zuludog

Just my opinion but ...... I think you should try to make something as soon as you can, even if it's something simple like a key ring or a basic card holder or simple sheaths/slip covers for your knives and stitching chisels, there are several videos. These are simple enough to learn as you make. Or make your own pattern/mock up from card or thick paper Making these small projects will show you most of the techniques used in leather work - drawing out a pattern, cutting out the leather, making the stitching holes, saddle stitch, edge finishing, gluing up, threading a needle, waxing the thread, treating/greasing the finished article, and possibly dyeing leather and using an awl. To thread a needle cut the thread on a slant or taper/feather it with a knife on a board, then wax it, again there are videos I started out locking the thread as shown in many videos, but then I thought - Why? I don't do that when I sew fabric. So for several years now I just fold over the thread and it works well enough - I do wax the thread though.

Have a look at this video, especially from about 9 mins; you can see that he sews & uses the needles with hardly any effort. there are of course many other videos

Let's start with the basics first I assume you have sewn fabric with typical pointed needles. You might not have realised, but the needle does two jobs - it pierces the fabric, and it carries the thread through the resulting hole You can't do that with leather, as it is too thick & tough, so you first make the holes with bigger, stronger tools, then pass the thread with needles that have blunt, rounded tips so they don't snag on the sides of the hole You can make the holes with special chisels, but there are two similar but different types, and that leads to a lot of confusion - PRICKING IRONS have short prongs which mark the position of the holes, but they are not intended to penetrate all the way through the leather. Instead, they make shallow indentations, then you follow up with a saddler's awl, aka diamond awl, to complete the hole. STITCHING CHISELS have longer prongs, and they are intended to both mark and penetrate the leather You need practice & experience to use a pricking iron & awl neatly & consistently, so most people, especially beginners & hobbyists use stitching chisels So the first thing to check is that you actually have stitching chisels. Even so, the prongs are typically only about 7mm long, so you might have to complete the hole with an awl if the combined thickness of your leather is too thick. When you have made a hole, you shouldn't have much difficulty sewing with just your finger strength. The hole should be big enough for the needle to pass through with only a slight amount of drag or friction, but not so big that the needle is liable to fall out. The holes made by chisels & awls are in fact slits which will close up around the thread to produce a neat finish. Punches actually remove material so you rely on the thread being thick enough to fill & seal the hole, which is why you mostly sew with awls & chisels Watch YouTube videos on making various items - belts, wallets, knife sheaths, and so on, and on saddle stitch you'll see how other people do things. There are several videos on leather tools for beginners, also on choice of thread, saddle stitch, and other techniques, and making up items. These channels are good, but there are many others - JH Leather, IanAtkinson/Leodis Leather, Nigel Armitage, Corter Leather You can polish & sharpen the prongs of stitching chisels with needle files and fine abrasive paper, When you buy a diamond awl you will probably need to sharpen & polish the blade, it should go through the leather with hardly any effort or distorting the leather, you'll see that on videos of them in use. There are videos about sharpening awls For thin leather like wallets I use 0,45mm diameter thread and John James Saddler's Harness Needles item code L3912 size 004 For most leatherwork with say 2 to 4mm thick leather I use 0,6mm thread and John James Saddler's Harness Needles item code L3912 size 002 For 0,8mm and thicker thread I use Tandy Stitching Chisels 10 pack item code 1195 - 00 None of these needles are very thick, they are typically about 1mm dia, though the exact size will be in the specification. Watch videos of saddle stitching and you'll see the sort of size & scale That's my choice, you'll probably find that other people have their own choices & variations

You can go on and on watching videos and reading forums, but ultimately you will just have to try things for yourself, as we all have - that's all part of the fun! -- and the expense! There is a lot of choice and discussion about thread. I have used linen but now I use synthetic, but many people prefer linen, it's your choice. Briefly, synthetic is stronger and doesn't rot; although linen is weaker the point is that it is strong enough and many people prefer to use natural thread with natural materials like leather. I suggest you just try both. There is also Meisi Xiange thread, which is synthetic but made to look & behave like linen, though I haven't used it myself Most people try a few types & makes of thread when they start, before they settle on something they like. And don't forget the beeswax! I usually wax my own thread, even if it is sold as ready waxed Most leatherwork can be done with 0,6mm diameter thread, called 18/3 by the international system and 432 by the French system. For thinner leather like wallets you might want to try 0,45mm diameter thread Shop around the suppliers and you'll find shorter lengths and sample packs to try, also a range of colours For 0,6mm thread I use John James Saddler's Harness Needles item code L3912 size 002 and size 004 for thinner thread; there are other makes but I don't know about them. You could ask the suppliers, and needles are usually cheap enough to try I use solvent based contact adhesive, but many people are happy enough with water based glue There are many videos on edge finishing. This is my method, but I'm sure others will work. After gluing & sewing, edge bevel .....sand if necessary with 120 grit paper ...... apply Tokonole ..... burnish ..... apply edge paint ..... burnish I use mostly Fiebings Edge Kote edge paint, but I've also used Metropolitan Leather and Identity Leathercraft own brands. As far as I can tell they're very similar. I haven't used Angelus, but I think it's reliable. Black will do for most items, but shop around and there are all sorts of colours available, sometimes as mixed sample packs. Besides Tokonole I think Metropolitan and Identity have complete edge finishing systems, with sealants, paints, and other treatments A general comment - Search on the supplier's websites and you will find all sorts of colours for leather, thread, and edge paint, and you can also dye your own leather Tandy is a good supplier, but I'd forgotten about them as they no longer trade in the UK Here's an suggestion - shop around for something like a 2 mm vegetable tanned half shoulder that's cheap, natural or coloured, even if it is second grade . Use it to practice on, make a strop, simple sheaths/slip covers for your knives and stitching chisels, practice skiving, make a key fob, card holder. And Valerie Michael's book is good.

