Is there a trick to locate or highlight prick marks on heavy textured leather? I am making several (7) of the current leather zip wallets for Christmas gifts. I made the mistake of making one of the exterior cases out of black Togo leather. I pricked all the way through one month ago and I cannot distinguish a single mark. I have tried chalk, bright task lighting, bending the leather and looking at different angles-no luck. Presently I am looking at attaching the interior pieces and using an awl to prick all the way through from the inside and casting each stitch. I am concerned with
creating tears, etc with the opposite direction existing prick holes. I would like to salvage, but I have no problem tossing in my really full lessons learned trash box and starting over if I cannot make to my current expectations since joining Philip's classes.
I think in this situation all the stars have aligned against you. Sharp modern pricking iron with slim prongs, soft shrome tanned leather, dark surface and a heavy texture.
You may have luck by putting your pricking iron back in the holes and pricking them again to open them up.
Try this over a scrap of leather so you can penetrate through further than you need to and stretch the holes open just a little more.
Chrome tanned leather has a wonderful propensity to self heal, but here it's a real pain.
Tip. Once you have pricked soft leathers, don't bend the leather around before you stitch, and don't hammer the edges or crease them either. All these actions tend to close the slits you created.
Personally, unless I'm stitching on camera, I use saddlers clams where I can't see the rear side at all. So I'm going by feel and judging distance through experience.
Once I initiate the stitch by pushing the left needle through from the rear side, I can clearly see the slit as there's a John James needle poking through it. If you can aquire this skill through practice, none of these issues will matter anymore.