zuludog

You can't please everyone, otherwise you go on dithering about for ever, so here is my proposal for a meet up in north - west England 2 - 00 pm on Sunday 13th September 2015 in 'The Boot', a Wetherspoons pub in Burnley, more or less near the bus station. Bring a couple of finished items, and anything else you think might be interesting NOTE There is also a Wetherspoons/Loyds bar in Burnley called 'The Brun Lea', near the Mechanics Institute. You don't want that one

The problem with trying to organise a meet up like this is that you'll never please everyone. The best you can do is to set a time & place, and hope people can work to it I don't have a car, and although I could travel to Preston, Blackburn or Manchester by bus, I might as well make things easy for myself. So, here is my suggestion 'The Boot', a Wetherspoons pub in Burnley; sort of near the bus station. 2 - 00 pm on Sunday 13th September. Bring a couple of finished items perhaps, and anything else you think might be interesting. NOTE There is another Wetherspoons/Lloyds bar in Burnley, 'The Brun Lea', near the Mechanics Institute; you don't want that one

Welcome to this forum Whereabouts in Lancashire? I live in Burnley, and would be happy to meet up; Django57 as well if you wish

I was vaguely thinking of doing leatherwork, and found this in my library. It is an excellent introduction to leatherwork, easy to follow, and got me started 'Leatherwork: A Practical Guide' by Chris Taylor I got Al Stohlman's 'The Art of Hand Sewing Leather' in a Tandy starter kit, and learned a lot from Tandy's catalogue.

You could try sharpening the Tandy punches with a waterstone or oilstone, and a strop first, before spending any more money. If nothing else, you'll get some practice on a cheap set before working on expensive tools

You can improve the stitching chisels you already have by carefully fettling or polishing the prongs with a needle file and fine wet & dry abrasive paper; glue some onto a sliver of wood like a lollipop stick

So you have them on your side of the Pond, too!

When you sew leather, the usual method is to make the holes first, then pass the thread through them using blunt needles. So, as you have guessed, first you need to make a line of holes, and there are three basic methods 1) To mark the line and spacing of the holes using a tool like those you have shown, called an overstitch wheel or a pounce wheel or a stitch marking wheel. This will make small marks or depressions in the leather at the appropriate spacing, depending on the chosen wheel. You then follow this with an awl to make the proper holes 2) To mark the line and spacing of the holes using a chisel with short prongs, called a stitch marking chisel or a stitching iron. As above, you follow this up with an awl. You can get irons with various numbers of prongs, and the spacing between them. 3) You can get a chisel with longer prongs, which both set the spacing of the holes, and make the holes themselves, simply by hammering the chisel all the way through the leather. Usually this is enough, but sometimes you may need to do a bit of work with an awl as well. This chisel is called a stitching chisel. If you just tap it gently you can use it as a pricking iron So the answer is no, you can't use the wheels you have shown to make the holes on their own; you must also use an awl or a stitching chisel, which you call a fork pronged stamp Be careful, there are two kinds of similar looking chisels. The stitching chisel, which you want, has fairly narrow prongs set at an angle. To do lacing you need a chisel which has broader prongs set flat in line with the main body of the chisel, and called, logically enough, a lacing chisel. Only get this if you want to do lacing When you do buy an awl you want the one with a diamond section blade. You usually have to buy the blade & handle separately, then fix & sharpen them yourself. Ask nicely and a supplier might do this for you. Don't get the Tandy 4-in-1 awl; it is expensive and not very good. A separate harness awl & round awl will be cheaper and better Really, this is the sort of stuff you can find in any decent leathercraft book. Besides Valerie Michael's, here are two others Leatherwork - A Practical Guide by Chris Taylor Leatherwork - A Manual of Techniques by Geoffrey West Also recommended are the videos on YouTube by Nigel Armitage Leather, especially 'How To Make A Simple Hand Made Leather Wallet'. This includes several basic techniques.

