zuludog

SUP - I'm flattered that you think my reply would benefit others! But I don't know how to do that, other than typing & posting it all again. However I have no objection if the Moderators wish to do that My basic pliers serve me well enough, but the best pliers with smooth or plastic jaws in the UK are from https://www.maunindustries.com I don't know if they are available in the USA or if there is an American equivalent About sharpening an awl -- by chance, soon after I became interested in leatherwork I bumped into a retired traditional cobbler - in a pub, where else? - and asked him just how sharp should an awl be? His reply was - Aahhh - so it goes about halfway through your finger before you notice!

I don't see why you're having trouble with breaking needles. I've never made sandals but I have made axe covers from 3,5 to4 mm leather so front + back + welt = 10,5 to 12 mm which is about the same thickness that you'd like to sew and I don't think I've ever broken a needle .... though perhaps one when I was tired and in a hurry. Here is my method and a few comments, which I hope will be helpful. Probably not in perfectly flowing English grammar, but you should manage Cut out the pieces and glue with contact glue Mark the stitch line then make holes with a stitching chisel to the depth of the prongs Complete the holes with a diamond/saddler's awl Do the saddle stitch! I use 0,8mm braided polyester thread (can't remember the make) or Tandy Waxed Nylon Thread SKU 1227 - 01 which I think is good for heavy duty work and underrated. Wax the thread even if it's sold as ready waxed I don't bother with the usual technique of piercing the thread, I just do a simple fold over at the eye. This way I can move the needle along as thread is used up so it doesn't develop any localised weak points - and it works well enough. And I've never had a needle fall off! Use a generous amount of thread - compared to the rest of the cost and your time & efforts having a bit of thread left over is the least of your worry Push the needle through the hole with your fingers or a scrap of leather till 10 to 15 mm pokes out of the other side then pull with pliers if necessary. I just use small to medium sized general engineer's pliers and tape the jaws to prevent scratching the needle You might need to temporarily enlarge the hole with a scratch/round awl, particularly on a back stitch but it soon closes up again, especially if you settle the stitching with a cobbler's hammer or a soft mallet I use - Tandy Diamond Stitching Chisel 4mm, Craftool SKU 88046; Tandy Stitching Needles 10 pack SKU1195; Osborne Saddler's Harness Awl blade #43 in a simple bulb shaped haft Work on getting the awl blade absolutely polished and sharp, there are several YT Videos, and note that the tip of the blade should not be a fine needle point, it is more like a very small rounded chisel end Most importantly - for all the times you use chisels, awls, needles, make sure they are straight & perpendicular to the leather and just do a straight pull or push without twisting or waggling the tool I work with a stitching pony or a saddler's clam. Be precise, careful, and patient. I assume you're doing this for a hobby, so take plenty of time and have a rest if you're getting frustrated

Yes, the soles will be thick, a total of 11 or 12 mm by my estimation, so your first problem will be to make the actual stitching holes. This will mean at least a heavy duty saddler's awl or some kind of punch or pointy thing that you hammer through, or a drill Once you've made the holes the actual sewing is fairly straightforward, just use any of your current needles, but as you will almost certainly be using a thicker thread - 0,8mm; 1,0mm; or 1,2mm - check that it will actually go through the eye of the needles. Mostly I use John James needles, but for thick thread I use Tandy Stitching Needles 10 pack SKU 1195 - 00; or just ask your supplier for needles & thread that match To protect the stitching on the underside of the sole use a stitching groover.

I fancy some shoes in oxblood or burgundy coloured leather, but they're not very common, and those that are available are usually the more expensive brands costing £200 or more So I wondered, if I buy shoes in tan or light brown leather would it be possible to dye them with oxblood leather dye?

For years I repaired tents, rucsacs and so on with the usual fabric type thread and pointed needles and just a simple fold over for the thread When I became interested in leatherwork I went on a day's course and was shown how to pierce and lock on the thread, and I also followed that method from YouTube Videos. Then one day I was about half way through sewing a knife sheath or something and I realised - Oh, I haven't pierced the thread. But I didn't want to change part way through a job so I just carried on to the finish, and it seemed to work OK That was a few years ago and I've continued to not pierce the thread, just doing a simple fold over and it works well enough on both polyester and linen thread; and I haven't had any complaints about my stitching. I wax the thread in the usual way and the needle doesn't slide off the thread, so I'll carry on without piecing the thread.

I've just found this, which looks interesting https://www.talasonline.com/Paring-Knives

I too like Japanese Leather Knives, for both cutting and skiving I have that cheap JLK with the red painted handle that you see on lots of budget online suppliers. It's surprisingly good for the price, mine was about £6 but you have to do a lot of sharpening & working on the bevel to get it into a decent state. I also scraped & sanded off the rather tacky red paint, now the handle is more comfortable and the wood grain is quite attractive Chartermade are good - as they should be for the price! Various mid priced Japanese makes include Craft Sha, Seiwa, and Kyoshin Elle ; but more important than the particular make is to learn how to sharpen it really well - there are loads of YT Videos about sharpening & using JLKs Shop around and you can find good mid priced JLKs. I only know of two suppliers in the USA - Weaver Leathercraft and Rocky Mountain Leather supply but I'm sure American members can suggest others. Have a look at this -- https://www.weaverleathersupply.com/products/flat-leather-knife?variant=40929396261004 And I think this shows it in use

