JAZZMAN

Thank you Tom for taking the time to reply, i had not spotted how thin that one was so i am glad you did, what kind of glue would you use to stick floor tiles together, i really am new to all this so i am sorry if i am being a bit dumb.

I would just like to talk about why i am getting into leatherwork and what i hope to get out of it, but i would also like to ask how everyone else feels when they do leathercraft and their reasons for doing it. All my life since i can remember i have allways had a feeling inside me which is quite hard to put into words as i am no great wordsmith but i will try anyway. It is like an energy inside me trying to burst it's way out of me, i believe it to be creative energy that most of us have in us but some have it stronger than others. I have been a musician since i was eight years old and have played guitar in various jazz and blues bands over the years. Now after 42 ish years off playing i am now unable to continue playing in bands and the like due to a disbility and so found myself looking around for a new outlet for my creative urge which is still strong within me. I find that even just watching a master craftsman working away in his workshop seems to calm my soul and believe that working away in my own space creating leather goods that will be usefull will not only give me something to fill my time but i also believe that it will be good for my mental state of mind. I firmly believe that building and making useful items with our hands is a basic human function/need that is slowly being lost in our world of instant gratification and fast food.Many people are missing out on the joy that can be had from creating something with our own hands that can be used in everyday life. I firmly believe that creative energy is the same in each person but is just channeled through different mediums wether it be dance, music,woodwork,painting or leatherwork. I have chosen leatherwork as i believe it to be something that can accomodate my limitations set by my disabilites and hope that it will also help to calm my soul and bring some joy back into my life. I would love to hear how leatherwork enhances other peoples lives and what your reasons for doing it are. Peace.

That is great, but if you want to tool or carve the leather i have learned that you will need veg tanned leather, try typing into you tube, Ian Atkinson leather or Nigel Armitage leather, they both have some fantastic tutorials on leatherworking. Hope that helps a bit, these were recommended to me by other forum members and i have found them to be great.Peace.

Hi Jason, i am new to leatherwork and so would not offer any technical advice with regard to treating the leather, i will leave that to the more experienced on here. However if i might be so bold as to tell you my thoughts on this. I collect old coins and in the coin world most collectors are against cleaning them myself included, prefering instead to have the grime and dirt that has been picked up from the many hands they have passed through some of it being a hundred or so years old grime, it is part of the history of the coin, and to remove it would be like wiping away the history of it. I feel that it is the same with your grandfathers hatchet cover the stains and grime are a direct result of your grandfathers labour and hard work , my opinion is that the only wotk that should be done to an item like this is work that would stop the item from deteriorating over time, like conditioning.Just my own thoughts of course.Peace.

I hear you Aonir, i too am just starting out with leatherworking on an almost non existing budget, my advice would most definately have to be to start with a keyfob with your limited funds and tools or maybe even a bookmark, sadly and i know you said you did not want to hear it but the reality is that if you really do want to get into more advanced projects it will mean buying more tools and some leather, the good news is though there is loads of advice and help available for free on here and on you tube. The best thing to do is decide what you are going to make and then start asking questions on here about how to go about it. I am no expert as i said but i think a pair of shoes might be a bit ambitious for a starter project with hardly any tools, but hey as i said i am no expert. Good luck with it though at least you have come to the right place for help, i am sure the more experienced people on here will have more advice for you. Take care.

Hi i know that most people recommend going to a kitchen worktop type place to get hold of a granite or marble slab from a scrap bin but i am unable to do that as i have a disability that would make it hard for me to get it home, so i need to get one delivered ,i have seen one on ebay and wondered if it might do the job.Here is the link. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Worktop-Saver-Kitchen-Chopping-Cutting-Surface-Board-Granite-New-By-Premier-/191400329687

Hi 25b, i have just ordered a pricking iron it came to under £7 including postage and does indeed look exactly like the ones on goods japan,at this price i thought go for it , do you have and use some of their tools and have you found them to be a reliable company? If you could tell us a bit about your experiences with them that would be great, thanks again for the link.Peace.

Welcome hobbihorse, i too am new to the forum as well as being new to leatherwork,exciting times ahead for me i hope.

Wow thanks rohn, i am impressed with how well the dye has dyed the leather, my dream is to get into the carving and colouring side of leatherwork i always think the coloured items look particularly nice, thanks for the info, i hope i get to learn more from you in time, back to my first project a plain belt for now though.Take care.

So should i buy a heavier nylon hammer for riveting then or a dead blow hammer, i am not sure which is best?Sorry if i am coming across as a bit of a dimwit.

Hey there that a nice bench, i reckon it could double up as a bed too for those late night projects or if youve had a row with the wife, but seriously your lucky to have a garage, i too am stuck with the corner of our bedroom as my workshop, but there is always someone worse off than yourself i suppose, although i have yet to meet him.

Hi Rohn, i am a total beginner to leatherwork, i quite like the colourscheme it works well together and shows me that not all leatherwork has to be black or tan, could you plaese tell me do you just dye the leather and then add a finish coat on top, or is it much more involved than that.

