AEBL

Sounds like you want something like a "leather splitter." They range in price from expensive to very expensive. If you're splitting an entire hide ... you might have to find some company to do that for you. In your case, unless you can make friends like that, you might be better off selling your hides and buying deerskin that has been processed to your desired thickness.

I don't trust people with clean workbenches, frankly.

@fredk, thank you sir! I knew someone here would have had experience with that.

I've got a cheap airbrush and I wanted to see if I could paint leather with it, but it is just model airplane acrylic paint ... Wicked colors from Hobby Lobby. Will I have adhesion problems? I know Angelus sells "leather paint" which is obviously made for leather - but is it that much better than other acrylic paints on leather?

@Tastech, it does make sense now that it would be more useful for stiffer thin leathers. The soft leather either goes over the blade or bunches in the throat. I'm able to make longer pieces, but not prettier pieces (they all vary in width). I'm probably going to abandon the soft leather and try a 2oz veg tan cowhide. The soft leather had been ruined with some sprinkles of dark stain and I was trying to put it to some good use.

I got the Australian lace strander. I have a piece of soft leather that is sort of like work-glove weight, about 2 oz or so (1.6mm with calipers). I didn't cut it into a circle for starters, I cut it into somewhat of a pear shape. I'm having a lot of trouble getting consistent width (I'm aiming for 1/8 inch or for everyone else in the world, like 3 mm). Does anyone have any tips for using this tool? I'm sure there is a bit of learning to get it working well. I also have a new razor blade in it. Cheers

I know I'm sort of resurrecting an old post - but not too old. Do you have to heat-treat those tools, or does it just not matter that much for leather?

I will probably try that in a bit, thanks.

I have some "US Stamps" also, as well as some Craftool look-alikes (?) that are stamped with TAIWAN, but otherwise look like Craftool stamps. They're the same yellowish-chrome (nickel, perhaps?) color, with a similar knurling pattern on the handle, with similar product codes to the Craftool-stamped articles. They seem fairly-okay quality. I also have a lot of duplicate stamps ... is eBay the only place to offload them?

@Northmount - thanks that helps!!

Some of them I can figure out: P=pear shader, V=veiner, U=mule tracks, S=seeder ... but K, A, X ... ? X=basket? I'm interested in floral carving, but have zero experience. I got a collection of tools from a local guy. I'm sure that there are people that understand the purpose of the various stamps - but sometimes if your only clue is what the stamp looks like in leather, it is still a mystery. For instance if I hadn't watched some videos, the purpose of mule tracks would have been lost on me, I would have assumed it was some sort of border stamp.

@fredk - do you mean sheets like "heat bond"? There is a thread on this board that you were a contributor to that mentioned that. I was also wondering if anyone could say if the spray glue technique worked well.

@Tim Schroeder - wow, those are nice!

When I think about gluing two pieces of leather together, I usually think about putting contact cement on both sides, waiting a bit for the glue to dry, and then pressing them together. With leather filigree (i.e., I cut holes in it for decorative purposes), if I put contact cement on the side that will show through ... I'll also see glue there ... and that'll be not good. How do people glue filigree to the backing?

So - someone posted this (very helpful) instructional video website here not long ago, and I was watching the instructor carving the coaster pattern ... I'm not a great judge of thickness, but that leather doesn't look much thicker than 2~3oz? Video 3, or thereabouts ... https://co4h.colostate.edu/colorado-4-h-leathercraft-instructional-videos/ He also mentioned that he put (ceral box) cardboard on the back of his "wallet thickness" leathers for carving/tooling. He put masking tape on the flesh side, then contact cement on the cardboard. The reason this is so important to me is that I have a LOT of scrap 3oz leather from a friend of mine that I'd like to practice with.

Thanks @fredk I also found this post to be relevant, for anyone else who was interested.

I know nothing about carving or casing ... or about anything in general, but I just got a lot of 3oz veg tan scraps (all about coaster sized or so). Is this too thin to try to learn carving on?

Ok - good. I like the lacing chisel also. Is there a leatherworking task that the round hole thing is best for, or is it just a personal taste thing? @fredk, I'm not sure what that item is ... but it looks well made, the black lace looks great.

I'm looking to make a wallet with "laced" edges, similar to how it is pictured below. I have some of those Craftool 1/8" lacing chisel - they make holes similar to the ones pictured. I was wondering if round holes were better (less tendency to rip?) or if the lacing chisel is the way to go? For other things, I tend to needle-and-awl ... so I am not sure what I would use round hole punches for ...

I picked up some of this in an estate sale. From the eclectic collection, he also picked his stuff up from an estate sale. I'm trying to decide which things to keep and which things to find a new home for. Thanks for the feedback folks.

I gather that half-round cutters are used to round off the ends of straps. I don't make a bunch of straps (yet?), but I'm pretty handy with a knife and can make something pretty round given a scratch awl line to cut to. I suppose the same goes for slot punches, I could round punch the ends and cut the flat parts out ... What sorts of drive punches do you guys consider to be most useful?

A friend of a friend is a widow of a fellow who had a small business doing leatherwork. He mostly worked in tooled belts, wallets and sheaths. I'm very new to leatherwork, and I don't really have a good idea what to offer the widow for the tools. There are shelves full of all sorts of leather, and a workbench full of tools. Some of it I can price right off of an internet search (such as the poly mauls, which are like ~30 USD. Then there's hardware (Chicago screws, rivets, etc.) and a few large (concho?) punches and

Thanks

Sorry if this is not the right place - but I'm sure someone here knows the right answer: I got a request for an "aviator" (winter) leather hat, with a shearling liner of some sort (perhaps even cloth). I know when I use hats I wind up using them outside, working, and my head winds up getting hot and sweaty. My hats are usually something I can toss in the washing machine, but I was asked to make a leather one. How on earth would they clean it? Would it make sense to have a removable liner or something?

Hey, thanks for the feedback folks! Looks like there's lots of options out there. I've been watching a lot of YT vids of Asian bag makers (Navico, Hahn's Atelier, Bitchen, KKomeda). They make the Japanese leather knife look like such a natural tool. Also appreciate the English paring knife - sometimes just knowing what a thing is called helps to find it.