zuludog

The white strip is perfectly normal. Leather is usually only dyed/coloured on its top surface, the grain side. When you bevel the edge of the leather you are removing a very narrow strip of that top surface to reveal the inner, undyed part of the leather. You can reduce this effect by changing the angle of your edge beveler, or using a smaller one, but you can't usually prevent it altogether, otherwise you're not beveling the edge! Search YouTube for 'edge beveling leather ' and almost any leatherwork project and you'll see this. That is why it is usual to burnish & coat/paint/colour the edge of the leather after you've bevelled it. Again, Search YT for finishing/burnishingeather edges Sometimes you may wish to leave the leather in it's natural colour using plain, undyed veg tan . Then you bevel & burnish but use a very pale or colourless edge coat like beeswax, gum tragacanth, or Tokonole

What first springs to mind are stacked leather knife handles, either wholly, or partly for decorative spacers. You can find them ready made, such as Estwing axes and hammers, and KA-BAR knives. Also for fishing rod handles. Presumably you could make similar handles for other tools - a homemade round or head knife with a stacked leather handle? I have never made a braided leather whip, but I would think that a stacked leather handle would set it off nicely Leather buttons - either thick, stiff leather or thinner softer leather to cover metal buttons. Search Google for 'football buttons' Depending on the fashions and your target customers you could make leather jewellery & accessories, like bracelets, necklaces, lockets, and even earrings I remember that in the 1970s there was a fashion for patchwork lady's skirts, handbags & purses; and I had a girlfriend who had a belt made from leather links. It was the kind with figure-of eight pieces folded over and slotted into each other - you can get the dies; Tandy sell a kit for leather link belts Some industrial fan belts and drive belts are made from leather links, but I think that in this case you would need them to be made seriously, by people who knew what they were doing; though you might be able to repair a couple of damaged links in such belts as long as you were careful I've just Searched Google & YT - leather patchwork handbags are still available. I also found leather patchwork rugs and quilts on Google and YT Search YouTube for 'making a stacked leather knife handle' and 'Making a leather flyrod grip part1, & 2' by PercoLab You can make leather mache in a similar way to papier mache. In the mediaeval period it was used to decorate walls & ceilings, as in Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace. On a smaller scale you can use leather mache to make sculptures and relief paintings & carvings You can make seals, washers, and gaskets for engines, camping stoves, & machinery. Usually these are for older machines and restoration, as these are not designed to use modern materials like PTFE Just Search around on YT & Google LUMPENDOODLE2 - What is the other forum & hobby you mention, please?

Let me tell you about my edge bevelers; perhaps someone will find it interesting or useful I bought a set of Craftool Pro edge bevelers - the ones with the black rubber handles - in sizes 00, 0, 1, & 2. They had good reviews by Nigel Armitage, and were on offer at the Tandy shop in Manchester But when I came to use them I had problems; they were jamming and juddering on the leather, and hardly cutting at all. The only way I could get them to cut was to press down really hard, which made using them a real struggle. I was puzzled and confused ( a common occurrence!) as in the videos by Nigel and Tandy they just sailed along through the leather with hardly any effort by the looks of things. I was also concerned and annoyed that I might have wasted my money, and wondered if I should resign myself to buying some more, possibly Osborne Instead I watched Nigel's videos several times over, on YouTube and Vimeo. I played around with some scrap 3mm veg tan, and used a magnifying glass to see how the tip of the tool met up and engaged with the leather. I realised that I had been holding the handle of the edger too high, probably at an angle of 45 degrees, or more. This meant that the little side prongs or guides were digging into the leather instead of sliding over it. It also meant that the prongs were preventing the cutting edge, right up inside the V of the edger, from reaching the leather. If I pressed down hard enough the blade would cut, but that caused the prongs to dig in more, making the jamming even worse So I tried beveling with the edger laid almost flat; this would not cut, as I expected Then gradually raising the handle till I found the best cutting angle, without jamming. This turned out to be less than I had been using, about 30 degrees I also gave them a good sharpening with wet & dry paper, working through the grades from 1200 --> 2500 --> 5000 --> 7000 grit. For sizes 1 & 2 I folded the paper over a steel rod about 2mm dia. For sizes 00 & 0 I sanded the edge of a lollipop stick like a knife edge, and folded the paper over that Then I used a strop. For sizes 1 & 2 I used the strips of leather on a stropping board; for sizes 00 & 0 I pulled through with a length of cord; I made my own by plaiting some 18/3 linen thread and loading it with compound The results are much better -almost as good as Nigel's! - so I'll stay with them; but even so, I have to be careful not to lift the handles too high