As with most hobbies and crafts you need a minimum of tools and equipment to get started, and you need almost as many tools & materials to make just one item as you need to make dozens, so unfortunately you will need to spend money at first. Also there is a range of prices, from cheap to very expensive; what you want is reasonable quality mid priced tools & equipment. But that does mean you will have to do some finishing/sharpening/polishing yourself. It is only the best, expensive, custom made items you can use straight away The key to good leatherwork is razor sharp tools. There are many videos about this, for leather tools such as knives, awls, and edge bevelers ; also non leatherwork tools like knives & chisels; the more you watch, the more you will learn & understand. You can use water, oil, or diamond stones; or fine abrasive paper. Make your own strop, green chromium dioxide stropping compound is as good as any The same techniques are used on most leather goods, so watch videos on saddle stitch, edge finishing, dyeing, skiving, and so on, and things like belts & pouches even if you don't want to make them yourself A Japanese Leather Knife is good for skiving and cutting straight lines and is easy to sharpen; again, there are videos Here are some more suppliers; even if you don't buy anything you will see what is available www.metropolitanleather.com www.georgebarnsleyandsons.co.uk www.sfleather.co.uk www.proatelierplus.com www.goodsjapan.com These are good mid priced Japanese? Chinese? Korean? tools - Wuta ... Craft Sha ..... Seiwa ..... Kyoshin Elle Besides shipping cost your country might also apply import duty/taxes but you'll have to find out for yourself. Or just order a couple of cheaper items and see what happens There are many YouTube channels & videos about leatherwork; try -- JH Leather ..... Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather ..... Nigel Armitage .... Corter Leather .... Leathercraft Masterclass ..... Geordie's Workshop - he has about 15 videos aimed at beginners I have used www.buyleatheronline.com They are good & reliable and have a wide range, and have advice on their website or if you email them. But when you start or plan an item, use something like thick paper or cereal packets to make a prototype or a mock - up. This will show you what the finished item will look like, & the sequence of construction, and future problems - Old cardboard is a lot cheaper than leather! Come back to us with any questions, or let us know what you are thinking of buying, and we can give you our opinions

Hello DesertLeather and welcome to the fun! ........ here are a few comments, I'm sure other members will come along with their own Sounds like you already have some ideas, but YouTube will be very useful. Search for 'beginner's leather tools'; there are several videos, each one is similar but slightly different, showing the preference of the individual worker, but overall you'll get a good idea of what is needed Search for making bags, wallets, watch straps and other item's you'd like and you'll see how other people do things and what they use Your Xacto knives will be OK for thin leather, but for anything thicker than about 1,5mm you'll need something better/bigger/stronger. There are many different knives available, but to start with a Stanley/Utility/Box cutter will do the job. The blades are disposable, but you can resharpen them on a fine stone or abrasive paper. In fact blades often work better if they have been resharpened as this polishes the bevel of the cutting edge. Also use a strop, there are several YT videos on how to make one Remember that YT videos are often made by experts, and you'll find that doing it yourself is not as easy as it looks! ...... So start with something simple like a key fob or a simple card holder, and build up from there. The leather you have named is very expensive, so learn on something that is cheaper, but still reasonable quality Here are a few suppliers; there are others, but 1, 2, & 3 are good mid priced suppliers, and 4 has a wide range of leather so even if you don't buy anything from them you can see what is available 1) www.leather4craft.co.uk 2) www.artisanleather.co.uk 3) www.identityleathercraft.com 4) www.buyleatheronline.com Don't be afraid of the suppliers! They know their stuff and are helpful, so ask their advice if you have a question There is a tool to avoid - you sometimes see the 4 - in - 1 awl with interchangeable blades; it's not very good and it is expensive. You're better to buy two separate awls - A diamond/saddler's awl and a scratch/round awl. Sometimes a saddler's awl is supplied as separate blade and handle/haft but It's easier to buy it ready assembled, though you will still need to sharpen & polish the blade yourself, there are videos. And a round awl is cheap enough

