zuludog

Yes, all that Matt and Chris have said, but don't forget books - remember them? Just go yo your local library and ask for a basic book on leather craft. Start with a key fob and work up from there I've just Searched YouTube for 'choosing leather'; there are about 10 videos specifically on that. Plus there are many, many videos on other aspects of leatherwork. As you watch them, and those for specific projects or items, you will get to know what leather to use

This might interest you, it has lots of listings for suppliers of historical or traditional materials https://www.bookandsword.com

Linen thread was the usual thread for leatherwork until synthetics came along. Of these, Ritza/Tiger thread is very popular, but I don't like the way it feels or handles, I prefer linen The sizing of linen thread is a bit complicated, it is based on the thickness of individual strands, and the number of those strands that are then twisted together to make the final thread. The most used size for leatherwork is 18/3 Fil au Chinois is an excellent French make of linen thread, and it uses a different system; the lower the number, the thicker the thread. 332 and 432 are the usual sizes for leatherwork. 'Fil au Chinois' is French for Chinese Thread, but it is made in France, and is an early example of marketing. It was first made in the early 19th century, and at the time anything Chinese or Oriental was very fashionable, so they simply called it Chinese Thread Synthetic thread is undoubtedly stronger than linen, but the point is that linen is still strong enough for most leatherwork. I make sheaths and wallets, and have had no complaints about using linen thread. It is usually black, brown, natural or white, but you can get other colours by Searching t'Net Buy your thread from a proper leather craft shop or look for decent makes like Somac, Crawfords, Fil au Chinois, or Barbour. Don't get unbranded linen thread from Amazon or eBay as some of it isn't very good If I want to use synthetic thread I use Tandy's Waxed Nylon Thread #1227. I think it is underrated, being cheap, strong, easy to use, and ready waxed I suggest you try some Tandy waxed nylon and some 18/3 linen and see what you think Sorry, but I've never heard of Niltex, perhaps an American member can help you These two videos are worth watching - '10 Differences between Tiger Thread (Ritza 25) and Fil au Chinois' by Leodis Leather/Ian Atkinson 'Stitching Leather by Hand (tutorial); linen & nylon threads' by Fischer Workshops

On the north west coast of England there is a bay; Morecambe Bay, composed of mud & sand flats that are covered at high tide and exposed at low tide. It is very treacherous, with quicksands, gullies, and so on. It can just about support a light tractor with wide wheels, but you have to know what you're doing, and they are frequently lost & sunk The main activity & industry is fishing, especially for shrimps; in fact the local football team (soccer to you) is called The Shrimps One morning a fisherman out there discovered a body - it happens now & again; they get stuck in the sands, or are washed downriver. Now he had a problem. Officially he should leave the body where it was and call the police. But this is a mudflat,; there was nothing to fix it to, and after the next high tide it would disappear. So he put it on his trailer and brought it ashore, then informed the police The local copper said, OK, you made the best decision in the circumstances..... You haven't done anything silly have you, like going through the pockets, or stealing his watch? 'No', said the fisherman, it's just as I found it ---- 'Mind you, I got 30 pounds of shrimp off it before I called you!'

Also this video - 'Overstitch Wheel' by Nigel Armitage Besides the use of the overstitch wheel it shows very clearly the saddle stitch and the use of an awl, with a good illustration of the awl blade & tip

I think you'll find these videos useful - 'How to sharpen leather awl: Dixon Diamond' parts 1 & 2 'Leather awl blade shape comparison: acute vs rounded tip' all by leathertoolz

An awl blade should not have an absolutely needle sharp point, it should be rounded off slightly Have a look at this video - 'Sharpening a Saddlers Awl' by Nigel Armitage Between about 52 secs and 1 min 04 secs he shows an awl that he's already sharpened, and you can clearly see the slightly rounded tip, which is very similar to the larger, right hand picture above. You can obtain this by nipping off the end of a new awl with pliers, followed by shaping & sharpening on a stone & strop, or just grinding. However, he leaves the awl blade he sharpens from new still quite pointed. I think either will do, but I'm afraid it's just one of those things you'll just have to try, and find out for yourself, bearing in mind that it's a lot easier to remove metal as you go along than to put it back on again More important than the precise shape of the tip is that it should be sharp, and the blade highly polished

Oh. It works if you enter it directly The company is reliable though, I have bought a couple of things from them

Have a look here, they have a lot of old stock leatherwork and other craft tools, mostly George Barnsley https://gandmtools.co.uk

Some of the composition or synthetic corks might be a bit too hard and blunt the awl, so the safest way is to stick with genuine cork Of course, you will only find out which you've got when you've opened a bottle.......

