zuludog

The blade probably has a narrow tang, with a tight fit; with or without glue. Hold the blade in a bench vice, padded so it doesn't mark the blade any more than it is already Tap off the handle using a length of wood as a drift, again, so it doesn't cause any more damage Try this before steaming, no point making any more work for yourself than needed When you've finished, clean out the hole and refit the blade using epoxy glue

Thanks for the reply and the link, but that would be too easy! These machines date from just before WW1 and we're trying to keep them as original as possible, so it has to be leather

Recently I have been restoring some vintage machinery, including fitting new drive belts The belts are about 4mm thick leather, joined by steel clips . Each clip requires a hole or slot in each end of the belt; with two clips per belt that's 4 holes altogether The holes need to be 1/4" X 1/2" or about 6mm X 12mm Apart from the fact that I couldn't find a slot punch or crew punch of the correct size, they are quite expensive. So instead I went to the secondhand tool stall in my local market and bought a 1/4" wood chisel for £2. It was a bit dirty with surface rust, but once I'd cleaned it, underneath there was an excellent old Sheffield steel chisel, which sharpened to a razor edge I marked out the size with a scratch awl, then cut the slot, with a piece of scrap wood for a backing The stall holder was charging the same price for all the chisels; £2, about $3, regardless of the width. It occurred to me that for the same price and a bit of work you could get a 1" / 25mm chisel, or possibly a bit wider and have a very good and cheap skiving knife

I visited the new Tandy store in Manchester UK yesterday, and I was impressed It is a new store, bright and well lit, in a new shopping area; Lime Square, Openshaw It was well stocked with just about all Tandy's products, and a lot of different types of leather, including some on offer. The staff were pleasant, friendly, and helpful, taking time to chat and demonstrate items. There is a drop - in practical session on Wednesday afternoons Well worth visiting if you get a chance I used to live in Openshaw; please don't judge my old home too harshly. Like many British (and American?) towns & cities it has become run down, but they are doing their best to improve it with new housing and industry

The plane was made by Draper, and is not the best available. The body was pressed steel with plastic fittings; cheap & nasty, and difficult to adjust However the blade is fairly good, and is quite sharp with a decent bevel; and that's after it's been kicking around in a toolbox for ages. I don't need to do any powered grinding, but I will sharpen it on stones and a strop. I'll also make the angle of the bevel a bit sharper/flatter; I can do that by hand on the stones I have already earmarked some beech wood for a handle I just wondered why the blade is often asymmetric - have a look at Japanese leather knives on YouTube

I've been looking at Japanese Leather Knives on Google, they look interesting. They all seem to be asymmetric, with the tang set off to one side of the blade, usually the right when the bevel is facing towards you; is there any reason for that? I have the blade from an old block plane, and I was thinking of turning it into a sort of Japanese style leather knife. Is there any reason why I should not make it symmetric?

Post a request on this forum, under 'Handmade and Custom'. Although it says British, there are many knife makers from the USA on it, and you might find someone who will make exactly what you want http://www.britishblades.com

Here are some things for you to search on Google. Even if the suppliers don't have exactly what you want it will give you some ideas, or if you contact them they might make something for you Because of Britain's old Imperial connections with India, riding breeches are often known as JODHPURS So, Search & Surf for Leather riding breeches Leather jodhpurs Motor cycle leathers Lederhosen Equestrian magazines - contact them their staff might know a supplier

I don't make dog leads myself, but I have a friend who does. He lets in some nylon webbing inside the fold over part or loop (is there a correct name for this?) and sews it back to the main part of the lead, so that the stitching is 4 layers - 2 of leather and 2 of nylon. The slot for the buckle prong is made with a sharp knife and then sealed or fused with a hot nail Remember when sewing straps to make two parallel rows down the edges of the strap, but not across it

There is now a Tandy Store in Openshaw, east Manchester. Besides all their usual items, they also have courses, including a free drop - in course on Wednesday afternoons. I haven't been there yet as I've only just found out, but I intend to visit soon That part of Manchester had become rather run - down (I know, I used to live there) but a new shopping area has been established to try to revitalise the area, with quite a few retailers. So you will find the Tandy store under their website http://www.lime - sq.co.uk This website covers several crafts & hobbies, like ceramics, painting & metalwork, and also has a section on leatherwork courses throughout Britain http://www.craftcourses.com Can't seem to get the link to Lime Square to work, you'll have to Google it yourself, or go to 'Tandy Manchester'