It's easy and cheap enough to make your own strop from oddments of wood and leather - either a flat one for sharpening things like knives and skiving knives, or one with raised strips of leather for sharpening edgers Search YouTube for 'making a strop' and 'sharpening edge bevelers'

I've had a look; their belts are excellent and impressive However, to get away with those kind of colour schemes and contrasts I think the standard of workmanship must be absolutely top notch - which it is For lesser mortals such as myself I think a more subdued combination would be more forgiving, so I'll stay with the brownish colours for the moment But thankyou for the link, it shows what can be done, and gives me something to aim for. I may get Metropolitan's sample pack yet

I saw this comment on another forum - Next time you go for a job interview you are likely to be asked 'How did you spend your time during the Lockdown?' or 'What new skills did you learn during the Lockdown?' I don't think that 'rolling my navel fluff into little balls and flicking it into an old coffee cup at the end of the table' would be the sort of answer they would appreciate

I wondered whether to stay with black and go for a contrast or to go for something more subdued. In the end I decided that there was only one way to find out, and that was to try it. If I don't like the brown on a belt I can always try it on a wallet I also wondered whether to get Metropolitan's sample pack of edge paint, but decided that there were some colours that I was fairly sure that wouldn't use, like yellow and blue, so I just got a couple of full size bottles. So far I've received a bottle from Metropolitan, and tried it on scrap, and it works well enough; I've yet to receive the sample from Identity

Since this Thread started I have bought an Osborne #42 awl blade & haft. It was quite easy & quick to sharpen the blade; less than an hour on a fine stone and a strop, and the result is very sharp But mounting the blade in a haft was fiddly and I couldn't get it to go in straight. I ended up drilling the haft and setting the blade in the haft with epoxy glue If I ever buy another awl it will be an Osborne #42 or #43 blade and one of their hafts with some sort of chuck or collet.

That looks OK The little carving knife looks very good; if the skiving knife turns out to the same standard, you've done well. You could try making a KIRIDASHI knife; Search Google and YouTube to see what they're like. Just holding the bare tang would be a bit uncomfortable, you would probably need to fit some scales

I have just about all the tools & materials I need for the moment, except that the only edge paint i have is black Fiebings Edge Kote I want to make a few belts, including some in light to medium tan, and I thought that black edges would be to much of a contrast, so I've ordered some own brand tan and medium brown edge paint from Metropolitan Leather and Identity Leathercraft, to see what they're like. Every little helps.

I have made a Japanese style leather knife from an old block plane blade; it is 35mm wide, and just under 2mm thick I have made a skiving knife from a piece of industrial hacksaw blade; it was 1,5"/40mm wide but by the time I'd ground off the teeth and tidied it up it was 36mm wide and just under 2mm thick I've Searched t'Net - Osborne skiving knife, which they call All Purpose Knife #67 is 40mm wide Chartermade Skiving knife is 40mm wide - find it on Rocky Mountain Leather Supply Vergez - Blanchard skiving knife, which they call a Heel Paring knife is 40mm wide - find it on Rocky Mountain Leather supply For those three they don't quote the thickness, but it looks like they are thicker than 2mm, perhaps 4mm A Search of Goods Japan shows several Japanese style skiving knives with widths between 30mm and 39mm So, I think a suitable width would be around the 35 to 39mm range Personally, I think your handle would be a bit too bulbous; compare it to the examples above, and Search YouTube to see what I mean. On the other hand, make what you want - you can always thin it down, but you can't stick it back on.

You may well know this already, but it seems to me that most serious leatherworkers in Britain get their tools & materials from https://www.abbeyengland.com

So far the only edge coating I've used has been Fiebings Edge Kote in black, but I want to make a couple of belts in light tan, and I thought a black edge might be too stark, so I was thinking of some kind of medium or light tan or brown Tandy have closed, and although I can get Fiebings Edge Kote from a couple of Online suppliers in Britain, I see that https://www.metropolitanleather.com have their own brand, and I thought I might try that - has anyone used it? Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated

It's simple and does the job ----- handsome is as handsome does I never did find my chopping board. I think I must have accidentally thrown it out in one of my infrequent tidy - ups To make things clear; I use the board or the magazine for stitching chisels. I don't use my cutting mat Edit - BANT - thanks for your comments as well; sorry I forgot to do a double quote

Yes, the terminology and nomenclature (posh words, eh!) is confusing, but I use stitching chisels, by which I mean chisels with long prongs that are designed to be knocked all the way through the leather, and to largely replace awls For a long time I used a kitchen chopping board as a base, a plastic (polypropylene?) one about 10mm thick Then one day I couldn't find it, so as a temporary measure I used an old magazine - thick and tough and resilient enough to support the leather and protect my bench, but soft and yielding enough not to blunt the prongs That was a couple of years ago, and I've been using them ever since. They are simple, effectively free, and when they get worn I just replace them

