zuludog

Yes to JJ needles On Nigel Armitage's recommendation I stopped using a stitching groover and started using dividers. I got a pair from a second hand tool stall for £2-50 I changed from Tandy's 'big eye' needles to John James 002, which are only about £3 a packet I think that both of these things have improved my stitching What sort of thread do you intend to use? Most leatherworkers now seem to be using synthetic thread,. of which Ritza/Tiger thread is very popular, but I don't like it, I prefer linen The usual thickness for linen thread used in leatherwork is 18/3, and is mostly in traditional colours like black, brown, or natural, but this lady supplies several makes of coloured linen thread - https://www.kurzke.co.uk Although I like linen thread, I think Tandy's ready waxed nylon thread is good; it is cheap and underrated Even if you buy ready waxed thread, get a block of beeswax; it is cheap enough and used for all sorts of jobs in leatherwork, including lubricating the prongs of stitching chisels If you Search Google for 'Tandy Leather Manchester' you will get the prices in £. I live close enough to visit their Manchester shop, the staff are pleasant and helpful, so phone them if you have any questions

Welcome to the fun! As with any hobby or craft it is easy to get caught up into buying expensive tools and equipment, but at the start cheaper to average kit will do the job well enough. As you gain experience you can, if you wish, purchase better or more expensive items with a bit more confidence and understanding. I'd say that Tandy are as good a place as any for a beginner. Do your maths & homework and it will very probably be worth buying into one of their discount schemes. Also get on their email list as they have offers each month. So I think that's answered you first question Next - Dividers or stitching groover? You will see the name Nigel Armitage mentioned frequently on this forum; he is an acknowledged expert in leatherwork. I was fortunate enough to go to a lecture & demonstration by him last year. He definitely came down in favour of dividers. I have changed from a stitching groover to dividers and I think my stitching is better; certainly no worse If you use a hammer you won't need an overstitch wheel. In fact if you use chisels & a hammer you won't need an overstitch wheel at all. No need for a cobblers hammer either, just use the same hide or wooden mallet you use for hitting the chisels In theory a stitching chisel will make your holes, but you might find you sometimes have to do extra work with an awl, so yes, get an awl, but don't get the 4-in-1 awl sold by Tandy, it's not very good, and expensive The traditional way is to buy the blade and haft/handle separately then mount them & sharpen them yourself. This is a right pain and takes ages, it's much easier to get an awl that's ready to go. Tandy's Craftool Pro Awl is nice, but a bit pricey at about £38 I think, but check. They also do a cheaper fixed blade awl at about £11. Even though they're supposed to be ready for use they can be improved by sharpening on a strop; plus they will need sharpening occasionally anyway. It's much cheaper to make your own strop from oddments of wood & leather, and just about the easiest piece of leatherwork you'll ever do. Treat yourself to some proper stropping/honing compound from someone like Veritas or Tormek A head or round knife is the ultimate, traditional knife for cutting leather, but good ones are expensive, and it takes practice & experience to learn how to use them. A stanley knife is good enough to start with; although the blades are disposable they seem to improve if you sharpen them, probably because you reduce the shoulder of the bevel, and give them an extra polish. See if there's a secondhand tool shop or market stall near you, you could probably get one for £1 For knives you have two routes - replaceable/disposeable like stanley knives; rotary cutters such as Olfa; & clicker knives. Or resharpen, like a head knife or a leather trimming knife. Search Google & YouTube for Japanese Leather Knife; they have an offset blade which takes a while to get used to, but you can get them reasonably cheaply. I use one for straight cuts and skiving Search YouTube for Leodis Leather; he produces excellent items using a rotary cutter and a stanley knife

Search YouTube for 'Mallet From Milk Jugs' and you'll see there are several examples I don't do tooling so I don't need a heavy slab, but for skiving I use the glass oven door off an old cooker

I wonder...... What size needles are you using? The "big eye" needles sold by Tandy won't do much to reduce the size of the hole; the usually recommended size for leather is size 002. But for the thinner thread you are using you might be better off with smaller needles. Try asking John James for their advice https://www.jjneedles.com I see that on another section you say you are using upholstery leather. This might be thin enough to use glovers needles, which don't need a stitching chisel or an awl These are the needles that are often sold in haberdashers or similar displays of larger stores and supermarkets as 'leather needles'. they have a triangular cross section and a sharp point; probably cheap enough to try. I think Tandy sell them as well

I know that most leatherworkers now tend to use synthetic thread, but I think that natural fibres would be more likely to expand slightly and fill up the holes This lady stocks several makes of linen and silk thread in different thicknesses and a range of colours, including Fil au Chinois. Will supply shorter lengths, down to 5 m, and sample packs. She's very pleasant and helpful to deal with. Scroll down the home page to 'supplies' https://www.kurzke.co.uk