I've been looking at videos of Japanese leather knives on YouTube, and I'm partway through making one from a piece of industrial width (about 38mm) hacksaw blade I'd like to think that when it's finished, and gone through a thorough sharpening procedure it will be as good as most commercially available knives

I use a similar method, as described in Chris Taylor's book; Leatherwork - a practical guide Melt a block of beeswax with about 10% linseed oil. I use a small aluminium foil pie or cake container in a shallow amount of water in a frying pan, and let it simmer fot a couple of minutes. This mixture melts easily and is fairly safe & easy to handle. Then either carefully remove the foil container or let the whole setup cool When it's cool enough to handle, but still warm & soft just form it into the desired shape with your hands

As above; look through this forum and YouTube, especially videos by Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage Armitage does a video called How to Make a Simple Wallet, or something like that. A wallet, yes, but it is also a very good introduction to basic leatherwork Get a book on basic leatherwork, either buy or try your library. The one by Valerie Michael is often recommended Don't be tempted by Tandy's 4 - in - 1 awl. It is expensive and not very good. Separate round and harness awls are better, and almost half the price Start with a key fob. Depending on how far you want to go it can show you pattern making; marking out; cutting; saddle stitch; dyeing & staining; carving and tooling; edge bevelling; edge burnishing; skiving; and probably a couple of other techiques as well

Round knives are expensive and need practice. Here is a cheaper and easier suggestion You will need two knives The first will be a typical craft knife with disposeable blades. In Britain we often call them by the best known brand, a Stanley knife; I think they're called box cutters in the USA They're cheap enough new, but I got mine from a secondhand tool stall at my local market for £1, about $1-50. I cleaned it up, removed all the nicks and sanded the two mating faces truly flat so it grips the blades without them wobbling, and repainted it You can fit new blades as required, but it seems to cut better if you re - sharpen the blades with the usual fine stone, strop and so on; probably because the blade becomes polished and you reduce the shoulder of the bevel. In fact I cleaned up and re-sharpened the rusty old blades that were inside my knife, and they work wery well Use this knife only for cutting leather The second knife can be almost anything you like. Use it to cut string, open parcels, sharpen pencils and any other jobs. Its purpose in life is to make sure you use the first knife exclusively for cutting leather There is lots of information in this forum on sharpening, or search YouTube You should be able to make a strop yourself. Again, info on making & using will be on this forum and YouTube

I assume you're talking about a stitching chisel with diamond shaped cross-section prongs Use a flat needle file followed by wet & dry paper glued to a thin sliver of wood or stiff plastic or aluminium. Work your way through a couple of grades of grit; say 500 then 800, but anywhere around those will do Take your time and it can be better than new

GROMMIT Yes, I am the same person as Zuludog on British Blades

Welcome to the forum! I am sorry to hear about your strokes, but as I understand things, working & doing things will help to repair the damage I, too, make knives, but I live in a flat, so the only power tool I have is a bench top pillar drill. All my shaping & sanding is done by hand. I have to accept that the work I do will take longer, but nevertheless I enjoy the work I can do. You will probably have to work on the same principle Surf & Search on Google & YouTube for Drill Stands, including Dremel Workstation 220, these may help. You could rig up holders & adapters for tools, awls, stitching chisels, and so on. Plus you could use a mini drill like a Dremel, though there are, of course, other makes Proxxon do a range of small power tools; good quality, but priced accordingly I know a professional leatherworker who has no hesitation in using a Dremel if the leather is too thick for a hand awl Have a look at Dremel Workstation 220. That will hold the drill both vertically & horizontally, so you might also be able to use it for burnishing, sanding, and sharpening Best Wishes Zuludog

I've been Surfing on YouTube over the past couple of weeks as I'm thinking of making a kiridashi (a small Japanese knife), and I'm always interested in seeing any methods of sharpening I came across this video, using home made knives from old hacksaw blades, and they certainly look pretty good 'The Best Leather Cutting Knife' by Leathertoolz The guy obviously knows his stuff, and he's done lots of other videos, on Japanese leather knives, awls, sharpening, and various reviews of other leather tools