Alright, I know this is OT, but you might like another tale about my Grandfather When I was a boy word went round the village that a prisoner had escaped from the local jail. Police were touring the streets with a loudspeaker van, giving out the usual sort of warnings - He's dangerous........stay at home.......do not approach him.......lock your doors Next day me, Mum & Dad visited Grandma & Grandpa, and Grandpa was in his back yard, sharpening the edge of his spade on a grindstone This is a trick I learned in France, he said

Yes, so much to learn, to do, and to try, all at once - welcome to the fun! The two journal bundles look as though they have a good range of the usual sorts of leather colours - shades of brown, tan, possibly black and grey. I'd say start with those and see how you go on - they have, after all, been professionally dyed If, after that, you want different colours or fancy dyeing your own you could get the bundle of natural veg tan scrap, or a larger piece for a particular job, perhaps when you've gained some experience Incidentally, natural veg tan can look attractive if it is left undyed and just greased. It mellows to a sort of dull yellow/mustard colour

The Julius Koch company makes waxed, braided polyester thread under the brand name 'Ritza 25'. The packet has a picture of a tiger on it, so the thread is sometimes called 'Tiger' thread It is available in 0,6/0,8/1,0 and 1,2 mm diameters, and a range of colours. It is widely recommended, but I don't like the way it handles/feels, and it has a flat cross section which makes it trickier to sew It is usually only sold in large reels of 500 or 1,000m which make it a bit expensive to buy into. But Rocky Mountain Leather Supply sell it in shorter, cheaper lengths which means you could try a few colours and diameters before you buy a full roll. For the work that you will be doing I'd choose 0,6mm, but by all means try some 0,8mm as well so you can see what it's like I like the Chinese Yue Fung braided polyester thread, which is also sold by RMLS under their own 'Twist' label. I prefer the way it feels and it has a round cross section.Go for the 0,55mm dia I also like linen thread, again RMLS sell Yue Fung linen as their 'Twist' linen thread, and I think it's excellent. The French 'Fil au Chinois' linen thread is also very good, and sold by RMLS AFAIK bonded polyester is used mostly for machine sewing, but I'm willing to be corrected I like using linen thread on knife sheaths and polyester for wallets and belts, as it is stronger than linen and you can seal the ends with a flame. So yes, linen is weaker, but the point is that it is strong enough for the purpose Then there is the choice of colours. It's up to you if you want thread that matches and blends in to the leather, or is a contrast; either is acceptable While you're at it, buy a piece of beeswax, it's not very expensive. Although the thread you buy might be ready waxed, you might find it's easier to use if you give it an extra waxing. Beeswax is also used for a few other jobs in leatherwork

The journal bundles look pretty good to me. I'd buy one of each Oh, and it looks like I've found another US supplier

I know next to nothing about horses and their leatherwork, but here's something that might interest you, and my apologies if you know it already My Grandfather served in the British Army on the Western Front during WW1, when they still used a lot of horses. He said they had two sets of bits and other brassware. One would be in use on the horses and they would put the other set into a canvas bag with a shovelful of sand, and tie it across a wheel. As they travelled the brass would be tumbled and polished, and they would swap the sets every few days - even in wartime they were expected to keep up the standards He also said that horses had one big advantage over lorries -- you could eat them

OK, here are my comments on leather thicknesses for your work - 2 - 3oz = approx 1mm for pen slips, card holders, wallets 3 - 4oz = approx 1,5mm for pen slips, card holders, wallets and smaller electronic gizmos like mobile phones and Kindle 5 - 6oz = approx 2mm for journal covers and laptop & kindle covers I suggest you make a few things with the bag of mixed leather you already have, and see how you go on. Then buy some 2mm leather to make the journal cover, as that seems to be the thing you would most like to do at the moment; and 1,5mm leather for the pen slips But before you buy anything, ask the suppliers. Making covers for laptops, journals, & Kindles is very popular and they must have sold hundreds of pieces of leather for that, so tell them what you want, and they should sort you out. I only know of Tandy and Rocky Mountain Leather Supply in the USA, but others will come along and make their own recommendations A single shoulder of each would probably be the cheapest option to start with, but the supplier might have offers or other suggestions. Personally, I would buy ready dyed veg tan as that saves buying dyes and messing around. the disadvantage is that you have only the one colour, so it would probably be some sort of mid brown or tan, unless you have something else in mind; the websites will show the range of colours available. But as you will see on videos you could choose natural veg tan and dye it yourself, the choice is up to you While you're waiting, get watching those videos!

