zuludog

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

I agree with the friend that AKGUY59 mentions; I think you should have a long grind or bevel that goes from the cutting edge towards the main part of the knife in a gradual, even slope A while ago I bought a George Barnsley head knife, which is similar to a round knife, but has only one point. To keep the costs down they only give you a basic cutting edge, you are expected to do the final sharpening and polishing yourself. I spent an afternoon with oil stones, very fine wet & dry paper, and a strop. When I finally got the cutting edge I wanted there was a smooth, even transition into the main part of the knife, with no step or shoulder to the bevel Search YouTube for round knives and you'll see what other people are using. I think that most of them will have this smooth, gradual slope with no noticeable step. I think this is called a flat grind. There will be several videos about round knives, but have a look at these, which show them well - How to polish a round knife by Leathercraft Masterclass How to hold and use a round knife by UK Saddlery Round knife sharpening by Leathertoolz How to sharpen your head knife for leather work by JH Leather. At about 1 min to 1 min 10 sec there is a diagram showing the cross section of the blade and cutting edge My Barnsley knife is about 1,5mm thick. This is a bit thin but adequate as this is a small knife. For anything larger I would go for 2,0mm thick The size of a round knife is measured by the distance, or the span, between the points, and is typically 120 to 150mm Then there is the depth of the blade, sometimes called the belly. Some are shallow, like a crescent, and some are deeper, more like a full semicircle . You can get an idea of the size you want from watching videos, but only you can decide on the size of your knife; why not make some mock - ups from stiff card, then you could give your preferred shape to your friend You could also Search Google for round knives by makers like Osborne and Vergez - Blanchard, to see the sort of things they make

I would think that most of us on here will be looking forward to this

Thankyou, Grumpyman

Firstly, I'd say take up JOCKEY'S generous offer. Next, here are some general comments - The usual thickness of leather for wallets is about 0,8 to 1,8mm. Typical of an old traditional craft it has its own jargon, and thickness is sometimes referred to as the substance. You can also measure the thickness by the weight in ounces of one square foot; in this case about 3 or 4oz Leather is the skin or hide of a cow, unless described otherwise. For wallets you would usually use already dyed vegetable tanned cow or calf leather. A shoulder would be enough to start with, or you usually buy the whole calf skin CHRISASH'S list is good, but here are a couple more - https://www.metropolitanleather.com They sell good quality leather, and Osborne tools at reduced prices At the moment they are selling veg tan shoulder splits for £15, which is good value and quite good enough for wallets and/or practising on https://leather4craft.co.uk Besides whole hides they sell smaller cut pieces Nigel Armitage has a video entitled How to make a simple wallet, or some similar title. It's worth watching; also the instruction pack is good. Besides plans there is lots of advice. Two other useful video channels are Ian Atkinson and JH Leather I have bought wallet leather from buyleatheronline; they're a reliable company, but check with them that their business has not been affected by the Corona Virus Restrictions. Even if you don't buy from them, they have many different types of leather, with prices, and you can see the sort of things that are available Don't be afraid of the suppliers. I have found them to be pleasant enough if you phone them up; after all, they know their business, and it's in their interests to help you

EMMA Have a look at J H Leather on YouTube. She is a trained saddler who has made videos on various types of leatherwork, including several on dog's collars

Yes, I have made a few - A couple of skiving knives from old 40mm heavy duty hacksaw blades. Cut them up and shape & sharpen them with an angle grinder and a bench grinder, followed by a strop. Fit them onto a piece of hardwood for a handle I made a sort of kiridashi or English style paring knife from an old 25mm hacksaw blade I had a cheap block plane that was fiddly to adjust and I hardly used it. But the blade was quite good, so I turned that into a Japanese style leather knife A local wood turning club made some awl hafts for me, just how I wanted them I made a flat or 'slipper' type edge burnisher from a broken axe handle Not really home made, but you can improve a Stanley/utility/box cutter type of knife by sharpening the blade on a fine stone, followed by stropping

I hand stitch leather, but I machine sew fabric, mainly for altering & repairing tents & rucsacs, and the same sort of technique is used for both, ie backstitch When you come to the end of the usual forward stitching, stop, and press/engage the reverse sewing feature of your machine, and sew back a few stitches, say 4 or 5. It can be a bit tricky to hold down a reverse button and also sew with the motor, so an easier method is to hold down the reverse button and turn the machine with the hand wheel for those 4 or 5 stitches; this will give you more control If you don't have a reverse feature you could leave the needle in the workpiece, lift the presser foot, rotate the workpiece through 180 degrees, and then sew again. Or remove the piece and do the backstitching by hand I expect you will be using synthetic thread. As well as backstitching you could melt the ends of the thread, this is shown in many YouTube videos on leatherwork

My thoughts as well.

