zuludog

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.

You see this knife all over The Net, on Amazon, in cheap leatherwork kits, and so on. I bought one a few years ago for £6 I think, and I also think that if you Search you can still get them for less than £10 inc P&P I thought it was surprisingly well made for the money - the blade was stiff, in line with the handle, and didn't wobble. I improved it by - I didn't like the cheap tacky red paint on the handle, so I scraped it off and slightly reshaped & sanded it so it was more comfortable; the grain is actually quite attractive, at least it is on the one that I have I reduced the sharp corners of the cutting edge, which were quite pronounced, with a file & oil stone, so that it is more like the straight parallel sided blades that you see on most other Japanese Leather Knives The cutting edge had a small secondary bevel; I ground this out to produce a single longer bevel, about 6mm long, using progressively finer oil stones followed by a strop. This took a few sessions spread over a week, but now the edge is very sharp. I made a simple sheath or slip cover for it I have a half round knife, aka head knife, from George Barnsley, and another JLK that I made from an old plane blade, and other knives, but this cheap one is very handy, and I use it on a lot of my work. They are cheap enough to try just out of curiosity, as long as you're willing to work on sharpening the edge - you might get to like it.

OK, one more comment -- I once asked a cobbler 'just how sharp does an awl need to be?' He replied - 'aahhhh....so they go about halfway through your finger before you notice.' Have fun! Zuludog.

Looks like you have all the kit you need for sharpening; and yes, it will all be quiet, portable, and won't need electricity ..... if anything, power tools will damage the small blades used in leatherwork There are loads of YT Videos on sharpening, for general stuff like knives, chisels, plane blades, and also leatherwork tools such as edge bevelers, awls, and skiving knives Make some sheaths or slip covers for your tools; they will protect your fingers from getting cut, and protect the cutting edge from damage ....... stick an awl into a wine bottle cork

You have summed up leatherwork very well -- and you will find life easier and less frustrating if you realise and understand that leatherwork is not precision engineering, it is a craft that uses natural materials You've seen from the replies to your various questions , and from YT Videos on beginners tools, and others, that leatherwork and the choice of tools varies a lot with personal preference, finance, and experience Really, the only way you're going to find out what works for you is to actually do something - get a bag of offcuts or a half veg tan shoulder or belly ... the Wuta edgers, an Osborne #43 awl, some 4mm diamond stitching chisels, needles & thread as described, and make a few simple items like key fobs, card holders, slip covers & cases for your knives & chisels, ..... and make some mistakes as well, that's how we've all learned Once you've got some experience with basic stuff then you can build up to more complicated and advanced items like shoes

@Aventurine --- it is a paradox (is that the right word?) of leatherwork, and presumably most crafts, that you need experience to make the best choice of tools when you're a beginner I notice that you seem to want to buy most of your tools from Amazon - why? Yes, there will be good makes on there, but there are also be some that aren't very good So why not go to a proper leather craft supplier? Experienced leatherworkers might argue the pros & cons of various items, but in general most of the stuff they sell will be OK I know of Tandy, Weaver Leather Supply, and Rocky Mountain Leather Supply in the USA, and I'm sure people in the USA can suggest others - why not shop at them? If nothing else you could phone or email them for advice.

OH NO! -- this looks like the 4-in-1 awl that is infamous throughout the leather craft world for being expensive and not very good (that's the polite version!) ..... besides which, in general, tools with interchangeable parts are fiddly, and you'll be constantly swapping & playing about with the blades It is better and cheaper to buy a scratch/round awl and a fixed blade saddlers/diamond awl Traditionally you bought a separate blade and haft then fitted them together yourself, but this is fiddly, try to find something already made up -- I'm sure people in the USA will suggest suppliers and models/types of awls Generally go for a thin blade, <2mm but as I think you might be using thicker leather you could go up to 2,5mm but others will advise, or ask the supplier A diamond awl needs to be super sharp but it does not have a fine needle point, it is more like a small rounded chisel tip, you'll see the idea from videos Whatever you get you'll need to sharpen a new blade, there are YT Videos. FWIW I use mostly 0,6mm thread and Osborne # 42 or 43 awl blade (can't remember which) that I mounted myself in a typically pear shaped haft

You can sharpen the tiny blade in a stitch groover by pulling through a length of preferably unwaxed linen thread coated with stropping compound, and sharpen from the outside like any other blade by pulling on a strop, but on a smaller scale. there are YT Videos about this, including by JH Leather But just to confuse things I started with a groover, but now I have changed to marking my stitch line with dividers, as recommended by Nigel Armitage. There are YT Videos about this; watch some of JH Leather's videos to see how it's done ..... or Search YT for 'leatherwork and wing dividers'.

Here is my general guide to needles & thread, there are also YT Videos - For thinner leather such as wallets use 0,45mm diameter thread and John James Saddlers Harness Needles item code L3912 size 004 For most leather goods use 0,6mm dia thread and John James Saddlers Harness Needles item code L3912 size 002 - note! make sure they are size 002 and not 2/0 For thicker leather such as axe covers or if you want a rugged look, use 0,8 to 1,0mm dia thread and Tandy Stitching Needles 10 pack SKU 1195 -00 Briefly, synthetic is stronger than linen and won't rot, but some people prefer linen as it's natural and they like the way it feels/handles Most people try a few types & makes before they settle on something, so look out for sales & short lengths You can get John James needles in the USA from Rocky Mountain Leather Supply, I think, and possibly other suppliers as JJ are a well known make internationally; and Tandy are American anyway But for needles, thread, and any other questions about leather & tools - Don't be afraid of the suppliers! After all they know their business and it it is in their interest to help you, so ask away! Oh, just a comment - if you are going to use thicker thread and needles, you might need to temporarily enlarge the stitching holes with a round/scratch awl, they're cheap enough. The holes made by chisels & diamond/saddlers awl blades are actually slits, they don't remove any material and will close up around the thread after stitching. You might also need to pull through the needles with pliers, especially when back stitching - pad/wrap the jaws with tape so you don't scratch the needles.