OK, here are some more rambling comments - Firstly, there is a helluva lot of information on YouTube. Play around with the Search Box by putting in similar entries & categories then following the links & prompts. For example - 'making a leather journal cover'; 'making a leather notebook cover'; 'making leather book covers' There will be several videos Similarly Search for making leather laptop/kindle/ipad/tablet/macbook covers/pen covers/pen slips/ pen rolls/card holders/wallets and there will be lots of videos. Even if they are not exactly for the item you have, the methods of construction, materials, and designs will be very similar. you just have to watch as many as you have the stamina for! The bag of sample leather that you already have would probably be OK for pen covers, card holders, and possibly wallets. You can mix up different colours, thicknesses, and types of leather, which can be attractive. If nothing else, it will be practice, and you've gotta start somewhere I don't know much about Nanami journals, as I don't use that sort of notebook but it seems that there are several very similar loose leaf journals on the market - Field Notes, Moleskine, Midori etc. I'm guessing that they are all made in the same way, so look at these makes as well as the one you want. You will notice that some of them incorporate a pen holder Ian Atkinson has two good videos which look comprehensive, detailed, and straightforward to me --- Leather Build Along #3 Moleskine Cover and Leather Build Along #7 Midori Style Notebook cover My suggestions for leather are 1,5mm thick for pen covers & wallets,; and 2,0mm thick for notebook covers, though you can have a very slight variation. I'm afraid it's one of those things that you just have to find out for yourself Some suppliers sell journal cover kits, which are cheaper than ready made, but easier than doing it all yourself. shop around on Google and see what you think But before you buy anything Search YT for 'choosing leather'. There are several videos, and I think they would be useful. Phone up the suppliers and ask their advice ; after all they know their products, and it is in their own interests to help you. They may also have some cheap leather that they don't bother listing on their websites, for you to practice on Yes, handing out bookmarks and key fobs is a good idea, and put the word around friends, neighbours, work colleagues and so on. You never know, someone might just have their Grandfather's old tools stashed away in the loft, just waiting for a good home. And when you feel you're good enough, it might bring you requests and commissions To answer you last question, I think that 2-3oz is a bit thin for a journal cover; I'd go for 3-4oz. You could till make pen slips and card holders with 3-4oz, but it might be a bit thick for a wallet with lots of pockets All these comments are my opinions. Before you go out and buy $100 worth of leather or whatever, leave it a few days or a week to see what other replies you get, and see what others have to say

Here are some hopefully helpful comments, though not necessarily in perfect flowing English! If you've bought mixed upholstery leather it's probably quite thin, say around 1mm; and also flexible, as you've discovered. That means the best you can use it for is small items like key fobs, card holders, wallets, or perhaps pouches, covers, and slips for small items like Swiss Army Knives, pens, torches/flashlights, craft knives It won't be easy to do edge bevelling as it's so thin & flexible, so the easiest thing would be to leave that and just do a bit of gentle sanding and burnishing when you've sewn up the item Neither would you be able to do stitch grooving. A couple of years ago I went to a lecture & demonstration by Nigel Armitage, and on his recommendation I no longer use a stitch groover, whatever the thickness of the leather. Instead I mark the line of the stitching with dividers; this is sufficient and my stitching has improved. I got my dividers from the secondhand stall at my local market for about £3 I have also changed to John James needles, which are very good yet still quite cheap You want John James Saddler's Harness Needles item code L3912 in sizes 002 and 004, which will cover most things. Get them from Rocky Mountain Leather supply or Search Google I can't really tell from the picture, but the thread in your kit looks a bit thick, especially for the thin leather you have at the moment. Try Twist braided polyester thread also from RMLS. For cutting leather you need a steel ruler, which does 3 things - measuring (obviously), a straight edge for cutting against, and a clamp by holding it down firmly to prevent the leather from moving and stretching For cutting thin leather use a rotary cutter; Olfa and Fiskars are the best known but there are others. Or heavy scissors. These tools are available from Tandy, or Search accordingly. But you can do a lot of good work with a utility knife, especially if you sharpen and strop the blade, even new ones. This reduces and polishes the shoulder of the bevel, and it slides through even better Yes, the YT videos do use good stuff, but nevertheless there is a lot of advice & information on there. As you watch on particular items you'll see the sort of tools & techniques that are used.These two channels are often recommended - Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage, Ian has a video on tools for beginners leatherwork which includes using a rotary cutter, but look at other similar videos as well. Nigel has a video on making a simple wallet which has a lot of advice & explanation the cheapest leather is bellies or splits. Not good enough for top class work or large items, but perfectly good enough for learning; in fact many of the cheaper shop bought wallets are made from splits Make a strop from oddments of wood & leather; this is just about the easiest piece of leatherwork you can do, and you'll use it again & again Search YT and the sharpening section on this forum; treat yourself to some proper honing/stropping compound; it's not that expensive and a small bar will last for ages " I have ideas for a ton of different projects I want to do" -- so why don't you tell us, then we can advise you accordingly? You will need a self healing cutting mat, get the biggest you can manage