YouTube is your friend! Have a look at this video - 'Designing and making leather slip cases' by Ian Atkinson. The same technique can be used for any similar items Search YT for 'How to make a pocket organiser'. There are several videos. Or - 'how to make a case or organiser for ....... 'a lighter,' 'a flashlight' or whatever item you're interested in. Just play around with the Search box & links If you're just starting I suggest you just make a case/organiser for one or two items at first, and see how you get on with that

OK........ so you have a line of stitching........as you come towards the end, you can estimate or imagine whether the last 3 or 4 stitches are going to end perfectly, or if you are going to end up with an odd stitch; too long or too short If it is going to give you an odd length, stop using the stitching chisel, and change to a single prong or an awl. Then spread out the last 3 or 4 holes so that the last hole ends right where you want it; you should be able to judge that by eye In the example you have given, 4 stitches in 18mm will give you 4 stitches with a stitch length of 18/4 = 4,5mm. And that extra 0,5mm will hardly be noticeable As Matt S & jimi have stated, in many cases you can set the length of stitching in advance, and thus plan on having an even number of stitches Have a look at Nigel Armitages videos on making pouches, even if you don't actually want to make a pouch. They are masterclasses on precision leatherwork, and preparing the pattern first. He expands on this sort of thing on his Vimeo channel

Yes, it would have helped if you'd told us where you are The cheapest types of leather are bellies and splits They're not good enough for the best work, but perfectly OK for practising and making smaller items like key fobs, sheaths for smaller knives such as your leather working knives. You can also use veg tan belly leather to make a strop, which is one of the easiest items of leatherwork you can do - Search YouTube, there are lots of videos Depending on how complicated you want to go, a key fob can show you how to do almost every type of leatherwork -- pattern making; cutting out; dyeing; saddle stitch; edge bevelling; edge finishing; tooling & carving. You probably won't need to skive a key fob, but you can use belly leather to practice that, or any other techniques you're not sure about Many of the cheaper shop - bought wallets are made from split leather, and you could do the same. Nigel Armitage has a video on making wallets, and a plan pack which has lots of advice as well as the plans themselves And obviously, keep an eye on suppliers' websites for sales & offers; even better if you can call at a store, they usually have oddments they don't bother listing For anything I'm not too sure about I make a mock - up from card, like cereal packets - staple/glue/tape it together. That gives me an idea of what the finished article will look like; the sequence of construction; and, for example, what sort of pockets I want in a wallet. Old cardboard is a lot cheaper than leather! Have a look at Nigel Armitage's videos on making pouches. Even if you don't want to make a pouch yourself, they are masterclasses in precision leatherwork, and similar techniques can be used for most other items

Yes, just a typical plastic toolbox, probably with a lift out tray. Shop around for the size you want. You could get 2 or 3 of them - one for cutting & measuring; one for sewing; one for liquids, or however you want to organise your kit. But if you're just starting one might be enough, then you can add or expand as you need it You mention the cost, so see what you can do without spending more than you have to.-- Another post recently asked about storing thread. I replied that a local supermarket sells 1 kg potato salad in decent plastic tubs. I wash them out and use them to organise & store my thread - for synthetic, linen, different colours, and so on My local greengrocer gets soft fruit & veg like tomatoes supplied in hard plastic trays. They're supposed to be re-useable and returnable but if you ask nicely they will usually let you have a couple. I use them for storing small pieces of wood for making knife handles I wash out old margarine tubs and store my model aeroplane paints in them, sorting them into RAF, USAF, standard colours, and so on So, not all about leather, but you get the idea, just use your imagination Search YouTube for 'leather workshop tour' there are several videos. I think they are all for permanent installations, but they will give you some ideas You can, of course, get custom and adaptable tool cases and instrument cases, but they tend to be expensive Since you're doing leatherwork, you can make your own cases and tool rolls for thinks like awls, edgers, & knives

Fredk beat me to it! I live in a rented flat and do my leatherwork and other hobbies in the spare room, but I can't install anything permanent I use a mechanics/engineers tool chest. It is fitted with castors so is moveable, though in practice it stays in one place. The drawers are used for tools - knives, awls, edge bevellers, needles & thread and so on. There are a couple of hooks on the side which were intended for saws but I use them for rulers, squares, and straight edges The bottom cabinet is used for liquids - dyes, finishes etc. When and if the cabinet gets too full I'll also use a plastic storage box which is water proof to prevent any spills & leaks onto the carpet

