zuludog

OK, thanks. I'll ease off on the oil in future

NVLEATHERWORX - thanks for your comments If I wet form the sheath as you have described, what do you then treat your sheath with, so that it does not then become too oily/greasy and soft? If you have made up & wet formed your sheath from, presumably, untreated veg tanned leather, surely you must use something to penetrate into the leather and condition it?

Briefly, this is how I make my sheaths - Dye the leather and sew it up, as far as I can, to the correct size. Then I soak the sheath thoroughly with leather oil inside & out. This softens the leather enough so that when I put the knife in it, I can knead/shape/form the sheath to a close fit. I don't do any other kind of moulding or wet forming I've been watching a few videos on sheath making, and I notice that some of them coat the inside of the sheath with Resolene or Tan Kote to protect the leather from any dampness brought in on the knife. If I did this, would I still be able to soak the leather with oil and mould it? Incidentally, I've been watching videos by Jacklore, they're excellent!

I have one from Tandy; you can get spare/new blades. It does the job, but I don't know how it would compare with any top class makes I sharpen mine by rubbing a length of thread with stropping compound and pulling it through the blade hole; and stropping it backwards, just like a knife, but in miniature. If you search YouTube for 'sharpening a stitching groover' there is a video showing that. Incidentally, I was fortunate enough to go to a demonstration & talk by Nigel Armitage. His opinion is that we use the stitching groover too much, and only really need to use it when we definitely need to recess the thread, like on saddles. For most of the time all we need to do is to mark the line of the stitching with a compass and/or a creaser, then flatten it down with a mallet or an overstitch wheel

ROCKOBOY - I've turned an old plane blade and an oddment of wood into a Japanese style leather knife and the result was pretty good. A friend did the grinding & shaping for me on a bench grinder then I finished it with a fine stone & a strop Search YouTube for 'Japanese leather knife'; there are several videos showing how they are used for both cutting out and skiving. The asymmetric/offset blade was a bit odd at first, but now I've been using it a while I find it works pretty well HUNHUNT I have made 40mm wide hacksaw blades into skiving knives and 25mm wide hacksaw blades into kiridashi Japanese style craft knives. When you've worked up the blade with a bench grinder, then a stone, then a strop the edge is excellent. Be careful as it is tricky sharpening such thin hard steel on a bench grinder. Be patient and use lots of water quenching/cooling or you will burn the steel Unfortunately for us, old industrial hacksaw blades are a highly sought after commodity, and any engineer that uses them will almost certainly have a queue of people waiting! Search Google & YouTube for 'donkey saw' and you'll see the sort of machine that the new blades are intended for. BILLYBOP Yes, a shallower angle or longer bevel is preferable for skiving leather, but this is difficult to do on an angle grinder. I bought a cheap coarse diamond stone from a chain tool merchants (Screwfix) just for that purpose, then did the final work on a fine oilstone and a strop No actual cash changed hands for all this work, it was all done on favours - a few pints; restoring an old sheath; making a knife; and so on

I see now that there are a couple of mistakes in my post Ah well, it was late at night and could have done with better proof reading. I'm sure you'll manage

