keableleather

End grain pine is a good surface to punch through with your hole punches and will not damage your punch edge, and horses for causes too, i use a hardwood floor board and have glued a piece of 6mm or 1/4" rubber insertion rubber or conveyor belt to it and punch through on this surface, it's great for awl or lacing punches and releases easy. also a block of bees wax is great for awl work as it lubricates with each hole you push through.

What do you guys think about this style? this is done on 3-4oz (1.5mm) veg tanned using the case and carve technique with a swivel knife and then a few basic & homemade stamps for bevel and edging etc and finished by paint and then a polish over with clearcoat. https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t31.0-8/s720x720/77795_126989594120421_1622145781_o.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/552350_126989690787078_314304736_n.jpg?oh=524dae313ce483e28135874877d1ba11&oe=566D3672&__gda__=1453108172_ba438d45b4428b04646e40034b087d8a https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/527346_126989667453747_1993635635_n.jpg?oh=ad80a79003d8908456511db576243c3d&oe=5662965E

Great job and yep that hand stitching is a patient and finger/hand toughening procedure.... i hand stitch my belts and it can be anywhere from 650 stitches per belt but the result is something pretty special i think.

Try this easy to use software, I use transparencies and the copper colour lines and remove or do not use any infill on your shapes, (ie Draft Mode) http://www.sgdesigns.com/designer.php

Theses are GREAT! well done and so inventive and crafty! I too would like to see how you done these! I have a pile of miniature BITS that would be great as the rings between them and the keys! Available here also from Birdsall leather in Australia http://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/AOHB7744w/Ornamental-Horse-Bits/pd.php

Yep i think Tandy are very similar: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com.au/en-aud/search/searchresults/1249-042.aspx That's link to the product (It's Tandy Australia) but the product number is Item #1249-01 and should be the same for any tandy store worldwide. Also i get a similar type that are BLIND on the back and top... ie they don't have a button head so you can hide the head flat under a second layer or top cover. I get them from a craft sewing chain over here in Australia called Lincraft.

Your a little too humble Double U, this work i can only say is exceptional and your client receiving a product like this is worthy of being the beholder !!!! (ps a $50 tip to me means you need to up your price :-) but it also means they are very appreciative! So Good!!

Here's an interesting article on the Crow & the Raven, interestingly the Raven lives for 30yrs compared to a Crows lifespan of 8 years - http://www.diffen.com/difference/Crow_vs_Raven

Welcome Em....with your background you'll be addicted to working with leather in an instant, let your mind explore the possibilities of also integrating leather with your other mediums, and skills! I also work with metal and make belt buckles as well as motorcycle leather - http://keableleather.com.au/?p=454 Cheers Jace

This is a video from youtube showing how to saddle stitch a belt edge. http://youtu.be/Q2lDExF5NbE

Source: First Piece

Here's my technique on getting a straight line stitch using an edge grooving tool & the Craftool Over-stitch Wheel System Item #8091-00 from Tandy. This tool comes with 3 wheels that are easy to change over , you get 5,6 & 7 TPI. 1 - Set your grooving tool to the desired distance & cut your groove, do several passes to get the depth you require. 2 - Wet your stitch line, position your over-stitch wheel in the groove & keeping a firm pressure move slowly forward and then back, repeat and progressively move along your groove. 3 - The result is a perfect formed straight stitching groove with even indents to take the awl. 4/5 - Take your awl & here i am using bees was to stab the hole at approx 45 degree to the stitch line.

Nuttish - this is a good video on actually stitching for perfection.. http://youtu.be/Q2lDExF5NbE

Thanks for the makers comment, and yes mate that is an impression from what you called a stitching wheel, usually referred to as an over-stitch wheel and is also used after stitching to pressure down & tidy up your stitching.....if you want to stitch beautifully and quick then stick to the basics and practice and then some more practice. But the easy way to get your lines very straight is to use as (NVLeatherworx) pointed out, use a grooving tool to scribe your line and undercut a nice groove along the edge, this tool guides as straight as the edge of your leather is and makes a perfect groove to the distance you set it from your edge. That's gives you your stitch line, then dampen (case) the leather and use the over-stitch wheel, place it in the groove taking note of where you want to start your first stitch and then just slowly rock back and forth with firm downward pressure, continue to track along your groove at a pace that suits you.... take care and be patient, you need to go over and over until your desired depth is acquired and the result is what you seen in the image i posted, ready for the awl. (practice on some scrap veg tan and if you don't have any than I'll send you some for nothing if you cover the postage) Next it is important to use a sharp awl and angle the point (the diamond shape) at 45 degrees to your stitch line and then just allow the point to slip into each stitch groove depression the wheel has made and ensure you are at 90 degrees to the face of your leather and then push down.....but get yourself a chunk of old conveyor belt rubber or some type of thick stiff rubber to push into, glue it to a bit of timber also another good tip is to use a chunk of bees wax as the backing to stab through the leather and into ...in stead of your fingers....(the bees wax keeps your awl lubricated every stab and makes life real easy) don't ever try to punch/stab an awl through leather into fresh air expecting your fingers/hands to be out of the way!!!! It is so so so much easier and safer to stab into a semi solid backing ... Cheers Jace

