zuludog

DIKMAN - you took the words out of my keyboard! That's a full tang blade; you would fit scales to each side. I think it would look good with pale wood like yew, hawthorn, cherry. Search YouTube for 'full tang knife handles' and you'll see the sort of thing

Have a look at this Thread, I've listed several UK suppliers, so you can see the sorts of things available

What you've asked is a piece of string question, but here's a start -- I use a Japanese Leather Knife, but they're not so easy to find in Britain now that Etsy UK have stopped selling knives, but they still sell other leatherwork tools; Search accordingly, I think they sell Palosanto and Vergez - Blanchard, which are good makes You could do worse than look at https://www.georgebarnsleyandsons.co.uk They have loads of tools for leatherwork, and they're Made in Sheffield - 'nuff said? Tools for life? I'm using a Stanley knife that was my fathers, and I know that dates at least from the 1960s; well the handle does, if not the blades. Get one anyway as you'll have enough things to buy when you start leatherwork, and a Stanley knife is as good as any to start with. Search secondhand stalls and see if you can find the model 199A handle; it's no longer made, but I think it's more comfortable to hold than the current types Have a look at YT videos by JH Leather, Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather, Nigel Armitage, Leathercraft Masterclass, they tend to use good quality tools Have a look at videos of making items you'd like to, perhaps wallets, belts, knife sheaths, and others, and you'll see what other people use. Also videos on beginners tools for leatherwork, there are several videos. For all of these videos you'll see that the tools chosen are similar, but slightly different, reflecting the preferences of each person https://www.metropolitanleather.com sell Osborne tools, which are good. I have tried a few makes of awl blades, but have settled on Osborne You do need a certain number of tools to start with, but don't splurge a load of cash getting lots & lots of tools at first. Just get the minimum, then add more as you go along, and as you gain experience you'll be able to make a better choice yourself, and you'll probably also get to hear the pros & cons of various makes

Thought you might like to see this ...... as if I don't have enough already, but I'm tempted https://bladepoint.eu/collections/bladepoint-knife-blades/products/bladepoint-ghoul It is being sold in Britain by http://www.moonrakerknives.co.uk

Hmmmmm ....... I wonder .......... At the risk of sounding like John Cleese, have you actually done any leatherwork or saddle stitching yet? It's not as easy as it looks, at least not to do it neatly; remember that the people who make the YT videos such as JH Leather, Ian Atkinson, Leathercraft Masterclass, Corter Leather, Nigel Armitage and others, are experts and they've been doing it for years. And the finer or closer the stitching, the more difficult it becomes I suggest you get an awl with a small blade by Osborne or Pro Atelier Plus; 0,35 to 0,45mm synthetic thread, and John James L3912 saddler's harness needles size 004 . Then make a few card holders and wallets, and see how you get on As far as a clamp or a pony goes, if you want to make shoes, you may as well get a full size saddlers clam, aka saddlers clamp, from the start Add this to all the other stuff you'll need and you'll find that it adds up to quite a lot of money, but that's usually the case for most hobbies/sports/crafts when you start Oh, and remember you'll need leather as well!

An Osborne #41 is a fine saddler's awl blade. Try one, and if you want anything thinner or narrower you can always thin it on a sharpening stone Pro Atelier Plus have some fine awl blades by Condor, and you can have them ready sharpened & mounted if you wish. Why not try the smallest blade by Osborne or Condor, and see how you go, they're not that expensive. But I think you might find they're narrow enough As the name implies, a round awl has a round cross section, and again as the name implies it is also called a scratch awl It is used to mark out shapes & patterns on leather; to enlarge stitching holes; to tease out & adjust stitching; and various other poking & prodding jobs in leatherwork. They're cheap enough.