I make mostly belts, dog collars and knife sheaths. When I've finished the piece I slap leather oil on it; both sides, inside & outside, till it's saturated with oil. My theory is that the leather itself will decide when it's had enough. Any excess will dry out or wear off. Usually I then buff it up with a cloth, and perhaps a bit of shoe polish Been doing that for several years and don't seem to have had any problems - "find what you like and don't worry about it". I use Tandy's Prime Neatsfoot Oil # 2260-34

You will soon hear about Tandy, which is a well known supplier of leatherwork tools & materials. Here is their agents in Britain; I have always found them to be pleasant & helpful when I've phoned them for advice http://www.theidentitystore.co.uk

Something you will realise about leatherwork is that like coming new to any hobby, there is a lot to learn & take in, and if you're not careful, a lot of money to spend! Have a look through old threads under Getting Started and Leather Tools, just about all beginner's questions have been asked before. Several of them will include tool lists and so on Go to your library and ask them for books on leathercraft. Valerie Michael's 'Leatherworking Handbook: A Practical Illustrated Sourcebook of Techniques and Projects' is often suggested, but there are others, and they will all give you the basic information You ask about buying leather. You can buy smallish pieces just for one or two projects, but it works out expensive in the long run. Buying a larger piece will cost more initially, but be enough for several items. Easiest is to ask your supplier and they will suggest accordingly or perhaps someone will come along with their suggestions, as I am still not sure about the types of hides available Would have been nice if you'd included a bit more information on your profile This website is a supplier, but their website has some good tutorials on basic techniques, including a comparison of leather thicknesses http://www.bowstock.co.uk This website & forum has a section on leatherwork & sheaths; but also look in Custom, Scandinavian, and Members Projects as people often show completed sheaths & pouches with their knives http://britishblades.com

Congratulations on making a start, skidmk! They look good enough for first attempts I think if you tried 3 mm vegetable tanned leather and 18/3 linen thread that would be as good a place as any to start. Then you could dye the leather as you wish. It looks ok if it's not dyed, too. Just treat it with leather oil or grease and it acquires a mellow dark buff or yellow colour You can get ready waxed thread or unwaxed to treat your own; a block of beeswax is pretty cheap No doubt others will come along with their suggestions Search YouTube for leatherwork. There are dozens of videos

Alright, perhaps I was a bit harsh, and I thank 25b for explaining my point very well If you want to start a business making items from leather, wood, fabric, metal, and so on you should already have a thorough knowledge of & skill with all the tools, equipment, materials & techniques, so that you can make a handbag, necklace or whatever standing on your head without even thinking about it 99 times out of 100 you will have been making small items for friends & family as a hobby, for free at first, gradually expanding by word of mouth till you start to receive requests & small commissions, and in return you will be able to charge; just for materials at first, till you have the confidence to charge for your skill. Eventually you will reach the stage where your chosen work becomes more & more dominant till it takes over from your regular employment, and you must then decide if you want to set it up as a serious business, possibly part - time, or, as they say, give up the day job By that stage you should have an established network of contacts, suppliers, & outlets, on a regular & familiar basis How are you going to sell the stuff? Internet? Wholesalers? or just hawking it round the stores yourself? If you think you've found a niche market, remember that it is by definition very small A friend tried to make waterproof clothing for hikers. She had already been through these stages, but when she wanted to expand she found that the large established manufacturers could wholesale a finished jacket cheaper than she could buy the materials Know anything about Finance, Insurance? Litigation? Tax? Not to mention building up a good reputation for both quality and reliability of supply. No-one is going to place a $5,000 order with someone they've never heard of, have never seen any of their work, and who has never made anything before If you don't even know what kind of sewing machine you want, or how long it would take to make something, I suggest you are a long way off starting a business, and my estimate is that it would take at least 5 years to get to that stage By all means keep it as an ambition or long term goal, but learn to walk before you can run

If you have to ask, forget it

Don't forget ginger nuts, though personally I don't like them

Bumbags are still used by runners; that's what I was thinking of. I forgot that they were at one time a fashion item

Since we've lowered the tone of the conversation; be careful if you visit Britain and ask for a fanny pack, (as I have heard done). If you want a small pack on a belt you ask for a waist bag or a bum bag A fanny, as so delicately put by gmace99, is the part of the ...... Several years ago a couple of friends of mine went for a holiday to the USA, starting more or less straight off the plane in the first bar they came to in New York. One of them went to the bar counter for some more drinks, and the other shouted after him "and get some fags while you're at it ". The barman said "Oh I know what you mean, but you'd never get away with that on the West Coast!"