Hey zulu, sadly going away on a course would be out of the question, the reason i have come to leatherwork is because i have a degenerative disease in my spine which severely restricts my mobility, my wife is my full time carer and has to help me with getting up and down stairs on and off buses that sort of thing, i also have other health issues which would prevent me from travelling long distances. I am not telling you this to look for sympathy(i did the feeling sorry for myself bit when i had to give up work ten years ago) i am merely explaining why that would be out of the question. Are we talking good single malt whisky, i love glenmorangie myself when i can afford a bottle that is.Oh yes i am in West Yorkshire, where are you?

Hi Camano thanks for the reply, am i right in thinking that dead blow hammers are rubber coated, if so are thay fine to use on metal stamps or do they do a dead blow hammer that is not rubber coated? Like i said i really do have a lot to learn.What do you think of this one. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hilka-Pro-Craft-2LB-24oz-Dead-Blow-Hammer-rubber-mallet-tent-pegs-dead-weight-/201169168968?pt=LH_DefaultDomai

Wow, thaks for the warning zulu, i never realized you would have to pay import duty on things like that, it is not something i know anything about, the pricking irons seem to be the main thing on there website i might consider buying as they seem to be well priced and good quality,thanks again for the good advice.

Wow raw66, i am only just starting out on my journey in to leathercraft and so cannot offer an expert opinion on your work. However i do know that i would be incredibly proud if i had produced those items,great work, how long have you been doing leatherwork?

Hi Midwest and itch, thanks for the replies, i know your probably thinking to yourselves this guy is bonkers just hit something with it and see what you think instead of asking for advice about a mallet on a forum, but sadly i have so little money that i am having to buy my tools very slowly indeed and i do not have any stamping tools or even bits of leather to try it out with, so i really do appreciate you more experienced leatherworkers taking the time to help someone like myself. This forum seems like a quite friendly place to hang out. I have had a few bad experiences on some of the other internet forums where people have become abusive for no apparant reason,i can be a bit oversensitive at times and find it quite hard dealing with those type of people ,so thanks again for the help. Take care my friends.

Hi Zulu, yes i have heard of goods Japan on Ian Atkinsons you tube chanel that you mentioned before to me, how long is delivery from there? I also think i have learned ny first lesson and that is that from now on i am going to buy undyed leather so i know exactly what reatments have been done, but it should still make a belt, i will be happy with it if it is just usable for the first attempt. Also thanks again Dwight for looking up my belt and responding to my post. I have every intention of sticking this out but i cannot deny that it is one of those things that takes a lot more skill and knowledge than most people including me realize. However like most things in life i am assuming that the harder something is to attain the better the payoff in the end.The sweetest fruit being on the highest branches and all that.

Thanks for the reply Dwight, here is a link to the leather i bought, naybe i should have bought a natural one then i could have done all the treatments myself, should you normally dye a belt before burnishing then or do it after dyeing, wow do i have a lot to learn. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200954815153?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2648&var=500179930925&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Hello everyone, i have bought a pre dyed black leather strap blank to make my first leather belt project. It is one inch wide and has cut edges, can i still burnish the edges of it in the same way as i have seen on tutorials. Should i use an edge beveller and if so which size should i buy and can i do it with just water. I have a cheap burnishing tool coming from china, hope that will be ok to use as it was only 99p. If i bevel the edges will this remove the dye or should i just burnish the edges without bevelling first. Hope these questions do not sound too stupid but i really do not know hardly anything about leatherwork yet, i have a lot to learn.

Hi everyone, i have just got my first mallet for leatherwork it is a thor 1lb nylon mallet. I have to say it is a bit smaller and lighter than i thought it was going to be, do you guys think it will be ok for general leatherworking. The yellow mallets from tandy seem to have a bigger head on them, i bought this because it was much cheaper than the other type. While it seems very good quality should i have gone for a bigger one and if so which one. Unfortunately i dont have any stamps yet or punches to try it out, i am building my tools up very gradually due to having very little money, i am really worried i have wasted my money.Here is a link to the mallet i bought http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121287575052?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Thank you once again to camano ridge and zulu, i am not used to having people wanting to help me so selflesly, it truly is a pleasure to meet you both, as you said zulu coming to something like this cold is indeed a little daunting maybe more than it would be to someone else who maybe had experience of other crafts where there is some crossover. But i intend to stick this out, i think i might well just start with a keyring or two, at least then i will be making something i can use. I will do some reading i have ordered the Valerie Michael book that seems to be quite well thought of by most people. I will also watch some of the you tube videos and get back to you with some questions if i get stuck. So off i go into the land of leatherworking, see you soon and thanks again.

Wow Zulu, thank you so much for taking so much time to help me with this i really do appreciate the help more than you realize, i think what i am struggling withis knowing where to start and which things to buy first, but before i take up any more of your time i promise to go through your fantastic list of ideas, thank you once again for your kindness , you are a good person with a big heart.

Thank you zulu. yes i am going to go ahead with leathercraft, i have to say though in the uk it does seem quite hard to gather info and find suppliers,thanks for the info i will look into those suppliers and let you know how i get on. I am going to order some offcuts off ebay for messing around with and practicing that sort of thing. I am also tempted to buy some of the cheaper tools off ebay to see how i go on before buying the more expensive professional level tools. I cannot deny i find the lack of info and help a bit overwhelming so thank you for your guidance i really am struggling to get going.

Hi i live in the uk and was wondering ,if you buy from tandy uk what are the postage costs, i can not seem to find them on the site, also how long does it normally take to get your order please.