zuludog

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

I've just had a look at Crimson Hides website; just Search Google Made up awls are a bit expensive at $95 Singapore = $68 USA = £52 presumably as the hafts are carefully shaped to fit your hand But the blades alone are more reasonable at $20 Singapore = $15 USA = £11, so you could fit a blade to your own handle these prices are before shipping and any import duty

About 18 months ago I went to a lecture & demonstration by Nigel Armitage. on his suggestion i have done two cheap & simple things that have improved my saddle stitch - I no longer use a stitch groover, I just mark the line of the stitching with dividers; and have changed from Tandy 'big eye' needles to John James #2 needles You're not looking at precision draughtmanship. I got a pair of dividers from a secondhand tool stall at my local market for £2-50, about $3

Sorry to read about your problems; you're right, using an awl on thick leather is not that easy. It can help if you support the back of the leather with a cork - but a proper cork, not the cheap plastic things Stitching chisels vary from a cheap set from Amazon to expensive imports. the problem with Amazon is that cheap makes are a bit variable; they might be OK, they might be rubbish But I'd say that as good a place as any to start would be Tandy, either the Craftool, with the black finish and round knurled handles, or the Craftool Pro which are flat with a silver metallic finish. At least then you'd know where you are with them. In your position I'd suggest visiting a leather craft store; either Tandy or perhaps there are others near you. That way you will be able to try them out. Start with a 2 - prong, 4mm spacing and see how you go Take your awl and the rest of your stuff; any decent sales staff will be able to help and advise you Any cheapish stitching chisel can be improved by polishing the prongs. Make a file or wand by gluing some wet & dry paper to a sliver of wood like a lollipop stick; something like 400 and then 600 grit. Lubricate the prongs with beeswax as you knock it into the leather. You can start off with a steel hammer, but this will damage the chisel after a while, so get a soft hammer - wood, nylon, hide, whatever. an auto parts store might be cheaper than a specialist leather hobby store Depending on how awkward the piece of work is, sometimes I just make holes with the chisel on one side of leather before I glue them together. Then after gluing the awl only has to go through one thickness When you've knocked in the chisel, resist the temptation to waggle it about as you remove it; use a straight pull. You can hold down the leather with a short length of wood About 18 months ago I stopped using a stitching groover, I just mark the line of the stitching with dividers, and haven't had any problems

Yes, that's a good idea; it's what scratch awls were made for, hence the name

I use scalpels for making model planes, but I think they're a bit too light for all but the thinnest leather Xacto knives are a bit heavier, and seem to be more popular in USA than Britain An obvious choice is a craft knife, often known in Britain as a Stanley knife, even if it isn't actually made by Stanley. I think you call them box cutters in USA The blades can be improved by sharpening on a fine stone and a strop. This lowers the shoulder of the bevel and polishes it. In fact once you get away from disposable blades to a fixed blade, you'll need a fine stone & strop anyway After that you're looking at specifically leather working knives. Search Google & YouTube for - Clicker Knife; Kiridashi; Japanese Style Leather Knife; Head Knife; Round knife; and you'll see the sort of things that are available. Be warned - some of them are expensive, but perhaps you could make your own? Also search YT for Beginners Leather Tools As mentioned by battlemonkey, one of the cheapest and easiest knives to start with is a snap blade knife Whatever you settle on, you will need two knives. The first is for cutting leather. The second is for sharpening pencils, opening parcels and so on; it's purpose is to make sure you use the first knife exclusively for cutting leather I think you'll find this video interesting - 'How to make a Simple Hand Made Leather Wallet' by Nigel Armitage. The knife he's using is a clicker knife

VAT stands for Value Added Tax, a tax placed on goods and services in Britain and other countries within the European Union ( which Britain still is, for the moment) at the time of purchase It is usually included in the full price, but some suppliers list a lower price, without the tax, for export to non EU countries, then add it on for EU countries; currently 20% p & p stands for post and packing, aka shipping charge Speaking of which, my offer for free p & p is for Britain only, though gandmtools say they do export to USA and other countries

My order came yesterday; a quick response from gandm, and well packaged. Considering how old they must be, the tools are in good condition The head knife is like new, though as with similar head /round knives it will need some fine sharpening The awls are good, with just a bit of discolouration on the blades. As with traditional awls they will need shaping & sharpening before use However, the awls are bigger than I expected.The blades are about 55mm X 4,5mm though they could probably be shortened by knocking them further into the haft So I'll keep one, but the other two are for sale, at £5 each to include p&p. If you're interested, send me a PM

Yes, I know what you mean! Soon after I became interested in leatherwork, and got to know a bit more about it, made the decision that I would not buy a round knife as they are expensive, and I would probably not be doing enough to learn how to use them well . I saw the single point knife, and that was interesting. It was described by one supplier as an opportunity to try a round knife technique, but at a reasonable price; but it was still about £37. When I saw this I couldn't resist it any longer! There was another thing that helped to change my mind. There has been a recent series of BBC TV programmes called 'The Repair Shop' in which expert restorers repair old items of furniture, broken pottery, clocks, and so on. The lady who does the leather repairs uses a single point head knife, and does some excellent work I also bought a set of 3 awls for £14 - you can't have too many awls! I was tempted to get another knife or two, but I have 5 or 6 already; soon to be 6 or 7 so I left it. But it looks like they have quite a lot of knives in stock, I can always go back if I change my mind