While you're spending money, you should get a round awl, aka a scratch awl, they're not very expensive As the name implies, it is used to mark out a pattern on the leather, and also in back stitching to enlarge stitching holes without cutting the thread that's already in the hole. Then flatten the stitching with a mallet or a cobbler's hammer, and the holes will close up again Protect the tips of the awl blades with wine bottle corks; proper cork, not plastic. Oh, the things we must do for our hobby!

Traditionally you bought a separate awl blade and a haft, then fitted them together and sharpened them yourself. This is pretty long winded and tedious, but you can still do it if you wish So try to get one that's ready to go, but even then it can be improved by careful sharpening and polishing on a fine stone and a strop. Search YouTube for 'sharpening an awl'. There are several videos; watch them and you will see what they should look like, and how to use them Note that the business end of an awl is not a point, it is a very small rounded chisel shape. If you leave it pointed it will bend; nip off the end couple of millimetres with the cutting blades of pliers, then carefully shape & sharpen it. A new awl might be pointed, or it might have been shaped by the manufacturer, you'll just have to check it when you get it Vergez Blanchard have a good reputation, and the only thing that has stopped me buying one is that they have a minimum order of 100 euros for export to Britain. If you have found a supplier that will sell one at a time, I would seriously consider VG. Kyoshin-Elle and Osborne are also good makes - yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice. $20 to $30 is a fair price for a decent awl. There may be different sizes; get a medium or mid range one John James website is https://www.jjneedles.com Perhaps an American member can suggest a supplier in USA (I'm assuming you are American) You want Saddlers Harness Needles, size 002, product code L3912. They are sold in packets of 25, which JJ call envelopes. About £5 in Britain, I don't know what they would be in USA Your stitching chisel can also be improved by polishing the prongs with a needle file and/or a 'wand' made by gluing fine abrasive paper, say 600 grit, to a sliver of wood like a lollipop stick You can lubricate the chisel and the awl with beeswax as you use them

Search YouTube for 'leather', 'leatherwork', & leathercraft'. There are loads of videos and ideas, including pants. dress/skirt, jacket, gloves, bags, tool roll, and so on Once I found videos of a lady who unpicks old jackets made of leather, waxed cotton, canvas & similar heavy materials, and turns them into bags. Search YT for 'making bags from old clothes', and 'making bags from old leather jacket'.

Well, if you want to keep the natural veg colour, the obvious thing is not to dye it; but you'll still have to treat it in some way I had a large tub of leather grease that I used on my hiking boots, but now I use synthetic trail shoes I hadn't used it for a couple of years. I spooned it into an old jar and thinned it with white spirits, (which I think is the British term for mineral thinners or turpentine substitute) to the consistency of a soft paste or thick cream I apply that to both dyed & undyed veg tan leather knife sheaths & soak it in. Let it dry for a couple of days then buff with a soft cloth. I've been doing that for well over a year and had no complaints It will darken the leather slightly, usually to a sort of dark yellow or mustard colour, then it develops a patina as you use it. When you first apply the grease the leather looks blotchy, and you think you've made a mistake, but it evens out if you leave it I can't remember what make the grease was, you'll just have to play around with some scrap

Welcome to the Forum! There are loads of videos about leatherwork on YouTube. Watch as many as you have the stamina for, but to make things a bit more manageable, use the Search box to narrow things down. I like those by Nigel Armitage and Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather; Jacklore Knives has a couple of good videos on sheaths, or just Surf away! Note that SilverForgeStudio made a mistake - Leodis Leather is run by Ian Atkinson, not Anderson Perhaps calling key fobs a project is too grand, but they can show you - pattern making; cutting out; stitching; edge bevelling; edge burnishing dyeing; tooling/stamping/carving, depending on how far you want to go.