KEY -- I've just noticed that Artisan Leather are selling pricking irons at half price in their Clearance section. I haven't used them, but they look good, and pricking irons would be OK if you want to use an awl Oh, and you'll need a sewing clam or pony as well

I've used a few different awls, but have settled on an Osborne #42 blade in a simple pear shaped haft Traditionally you buy a separate blade & haft then fit them together yourself, which is fiddly, but you only need to do it once - either by knocking them together, or drilling & gluing with epoxy. Or shop around and buy an awl ready assembled There are several YT videos on assembling & sharpening an awl JH Leather's recent video 'awl you need to know' is helpful, also, she does stitching with an awl in many of her videos Here are some UK suppliers, not in any particular order - https://www.metropolitanleather.com https://www.leather4craft.co.uk https://www.artisanleather.co.uk https://www.proatelierplus.com https://www.identityleathercraft.com https://www.georgebarnsleyandsons.co.uk https://www.sfleather.co.uk https://www.jwoodleathers.co.uk I do leatherwork as a hobby, and I use diamond stitching chisels, so I don't need to work quickly, and I mostly use an awl to complete or open up existing holes. This means I put down my awl if I don't need it. But if you're going to use an awl for stitching, you should probably try holding the needles & awl in your hand together, so you might find a haft with a narrow neck is better for this; search for appropriate videos.

Here are a couple of tips for using stitching chisels - Lubricate the prongs by rubbing them with beeswax now & again, to make them easier to place & remove Hold down the leather with a small block of wood up against the prongs when removing them, to avoid distorting the leather & stitching holes. Sand the corners of the block to avoid scratching the leather This video shows how to use the separate pricking iron and diamond awl; she uses this method in other videos

Welcome to leatherwork -- and the Forum -- and to the fun! As you've mentioned, sorting out chisels & pricking irons is confusing; here's my explanation -- PRICKING IRONS Have short stubby teeth; you hit them lightly on the surface of the leather and make marks to show the position of the stitching holes, but you make the holes themselves with a saddler's awl aka a diamond awl.. This is the traditional method, and although it looks easy, you need experience and concentration to do it consistently and neatly. For that reason many people have moved on to -- STITCHING CHISELS Have longer prongs so you both mark the position of the holes and make the holes themselves at the same time, which is easier, but not completely foolproof, so you still have to concentrate and be precise. A further complication is that they have evolved into two types - French or European style which have flat sided prongs and flat tips Diamond or Japanese style which have prongs with a diamond cross section and pointed tips The diamond style are easier to place, but some people think the French style make a more attractive stitch, though there isn't much in it You can, of course, tap these sort of chisels lightly and use them just to mark the holes, similar to the pricking irons. If the combined thickness of the leather is too thick for the prongs to penetrate fully, usually about 7 or 8mm, you can complete the holes with an awl. For both types the prongs are set at an angle to the main body of the chisel LACING CHISELS Have larger flat prongs set in line with the main body of the chisel - you don't want these for sewing with thread I suggest you start with diamond stitching chisels with 3mm spacing, and take it from there. I don't know many suppliers in the USA but these would be as good as any to start - Diamond Stitching Chisel Set from www.weaverleathersupply.com Craft Pro Fine Diamond Chisels from www.tandyleather.com - I use these, bought them when Tandy had a store in the UK Whatever you get, you shouldn't hit chisels with a steel hammer or that will damage them, so you will also need a soft mallet, such as hide or nylon There is a Thread about stitching chisels at the start of the Sewing Leather section in this forum There are YouTube videos about choosing leatherwork tools for beginners, and also watch videos on making the items you want and you'll see how other people do things. They are similar, but slightly different, reflecting the preferences of each leather worker.