Wine corks for the awls Simple slip - on blade covers or protectors for any blades, made from odds & ends of leather These, and things like pencils & rulers, are kept in a compartmented drawer insert intended for cutlery, from an old kitchen cabinet Any liquids - dyes, oils etc are kept in a plastic tool caddy with a handle, the sort of thing designed for caretakers/janitors to carry cleaning materials & tools around. It is usually kept on a side shelf and only moves to the workbench when needed (Note to self; I need to buy some more awls.....)

Have a look on YouTube at Nigel Armitage's videos. Amongst others, he does one on the saddle stitch, and one on making a simple wallet. The wallet one is also a good introduction to basic leatherwork and can be applied to other items

not a patch on = not as good as chuffed = pleased to bits = very, or extremely "they were not a patch on mine; was chuffed to bits" = "they were not as good as mine so I was very pleased"

You could get a cheap (new or secondhand) hobby type or multi angle vice ( USA = vise) That will do for small projects like wallets, belts, & sheaths, while you think about a proper stitching horse/pony. You might have to move your chair round 90 degrees from the front of the bench. Accept that if you con't have the perfect answer, you might be a bit slower, and work within your limits. Pad the jaws with scrap leather Afterwards the vice will always come in useful for fixing awls, holding a strop, and generally as a third hand. You'll wonder how you managed without one

The stanley knife is as good as anything to start with, and stay with if it suits you & does the job. The blades are supposed to be disposeable, but they seem to get better if you re -sharpen them; probably because you reduce the shoulder of the bevel. In fact the key to a lot of leatherwork is being able to get very sharp tools, so you could add a fine sharpening stone - oil, water, diamond, whatever suits you. Make a strop from scrap wood & leather. I copied the picture and the approx dimensions from Tandy's catalogue. There is lots of information on this website and YouTube. For a sharpening compound you can use Autosol, valve grinding paste, jeweler's rouge, or specialist grinding/buffing compound sticks You will usually have to sharpen a new awl yourself If you have a 4 prong punch or chisel you can manage without the overstitch wheel. Flatten the stitching down with the mallet when you've finished Beeswax; shop around for a low price. Besides coating thread it is used for various odd jobs in leatherwork

The outside of the curve should be no problem, so I expect you need something for the inside edge You can get ceramic, and diamond sharpening rods. Surf the Net or go to http://www.eze-lap.com There are round edged sharpening stones intended for wood carver's gouges, called slip stones; again, go Surfing A cheaper version would be to make up your own round or half round sharpening stick by wrapping or glueing some wet & dry paper onto a piece of wood. Remember to lubricate it Similarly you could make your own suitably shaped or profiled strop Leodis Leather does a video on YouTube for sharpening edge bevellers. You could make something similar but with a larger radius to match your knife For cutting inside a bowl, spoon, or similar, woodcarvers use a curved knife, known variously as a hook knife, spoon knife, or crook knife. There are several videos on YouTube, you should be able to pick up some ideas there. Put 'how to sharpen a hook knife' into the search box

So, besides leatherwork you need knife repair. You could try Kabar or post your problem on the British Blades forum, along with a picture of the damaged blade. There are lots of skilled metalworkers and knife makers on there who may be able to advise you or do the work for you. Although it says British Blades, there are lots of members in the USA

Search on YouTube for 'leather handle knife' and 'knife sheath making'; there are loads of videos This website has forums covering all aspects of knifemaking, including leatherwork http://www.britishblades.com Also go to the articles page, then the menu towards the top left corner, and click on tutorials. There is one for a leather handled knife Go the Kabar website http://www.kabar.com On the home page click on 'learn more' At the bottom of that page there is an index or menu. Click on 'How Kabar knives are made' If you Surf on Google & YouTube for Kabar you'll probably find other useful references