PLINKERCASES - this is how I made up my beeswax I took the part used up piece from the Tandy starter kit and a lump of beeswax rescued from my father-in-law's shed. He reckons it's years old, possibly dating back to the 1960s I bought (and ate!) a meat pie, and kept the aluminium foil tray intact. At this juncture I should point out that people from the north of England are well known for their fondness for pies. Babies in this part of the world usually progress directly from the breast onto a diet of pie & chips and strong tea, so such items are readily available Make up a water bath from the foil tray and a small frying pan or similar, and place the wax into the tray. The water in the frying pan should be just hot enough to melt the wax, barely simmering; you do not want to boil like crazy. Hold down the tray with long nosed pliers to stop it wobbling about and spilling the wax As the wax melts estimate the volume and add 5 to 10 % linseed oil; stir it all together with an old tent peg. Then turn off the heat and let it cool When the wax mixture is more or less set but still warm & malleable, tear off the foil tray and knead the wax into a sort of squat sausage -like or cylindrical shape, then let it cool fully, say overnight Cut off the desired length of thread; fold it over about half the circumference of the wax cylinder and hold it down with your thumb; then draw the wax through/across the wax. This is the book where I saw the linseed oil softening tip. I think it is a very good guide to starting leatherwork 'Leatherwork: A Practical Guide' by Chris Taylor If I'm doing a long run of stitching I sometimes re - wax the thread in situ I do leatherwork for a hobby, and waxing thread seems to me to be a satisfying part of the whole process. But I can see that if I was a professional, or had to do a lot of sewing, I would consider ready-waxed thread My son is about 1,83 cm weighs about 82kg, does kick - boxing and runs marathons. He still eats pies

Probably like a lot of people I started doing leatherwork with a Tandy beginners kit. It included a packet of 10 needles and I'm happy enough with them, I don't feel any need to change. I don't know what size they are, but I'm sure Tandy would tell you if you asked them I started with the synthetic (nylon?) thread that came with the kit, but after a while I thought I'd try linen, so for a long time I used unwaxed 18/3 linen which I waxed myself I've tried tiger thread but I don't like it Recently I found a British supplier of fil au chinois linen thread, so I ordered some 5m samples of #332 in different colours. I've yet to use it in anger, but it looks pretty good, and I'm looking forwards to trying it I make mostly knife sheaths and belts with 3 to 3,5mm veg tan leather. If I was using thinner and/or softer leather I might go to smaller needles and thinner thread A couple of incidentals - I read in Chris Taylor's book about melting & mixing your beeswax with about 10% linseed oil. When it sets again the wax is softer & stickier A few months ago I went to a demonstration & lecture by Nigel Armitage. His opinion is that you don't need to make a groove with a stitching groover; just marking the line with an edge creaser or dividers is good enough. So I've been doing that, and the stitching seems good enough, though I flatten it with a mallet

That looks good. What make is it, please? And price? As you use it, you'll work out how to get the best results from it. And also as you use it and resharpen it you can get the edge just how you want it Soon after I started doing leatherwork I made a decision, which was that I would not get a round knife, for two reasons 1) I don't do enough leatherwork to become sufficiently skilled with one 2) Even a Tandy head knife is expensive, and I've heard they're not very good. A good one, one that's worth having, is even more expensive I use a Stanley knife with resharpened blades; a home made kiridashi; a home made Japanese style leather knife; and a 3 1/2" carbon steel vegetable knife that I no longer use in the kitchen For a working surface when skiving, I use the glass oven door off an old cooker You will need a second knife which can be more or less anything you want - a Stanley knife; a penknife, a cheap snap - blade knife, and so on. Use it for opening parcels, cutting string, sharpening pencils etc. It's purpose is to make sure that you use the first knife exclusively for cutting leather

Swann Morton's website is https://www.swann-moron.com Their USA distributor is http://www.cincinnatisurgical.com Although this website is British it gives you a good idea of the range available http://www.scalpelsandblades.co.uk Have a look at # 4 or # 6B handle and # 25 blades. Or see if there are any taster or starter packs which would give you a handle and one of each type of blade, these are usually good value for money I don't know about USA, but in Britain there are lots of outlets & suppliers. Shop around craft, hobby, and art stores Also search YouTube for 'scalpels and blades' There are several videos

