zuludog

Be careful when you buy John James needles, as there is scope for confusion because they have two similar numbering systems for needle sizes Size 2/0 is too big for most leatherwork unless you are doing really thick, heavy leather The size you want for most general leatherwork is 002, John James product code L3912 That is clearly explained on this video by Nigel Atkinson between 5min 30secs and 7min 45sec - 'Hand Stitching Leather' though of course it's well worth watching the whole video If, unfortunately, you have bought size 2/0 by mistake, well just put it down to experience, though they might just come in for something in the future. The needles are not so expensive that you couldn't buy a packet of the correct size 002

Beat ya to it! I've tried the surgeon's knot on a short length of the thread already, and that is holding. Look it up on Google, it is basically a reef knot with an extra turn . You can see I go backpacking; I've been using that on nylon guylines & cord for years and it works well enough Thanks for the advice though

Try watching IAN ATKINSON as well. His videos are fine examples of neatness and clarity

There are loads of videos on YouTube about leatherwork. Start by searching for 'saddle stitch' and and 'beginners leatherwork tools'. Have a look at those for items that interest you, and you will see how others do their stitching. I can recommend those by Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage For several years I used a stitching groover, it was just one of the things that was done. Then about 18 months ago I went to a demonstration & lecture by Nigel Armitage, and on his recommendation I changed to just marking the line of stitching with dividers, which I found were easier to use, and gave better results. I got a pair of dividers from the secondhand tool stall at my local market for £2-50, say less than $3-50, and they do the job well enough I think you will find stitching chisels with 4mm spacing easier to start with; once you've got the hang of things you can get smaller/narrower as you need them. It helps if you lubricate the prongs with beeswax Try 0,6mm Tiger and 18/3 linen thread to start with; get shortish lengths, say 25m; see how you go, and take it from there In theory a chisel is all you need to make the holes, but in practice you might need to do some extra work with an awl. Traditionally you bought a separate blade and haft, then mounted and sharpened it yourself, which is a right pain and takes ages. So look for an awl that's ready to use. Don't use the 4-in-1 awl sold by Tandy as it's not very good, and expensive. I suggest you get the simple fixed blade awl from Tandy (Stitching Awl with 26mmBlade; #31218 - 01) Even so, any new awl can be improved by a bit of sharpening on a fine stone, or fine wet & dry paper, followed by a strop You can make your own strop from an oddment of wood and leather - there are loads of examples on YouTube. This will be just about the easiest piece of leatherwork you'll do If you are starting you may well find it is worth buying into one of Tandy's discount schemes Using a steel hammer on stitching chisels is OK for a while, but eventually it will damage them. You should use a soft hammer, like wood, nylon, or hide

It looks nice & neat, but I wonder......are you using a lacing chisel or a stitching chisel?. I can't quite tell but it looks as though the prongs are flat, and flat in line with the body of the chisel; that would make it lacing. Also the stitching is all in a straight line On a stitching chisel has the prongs have a diamond shaped cross section and are set at an angel to the body of the chisel. Similarly, the awl blade should have a flat diamond cross section, not round. This produces the distinctive saw-tooth or zig zag pattern of saddle stitching. Still, it looks good, and if you're happy with it, fair enough

Thanks; I was thinking of something like that. So I'll finish it as I do for linen - backstitch 3 or 4 spaces then push the needles between the layers, tie it off, and do my best to hide the knot. I think the only way to find out what it's like is to just try it

As you've been doing, but use linseed oil

I've just had a look at those websites. I notice there are 3 grades; 1, 2, & 3; and that you can buy half sized pieces, priced accordingly. Why not get a half sized piece of each, mid grade, grade 2, and see how you go on; it wouldn't be too expensive. Sometimes you've just gotta try it Beware, though the prices seem reasonable, check for shipping costs, import duty, international handling charges, exchange rates, and so on And if you do decide you like the stuff, perhaps you should buy a stack of it before we Leave the EU! (assuming you live in the UK) Nigel Armitage has a video on 'Making a Simple hand made wallet' or some similar title. It is well worth watching Alright, I know I'm going off topic here, but as you say you are just starting, you might like this suggestion - You can make interesting and attractive variations by using different coloured thread. This lady sells short lengths of coloured linen thread from reputable makers at reasonable prices. Contact her directly to find out what she can supply https://kurzke.co.uk