I've tried various types of thread; here is my experience - LINEN I became interested in leatherwork as I wanted to make knife sheaths, and at about the same time I went on a sheath making course at Identity Leather, which used linen thread I like linen for the way it feels and handles, and the range of colours. I've tried Crawfords, Coates, and Fil au Chinois, which is good. Recently I've used Yue Fung linen thread, which is excellent, I'd say as good or possibly better than FauC. It is available from Artisan Leather in the UK, or from Rocky Mountain Leather Supply in the USA, sold under their own brand name Twist SYNTHETIC I got a starter kit from Tandy, and it included their waxed nylon thread, which is twisted, not braided. I like it; it's easy to use, handles well, and is sold in short lengths of about 22m, which makes it cheap enough to try. Shop around, and besides Tandy you can find it from other suppliers as 0,6mm synthetic thread, and in longer reels; there are only a few colours. Now that Tandy has closed I get mine from Artisan Leather Ritza 25/Tiger thread. I know this is popular, and recommended by experts, but I don't like the way it feels/handles; it has a flat cross section, like very narrow tape. It is also expensive to buy into as you can usually only buy large rolls - 0,6mm X 1000m is about £60. However, Artisan Leather have started selling their own brand of braided synthetic thread which is very similar but cheaper, and as it is available in shorter lengths the initial cost is lower - 0,6mm X 300m is about £6. Not such a wide range of colours though Yue Fung/Twist synthetic thread is good, and I prefer the way it handles as it has a rounded cross section. It is available from Black Mountains Leather in UK or Rocky Mountains Leather Supply in USA I also like Amy Roke synthetic thread; that also has a rounded cross section, and I think that if anything, I prefer it to YF/Twist. I get it from Artisan Leather in UK; I don't know of a US Supplier

Britain has the same sort of restrictions that have now, sadly, become familiar all over the world - stay indoors; only essential trips to the shops or doctors; no long journeys; social distancing of 2metres; non - essential shops and services closed, pubs, clubs, theatres and churches closed, and so on For my part I will be 70 in April, and have diabetes and asthma; I don't need telling twice to stay within those restrictions. I am a qualified, though retired, microbiologist. If I were younger and healthier I would volunteer, but I think that in the present circumstances I will be better off staying indoors, both for my own health and that of others, and not risking my putting our health services under any more strain My indoor hobbies are knife making; leatherwork; and making model planes, and I have all the glue, paints, materials and tools that I need; plus I borrowed a few books from the library before they were closed down, and I've stocked up with plenty of food. I have a stash of about 25 unmade kits; plenty of leather to make sheaths, belts, and wallets, and 8 or 9 blades and the wood to make them up with handles So you would think that I would be glad of the chance to catch up with my hobbies........and yet.........somehow for a few days I couldn't seem to work up any enthusiasm, perhaps because these restrictions have been forced upon me, and I have not naturally chosen to do them. Then a day or two ago I got up, had several cups of coffee, and gave myself a good talking to - you're an intelligent (!?) and capable grown man, still reasonably fit and able, so stop being so pathetic! On the principle that you've got to start somewhere, I'm in the middle of making a couple of Airfix Hawker Hurricanes. When they're finished I'll get on to some wallets. Also a friend has just asked me to make a belt, so it looks like I just needed a bit of motivation Interestingly I got an email from a friend yesterday. Her hobbies are sculpture and painting (as in Yer Art, and not - the back bedroom, two coats, one afternoon). She said the same sort of thing. Here was a golden opportunity, admittedly not in a way she would have wished, to do her hobbies without any interruptions, yet she dithered and hesitated. Then she realised that she should treat the current position as a job, and to have something to show for it, otherwise when this thing is over we'll all look back and wish we had the time again. So she's unearthed, and started a couple of projects (I'm sure we all have them) that she always meant to do, one day. The phrase 'making the best of a bad job' comes to mind I am an atheist, so I won't be praying for anyone, but I am concerned and thinking of you. Let's hope we can all get through this