Have a look at this video from about 2 mins. She also has videos on raised/padded belts & dog collars. There are videos on raised & padded belts by other people, Search YT accordingly

I don't make holsters but I do make knife sheaths. This is my sequence for sewing black or dark brown leather with white or cream thread - Cut out natural veg tan leather ...... dye it with Fiebings oil/spirit/pro dye ....... glue ....... make stitch holes with a stitching chisel, usually followed up with an awl ..... saddle stitch with synthetic thread ..... even if it's ready waxed I usually wax it myself The thread is about 5X the line of stitching I've never had a problem with the thread becoming dirty/stained while I'm sewing.

JJ L3912 needles have small eyes and can only accommodate thread up to about 0,6mm dia For thicker thread I use Tandy needles item code 1195-00 ; they are cheap enough at $2-99 for a pack of 10

According to the conversion chart I've seen 11 oz leather is 4,4mm thick; let's say the pigskin is 0,8mm thick, so the total thickness would be 4,4 + 4,4 + 0,8 + 0,8 = 10,4mm I'd use John James Saddler's Harness Needles item code L3912 size 002 and 0,6mm diameter synthetic thread or size 18/3 or 432 linen thread Beware - JJ needle sizing is confusing - make sure you buy size 002 and not 2/0 Rocky Mountain Leather Supplies have these needles & thread, but there may be others Most stitching chisels will not completely go through this thickness of leather so you will also need a saddler's awl aka diamond awl

Here's a question that was asked recently on a British knife making forum, which has a section on making sheaths - can you use superglue instead of contact glue before sewing? Any comments please? https://edgematters.uk

Search YouTube for 'French Edger' there are several videos. Leathercraft Masterclass is good but watch them all if you can and you'll pick up ideas , and a video that helps others might not help you. Try out your edger with the handle almost flat so that it doesn't cut at all Then repeat, raising the handle and increasing the angle slightly each time until it digs in and jams; somewhere in between you should find the best angle

I have bought from them a couple of times They have a wide range of products/leathers; the quality is good; delivery times are reasonable; well packaged; prices for the leather itself are reasonable But check for the total cost, including minimum order, shipping, VAT, import duties, other taxes, shipping, as it could add quite a bit extra

What you have there is a clicker knife, which is a traditional type of knife used in leatherwork. It has the cutting edge on the inside of the blade, so it can't be sharpened on a flat stone Instead you must use a round sharpening stone or similar that fits within the curve of the blade. The easiest & cheapest way to do this would be to wrap or glue fine wet & dry paper around something like a wooden dowel or a broom handle or a length of copper water pipe; or just round off the edge of a small flat length of wood. Depending on how blunt the blade is, start with 400 grit and work your way in increments up to about 1500 grit. Finish by stropping - to make a round strop glue about 1,5 mm leather around the same sort of wood or pipe, with the rough/flesh side outwards; green chromium dioxide stropping compound is as good as any, and a small bar will last for ages. I haven't been able to find a YouTube video on sharpening a clicker knife, but if you Search YT for 'how to sharpen a spoon carving knife' or 'how to sharpen a crook knife', which also has a curved blade, there are several videos and you'll see something similar, like this video at about 12 mins. It looks like the blade & cutting edge of your knife is in a poor state, so at first it will take time & patience to get it back into good condition, but once you have done that it should only need a brief touch up with very fine wet & dry and a stropping. There are loads of videos on sharpening knives & tools, just watch a few; it doesn't matter if they're not specifically on leatherworking knives, you'll gradually build up knowledge & experience

Hello IanO and welcome to the fun! As you can see, I also live in the UK, in Lancashire The problem with all crafts & hobbies is that there is an initial outlay & expense, and you need almost as much kit to make one item as you do to make dozens, whether that's model planes, leatherwork, sculpting or painting. Still, that gives you plenty of opportunity for retail therapy and buying new toys There is a lot of advice about leather work on this Forum, and on YouTube. These channels are good, but there are many others - JH Leather, Geordie's Workshop, Corter Leather, Ian Atkinson aka Leodis Leather, Leathercraft Masterclass Here are some suppliers - Identity Leathercraft; Artisan Leather; Metropolitan Leather, George Barnsley and sons There are many YT videos about making knife sheaths, axe covers, belts, pouches, and bags; also techniques such as saddle stitch, edge finishing, sharpening awls & edge bevelers. And you will quickly realise that the same sort of techniques are used to make most leather items. These shows might interest you - The Bushcraft Show, 27/29 May '23 and The Wilderness Gathering 17/20 August '23

