zuludog

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?

For skiving typically narrow or small areas & edges I skive by hand using either a Japanese Leather Knife, which cuts by pushing, or an English style paring knife, which cuts by pulling I'm sure a skiving machine would do a good job, but I have neither the space nor the money for one, so for slightly larger areas I use a David Razor Plane - find it on the Net, or there are similar makes I use this to skive the fold over on belts, and sometimes the pieces for knife sheaths, which are fairly small & narrow, though obviously it would struggle to skive something like a shoulder You could also try a French Edger, though I haven't used one myself Corter Leather, Leathertoolz, and others have YT videos showing that they can achieve excellent results with a Japanese Leather Knife. Vergez Blanchard and others make a skiving knife that is rather like a broad, hand held chisel; just play around with suppliers & videos. Both my JLK & skiving/paring knife are home made, from an old plane blade and a piece of 25mm industrial hacksaw blade. I established the cutting edge & bevel with a bench grinder & oil stones, but now to keep them sharp mostly I use a strop, and occasionally wet & dry paper on a sheet of glass with a splash of water, working from grit 1,000 to 5,000 in increments.

Search the Net for George Barnsley and sons Ltd. They are one of the last traditional British leather tools manufacturer, and based in Sheffield, which is an excellent recommendation. They have various knives and other tools for leather work Contact them about sales & export if necessary

I've just remembered -- Search YT for 'Nigel Armitage pouches'. He shows several types, from simple 2 piece front & back to more complex designs Oh, and most people try a few different combinations of stitching chisels/needles/thread when they start, before they settle on what suits them; like I said, it's all part of the fun! Even though chisels should cover most of what you do, now & again you might need an awl. Search t'Net and YouTube for choosing & using a saddler's or diamond awl, but that's another topic.

Welcome to the Forum, and welcome to the fun! Yes, choosing stitching chisels, thread, and needles is confusing, and you can easily be overwhelmed & lost. I have made similar cases/pouches for my stitching chisels and small knives, though not for a multitool, but the techniques would be the same. Here are a few comments I would use 2mm thick leather and 0,6mm synthetic thread The only #18 needles I've seen on the Net are Tapestry Hand Sewing Needles, and they look too big for leatherwork. I use John James Saddler's Harness Needles, item code L3912 size 002 - but make sure you get size 002 and not 2/0 which are too big. I assume you are in the USA; JJ needles and suitable thread are sold by Rocky Mountains Leather Supply, but perhaps other Members will have their suggestions Stitching chisels with 3 to 4 mm spacing is about right. French or European chisels have prongs with flat sides and flat tips; Japanese or diamond chisels have prongs with a diamond cross section and pointed tips. Diamond chisels are slightly easier to place and make a diamond shaped hole. French chisels make a hole that is a slit and need a bit more care about placing, and some people think they give a neater stitch, though there's not much in it. Both types of hole don't actually remove any material so they will close up after stitching. The cases for chisels will probably be simple & flat. For bulkier items like small knives and multitools you'd probably need to look at wet forming or a pouch with sides or a gusset, like a belt pouch. As you've probably realised there are several videos about this, Search YT for Making a Belt / Multitool Pouch but start with something simple! Remember you shouldn't hit stitching chisels with a steel hammer, you will need a soft mallet, such as wood, hide, or nylon. Neither should you hit down on your cutting mat; I use a plastic kitchen chopping board or an old magazine. In the Sewing Leather section of this Forum there is a Thread(!) about stitching chisels

I've just Searched the Net for 'custom knife makers usa' and there are loads of references; I'm sure you could find someone who would make exactly what you want. Or ask the same question on a knife making forum

As with JB Bodger I would have thought that some kind of marking knife or kiridashi would do the job. The link refers to a British supplier, but it shows the sort of thing to look for; I'm sure you can find an American supplier. I have made my own from a piece of 25mm industrial hacksaw blade https://www.workshopheaven.com/hand-tools/knives/marking-knives/ Search YouTube for 'kiridashi' to see more examples I know that some of the members of this forum make knives; perhaps if you posted a request someone could make what you want?

I started out with a Stanley/utility/box cutter knife. I've since acquired and used various clicker knives, a Japanese Leather Knife, and a George Barnsley head knife. They're all sharp and work OK but I find I keep coming back to the Stanley knife It's a model 199A, which I don't think they make any more. It's a fixed blade and the handle is slightly slimmer than most Stanley type knives. I got it from a second hand market stall, cleaned it up & painted it. I've picked up 2 or 3 blades that fit well without any wobbling, and I just keep sharpening & stropping them; they seem to cut better when they've been resharpened than when new.