As mentioned, you could try flattening the stitching with a cobblers hammer or a hide, or wooden mallet, that will close up the awl slots I haven't been able to find the diameter of 40s thread, but have seen it described as upholstery thread. If you don't want to go up to 0.45 mm it looks like 40s is thinner, and that is, I think, quite thin for leatherwork The alternative is to make smaller holes. Harness awls are typically 3 to 4 mm in width. I've used Tandy's Craftool Pro Stitching Awl # 83020 - 00 and it has a has a narrow blade, I'd guess about 2 mm, but it is £ 34-55. I haven't used their Stitching Awl # 31218 - 01, £19 - 67 but that also looks like it has a narrow blade You could look at book binding awls, they are narrower and cheaper, but I think they only have a round cross section. You could flatten them on a sharpening stone, but getting a diamond cross section would be tricky, and you would probably be unable to tell at that size. Go to www.hewit.com, though there are others Or you could make your own awl by mounting an old dart head or thick needle in a handle Tandy have awl blades only which look fairly thin # 3319 - 05 at £6 - 95

Welcome to things leathery! There are lots of Threads about leather on this Forum, plus loads of videos; watch as many as you have the stamina for In particular, these two instructors are frequently recommended - Nigel Armitage and Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather. This is good - 'Leodis Leather Workshop Renovation' - it shows the sort of things that can be done Have a look at the home page for Tandy Leather. At the bottom there is a heading 'Leather Buying Guide'. this shows a comparison of leather weights, and the sorts of things they can be used for Do your costings & estimates; if you're starting out it will probably be worth buying into their discount scheme I live in a flat and do all my leatherwork and other hobbies in my spare room, so I don't have a dedicated workshop either. I keep everything in a tool chest, the sort that mechanics use, so most things can be stored and packed away till they're needed. It doesn't have to be a top quality one as leatherworking stuff isn't as heavy as a load of engineer's tools

Well those two videos are interesting. Over the years I have acquired various knives for leatherwork and model making, including the type of knife shown. It's a bit too big for model aeroplanes, but I might just dig it out and try it for leather

Well, a few days ago I ordered some tools from Goods Japan, all from favourable reviews by Nigel Armitage 'Kyoshin Elle Master Edger Review' - one medium sized edger Seiwa Pricking Iron Review Part 8 - Seiwa Diamond - 2 prong X 4mm; 4 prong X4mm I'll see how I get on with these, and if they're OK for both the tools and the business side of things I'll consider getting some more items Note - Seiwa offer two types of pricking iron - Seiwa Diamond Leather Stitching Chisel, Review Part 8; these had good comments, and were ordered Seiwa European Leather Stitching Chisel, Pricking Iron Review Part 9, which he did not like. 'I did not favour the European Irons'

I must admit that I hadn't heard of using double sided tape to fix pieces of leather together before sewing, till now. Any adhesive is simply to hold the leather together in the correct position while you sew it For sewing sheaths I use the minimum smear of contact glue then clamp it together and let it dry for at least an hour. Pad the clamps with scrap leather or you may mark your workpiece Even if your thread is ready waxed it would do no harm to give it an extra waxing yourself

I've just found this video on YT which covers most aspects of the saddle stitch 'Hand Stitching Leather' by Ian Atkinson. He also clarifies the position on JJ # 2 needles

Ah yes. I vaguely recall something about import duty from a couple of years ago I've heard that the trick is to order one item at a time, with about 4 or 5 weeks between orders. That way the item is classed as for personal hobby use If you order several items as one order that is classed as importing, and you have to pay duty Since postage is included in the price it won't make any difference to the total, it's just a bit inconvenient for you and the postman. Though I'm willing to be corrected on this

I'm thinking of buying a few tools off Goods Japan - Seiwa Stitching Chisel; Kyoshin Elle Master Edger; an awl; and possibly some thread Are there any dos & don'ts about this? To remind you, I live in Britain

Although this video was made a few years ago I've just found it, and it's excellent! It covers most aspects of the saddle stitch 'Hand Stitching Leather' by Ian Atkinson

I went to a demonstration & talk by Nigel Armitage last year and on his recommendation I have done two things which have improved my stitching - I no longer use a stitching groover, I simply mark the line of the stitching with dividers I changed from Tandy 'big eye' needles to John James size 2; but make sure they are British size 2 I think both Nigel Armitage and Leodis Leather/Ian Atkinson have some subscription free videos about saddle stitch on YouTube which are subscription free

There are so many variations for edge finishing and burnishing. This is what I've been doing with knife sheaths mostly, for 5 or 6 years and I haven't had any problems or complaints - Trim, bevel, and sand the edges Apply gum tragacanth and burnish. If it's wet, fair enough; if it has dried, just carry on; gum trag dries quickly anyway, and dries while I'm burnishing Then apply Edge Kote, let it dry, and burnish. The whole sheath gets treated with leather grease, including the edges, though it obviously rubs off quickly I use a home made burnisher - a length of hardwood with a slot cut in it to accept the edges

