an impact of the water-tightness. I usually sew my bags at 7 stitches per inch and they hold water really well when wetting to turn right side out. When I use the 11 stitch per inch wheel, you can practically squeeze the bag and no water runs out.

 

[MSW]

i agree. go with a saddle stitch, about ten to twelve per inch. keep 'em even, keep em tight, and don't get cheapskate with whatever sealer you use.

the last bag i made had welts, and that seemed to make it more tight.

good luck with your project. post pictures, please!

 

[Birdman]

Tuxdad you can fancy the welt up some too iffen ya want. Leave it a bit wide so it sticks out some when the turn the bag rightside out, then ya can use pinking shears or small chisels n cut the welt into a decoration of sorts. I've seen some bags that had different colored leather for the welt so it would stand out a little after it was trimmed. Kinda nice looking n personalized the bag a mite.Some others I've seen they left sections of the welt pretty long n after reverseing the bag , cut them into fringe n strung a few trade beads on the wangs, lots a stuff you can do with the welt material if ya just think ahead a bit. --just some thoughts YMHS Birdman

 

[tuxdad]

Should I treat the welts and leather before stitching as a little extra protection ??

 

[rabjr]

I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to.

 

[SpottedBull]

another neat trick with a welt is to fold the welt in half, so that the folded edge will end up on the outside of the bag! That really adds a finished look to it!

 

[tuxdad]

A stitch per inch wheel ?? Never heard of it..
All I've got is a 4 hole punch, and a single hole punch to work with.. The best I can get is about 5 or so holes per inch..

Got a pic of one of these critters ??

 

[LaBonte]

A stitch per inch wheel ?? Never heard of it..
All I've got is a 4 hole punch, and a single hole punch to work with.. The best I can get is about 5 or so holes per inch..

Got a pic of one of these critters ??

here ya go http://www.handtools-uk.com/default.php?cPath=318

these three sizes, 5-7 SPI are the most commonly available today. For the finer sizes such as 8-12SPI you generally have to find vintage ones - EBay is one sources as is Bob Douglas Leather Tools

How fine a stitch to use would depend on the type of maker one is emulating - professionals would use the finer stitches while the more common folks would tend to use the wider stitches. For fine stitching you also need a finer awl, needles, and thread.

 

[Birdman]

hold up Tuxdad. You mentioned a "hole punch". Thats NOT what ya use for stitching. Yer gonna need a wheel as mentioned, check out tandy leather to see what we are talking about(they come in a variaty of stitchs to the inch sizes). Its a small wheel with points around the edge that marks the leather at regular measured intervals. Then yer gonna need an AWL to punch through the leather at each of those marks. Ya want to hold the awl n punch through the leather at the same angle every time. It makes the stitchs neater n the seam tighter. Then you will start sewing the pieces together. Maybe one of the other guys has a tutorial on their sites that you can look at to explain it all better. Maybe if ya puch in sewing leather over on facebook there will be a site that can give ya a visual, A hole punch is more often used if yer 'LACEING" something with a larger diameter, the awl is used more for "SEWING" stuff together. --just some thoughts YMHS Birdman

 

[tuxdad]

Sorry I ment to say leather punch, but I get what you're saying..

I'll look into one of these stitch wheels over on the tandy site..

Thanks for the heads up patience everyone.. :hatsoff:

 

[tuxdad]

Ok was able to find one of those stitch per inch wheels with 3 different sized wheels.. I'll be trying this beasty out a bit before making an attempt at my fire bag..

Thanks again for all the help !! It's greatly appreciated !! :hatsoff: :thumbsup: