zuludog

I've never seen a round chisel either, but you could contrive something yourself by marking the positions with a pricking iron or an overstitch wheel and then making the actual holes with some sort of stubby round awl like an old dart head or a cut down scratch/round awl.

I have watched Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage, but I hadn't heard of Arthur Porter till now. I've had a short browse through some of his videos and they seem good. I will watch them properly in the near future While I was searching for advice on sharpening I found 'Preparing and sharpening a woodworking chisel' by Paul Sellers. That was useful and interesting, and the techniques can be applied to leather tools Since then I've watched just about all of his videos, which are mostly on woodworking with hand tools. I don't do woodworking, but they are pleasant, relaxing, with a simple but clear style, and there is the sheer joy of watching an expert craftsman at work. And Oh, he's another Brit, this time with a Manchester accent Put 'Paul Sellers woodworking' into YouTube's search box and see what you think

I cleared off the top of a wardrobe and lay the leather flat on there. There is a certain amount of drooping over the edge, but nothing desperate A common way I have seen at suppliers is to tie the leather in a loose roll Whatever method you choose, be careful not to leave it in direct sunlight for a while as that will produce areas of bleaching or other colour changes. Easiest way to prevent this is to just cover it with an old sheet

I'm British, and don't know much about guns or holsters, but I've just searched Google for 'female shoulder holsters' and 'shoulder holsters for women'. Don't seem to be any patterns but there are quite a few references and discussions for you to work through for ideas

No, pricking irons won't go all the way through. They are used to make shallow marks or indentations to show the position of the stitching holes, which are then made with an awl A stitching chisel has longer prongs and can be knocked all the way through. Even so, you might have to do a bit of extra work with an awl. The awls used for hand sewing leather are usually called saddler's awls or harness awls

Be careful when choosing chisels; there are two types that look similar, but are for different purposes For sewing leather with thread you need stitching chisels, which you call diamond chisels. They have narrow prongs with a diamond cross section set at an angle to the flat body of the chisel You knock them through the leather and sew through the resulting holes with blunt needles For joining leather with narrow strips of leather, called lace, you use a chisel with broader prongs set flat in line with the flat body of the chisel, and called, logically enough, a lacing chisel. Only get these if you want to do some lacing Both of these chisels will make holes all the way through the leather. You can get chisels with short prongs designed to only mark the position & spacing for the holes, which you then complete with an awl. These tools are usually called pricking irons, and are more likely to be available with closely spaced prongs or teeth

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