Have a look at Rocky Mountain Leather Supply, they have some Charter Made knives that might interest you, though they are expensive. Vergez Blanchard have similar knives, but I don't know where they are available in the USA I use Japanese Leather Knives for both cutting and skiving - shop around for a supplier or try Etsy. They usually have straight across edges, but you can get them with angles edges if you wish. As with most things price is as good an indication of quality as any, but these are good mid priced makes - Seiwa, Kyoshin Elle, Craft Sha Yes, you could make one from a plane blade or similar. I had a cheap box plane that was difficult to adjust so I hardly used it, but the blade was fairly good, so I turned it into a JLK and it works well I also have that cheap JLK with the red handle - it needed a lot of sharpening to get the correct bevel & cutting edge, but once done it was OK and only needed routine sharpening & stropping You can use JLKs bevel up or down Here's an example of them in use, but there are several YouTube Videos about choosing, using, and sharpening JLKs

No, not yet ...... I shuffled and organised my tools, materials, and equipment (everything would be mine at the start, but not the best) into enough for two pairs of people; sketched out a plan for several sessions - introduction, tools, saddle stitch, and so on. 4 to 6 people would be the most I thought I could manage anyway, even if I had more tools, as I have never done anything like this before I asked around local upholsterers & leather companies to see if they had any surplus or discount leather, and one place gave me a load of upholstery leather seconds, trimmings, and so on, about 4 bin bags full, for free, he was glad to get rid of it. So that would tie in nicely with my ideas for easy projects such as key fobs, card holders, drawstring pouches. I could even try lining leather, with leather or fabric I also asked a few of the members, and several of them were interested And then ... and then ...... nothing happened. The problem is that the place is run by Social Workers, and as we know they couldn't run a Piss Up In A Brewery ---- Oh! you're going to use knives! .... Oh! we'll have to check with the Council ...... how sharp are those awly things? ...... we'll have to do a Risk Assessment ...... and all the rest of the Bullsh*t .... so I don't know what they were expecting. That was months ago, and we had a couple of planning meetings (Huh!) but no actual practical work and it dragged on and they seemed to lose interest, and I have to say that I have too. We shall see what happens in the New Year ..... which is now! No wonder that the activities in Community Centres seem to be limited to drinking tea, knitting, and playing dominoes. There have been a couple of attempts locally to start a Men's Shed or a Community Workshop or similar, but they ran into the same sort of problems & general inertia and nothing came of them What we need to do is to avoid officialdom and find a few interested ordinary people (!) and try to do something ourselves. Fortunately I have very recently heard of such a group and I'll try to contact them. In the meantime, if the Community Centre still wants to try something I'll have a go, but I must admit I've lost a bit of my own interest and enthusiasm

I haven't used those skivers that you show because generally I hear they're not very good, and also I took the hint from the fact that if you watch YT Videos of well known and expert leatherworkers, I don't think I've ever seen them use that type either - 'fraid you might just have to buy something else. In which case you have three basic choices - A European style? skiving knife, which looks like a broad stubby hand held chisel A Japanese Leather Knife, aka Japanese Skiving Knife, with it's distinctive offset blade, which feels odd at first but you soon get used to it An English Style paring knife, which has a sloping cutting edge similar to a craft knife, Very often it's just a long strip of steel, without a handle Whichever you get, they can all do a good job, but you must learn to get them razor sharp - there are loads of YT Videos on sharpening & using skiving knives, the usual procedure is a fine stone or abrasive paper followed by a strop. Watch as many as you have the stamina for and you'll pick up the methods Rocky Mountain Leather Supply has several skiving knives on their website, or Search accordingly, or perhaps people in the USA can suggest others FWIW I use a mid priced Japanese Leather Knife for edges & small areas, and a David Razor Plane for larger areas, including the back of the fold over on a belt strap In previous Threads I've posted that I like a JLK, there are several videos on using & sharpening them. I have a mid priced JLK and a very cheap one that you sometimes see on the Net, with Korean? symbols on the blade and a red painted handle. I wouldn't recommend this as it took a lot of work to get a sharp edge on it, and I hear that the latest ones are poor quality Here are a couple of videos, but there are many others

Thanks; I use a stick, so I'll carry on without grease, but I might just make one with a slight amount of grease and see how it goes

I've made leather sharpening strops before, and have simply loaded them with green chromium dioxide stropping compound and away we go and not had any problems But I've been idly Searching YouTube and see that some people oil or grease the leather before applying compound - so which is it, please, to grease or not to grease?

Larry5099 -- I've just noticed & read your Profile more carefully --- Apart from the replies on this Forum, YouTube is your friend -- there are Videos on just about every aspect of leatherwork - choosing tools; making particular items; seeing what other people use and how they do things; techniques such as edge finishing, saddle stitch; sharpening; and so on. Play around with the Search box, follow the prompts and see how you go. Each one will be slightly different reflecting the preferences of the individual worker, but watch a few and you'll get a good idea ...... do some homework and it will save you time, money, and effort in the future

Have a look around your local charity/thrift shop for shirts & blouses, scarves, and so on; you might well find something suitable. There are YT Videos on lining leather, suitable materials, and so on, you're bound to pick up ideas If you ask the staff nicely they might have items with minor damage or blemishes that would otherwise be thrown out, that you could recover decent pieces from Must it be fabric? Look for discarded & abandoned furniture, both leather & fabric, or ask your local upholsterers if they have any offcuts or scrap. Somewhere on my travels I bought some very thin leather, perhaps 0,8mm or less. It's not much use on its own, but I use that for linings, among other stuff. If anyone does give you material, make them a simple wallet, card holder or key fob as a thankyou.

I'd suggest that 0,8 mm thread is a bit too thick for 3,5 mm spacing chisels. Hence changing to 0,6 mm thread might help As you might expect, there are several YT Videos about saddle stitch; have a look at those by J H Leather.