I mostly make sheaths and sew with linen thread as I prefer that to synthetic But I thought I'd make a couple of belts, and sew them with synthetic thread, which is stronger than linen I was going to use Tandy's waxed nylon, then I saw some kevlar thread in my local Tandy store, reduced from £36 to £12 a roll, so I thought I'd try that. Now I have a couple of questions - How can I secure the thread at the end of stitching? It doesn't melt and bead up when heated with a lighter flame. I've tied a knot in a sample length and that seems to work OK; do you think it will stay secured long - term without unravelling? I've seen a video where they cut through a nylon cable tie with kevlar thread. I'm assuming they were able to do that as they used the thread in a sawing motion. If the belt end is sewn down securely and there's no movement I'm hoping that the thread won't cut the leather; any comments? Thanks Zuludog

Yes, that stitching line is just the sort of effect you want The thing obviously works, but it would be a nice touch if you cleaned it up a bit

So far I haven't dampened the leather. All I want to do is to mark a scratch line so I can place my stitching chisels evenly

Search Google for 'Goods Japan' They have a wide range of tools and materials, and will ship worldwide Prices are reasonable and include shipping, though there may be some import duty or handling charge at your own country Delivery time is about 3 weeks Search YouTube for 'leather work', there are loads of videos

I use a mechanics type tool chest, which has a cupboard base and a stack of various sizes of drawers I work on a steel office desk with an extra sheet of wood on top You might find these videos by Ian Atkinson useful - 'Making a Leather Tool Board' and 'Leodis Leather Workshop Renovation' and 'Leodis Leather Workshop Tour'

At the risk of sounding dismissive, I suggest that you don't start with either of those knives I use scalpels for my model planes ( in fact I trained as a biologist and they were left from my dissecting kit) but I think you will find them too light for all but the thinnest wallet type leather A round knife is the ultimate leather working knife, but they are tricky to use and expensive. I suggest you mentally put that to one side, and use a Stanley knife at first. They are cheap, work well enough, and you probably have one anyway. Then when you have got the hang of this leather business you can buy a round knife in the near future, with the benefit of some experience If you are starting, you might think about buying in to a Tandy discount card. There will be loads of things to get and it will probably pay for itself. However, I have heard that the Tandy/Al Stohlman round knife isn't that good. If you're going to get one, you may as well go the extra and get a better make. I'm sure others will advise you

Oh yes, I nearly forgot The key to any good leatherwork is to have absolutely razor sharp tools, so you could make your own strop from oddments of wood & leather. There is a sharpening section on this forum, or search YouTube. But treat yourself to some proper honing/stropping compound. This will be just about the easiest piece of leatherwork you'll ever do Even if you start off with a Stanley Knife (box cutter in USA?) which has replaceable blades, they seem to be better if you resharpen them, probably because you reduce the shoulder of the bevel, and give them a higher polish Whatever knife you use, you will need two. Keep one for leather, and the other for cutting string, opening parcels and so on . It's purpose is to make sure that you keep one knife exclusively for cutting leather

Welcome to the forum! I agree with Battlemunky and others, start with something simple, and build up from there How about a key fob? Depending on how complicated you want to go, it will show you - pattern making, marking out; cutting out; dyeing; edge bevelling; edge burnishing; saddle stitching; tooling; finishing; and probably a couple of other techniques I've missed. They will also use cheaper types of leather to practice on, like offcuts, remnants, or belly leather Make a few for friends & family, and keep the first one for yourself, to see how you have progressed There are loads of videos on YouTube. I make no apologies for repeating that some of the best are by Nigel Armitage and Ian Atkinson Have Fun!

SNAP!