I haven't heard of lining a leather sheath, but I suppose it could be done You could try 0,5mm G10 which is normally used as a liner or spacer in knife handles, but I doubt if you could use it easily as part of a 'fold over' sheath, it would have to be a separate front & back. The problem I can see, though, is that any plastic that is soft & flexible enough to be formed & moulded to fit the knife would wear quickly. And conversely a tougher plastic would be difficult to form & mould; unless we know someone with a better knowledge of plastics You could try coating the inside with Resolene before sewing, but I think that would eventually wear off and be difficult to re-apply. Search YouTube for 'Applying finish to Leatherwork and the products I use' by Jacklore Knives To treat my sheaths - I have made a paste or cream by simply thinning some leather grease with a spot of leather oil & white spirit, then applying it right inside the sheath with a toothbrush, and letting it soak in. Then let it dry and polish it; the advantage of this is that you can keep on topping it up. As mentioned, I cut the bottom of the welt about 3mm short to leave a drain hole Alternately, you could make a sheath out of kydex. I have thought from time to time of making a sheath from wide webbing, like seat belt, but not yet got round to it

Tandy tools are often dismissed by experienced leatherworkers, but I think their Craftool Pro chisel with 3mm spacing would be good for wallets, especially if you polish the prongs; and they are easy to obtain Synthetic thread such as Tiger/Ritza is popular, but I prefer linen. Fil au Chinois is not so easy to get hold of, but try some size 432 or 532 if you can, and see what you think of it But before you buy, let's see what anyone else thinks Yes to John James needles, size 2. But be careful; make sure you get British size 2. American size 2 is too big See this video on YouTube by Nigel Armitage - 'Saddle Stitch in Detail' from about 3-40 to 4-25

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on turning your hobby into a business Your standard of work is very good, especially the sewing, but I have a couple of points - I can't quite tell from all of the pictures, but have you considered burnishing the edges? And if you don't mind telling us, what sort of thread do you use, please?

You can get an idea of the required consistency from the immortal words of Ian Atkinson from Leodis Leather - "it looks like spunk"

I'm not an expert on hacksaw blades, but as I understand it, modern bimetal 12mm wide hacksaw blades are so called because the main part of the blade is made from a flexible steel that will resist snapping; it is only the teeth that are hardened enough to cut other metals. These aren't much use to make knives as this flexible steel cannot be sharpened very well and they cannot be snapped to length Older blades were all hardened and can be made into knives, and can be snapped roughly to shape. They are difficult to find new, so search car boot sales, junk shops and so on. However, 12mm is a bit small for leather work. Now we're into the industrial sizes 25mm can make paring/kiridashi type knives. 40mm is best for skiving knives. I have also made a Japanese style leather knife from them These two sizes are stiffer, and about 1mm thick, and usually marked 'high speed steel' - or HSS. They are used mostly on automatic saws, like a donkey saw. Unfortunately as the number of traditional engineers and machine shops is diminishing, so too is the supply of used blades. Plus they are much in demand by all sorts of craftsmen for making knives & tools, so you will really have to search for one You will obviously need to grind off the teeth, cut & shape them, and make the sharp bevel edge. Be careful when you do this as it is easy to burn the steel. You will still need to do a fair amount of work with a stone & strop, but yes, you can get a very sharp edge I use the 25mm kiridashi style as it is, but for the skiving knives I grind the blunt end to a triangular shape, then fit it into a handle as for a narrow tang blade I have also made a skiving knife from a decorators filling knife. You need one with a traditional forged carbon steel blade, not the modern stamped stainless sheet. More than likely it will also have a nice wooden handle & a brass ferrule. Again, search junk shops etc; mine cost me 50p If you shorten the blade as you shape it, it will bebome less flexible

That's interesting. A paring knife and a kiridashi appear to be the same sort of thing A couple of years ago I made something similar from a 25mm wide hacksaw blade. It's the sort of thing that once you have it, you wonder how you managed without it I followed the link; £ 15 is a very reasonable price for something from a traditional, quality manufacturer. My Dad was a carpenter and he always reckoned that old steel was better than new steel

I make mostly sheaths from 3 to 3,5mm veg tan leather. I started out with Tandy's Craftool beveller but it's a bit basic and I'd like something better, but still reasonably priced I've been looking at Japanese tools, but the choice is rather confusing, with the three main manufacturers, and their different ranges & models Nigel Armitage has recently embarked on a mammoth survey of edge bevellers, including a new model range - Kyoshin Elle Master Edger. He's given these bevellers a good review and they're reasonably priced at $28-99 which equates to £21-80, though this would increase thanks to import duty So I'm thinking of getting them - any comments? Either on the tools or importing from Goods Japan? While I'm at it I might have a browse through their range and order a few other odds & ends

Well done for your initiative! I prefer linen thread to synthetic, but it is remarkably difficult to get hold of Lin Cable/Fil au Chinois I am always surprised that the makers have not arranged for a regular supplier or agent in Britain, nor, it would appear, in any other country

I see you are using white linen thread. Try using Tandy's waxed white nylon thread, #1227 - 03, it is more resistant to discolouration; and a bit cheaper than linen. Of course if you or your customer insist on linen you still have the same problem