I made a knife similar to the Blanchard one from an old 25mm hacksaw blade A Japanese craft knife is similar, Search & Surf Google & YouTube for a KIRIDASHI. Also Search YouTube for 'skiving leather'; there are a few videos You could also look at a Japanese Leather Knife. Again Search & Surf to see what it looks like, and how to use it. Videos by 'leathertoolz' are good & useful Both of these can be used to both cut out and skive leather. You can get them at a reasonable price, though as with anything you can pay as much as you want. They are straightforward enough to make from an old hacksaw blade or plane blade The key to any leatherwork is to have very sharp tools. You will need a fine stone; oil-, water/ceramic-, or diamond-, whatever you fancy. Because they have been around for a long time you can often find oil-stones secondhand Make your own strop from oddments of wood & leather, but treat yourself to some proper stropping/honing compound. It's not that expensive, and a bar will last you for years Yes, scalpels are good, I use them on model planes, just Search Google. Matt S has found what suits him, but can I suggest that a number 4 handle (and appropriate blades) might be a better choice for leatherwork? Matt S sums it up - time, practice, try different knives till you settle on what works for you; and be prepared for a fair amount of frustration I use mostly 3 to 3,5mm leather and use a kiridashi and s Japanese knife. If I was using thinner leather I might use something different Remember that if you use one of these types of knives you will need work on a hard smooth surface like a thick sheet of glass, a tile, or a marble slab

For inspiration and examples, search Google for 'handmade leather belts'. If you want to go up market, search for 'raised leather belts' This video on YouTube is good 'Making of an Equus Lined and Raised Belt'

It could be the leather grease that has come to the surface and dried. Just try polishing it off

Search YouTube for 'making a leather belt'. there are several videos, I'm sure you can pick up lots of ideas & advice from them In particular, Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather has a video 'Making a simple Leather Belt' where he discusses how to measure the length

I have a spare, new, 2 3/4" John James awl blade & haft which you can have for the price of a pint. PM me if you're interested Same offer goes for anyone else in Britain if goody2shoes doesn't want it

I have found a supplier of linen thread in Britain. It is run by a German lady, Hilke Kurzke; she stocks linen thread from several European manufacturers, including Fil au Chinois You can order as little as 1 X 5 metres of thread, then various samples and variety packs, up to full reels; there is a wide range of colours available Search Google for 'buchertiger supplies' or http://kurzke.co.uk She is pleasant & helpful, with a quick response & delivery time.

Search YouTube for 'making a leather wallet'; there are several videos, but especially good are those by Armitage Leather and Leodis Leather. In fact anything by Ian Atkinson/Leodis and Nigel Armitage is worth watching. Nigel Armitage has a video 'Making a simple handmade Wallet', or some similar wording; that's good There are about 10 pages on leatherwork on YouTube, each with about 20 videos. There must be something useful among that lot! Watch as many as you have the stamina for! Besides that, work through this forum, especially Getting started; (hand) sewing leather; and Tools Get a book on basic leathercraft. It will show you the basics, and they usually have a few projects, probably including a wallet. 'The Leathercraft Handbook' by Valerie Michael is the one most often recommended, or see what you library has Once you start to make a shopping list of tools etc you'll see that it may well be worth joining one of Tandy's discount schemes Finally, a word of caution. Don't be tempted by the 4-in-1 awl sold by Tandy, and others. It's expensive, and not very good. You're better off getting a separate fixed blade saddler's/harness awl and a scratch/round awl. Tandy's Craftool Pro awl is as good as any to start with, especially if you can get it at a discount

Thanks for the tip about the lollipop sticks. I have been using scraps of leather under my clamps but, as you say, the lolly sticks will spread the pressure more evenly I glue small patches of 600 grit wet & dry paper to the sticks which turns them into very small files or wands to polish the prongs on my stitching chisels But I don't buy the sticks, I pick them up in the street; just give them a quick wash then let them dry