Thought you might find this mildly amusing - For members outside the UK, the department store Marks and Spencer, often just called M&S, stared to do this distinctive style of adverts on British TV a few years ago. And JH Leather has several excellent videos about leather craft

Hello SCOTTENGLISH, this is a reply to this and your other recent question about Japanese awls......... and do I detect a note of frustration there? I was both disappointed and annoyed when I started to do leatherwork, and found out that you had to sharpen awls before you could use them, but the problem is that with awls and some other leatherwork tools you run into The Law of Diminishing Returns It is fairly simple and straightforward, and therefore fairly cheap, to bash out a basic tool, but getting it sharp and working well takes more time, effort, and usually hand work & sharpening, which costs money, so the price goes up considerably. It is only the expensive custom made awls that can be used straight out of the box, like Crimson Hides, Palosanto, & Doldokki where you're looking at £60 to £100 for an awl. In effect, you're doing the makers work for them in order to keep the price down to a reasonable level Most people are not willing to pay such high prices, and are therefore willing to do some of the work themselves Traditionally you buy the awl blade & haft separately, then mount & sharpen them yourself. The usual method is to knock the haft onto the blade, which I always think is a bit crude & prehistoric. Then you have to sharpen & polish the blade, which is time consuming & fiddly Instead of knocking in the blade I sometimes drill a small hole in the haft and glue in the blade with epoxy glue Some suppliers have ready mounted awls & hafts, but you would still have to sharpen them However, although I haven't actually used one yet, I think that if I ever get another awl I'll use a haft fitted with a chuck or collet, like this https://www.metropolitanleather.com/Buy-Tools/Buy-CS-Osborne-Co-Tools/Palm-Awl-Haft-No.142 I've tried sharpening a few awl blades, but the one that needed the least work was an Osborne #42 or #43, (can't remember which), about £9 and the simple bulb style haft about £3 or £4 Have a look at Metropolitan's website for Osborne & George Barnsley awl hafts & blades; and YouTube for mounting & sharpening an awl

Ah! Of Course! It's a Thingy! Perhaps I'll get round to making one, one day.

Yes, you've got the right idea. There's no specific size or design, just make it to suit yourself - longer, or with the base and/or one side of the U wider to make it easier to hold down I vaguely remember seeing that sort of thing on a video or two, and from suppliers, but not very often, I think most people make their own I would make it from acrylic sheet or Perspex, clear or solid colour but you could get the design right with wood, and I think any hard, close grained wood would last a while anyway I, and I think other people don't cut a U shape & slot, just hold down the leather with a small length of wood placed right up against the chisel. I use some wood that I cut to make knife scales for full tang knives but this piece had a couple of faults in it. It's yew, but as I mentioned, there are many alternatives. It is 130 X 45 X 12 mm Whatever you choose, sand/round off/smooth the corners & edges so you don't scratch your leather. Oh, and I don't know its proper name either!

Huh! Yes, it's a clicker knife, reasonably priced, and most leather craft suppliers have them, such as Weaver Leather Supply.

I got a basic, fairly cheap, leather knife similar to this (though not this particular model ) and packed out the handle with scrap wood & car body filler then reshaped it to give it a pear shaped handle. https://www.georgebarnsleyandsons.co.uk/product-page/heel-parer

RIY, and anyone else - JLKs are held so that when it's held vertically in your fist the bevel faces away from your palm and the trailing edge faces away from your wrist. You might think this is odd as then the angle of the bevel would result in a sloping edge to the cut; surely the flat vertical side should do the cutting? ..... not so, read on Try holding something like a ruler or a screwdriver vertically in your clenched fist and extending your arm - you will find that it needs an effort and concentration to hold the tool perfectly vertically, if you relax your arm & wrist there is a tendency for your hand to turn such that the top of the tool moves outwards and the tool becomes slanted, not vertical If you hold a JLK with the bevel facing away from your palm, this twisting action will bring the bevel to the vertical Shop around, most JLKs are right handed but you can also find left handed ones. Have a look at this video, also I think he is left handed Leatherworking tools are usually sold with a basic finish, to keep the cost down, It is only the expensive custom made tools that you can use straight out of the box. So if you get a moderately priced round knife you will probably have to sharpen it - there are loads of YT videos.