Hello Newshoes!.... without an interest to ever make shoes....you have just inspired me to make a pair of those, they look great, natural and they are bound to fit your foot if you mold them to the real thing lol.... any more images of them?, would like to see how you have done the heels and ankle area. You should be pretty proud of those for only a second or third pair.....shoe making is a real art !!

Hi Nuttish, that's a good first project you have done and what is more impressive is that you knew exactly "every" flaw or fault! Good on Ya!! The image below is how i get my stitching lines to look prior to thinking about picking up the Awl & Needles...hope it helps.

Another image:

This is a 3-4oz veg tan wet molded cover with hand stitched emblem on a standard HD Road King Horn. There are no straps or fasteners just a locking stitch on the two bottom rear corners where the leather folds/wraps around the edge.

Urshag your technique here is top notch! Your've created Dragon Hide! :-) LOVE IT

Now that's a little too much therapy lol, keep in mind that Antipaladin did say "commercially mass produced crap" now this company certainly does not produce crap, and they know the benefits & value of hand stitching as pointed out in the video, safety, integrity & strength.

There's not a lot left in the world today that actually encourages us to slow down, reflect and spend a bit of quite time allowing your mind to stabilize and rejuvenate..... hand stitching leather does it for me, a therapy! And that's a great wax tip along with the great work on them holsters, can't really see why you would want to put a machine to those fine pieces of work! Be only 15 minutes work to go up the seam by hand for a half proficient hand stitcher.

Welcome guys, I am Australian too "in QLD" and have been a leather worker for years following in the inspirational footsteps of my late fathers life time passion with the craft. You'll find this is the right place to gain knowledge from the very basics to the remarkable, take the time to explore the site and the people out there are always willing to help out! enjoy! greekgod....study all you can on the basics and see if you can find a starting point, like stitching, or stamping or lacing etc, but learning about leather is a good idea first, what is it, what is the difference between leather types, and what is it's uses from a veg tanned hide to a harness leather and then how to cut it. enjoy!

There is a lot to consider when pricing your items & unfortunately knowledge is not equal, we are different and all look on things differently! A happy medium would be nice and a set of guidelines, but I see it a lot in the younger generation, China is degrading peoples minds to the true value of the Handcrafter, especially the leather trade. I definitely disagree with "if it looks the same, does the same thing then it should cost the same"....there are some amazing belts and bags coming out of China that sell for less than i can acquire just the material for......but i see a lot of these coming in my door because they are a persons FAVORITE & after only 6mths the stitching has gone, the leather coating is cracked, the strap broken etc etc. But they looked terrific at $30 at a market stall....I tell them I won't fix it and that to replace it with a quality hand made replica will cost them 10 times the amount they paid....now that usually ends the conversation pretty quick..... As soon as a person looks at my work and mentions a Chinese import product comparison, my craft is closed to them, i don't want to sell to them & i won't, my time and skill is a craft and the result is something i am prepared to sell to an appreciative person, i don't try to justify my price against a cheaper option, I immediately know where their level of knowledge & appreciation "is and is not" and "what is important to them (price) and what is not (crafted quality & longevity)". The amount of leather products made from the scrapings of leather offcuts from tanneries and pulped & pressed together with adhesives and by regulation allowed to be marked "Genuine Leather" because it has a content exceeding 60% real leather is a disgrace and another reason why people's minds are being programmed to expect a leather product to be cheap. Here is a link to Blog Post i created after a trip to a local mall where a guy was selling imported phone cases. "Misinformed"

Looks good....both projects that is..... I am sorta wondering how you got that lace fault? I usually follow the same technique and go up to the starting position as you have, then i would go 2 holes passed to make it blend, my tip here is to skive your lace down for a few inches so as not to look bulky or doubled over.... then i apply a cement on the lace where it will exit the final hole, pull it out hard and trim it off clean... it will then disappear in the hole. I also can't see enough details from the image, but it nearly looks like your a hole out or a plait out.... sorry... wish i could see it better.... it's also very important to make a hidden start to your lace if your going to be coming back to join into it.... like a rope splice sorta... that's where i can't make out the actual start and where the intersection is... hope this helps somewhat.... cheers Jace

Welcome, You can find a pretty good guide on the web page link below for thread and needle info & charts: http://www.tippmannindustrial.com/downloads.php Cheers Jace