I also use a Stanley knife. Although the blades are disposable they cut better if you resharpen them on a fine stone & strop when they become blunt. This is because you polish them, and reduce the shoulder of the bevel There is a sharpening section on this forum, or you can Search YouTube In fact the key to good leatherwork is to have razor sharp tools, but you will quickly realise that you can spend a lot of money on stones, and there is a bewildering choice from diamond, ceramic/water, and oil. Because they have been around for longer you can usually find oilstones in secondhand tool stalls in markets. I got mine for £3 You can make your own strop from oddments of wood & leather, this will be just about the easiest leatherwork project you'll do. But treat yourself to some proper honing/stropping compound. It's not that expensive, and a bar will last you for years. I use Veritas Honing compound #05M08.01. Again, search YouTube You will also need another knife. This can be just about anything you want, and is used to cut string; open parcels; sharpen pencils; and so on. It's purpose is to make sure you use the Stanley knife (or whatever else you use) exclusively for cutting leather John Lobb make very expensive hand made shoes. I saw a TV programme about them a while ago; they keep their rivets, eyelets, and similar small components in old jam jars http://www.johnlobb.com

Probably like a lot of people I began leatherworking with a Tandy Starter Set, which included the 4-in-1 awl. I quickly realised that this wasn't very satisfactory as the blade kept slipping in the haft, no matter how I tried to tighten the locking collar; and I couldn't seem to get the blade very sharp, which I put down to my inexperience. I mounted the round blade in a fixed haft and that works well enough; after all there's not much you can do wrong with a round/scratch awl So I got a fixed blade saddler's awl from Bowstock. I believe the blade is actually by Tandy, the same as their fixed blade awl. I also bought, mounted, and sharpened a John James saddler's awl blade. Which leaves me with the two leaf blades left over from the 4-in-1 awl, and what to do with them. The two fixed blade awls do everything I need, so the easiest would be to just forget the Tandy blades, but I wondered - can they be turned into anything decent? I have some spare hafts, and if I worked on the Tandy blades with an oilstone and a strop for say half an hour a night over a couple of weeks would it be worth persevering? Or are they of such poor quality that nothing useful can be made from them?

By chance, soon after I became interested in leatherwork I met a retired traditional cobbler - in a pub, where else? among the various bits of advice he gave me, he said that 'them green mats' were about the best cutting surface he'd ever used this is what I use For general cutting - the typical green craft cutting mat; for a knife I use either a sharpened Stanley knife or a Japanese style leather knife For skiving - the glass oven door off an old cooker For using beneath stitching chisels - an old polypropylene kitchen chopping board, about 15 mm thick I don't do tooling or pounding

Just say 'Thank you' and leave it at that. Making any more fuss will only embarrass one or both of you Learn from this, and maybe charge a bit more in future

We all know what a round knife looks like For a head knife Search for 'Barnsley Single Head Knife' from Abbey England.com

fredk is correct. The semi circular leatherworking knife is known as a round knife, and is symmetrical. A head knife is asymmetrical, having a rounded, slightly bulbous profile on one side, and the other side elongated and tapering to a point, thus having a resemblance to a dead, especially a bird's head Confusion arises because the phrase 'head knife' became so common & synonymous with a leatherworking knife that it is also used erroneously for a round knife The origins of the word 'cobbler' for someone who makes or repairs shoes doesn't seem to be very well known or established, but it gives us the phrase for describing something that has been hastily prepared or assembled from whatever materials & components are readily available - 'to be cobbled together' It also gives us the British rhyming slang 'Cobblers!' meaning to speak rubbish or nonsense. In rhyming slang you use a familiar phrase or word pairing, but only say the first word. thus - Cobblers = cobbler's awls = balls Bread = bread & honey = money Raspberry = raspberry tart = fart Apples = apples & pears = stairs and so on

LUMPENDOODLE2 & MY63. Thanks for your replies I have bought brass sheet, rod, & tube from MaccModels for my knife making, and have called at their shop, but had completely forgotten about them. Thanks for the reminder I hadn't heard of EKP Supplies but they could be useful You can see that I also make model planes, the plastic kits, but the days when every town had a model shop are long gone. There are still a few around, but mostly everything's on The Net now