Kevin Lee French Style Pricking Irons 3.85mm

Description

Kevin Lee pricking irons are widely regarded as the benchmark French-style pricking iron for serious hand stitching. Made from rust-resistant alloy steel, heat-treated to 58 HRC and individually mirror-polished, these irons are built to perform consistently over years of bench use. Hideout Craft is an authorised Kevin Lee stockist in the UK.

At 3.85mm pitch, these irons produce clean, evenly spaced stitch holes that hand leatherwork demands. The 45° tapered tooth geometry creates holes that grip the thread correctly and close cleanly after stitching — a detail that separates properly engineered irons from cheaper alternatives.

At 140mm, the iron body is slightly longer than most standard pricking irons. This gives better visual alignment when marking stitch lines and makes it easier to keep successive strikes consistent — particularly useful on longer runs like belts and straps.

Key Features:

• Precision-machined French tooth geometry, 3.85mm pitch
• 140mm body length for improved alignment and control
• Heat-treated alloy steel at 58 HRC for long-term durability
• Individually mirror-polished teeth for clean extraction from leather
• Available as individual irons or as a set in a bamboo storage box

Technical Specifications:

• Tooth spacing: 3.85mm
• Approximate hole size (1.5mm leather): ~2.2mm
• Iron thickness: 8mm
• Iron length: 140mm
• Tooth angle: 45°
• Tooth length: approximately 10mm

Note: The tapered tooth geometry means final hole size varies with leather thickness. The measurements above are a guide only.

Which irons to choose:

The 2-tooth iron handles corners and curved sections. The 8-tooth covers most straight runs efficiently. The 12-tooth is for longer straight stitching lines on belts, straps and larger panels. For most leathercraft work, the 2 and 8-tooth combination covers the majority of situations.

Packaging: When purchased as a set, the irons are presented in a custom bamboo storage box — ideal for gifting or workshop storage.

For a detailed guide to selecting the right pricking iron — covering pitch, tooth count, handle height and preparation — read our guide to choosing a pricking iron in the Guides section.