Just to confuse matters, Artisan Leather is selling their own brand of waxed, braided polyester thread. It is about a third of the price of Ritza 25, and as it is sold in 300m reels instead of 1,000m, the initial purchase price is lower, at £5-95, I think. Not such a big range of colours, but worth looking at

Traditionally you would purchase an awl haft & blade as separate items, then fit them together yourself. It can be a bit tricky to get the blade in straight, or shop around and you can get them ready mounted Then you must sharpen the blade, which can also be a fairly long & tedious job; though the last awl blade I bought was an Osborne, and that only took about half an hour Search YouTube for 'assembling and sharpening a leather sewing awl'. There are several videos. I must admit that I haven't used one, but if I was buying another awl I would seriously consider a haft fitted with some kind of chuck or collet, such as Osborne Palm Awl Haft #142, and Osborne Saddler's Harness Awl #42 or #43. They are available from Metropolitan Leather A lot of the time & effort, and therefore the cost, involved in making a round or head knife is in the finishing & sharpening. George Barnsley keep the cost down by only giving you a basic cutting edge, and you must do the final sharpening and polishing yourself. but once you get there you only need to strop, and very occasionally sharpen on a fine stone. Search YouTube for 'sharpening a head/round knife', there are several videos, including a good one by J H Leather. She does most of her work with a head knife (though not a Barnsley), so watch her other videos to see how it's used I have a Barnsley head knife. It took a couple of hour's work with oilstones, fine wet & dry paper, and a strop, but now it has an excellent sharp edge, and holds it well

I've just been Surfing t'Net and noticed this - The Original Reenactors Market, 13, 14, & 15 March , near Coventry I don't know exactly which suppliers, traders, groups or organisations will be there, but there will almost certainly be people supplying, and interested in, historical aspects of leatherwork https://reenactorsmarket.co.uk It's not that far from the Walsall Leather Museum, so you could make a weekend of it. Unfortunately that would mean tackling Brum & Spaghetti Junction MODERATORS - I've posted this in the Historic section as well, but I've repeated it here as I thought this section might be read more often

I've just been Surfing t'Net and noticed this - The Original Reenactors Market will be held near Coventry on 13, 14, & 15 March 2020 I don't know exactly which traders, groups or organisations will be there, but there will almost certainly be people supplying, and interested in, historical aspects of leatherwork It's not that far from the Walsall Leather museum, so you could make a weekend of it. Unfortunately that would mean tackling Brum & Spaghetti Junction https://www.reenactorsmarket.com

IMO patina is just a posh name for dirt. I would clean it back to shiny metal with fine abrasive paper, like wet&dry

Making and fitting a new handle would be simple enough, especially as that is a straightforward design - Search YouTube for 'knife handle making', there are lots of videos. Many of them use power tools & belt sanders, but it's easy enough to do with hand tools. I suspect that the brass pins that were used to fix the handle date from a time when decent glue wasn't around; but now a 2 - part epoxy will do the job. My choice would be slow set/standard/24hour Araldite (annoyingly, they keep changing the name). Most places now seem only to stock the 5 min/rapid set stuff, but try not to use that as it doesn't give you much time for fiddling about and adjusting. I think Halfords sell the slow set stuff

Well, I've had second thoughts. I was tempted by the Crimson Hides irons, but by the time you've added up the price, shipping cost, import duty, and Royal Mail handling charge the total cost would be very nearly £150 for a 2 & 9 prong set, and that's simply more than I'm willing to pay But I've found something else. Abbey England sell their own brand pricking irons; a basic set of 2, 5, & 9 prongs for about £30, and a premium set of 2 & 9 prongs for about £96. The teeth look very similar to Crimson Hides - longer than the traditional stubby ones, but not as long as for a stitching chisel; and they are tapered, not parallel sided I had a reasonable conversation with Abbey, and they said that the teeth are more or less the same for both types, but the premium irons have bigger handles and are intended for prolonged or professional use. They said that as the basic ones are cheap enough many customers start with those and only move on if they need to. He said the prongs will penetrate thinner leather, as for wallets, but not thick leather, where you must also use an awl There is a review on YouTube by JH Leather, and look at https://www.abbeyengland.com So a few days ago I bought a basic set; they are better finished than Craftool and Craftool Pro, with no obvious grinding marks on the teeth. So far I've only used them on scrap, but they work well enough. However, they are a bit on the small side, about 9,5cm long, but I'm sure I'll get used to them There is a new section for Irons & chisels in Sewing Leather, I'll post a longer report in the near future