George Barnsley was a maker of good quality tools for various trades, including leather work http://www.gandmtools.co.uk Have a decent selection of their old stock, including hammers, awls, and various knives. The prices are reasonable, for example, I have just ordered a single point head knife at £20, but there will be VAT and p&p on top of that

This is how I did skiving when I started In Britain, and I assume in USA, you can get very cheap snap blade knives from discount/bargain stores, as low as a display card of 4 knives for £1, say $1-50. They're not exactly top class, but to be fair, the blades are very sharp & thin Lay the leather on a flat hard surface; extend the blade, and lay it across the leather at a very slight angle, depending on the thickness to be removed. It helps if the leather is dampened slightly. Extend the blade more or less fully; then push-pull or 'saw' across the leather, at the same time pushing forwards Later I made a few skiving knives from old hacksaw blades - a simple 'chisel front' knife or an asymmetric Japanese style leather knife from 40mm hacksaw blade; and a kiridashi style knife from 25mm hacksaw blade I use them all, but I've got used to the Japanese style knife now, and use it more & more. You can get them reasonably cheaply; or pay more if you wish. Search YouTube for 'Japanese Leather Knife' Whatever knife you get you will have to learn about sharpening

I'm sure others will advise you on the leatherwork and the business side of things, but as a former microbiologist I can give you some definite advice - If you are going to be handling blankets that are covered in soil & horse muck. and using sharp tools, make sure your tetanus & other inoculations are up to date. They are absolutely loaded with bacillus, clostridium, and other nasties, There is also a risk of infection by inhalation if the material is dried Personally I would not handle anything unless it had been properly cleaned, either by the customer or yourself, for which you could charge

Tandy is an American chain of leather craft stores which is aimed mostly at hobbyists and beginners, but they have a couple of shops in Britain. Search Google for 'Tandy Leather Manchester' and you will get the prices in £. You might even make it across the Pennines one day and visit their shop. Many of the members of this forum are quite experienced and tend to look down on Tandy, but it would at least be worth seeing what they have. Their prices are a bit on the high side, but if you have several items to buy it may be worth buying into their discount scheme

I think I bought an awl and some natural linen thread from Artisan a couple of years ago, and I was happy enough, but I forgot about them Now you've reminded me I recall seeing their polyester thread and thinking that it seemed OK. and reasonably priced (so is their linen). Perhaps I'll order a roll or two; October is fine Their tools look reasonably priced. I've just bought some edge bevellers and stitching chisels from Tandy and Goods Japan - wish I'd found Artisan first!

Interesting you should say that. I've had the same issue of piercing Tiger thread - very frustrating. but neither do I like the way it handles or feels, so I won't be using it again I prefer linen, and I've found this supplier. She stocks several brands, including Fil au Chinois; lots of colours; and can supply short lengths and sample packs as well as full reels https://www.kurzke.co.uk I've looked at Amy Roke, is there a British supplier? So far I've only found one based in Hong Kong A couple of months ago I bought some tools from Goods Japan. The tools themselves were OK, and the prices were reasonable, but then I had to pay 20% import duty to HMRC and £8 international handling fee to Royal Mail. If the same applies to Amy Roke, plus the £6-45 shipping charge anyway, that would make it quite expensive Can't get the link to work, but can find the website if you put it in manually - www.kurzke.co.uk

I could make a few suggestions but I'm sure that sort of thing will be covered by other forum members; and if you're keen enough to do leatherwork while you're travelling you should already have a pretty good idea yourself but I suggest that you include a decent notebook and a couple of pens & pencils. You are bound to get ideas as you travel along; make contacts; get orders & requests; or even to note down the things you've forgotten. Having it all together will be better than odd bits of paper stuffed into pockets or the glove compartment

I've had a look at the link, and I agree with howie696. There is all the information you need on YouTube, though you won't be spoon fed, you'll have to watch quite a few videos to pick it up. Last I checked, there are about 12 pages on leatherwork, each with about 20 videos, so there's plenty to go at. Just use the Search box to narrow it down to what you want Nigel Armitage & Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather are good. Also Jacklore; he does mostly knife making, but has a couple of good ones on sheaths, and the techniques can be applied to other leatherwork Videos may be on techniques, like saddle stitch, skiving, or setting rivets; or items, like a wallet, a knife sheath, or a belt; but watch them all. Even if you have no intention of ever making a possibles bag, the same sort of methods & techniques will be used for other things If you were thinking of spending that sort of money, spend it on some decent tools instead

Definition of an engineer - 2 + 2 = 3,98 to 4,02

Search YouTube for - 'Armitage Leather Tools Leather Burnisher' Or you could ask around your neighbourhood for a wood turner or a wood turning club and get them to make exactly what you want. That sort of thing is meat & drink to them, they'll love it

I know I shouldn't hijack threads, but I couldn't resist this, as it is one of my favourite film anecdotes The part of Quint, the shark fisherman in 'Jaws' was originally offered to Lee Marvin, but he turned it down, saying; "I eat fish, I don't act with them".