After probably 50 hours of "class" with Philip I figured it was time to try to do something in the real world. I had just finished sharpening a Japanese skiving knife and it was in bad need of some kind of sheath. This was a very quick and dirty project with no pattern or planning really. The only thing I was trying to get "nice" was the stitching. I'm disappointed with the look of this 0.6mm Ritza Tiger thread. First, I don't like how flat it is. But what I really can't understand is what happens in the final mm of each stitch. It's like it unravels or spreads out or something.
First, the sheath. After looking at Philip's work this feels like a 7 year old bringing a school project gift home and the parent has to ask what is it? haha
I didn't utilize the corner stitch trick (obviously) but I did try to do backstitches at each end. But given how fat the regular stitches look the backstitches are really spilling over. Using a 4Z 2.7mm stitching iron with the 0.6 Ritza and JJ #4 needles. It feels like that needle/thread combo is a bit too big for that hole size, especially with 3 thick pieces of leather. I had to use a pliers to pull the needle through a few times, it would catch on the eye. But I can't find a smaller JJ needle for sale in the US, so maybe it's just the thread that is oversized.
I waxed the thread several times while stitching so it was no fraying or anything like that. To prove this to myself I did a test after with a scrap. Here is the stitch as it is being pulled in. You can see the loose thread is still nice and streamlined, no fraying or separation.
Sorry, I see now that this next one is a bit out of focus, but here is that stitch pulled taut and then all stitches hammered done (not excessively, just enough to make flush). To my eye some of these almost look like two stitches side by side. They are definitely wider than the bare thread and some have like a crease in the middle which gives that look of a double stitch.
Am I being too anal here? Or am I doing something wrong? Or is this the nature of the beast with the flat thread? I could imagine how the thread could roll over itself and be more likely to "kink" since it's not perfectly round. But I'm not sure if that's what is happening or not...
Any input would be appreciated!
Oh common, let’s not give Ritza Tiger a bad rep; it’s tiger’s year after all. I actually like to use Ritza on selected projects. Once I thread the needles, I use a wooden bloc to run the thread against and level it (smooth it) before starting to stitch. I find this helps to keep the thread more aligned and flat once the stitch is in.
This has definitely been an eye opener on the 0.6/2.7 thing. I honestly had no idea. The 2.7mm irons have 1.6mm wide teeth so that sounded like plenty of room to get 0.6mm thread through haha. But I suppose 2 pieces of it, plus the thickness of the needle eye ends up being pretty tight.
Thanks everyone for the input!
"It's not you, it's me!". This classic breakup line was invented by Ritza Thread. Whenever a stitch looks bad, you can always assume it is Ritza, not you!
Of course, pairing 0.6mm with 2.7mm did not help, but it is Ritza!
Well, to some point of course.
For a first project, it is very good in my opinion. You should see the horrible horrible thing i did the first time i crafted...
@CrankAddict Well done on your first project! It may not look impressive to you, but I've seen a hell of a lot of 1st attempts, and that's actually good.
I can tell you now, using 0.6mm Tiger with a 2.7mm spacing is no easy task! They simply don't pare well.
Look for cheaper cabled polyester thread like those made by Wuta leather, Artisan Soul or Galaces. They cost less than Tiger (significantly!), but 0.45mm would look really nice with your 2.7mm irons.
Perhaps pick up a few spools in the most universal colours of black, off-white, brown and yellow.
I've used Tiger Thread a few times and have a handful of spools here. 1 think I've noticed is the tiger thread is almost flat on the spool vs a round thread. That may be leading to the issue you are pointing out. I've also never had to wax that thread as it is crazy waxed when It arrived. I'm not sure but maybe they use the wax as a binding agent and don't braid their thread. that may be why you see it separating like that.
I understand that feeling of comparing what i make to Phil and feel like a 7 year old myself but that is a solid sheath for that knife. Form and function look spot on and the stitch line is pretty good too. For what it's worth, I still can't get the corner stitch trick to work/look right for me either.