Have a look at this video on Youtube. He shows very clearly that he cuts off the point at the very tip of the awl blade to obtain the desired shape How to Sharpen a Leather Awl:Dixon Diamond Awl. Part 1 of 2 by Leathertoolz

Yes, I must admit it didn't ocurr to me, but it's quite obvious now you've mentioned it. The blade doesn't look like it has been properly shaped/sharpened/prepared. The tip of the awl should be a very small, rounded chisel shape. And as has been mentioned before on this forum, sharp enough so that it goes about halfway through your finger before you notice. You can find that in any decent leathercraft book, or search YouTube for 'sharpening an awl'. It needs more than 'just a quick polish'.

don't you think it would have been a bit more helpful to give us a few more details - like which country you're in for a start

You can make leatherworking knives from various odds 'n' ends and some imagination I have a small cooks/vegetable knife in carbon steel, and no longer use it in the kitchen, so I now use it as a general purpose - cum - clicker knife Old hacksaw blades make good knives, but you will have to do the initial shaping and sharpening on a bench grinder as the steel is so hard. After that you can sharpen & maintain them by hand like any other knife Besides the common 10mm wide blades, see if you can get the wider industrial blades Japanese style knives like a kiridashi are simple styles, you should be able to make your own copy The key to good leatherwork is to get your tools absolutely sharp, whether home made or purchased. Oil-, water-, or diamond- stones; wet & dry paper is cheaper; and you should be able to make your own strop. There is loads of information on sharpening on this forum and YouTube Be careful though as this can get addictive. You might find yourself hoarding all sorts of bits of steel, rusty old tools, broken kitchen utensils, worn out files and so on.

The (usually) brass clamp that holds interchangeable blades in an awl is called a chuck or a collet. Personally I have not found them much good as they never seem to grip tightly enough, and the blades keep slipping. No doubt others will tell you that theirs are wonderful. and they have no such trouble. They tend to be expensive. Interchangeable blades sound good, but you usually find you need to stop just when you've got a smooth rythm of work going, to fiddle about changing blades A solution is to have two or more such awls, which rather defeats the purpose Fixed blade awls are cheaper, cheap enough to have almost as many as you want permanently set up with blades. In Britain you can get an awl handle for about £3, say $4-50 I have a couple of those in different styles. I also got my local woodcarving & woodturning club to make a couple of awl handles to my size & design. The strengthening band around the narrow part where the blade is attached is called a ferrule. I use copper central heating pipe, with an outside diameter of 15mm Drill a narrow hole into the awl handle, narrower than the blade, Mount the blade in a vice, and tap on the handle. Use two copper coins to prevent the blade being scratched by the steel of the vice jaws For a sewing awl you will almost certainly have to go to a commercial supplier, but you can make a scratch/round awl blade from almost anything - a very stiff piece of wire; a thick needle; an old dart head. Have a browse round your house, garage, or workshop, you're bound to find something. My first scratch awl used the axle from one of my son's broken toy cars; it was surprisingly strong and good. Just sharpen the point however you can - bench grinder, files, oilstone, and so on Having said that, you can buy a scratch awl fairly cheaply, about £5 in Britain I made my skiving knife from an old decorator's filling knife, but a good one with a forged blade. Cleaned it up, shaped & sharpened, and it works well. I had a cheap & nasty block plane which was fiddly to adjust, and I never used it, so I dumped it, but kept the blade, which was quite good. One day I might get round to making a Japanese style leather knife out of it. You can use those knives for cutting on the push stroke, the pull stroke, and for skiving I have thought now and again that if you got an old 1"/25mm wood chisel from a seconhand stall and fitted a palm or hand use handle to it, that would make a reasonable skiving knife Hope this gives you some ideas. Surf YouTube, and use your imagination

This method looks good & interesting I have a John James awl that is yet to be mounted & sharpened; when I do, I'll try this method I have watched Paul Sellers videos on sharpening woodworking tools. I notice that he uses window cleaning spray as a lubricant on diamond stones and wet & dry paper I have an assorted pack of wet & dry paper, with 5 grades covering the range P 600 to P 2000. I think I'll make up some semi - permanent blocks, like small sharpening stones, by gluing or pinning the paper to wooden blocks

2 looks like an early adjustable spanner 4 could be a soldering iron, the type that is heated in a flame. Check that the tip is made from copper