zuludog

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".

I thought I had Surfed t'Net and found all the leathercraft suppliers in Britain, though not necessarily bought from all of them, but Artisan is one that I've missed There is, of course, no way of telling how good or reliable they are, but then again there is no reason to suspect there is anything wrong with them - and there is only one way to find out I suggest you order one or two low cost items and see how it goes; then try a bigger order if it all goes OK I notice a few things about them, though they would not necessarily affect their reliability. Most of their leather seems to be ready trimmed, which I'm not keen on, I would prefer to have a whole piece and make my own selection on the shape & pattern. They sell seconds awls for £5, which is good value if you are willing to do some fettling yourself. They have a decent range of linen thread, which I prefer to synthetic - I might place an order myself

Hello Mick 86, and welcome to the forum I also started making knives, then moved to making the sheaths, then other leatherwork As with any new hobby there is so much to learn at once, but you can find a lot of information from looking through previous threads, especially on Getting Started & Leather Tools. Similarly there are loads of videos on YouTube,; watch as many as you have the stamina for. Those by Nigel Armitage, Jacklore, and Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather are especially good

I make mostly knife sheaths from 3 to 3,5mm veg tan. I haven't tried everything or every combination available, but I've now settled on this - I mark the stitching line with dividers I use a Tandy Craftool stitching chisel with 4mm spacing which is about 6 spi. I polished the prongs An awl that is a bit smaller than most, about 2mm wide, from https://www.bowstock.co.uk I've tried Ritza thread, but I don't like it, I prefer 18/3 linen. I have natural from Bowstock, and various colours from other makers - Crawfords, Somac, & Fil au Chinois Recently I got Some Seiwa European Leather Stitching Chisels from Goods Japan, They have narrower prongs than Craftool. I've tried them on scrap and they're good, but I have yet to use them in on an actual piece of work. Do not confuse these with Seiwa Diamond Leather Stitching Chisel as they did not get a good review. See Nigel's Pricking Iron Reviews #8 &#9 Yes, I ordered my needles from John James, and noticed they were made in China I also got an awl blade from them and mounted it in a haft made by a local wood turner. Had to sharpen & polish it myself, which was a bit tedious

Well CLW, I can't comment on your question, but this is a convenient place to mention that last year I went to a demonstration & lecture by Nigel. On his recommendation I have done two things that are cheap, easy, and have improved my stitching I no longer use a stitching groover, I use dividers to mark the stitching line. I got a pair from a secondhand tool stall on my local market for £2-50, about $3-50. I changed from Tandy 'big eye' needles #1195-00 to John James size 2; they are also cheap enough.

The problem is that there's only one way to find out what thread you like, and that's to try it, which could get expensive The most popular synthetic thread is made by the Danish company Julius Koch under the name Ritza, but as it has a picture of a tiger on the label it is also known as Tiger Thread. It is normally only available in large rolls, 500m, and costs about £55, but shop around on t'Net and you will find people selling shorter lengths. It is available in several diameters; I'd say start with 0,8mm or 0,6mm The thickness measurement for linen thread is a bit confusing, but all you need to know is that for leatherwork the most common thickness is 18/3 Bowstock have 180m reels of black/white/natural 18/3 for £ 4-75. Their website has some useful tutorials including an explanation of linen thread thickness Kurzke has full rolls of coloured linen from several manufacturers and offers mixed/sample packs at reasonable prices I would stay away from anonymous packs of 'linen thread' or 'thread for leather' sold on your local market or t'Net, including Amazon; some of it isn't that good, and Bowstock or Kurzke's samples are cheap enough to try Here are some useful websites https://www.bowstock.co.uk https://hwebber.co.uk https://abbeyengland.com https://kurzke.co.uk Don't forget that whatever thread you choose it should be waxed, either ready or DIY

Whatever knife or knives you get, you will need at least two The first one should be kept razor sharp for use on leather only, and look after it The second one can be almost anything you like; use it for cutting string; opening parcels; sharpening pencils; and so on. Its purpose in life is to make sure that you use the first one exclusively for leatherwork. https://www.gandmtools.co.uk have some old George Barnsley tools, including several types of leatherwork and paring knives, and awls, all at reasonable prices. Well worth having a look through The link doesn't seem to work, but you can find gandm if you enter it directly