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Thread: Homemade sewing needle

  1. #1

    Default Homemade sewing needle

    I was looking for a sewing needle and thought...well, I could maybe make one.

    So many items are sewn together and needles aren't always available.

    I took a 10d finish nail and flattened the end. Then, drilled a hole for the thread. Finally, filed both ends. Here are the pics. I hope it helps:
    Last edited by rebel; 12-10-2010 at 05:08 AM.


  2. #2
    "PIRACY IN THE BLOOD" Icemancometh's Avatar
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    Good improvising. Thanks for sharing.
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    Senior Member BENESSE's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rebel View Post
    I was looking for a sewing needle and thought...well, I could maybe make one.

    So many items are sewn together and needles aren't always available.

    I took a 10d finish nail and flattened the end. Then, drilled a hole for the thread. Finally, filed both ends. Here are the pics. I hope it helps:
    God bless you, that's ingenious and a real dedication to get it done!
    I would have probably used duct tape.

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    Senior Member Camp10's Avatar
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    I like that idea! Thanks for sharing!

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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Now that's a niffty idea Rebel! Thanks for a great idea.
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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    That would probably be a good strong leather or pack gear needle. Nice job!!
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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Great Idea, and good job getting that small hole in there.
    Necessity can really be a mother.
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    Hall Monitor Pal334's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    That would probably be a good strong leather or pack gear needle. Nice job!!
    My thoughts exactly. Looks great for the heavy type sewing.


    Thanks for sharing
    Last edited by Pal334; 01-04-2010 at 08:21 PM. Reason: spelling
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    naturalist primitive your_comforting_company's Avatar
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    That's awesome.. think of flattening it and sharpening it for leatherwork. I wonder if a smaller finish nail would work equally as well?
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  10. #10

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    You could use a smaller nail and to keep the drill bit from walking I used a center punch. You could also bend and / or harden the nail.

  11. #11
    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    Do you know, It never ceases to amaze me the ingenuity folk show on this site, and the things I learn because of it!
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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Here are a bunch of plans for home made tools. These are larger power tools in most cases.

    http://www.green-trust.org/junkyardp...shopPlans.html
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    reclinite automaton canid's Avatar
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    you might try one with a chisel point as well. they work well with leather.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    Here are a bunch of plans for home made tools. These are larger power tools in most cases.

    http://www.green-trust.org/junkyardp...shopPlans.html
    Good stuff Rick,

    "Fantastic as it may seem, an ordinary nail
    can be hardened by this process so that it can
    be driven through cold steel plate, while
    chisels can be made out of ordinary bolts or
    cold-rolled rods. It is possible to harden a
    carbon-steel tool so that it will do the work
    of a high-speed tool and give a carbon drill
    sufficient hardness so that it will shear through
    automobile spring leaf, blue spring steel and
    other tough alloy metals. "•

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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    You could file the business end of the nail to a triangle shape. I believe a triangle can be used to sew waterproof (or water resistant) seams in leather. Am I correct on that YCC?
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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    Here are a bunch of plans for home made tools. These are larger power tools in most cases.

    http://www.green-trust.org/junkyardp...shopPlans.html
    Cool link. There's a whole bunch of stuff that I could hurt myself with.
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    I read that a pyramid shape point is stronger than conical. Is that what you mean?

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    Hall Monitor Pal334's Avatar
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    If a person is not real careful around here, they may learn something

    Thanks all
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    naturalist primitive your_comforting_company's Avatar
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    In my experience the triangle shape makes a hole just large enough to run a double strand of your string (in my case sinew) through, making for a very tight stitch. I would think it to be waterproof, but buckskin soaks up water like a sham-wow so it's hard to say. It works well on the bark tan that I've treated when well oiled. Crash seals his with beeswax and would be able to tell us better but I'm not sure if he uses the triangle needle.
    Hey Crash, what say you?
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  20. #20
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    The triangle needle works good for hand stitching, but I pre-punch my holes for the sheaths I make. Even with the last one I made using the deer skin, the thick leather welt made it thicker than I would want to push through. I'll have to make a thumb thingie and give it a try though.
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