JRDill Report post Posted June 11, 2015 My Grandpa, who I was very close to, passed away a little under a year ago. He was an excellent leather craftsmen on top of being an outstanding human being and male role model for me. I was the only grand kid who showed interest in his hobby and craft, and as a result of that he left me all of his tools. Unfortunately, some of them were sold in an estate auction (weird long story itself), but I received the majority of the tools. Now that I've moved into a home I have room to organize all the tools and get to work! My plan is to make belts, wallets, guitar straps and guitar amp handles.Unfortunately, I have no idea where to start. My biggest concern is which of these projects to start on first? My assumption would be belts as they seem pretty straight forward. Any guidance on books and youtube channels would be great! Once I am set up I am going to start another thread to keep up with my progress. Thanks to all of you for such a great community! Lots of great information here! Probably the coolest piece of all the tools is my Grandpa's first mallet. Just holding this thing brings back great memories of stamping keychains as a kid in his shop! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BondoBobCustomSaddles Report post Posted June 11, 2015 I am sure that Grampa is up there looking down and smiling. Enjoy the journey. Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halitech Report post Posted June 15, 2015 you definitely received a treasure there and I don't mean the money value. I would probably start first with deciding how you want to do your belts/wallets/straps and go from there. Will you be doing any tooling? Minimal? Lots? Then look at the different designs of each and decide on the style you want to go with for each. If you aren't tooling, then you need to decide on what kind of leather you want to use. If you decide you are going to be doing tooling, get some of the rounders and use those to practice different things on. Above all else, do lots of reading and practice and don't be afraid to post in the critique section for a second set of eyes to help find things you might miss Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JRDill Report post Posted June 16, 2015 you definitely received a treasure there and I don't mean the money value. I would probably start first with deciding how you want to do your belts/wallets/straps and go from there. Will you be doing any tooling? Minimal? Lots? Then look at the different designs of each and decide on the style you want to go with for each. If you aren't tooling, then you need to decide on what kind of leather you want to use. If you decide you are going to be doing tooling, get some of the rounders and use those to practice different things on. Above all else, do lots of reading and practice and don't be afraid to post in the critique section for a second set of eyes to help find things you might miss Thanks for the feedback! I think I am going to start with blank belts and make my way from there to wallets as I grow more confident. I'll be practicing tooling throughout until I have a decent grasp on it. I guess my questions right now surround belt making; Is there a particular measurement for things like distance between buckle holes and how long the fold over for the belt keeper and buckle? Also, any good sources for buckles outside of Tandy are greatly appreciated! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JRDill Report post Posted June 16, 2015 Also, what type of leather do you recommend for belt making? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halitech Report post Posted June 16, 2015 There are some good tutorials in the How do I do that section. Finishing edges - http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18101 Casing Leather - http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=19121 Making Belts - http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=60344 The type of leather will depend on the answer to what I asked above, are you going to be tooling it or not? If you are tooling, your only option is veg tanned. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JRDill Report post Posted June 17, 2015 I won't be tooling the belts. I want to start with just plain, great looking belts. And thanks so much for the links, super helpful! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
byggyns Report post Posted June 23, 2015 If you are not tooling, then I would suggest using latigo leather in 7-9 oz thickness for the belts. Before I started doing leatherwork, I bought all my belts from an amish leather shop & they alway sold me latigo belts. I have one that is over 15 years old that still works and looks great. You can also use veg tan and dye, oil & finish them yourslf for more customer color options. If you line the belts, there are even more options of leather for that: pig skin, garment leather, suede, veg tan, oil tan, etc. You can also use a thick veg tan or latigo base & do a thinner surface leather or do an inlay. There are just too many options with belts to list them all. Al Stohlman's book "Belts Galore" is a great resource if you want to get into tooling belts. It has lots of construction and tooling patterns. For basic assembly & design, you don't really need it. You can find that info online. But it does have really good information on construction techniques. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JRDill Report post Posted June 25, 2015 Thanks, Byggyns. I will check out that book for sure. I think I am going to go with veg tan so I can hand dye. I get to start working next week on leather and I'm really excited. I just moved to Kansas City from Houston for work and I've been in temporary housing for a month. I can't wait to show some progress photos! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
