French pricking irons for leather craft

French pricking irons for working with leather (they are also called European) are designed for punching holes for the saddle stitch. The resulting seam differs from others in its aesthetic beauty; each stitch is inclined, parallel to the others.

The pitch of French punches is measured in the number of stitches per inch (9, 10, 12, etc.), but for ease of perception these dimensions are converted to millimeters. The most popular sizes are:

• 2.7 mm - for watch straps or small haberdashery. The optimal thread thickness is no more than 0.35 mm.
• 3.0 mm - for watch straps and haberdashery. The optimal thread thickness is 0.35 - 0.45 mm.
• 3.38mm - for any haberdashery. The optimal thread thickness is 0.45 - 0.55 mm.
• 3.85mm - for any haberdashery and those who like thicker threads. The optimal thread thickness is 0.55 - 0.65 mm, but you can work with a thickness of up to 0.8 mm.

There are many manufacturers of French-type punches, so when purchasing, you should first of all focus on your budget. The main thing you need to pay attention to is the width of the tooth, that is, the width of the hole that will result in the end. For punches 3.38 mm and above, you should not take a tooth width of less than 2 mm, as it will be difficult to pull a thread thicker than 0.45 mm into such a hole.

Premium manufacturers of punches: Sinabroks, KS Blade, Yorkshine.

Optimal in terms of price-quality ratio: Wuta, Amy Roke, LL