Yes, it looks like Geordie has re named his website, and explains it here, but his earlier leather working videos are still available on YT under the new channel name Geordie Leather Re-brands to Geordie's Workshop - YouTube

Hello and welcome to the fun! There is a lot of information and advice on YouTube. Search for - 'beginners leather tools', there are several videos; each one is similar, but slightly different, reflecting the preferences of that particular leather worker, but you will get the general idea how to make items that interest you, and you will see how other people do things and what they use. But the same sort of methods - saddle stitch, edge finishing etc - are used to make most leather items, so you can watch videos about belts, wallets, pouches, knife sheaths etc and see those methods & techniques being used speaking of which, there are videos just on a technique - saddle stitch, edge finishing, skiving, sharpening edge bevelers, and so on These channels are good, but there are many others - JH Leather, Ian Atkinson aka Leodis Leather, Leathercraft Masterclass, Nigel Armitage, Corter Leather, Geordie Leather has about 15 videos on particular aspects aimed at beginners There is also a lot of advice on this forum; look through the Getting Started, Tools, and Sewing sections especially, and ask any specific questions You can start your tool kit at your local art/craft and hardware store. Get a cutting mat, the biggest you can manage, a 12" metal ruler, and you may well already have a Stanley/box cutter/utility knife already ........ make your own sharpening strop from oddments of wood & leather, there are several videos about this ....... green chromium dioxide is as good a stropping compound as any

What's an arris, please? Do you mean the tip? The tip or point of a saddler's/harness awl does not come to a sharp needle point, it is more like a very small slightly rounded chisel point. Watch a few sharpening videos and you will see that Although very often awl blades are supplied with a pointed tip so that you can shape & sharpen it to suit yourself, which refers back to the idea of finishing the blade yourself. You can round off the pointed tip on a stone or by cutting off the end with pliers or side cutters, then doing the final shaping with a fine stone, or abrasive paper, and a strop George Barnsley make good tools, I have a few of their knives, so I think it would be worth persevering with their awls before you buy anything else I like the bulb/pear shaped awl haft more or less as it comes, but as they are usually made of wood, you could shape them to suit yourself, such as making them flatter on one or both sides Oh, yes; I agree that sharpening an awl is fiddly! But it's all part of the fun! Though you only usually need to do it once; after that awl blades stay sharp for a long time, perhaps with an occasional touch up on very fine abrasive paper and/or a strop

It is fairly straightforward, and therefore cheap, to make leatherworking tools with a basic finish, but to make very sharp tools with a better standard of polish & finish requires more & more work, usually by hand, & skill, which all adds to the price, and you run into The Law of Diminishing Returns. So most tools such as edge bevellers, awls & skiving knives are sold on the understanding that the customer must do their own final sharpening, which keeps the cost down It is only custom made awls costing £50 to £100 each that you can use straight out of the box I haven't used Barnsley's awls, but I have several others, by Tandy, John James, and Osborne. They all needed sharpening, though my favourite, an Osborne, didn't need much, only about half an hour's work, compared to 2 or 3 hours for some of the others I also realised that I got the best results, both in terms of penetrating the leather and neatness of stitch, by using a narrow awl blade. My Osborne blade is a #42 or #43 (can't remember) that is < 2mm wide, compared to up to 3 or 3,5mm for some of the others. I got it from - https://www.metropolitanleather.com saddler's harness awl blade #42 or #43 Fitting an awl blade into a handle by knocking it in or drilling & gluing with epoxy is fiddly. If I was buying in the future I would consider an awl & haft that were already mounted, or a haft with a chuck, such as Osborne Palm Awl Haft #142 Even if you bought an awl that was sharp enough you would still need to learn how to resharpen it, there are several YT videos on fitting & sharpening awls. This is good but there are others - Awl you need to know // What to consider when buying a new awl + sharpening guide // Tool Time - YouTube

If you're thinking of re-enactment fairs, have a look here. Yes it's a British site but it will show you the sorts of things that can be done; perhaps there is something similar in the USA? Also Search YouTube for making leather reenactment items, roman sandals, medieval shoes, viking shoes, drawstring bags & pouches and so on Home | The Original Reenactors Market

Good advice from @fredk, but remember that it is not the downward pressure that creates the burnished edge, it is the heat caused by the rapid movement & friction of the burnisher along the edge. So only press down with the minimum pressure to maintain contact. And as with many techniques in leatherwork, practice on scrap. Oh, and welcome to the forum and to the fun!

I don't do this type of stitching, apart from one occasion when I played around on scrap just to see how it was done. I ended up doing it more or less as described by Tugadude

Thanks. I recognise them now, and know them, but they were not so easy to identify just on their own.

I don't make watch straps, and don't intend to, but thank you for a clear illustration of the tools that you use Just one question though - I can identify most of the tools except for the 4 X small rectangular blocks between the pen and the glue pot; what are they please?