I made my own Japanese Leather Knife from an old plane blade and it works well. Also more out of curiosity than need I tried one of those very cheap JLKs that crop up all over the Net, Amazon, etc.; it's quite well made for the money. I scraped & sanded off the red paint and the handle is more comfortable, and you can see the grain, which is actually quite attractive I ground back the cutting edge to remove the tiny secondary bevel and make one about 5mm long, on progressively finer grades of oilstone then a strop. As you, and others, have mentioned you can get a very sharp edge on it, and it's quite neat & handy to use Hmmm ..... I really must learn how to post photographs. Harry Potter? I think you've had a slip of the keyboard and meant Harry Rogers!

I salvaged some thin leather from an old armchair - washed it in plain water then spread it flat to dry. I wasn't really trying to remove any creases, but it did for a lot of them. I expect if I'd slicked it that would have removed more So try a piece, and see how it goes

A method I've heard of, but never done myself, is that on the last stitch only go through one thickness of leather, so that the needles emerge between the two. Then tie the threads together with a flat knot like a reef knot, and push & hide the knot back between the layers I can imagine doing this with something like a knife sheath or an axe cover, but I think you would need to be very neat & careful on thinner leather like a wallet or a watch strap Of course, securing the ends of synthetic thread is easier. Do you use linen for the appearance or the feel against your skin? I think Meisi make a synthetic thread that is designed to look & feel like linen; I'll see if I can find a reference YT channels such as Ian Atkinson/Leodis Leather, Nigel Armitage, JH Leather, Corter Leather, Leathercraft Masterclass give a lot of detail, information & explanation of techniques; there are others of course EDIT - here is the Meisi thread I mentioned, but you'll have to find your own supplier XianGe Waxed Polyester – Threads of MeiSi

Start and finish with a backstitch. Secure the ends of the thread with a small dab of PVA glue, as shown in this video

TOME - Another possibility is a razor plane. Lay the strap along the edge of your bench or along a strip of wood to give clearance to tilt the plane. Rig up some sort of jig or clamp to hold the strap in position Have a look at videos by JH Leather. She makes raised and padded dog collars using similar methods Also, she uses a head knife for most of her work; it's like a round knife but it only has one point, which makes it cheaper and easier to use.

This might be interesting/useful. At the end there is a link for sharpening a JLK

I use a Japanese Leather Knife for skiving, and you mention that you would also consider one. As with most tools, including leather tools, you can spend more or less as much or as little as you want, but have a look at this video. As far as I can tell he uses Craft Sha knives from Weaver Leather Supply, (although they're not named) and they are reasonably priced https://www.weaverleathersupply.com/catalog/item-detail/65-2864/flat-leather-knife/pr_60362/cp_/shop-now/hand-tools/knives-scissors/knives Search YouTube, there are several videos on Japanese Leather Knives, for both skiving and cutting Rocky Mountain Leather Supply have JLKs, mostly expensive, but there is one at $59-99 Besides the JLK I use a Stanley/utility/box cutter knife. Although the blades are disposable I resharpen them on a fine stone & strop, and they seem to work better, probably because that reduces the shoulder of the bevel and polishes it. And even new blades are better after a strop. I think Exacto knives are bit too light for leatherwork, that's why I use a Stanley. Have a look at videos by Ian Atkinson, aka Leodis Leather, he uses a Stanley knife for most of his work.

Harry Rogers uses a lot of old/traditional/secondhand tools, and that edger looks like a traditional English style, probably Dixons, which are no longer made. In fact that style doesn't seem to be made by any current manufacturer, the closest I can find is by George Barnsley https://www.georgebarnsleyandsons.co.uk/product-page/edge-beveller I think that style was also made by Vergez - Blanchard, but they, too, seem to have been discontinued. All I can suggest is that you Search around and see what comes up. I don't know many suppliers in the USA but Rocky Mountains Leather supply look like they would have something decent Or Search for 'Etsy - leather edge bevelers' There are usually loads to choose from, and you might see something you fancy