ROCKOBOY - Search YouTube for videos by Ian Atkinson on making a turned leather messenger bag, and a tote bag. I think you'll find them both useful, and inspirational I don't want to make bags, but I've watched these videos, and he shows just about everything you need in small, logical steps (well, apart from the patience) In fact anything and everything by Ian is worth watching

That's a reasonable summary. You would still need to use an awl if the combined thickness is more than the length of the prongs Nigel Armitage has reviewed several pricking irons and stitching chisels, just Search YouTube I started with Tandy's chisels, then I thought I'd try something different. However, for the amount of work that I do I was unwilling to pay for the very expensive makes. I settled on Seiwa European, and I'm happy enough with them. Whilst I might get different sizes in the future, I think I'll stay with that brand Note - Seiwa make two types of chisel; 'European' and 'Diamond'. 'European' is the better type, see Nigel's reviews 8 & 9

I have made mostly knife sheaths up till now, but I too plan on making my first belt soon. I have a good buckle that I rescued from a favourite belt that fell apart, and I have bought a 3mm veg tan belt length from Tandy There are several videos on YouTube about belt making, but I am basing my belt on these - Making a Simple Leather Belt by Ian Atkinson and Stitching a Leather Belt Keep by Nigel Armitage I will dye it with some sort of medium brown oil based dye from Tandy/Fiebings (I have a few in stock),; and Tandy/Fiebings Gum Tragacanth & Edge Kote. Again, there are a few videos on dyeing leather, but this is quite comprehensive - Information about Dyeing Leather by Ian Atkinson You may have noticed that hikers hardly use leather boots any more, they have all changed to synthetic, including myself. That had left me with a couple of large cans of leather grease. I scraped them into a jar and thinned it slightly with White Spirit, which is the British name for thinners or turpentine substitute. Apply with an old toothbrush and soak it in, let it dry for a couple of days, then buff with a rag. I've been using this on my sheaths for a couple of years and had no complaints; I'll use the same for my belt. I suppose I'll have to buy some proper stuff soon! I have been skiving leather with a hand held skiving knife till now, but for the longer length of the fold over I will order a Trimming Plane from Clas Ohlson, as shown in Ian's belt making video

I recently bought a half round, or single point head knife It was quite cheap, and so it only had a basic sharp edge, and you were expected to do the fine sharpening & polishing yourself I can inform you that whilst it might not have been sharp enough to cut leather, it was definitely sharp enough to cut fingers......

That's excellent! Search YouTube and there are lots of references to making belts, using both rivets and stitching. I'm sure you'll be able to pick up ideas. As for skiving, look at this video - 'Making a Simple Leather Belt' by Leodis Leather. You can see that he uses a small plane for skiving, very similar to a carpenter's plane, but smaller. It is a 'trimming plane' from Clas Ohlson, about £12 in UK. There are 3 Clas Ohlson shops in Norway There is also a leather plane from Goods Japan, about $ US 41 , but you might find it cheaper on Amazon or eBay This video shows how to sew the fold over on a leather belt; in fact anything by Leodis Leather/Ian Atkinson or Nigel Armitage is worth watching 'Stitching a Leather Belt Keep' by Nigel Armitage

I don't do tooling so I don't need anything like a granite or marble slab, but I do skive, so I need a hard, glossy surface. I use the glass door off an old cooker; it's also useful when dyeing small items. If you're just starting and don't yet have any sharpening stones you can lay a sheet of wet & dry paper on the glass You could also use the glass shelves from an old fridge

Search the Internet for 'tool bag' and 'tool roll'. There are lots of different types available

As you do the saddle stitch there is a tendency to slightly turn or twist the needles, eventually the thread itself becomes twisted. The answer is simple, as ScoobyNewbie has stated - just let go of the needles and let the thread hang free, and allow it to unwind About 18 months ago I went to a lecture & demonstration by Nigel Armitage. On his recommendation I made two simple, cheap changes that have improved my stitching I changed from Tandy 'big eye' needles to John James size 002 I no longer use a stitching groover, I just mark the line of the stitching with dividers, then, as before, follow it with a stitching chisel and/or an awl. My dividers were £2-50 from the secondhand tool stall at my local market