Search YouTube for 'Japanese Leather Knife' There are several videos showing these types of knives and how they are used I have one, and use it mainly for straight cuts and skiving. Many people find them a bit strange to use at first, but they're OK once you get the hang of them

Thankyou Sheilajeanne; my computer skills are even worse than my leather work

Have a look at this video. Although it is for a knife, he shows how to measure & allow for a thick item, and you could use a similar method. It is well worth watching the whole thing for the assembly, finishing, and other techniques, and is a masterclass in leather work 'Designing and Making Leather Slip Cases' by Ian Atkinson

YES! And I thought it was just me!

I got a cheap waterproof plastic storage box from a local discount store, and made some divisions or 'nests' from cardboard. I don't need to carry it anywhere, it just sits on the floor in a corner of my work room. So far nothing has fallen over or spilled, but if it did, the liquid would be contained in the box Handsome is as handsome does

Have a look at these two videos by Ian Atkinson. They are a bit long, but are masterclasses in leatherwork; in fact anything by Ian is worth watching. He shows what kind of glue he uses; how it is applied and used; and subsequent burnishing Designing and Making Leather Slip Cases & Making a Leather Rat Cutlery RC-3 Sheath

I sharpen my punches by hand in a similar way to immiketoo. I lay a piece of wet & dry paper on a surface that has a bit of 'give' or softness to it, like 3 or 4mm leather or an old mouse mat; then draw it along, rolling or turning it as you do so. Lubricate the paper with water or window cleaning spray, the thin pale green stuff If you use a hard surface like a sharpening stone or wet & dry paper on a sheet of glass there will be a tendency to produce flat spots.. You should only need a needle file on the outside if the punch is particularly blunt or damaged For the inside I use a round/rat tailed needle file because it's difficult to roll wet & dry paper around a stick or rod of a small diameter; use a fine grade one, and go gently. I follow this with a bamboo barbecue stick coated with stropping compound directly onto the wood The wet & dry paper I use has grit sizes from 400 to 2,000; if you keep up with the sharpening you won't need the coarser grades so often. Then I finish using the same technique on a strop

Make a 2 part sheath - front & back; build up the lower part of the back, where the blade fits, with extra thicknesses of leather so there is a step at the hilt. Thus when viewed side on the knife will lie horizontally, and not tilt down towards the tip of the blade This video shows exactly the sort of thing to do. It's a bit long, but well worth watching; it is a masterclass of sheath making 'Making a Leather Rat Cutlery RC - 3 Sheath' by Ian Atkinson It would be difficult to make a sheath with that sort of step in it which would also cover the handle. As bikermutt07 states, the sheath design is dictated by the knife. I suppose you could try making a wooden pattern and some wet moulding

KENNETH M Have a look at this video - 'Designing and Making Leather Slip Cases' by Ian Atkinson Although it's about making slip cases and not wallets, they are similar, and it is an excellent video on how to mark out and assemble thin leather items

I have two awls - one from Bowstock, I think, which has a narrow blade, about 2mm, and I got a blade only from John James and mounted it in my own haft; this is the more usual wider size at about 3,5mm They both needed to be shaped & sharpened, which took ages, especially the JJ. I used a medium and a fine oilstone, then a strop, spreading the work over 3 afternoons. Trying to do the work in one go would be tiring and probably not produce as good results I find I like the narrow awl. I tried Tandy's Craftool Pro Stitching Awl 83020 in their shop a while ago, and have just bought one when they had it on offer at half price It would be interesting to try a Japanese awl, especially the Craft Sha I like to think I'm fairly good at sharpening, but recently I tried the Scary Sharpening System - find it on Google and YouTube, and I'm impressed. I sharpened a head knife and an awl blade very well, easily, and quickly. I'll report on that soon in the Sharpening section