zuludog

Why so complicated? I worked out quite early on that on saddle stitching I needed the thread to be 5 to 5 1/2 times the run or length of the line of stitching. This allows for back sewing 3 or 4 holes to secure the thread I use that calculation for any thickness of leather or pitch of the holes Thread is so cheap compared to the rest of the work that you can afford to be a bit generous Interestingly, in your example, 180 divided by 36 equals 5

Just re - read your last post The usual grid patterned green cutting mats are cheap enough; might as well get a big one. If you're really short of money almost any plank of wood, or an old kitchen chopping board will do. Put a damp rag or tea towel underneath to stop things sliding around You don't need an expensive round/head or clicker knife. I use three knives -- A cheap snap blade knife from a DIY store An old Stanley knife from a secondhand stall. I cleaned it up & repainted it. There were a few old rusty blades in it, I cleaned them up too, and resharpened them; they work very well. An old paring/vegetable knife we've had for years. It's carbon steel so we don't use it in the kitchen any more. I reground the blade on an oilstone so it resembled a leather or clicker knife, and bound the handle with thin cord for more grip. You will need a sharpening stone of some kind, and a strop - I made my own from scraps I had lying around For a mallet , remember that you don't need to bray anything; you're dealing with leather, not quarrying for granite Tandy, and other suppliers are expensive. I got a hide mallet in a local craft shop that was having a sale Shop around places like Halfords, DIY stores, cheap hardware stalls on your market, for any kind of soft hammer - hide, plastic, nylon, aluminium, copper. It doesn't have to be the very best You can use an ordinary steel hammer if you put a piece of wood or a wad of leather or cloth between the punch and the hammer. Or you could make a push - on padded leather cover for the face To 'bray' - an old northern English dialect word for really hitting or beating something severely.

I don't know anything about gun holsters, but you certainly can hand sew your own knife sheaths. For heavy duty you would need 3 mm to 4 mm thick leather I've just posted some suggestions for books & websites on the Resources section, but more especially go to www.britishblades.com There is a section on their forum for sheaths and leatherwork There seems to be a helluva lot of information on this site/forum too

Get yourself a syringe & needle and a bottle of your preferred colour of ink

I was in a similar position to yourself about 3 years ago; here are a few comments Read and Surf the Net, including You Tube as much as you can; that will get you used to techniques and the jargon. I haven't been on this website/forum for long, but I can tell there's a helluva lot of information & advice here. I've just posted some ideas under the Resources section The problem with leatherwork, like a lot of hobbies & pastimes is that you seem to need a load of kit all at once (and so need to spend a load of money!) But also you can start reasonably cheaply and simply, then carry on to spend as much as you want As you read & Surf you will start to realise what you need to buy as a 'proper' tool and what you can make or improvise. In fact that aspect becomes quite interesting and satisfying. I have made or improvised a skiving knife, an edge slicker, a strop, a sewing pony, and I cleaned up a scruffy old craft knife to make a dedicated leather cutting knife. If you have problems with your strength or posture, you can use a miniature drill, like a Dremel, instead of an awl Most important thing is a decent desk or bench at a height that suits you, and where you can leave your work in progress, without having to set it up or clear it away each time you need it. If you can afford it, Tandy's Hand Stitching Kit, product code 11189-00 has many of the things to start with, though you'll need to add a number 2 or 3 edge beveller fairly soon. Keep your eye on Tandy's UK website, they often have sales Al Stohlman's book ' The Art of Hand Sewing Leather' is good, and is often recommended, but I think it's overpriced at about £15. It's included in the above kit, so you might as well put your money towards that. There's always Ebay, but caveat emptor, and remember the UK version does not advertise knives Try car boot sales & second hand tool stalls on markets. You probably won't come across a complete set of leatherworking tools, but there will be general stuff, and things you could modify To save some money, you could get just an awl blade and make your own handle start off with a cheap snap - blade knife I have heard of people making a stitch pricker from an old fork. I made my skiving knife by cutting down and sharpening an old putty knife. It's not bad, even though I say it myself, as the old steel has taken a razor sharp edge I would leave tooling, carving, and colouring for the moment. Do simple suff well, get the basics right first, and build up your experience & skill

I came to leatherwork from my interest in knife making, as I needed to make sheaths. I surfed the Net and read as much as I could; these are some of the things I found useful --- www.britishblades.com As you might expect, it's mostly knife making, but the forum has a section on sheaths and more general leatherwork www.brisa.fi A Finnish company which supplies blades and other materials for knife making. It has several tutorials on sheath making www.bowstock.co.uk Supplies leatherworking tools; has good tutorials on basic techniques and a conversion table of thickness measurements Tandy has a depot in Britain so we can get everything they sell, including the books. However these are also useful, especially to British members. Libraries can order books for a small fee. Leatherwork - a Manual of Techniques by Geoffrey West Leatherwork - a practical guide by Chris Taylor Leatherworking Handbook by Valerie Michael. I think this has made it across the Pond! I also went on a sheath making course at The Identity Store. Sheath making, yes, but by necessity it covered a lot of basic leatherwork. You can Surf & read as much as you like, but nothing compares to being taught by an experienced instructor

By chance, soon after I became interested in leatherwork I met a retired traditional cobbler ( In a pub, where else?! ) and we got chatting. This is a summary of his advice Round or head knives are tricky to use and need practice. Unless you're a professional or really keen, a craft knife is a better choice for a beginner or amateur You will need two craft knives (alright, he said Stanley knives). Choose the best and most comfortable one for cutting leather. Go through your collection of blades and pick out 3 or 4 that fit well, with no wobbling. They are supposed to be disposable, but seem to get better when they've been resharpened a few times. Reserve this exclusively for cutting out leather shapes Use the second knife for cutting string, opening parcels, sharpening pencils, that sort of thing. Its purpose is to make sure you use only the best knife for cutting leather He also said that "them new green mats" are as good as anything he'd used So far I have to agree with him

It looks like this is the section for new members I took early retirement about 3 years ago (I'm 64 now). I had fancied knife making for a while and so now I have the time to do that, as well as a few other interests. I always knew I would need to make sheaths but I hadn't realised how involved leatherwork would be if you wanted to do it properly. I read books and surfed the Net for both knives and leather, and learned as I went along, but I only found this website a couple of days ago - it looks very good! It has been interesting and satisfying to gradually acquire tools - purchased, improvised, & homemade - and also experience. For the moment I don't want to get into leatherwork in a big way, it's just a means to an end of making sheaths, though I do try to make them as well as I can. But perhaps in the future.... So far I have made a 3 or 4 sheaths and a couple of simple covers for my tools. I don't consider myself to be an expert by any means, but I hope I can pass on the benefit of my recent learning experiences, and building up a collection of the necessary tools on a budget. Before anyone asks, our dog is a German Wire Haired Pointer; my wife fell for him when he was a puppy. The breeder had already named him 'Zulu' Thanks for your attention zuludog