Danno90

Well I've often wondered if there's more than one of me wandering around As far as photography goes I've been known to dabble but that's about it. It's another one of those things which I've attempted to get in to (I have an old "analog" and not-quite-SLR camera knocking about somewhere but never used it ). Tools and remnant pack of leather arrived today. Planning a trip to B&Q tomorrow to get stuff to make a pony, some contact glue, sharpening/oil stone and such, and hope to have completed my first actual leather project by this time next week.

He definitely makes it look easy, or maybe that's just me. As for the beeswax I may have to have a chat with a colleague at work who keeps bees, I'm not sure if it's the right time of year to be after it from the hives but he may have some. And rendering the raw stuff seems easy enough: melt in hot water, pour wax/oil mix into containers to solidify, discard dirty water and take the solid wax out, put wax in double boiler then filter through coffee filter to remove any finer dirt and pour the (now much cleaner) wax into paper cups/cupcake cases to cool into easier to manage blocks. Just thought I'd throw that in there. I'm being deliberately frugal as I want to get started ASAP with leather but payday isn't for another week...

Just a quick note to say my kit arrived today, and also some leather, needles and thread in another package from a different company. Definitely much sharpening to be done. The knife is probably only likely to cut butter at this point - and even then may have difficulty I joke, it seems solid enough, just needs some work on the edge. Overall pleased with the quality of the set, it just seems a little smaller than I thought. Or perhaps my hands are bigger than I realise having only seen tools in use on Youtube so have no real size comparison. Still, will be more than adequate for now :D

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I think I might go for some sort of poseable/freestanding lamp/magnifier combo to start with as it kills 2 birds with 1 stone, and not a lot more expensive than a lamp on its own. I guess working with leather could use a minimum of 3 hands at the best of times so any form of handheld magnifier is automatically out of the question

So in my questhoughts as a newbie to find out as much as I can before jumping in, I was wondering what soultions/considerations you guys and gals had come up with for doing work with "bad" eyes? Basically I have a lesser-common condition called Keratoconus which means basically the focussing and refractive ability of my eyes isn't so great, it gives a lot of double vision and blurriness times. I'm currently a glasses wearer but over time as things progress (how fast and to what point is yet to be determined) but will more than likely "have" to wear contact lenses within the next few years. In the mean time I'm considering getting a clip on magnifying lens for close up work as my current glasses attempt to correct the fuzziness... Anyone used these with success? I suppose good workspace lighting is also a must although it can't be too bright because I'm also prone to begin affected (migraines and such) from too bright light... which is no more evident than when I'm at work in retail under horrible strip lighting. So yeah. Thread open to those with eye stuff to discuss their methods of making life easier

So in my questhoughts as a newbie to find out as much as I can before jumping in, I was wondering what soultions/considerations you guys and gals had come up with for doing work with "bad" eyes? Basically I have a lesser-common condition called Keratoconus which means basically the focussing and refractive ability of my eyes isn't so great, it gives a lot of double vision and blurriness times. I'm currently a glasses wearer but over time as things progress (how fast and to what point is yet to be determined) but will more than likely "have" to wear contact lenses within the next few years. In the mean time I'm considering getting a clip on magnifying lens for close up work as my current glasses attempt to correct the fuzziness... Anyone used these with success? I suppose good workspace lighting is also a must although it can't be too bright because I'm also prone to begin affected (migraines and such) from too bright light... which is no more evident than when I'm at work in retail under horrible strip lighting. So yeah. Thread open to those with eye stuff to discuss their methods of making life easier

Not directly answering your question, but I saw a different take on the common swivel knife over on Youtube yesterday... The SK's older relative, the "carving knife". Basically imagine a stick or straight metal rod with the usual blade on the end. No unnatural hand postures (can be held similarly to a pencil) and all the "swiveling" comes from movement between fingers/thumb as you work. Guess being a newbie means I'm fascinated by everything at the moment. I see a tool and I want it. My (currently store-bought) wallet disagrees with me. Maybe if I replace it with one I make myself the new one would be more sympathetic?

By the end of the week I am expecting to receive the following in the post: A cheap (Chinese made, with probable Japanese influence) beginner's sett of leather working tools from Ebay A remnant/pieces pack of leather, needles, and thread from The Identity Store A copy of "The Leatherworking Handbook" by Valerie Michael from Amazon Yet to acquire from the local chain DIY store (probably nearer the time, or on Sunday if it slips my mind before then which is likely to happen) are: wood and fixings to make a cheap stitching pony Evo-Stik Time Bond contact adhesive an Oilstone (or similar) for inevitable initial sharpening of previously mentioned tools as well as general upkeep later on miscellaneous things that catch my eye which may be helpful such as clamps, sandpaper, straight edge etc Other things yet to be appropriated into my "kit": worksurface stuff (cutting mat, poly board, granite (or similar)) decent desk lamp as most of my work will be completed in the late evening/small hours after finishing the late shift at "the day job" and goodness knows my eyes will need all the help they can get edge slicking substance graph/grid paper for when I feel up to making my own patterns bone folder type tool stitching awl Things I already have, yet to be consolidated together: poly mallet basic geometry set (ruler, square, compases etc) pencils large toolbox for storage stack of "craft" drawers for storage non-marring spudger set which I'm sure will come in handy for poking/prodding in crevices metal bodied Utility knife (and blades) Extra Virgin Olive Oil in lieu of more specialist finishes tonnes of old clothes for rags Things I will probably get at a later date once I get a feel for everything (this does not include ad hoc replacement/upgrading of any of the above when needed): butcher's block style work station (as I'll mostly be working at my 10yr old pine desk in my bedroom initially, maybe out in the shed weather permitting) relevant dyes, treatments, etc and relevant applicators basic carving tools (I do not plan on getting into this much but I guess it's always handy to be able pop a pretty border on something special) ___ I know the cost of starting a new hobby from scratch is always going to be a major consideration, but it seems leathercraft is even more so. Yes I know it's no good moaning to other people who have all been there/done that, but starting out on a shoe string is still likely to cost me upwards of £100 ($125 for you colonials ). Being the sort of person I am, often doing things on a whim, and generally cautious with cash, I do not want to go to the lengths that some do and get The Works in terms of equipment and materials to start with. I don't want to spend a small fortune on something if I don't end up getting decently into it to justify the cost. That said, it seems the general advice in terms of initial outlay is "get the best you can afford" and that's what I'm doing I suppose. I guess there are those out there who have started out with much less, and I have no need nor reason trying to justify what I'm doing. I guess in a way I'm secretly hoping that I get sufficiently good enough at the whole "leather thing" that in the long run I can start going to fairs, events, do made-to-order and the like, and be able to become (at least partially) self employed. But that's definitely a long way off. I think for me leathercraft will always be a matter of being on a shoestring, at least in the sense of trying to get the best from the least. I've always been enthralled by the way craftsmen of all disciplines in years gone-by have come up with ingenious solutions which even centuries or millennia haven't changed much, and as much as possible I want to keep what I do "low-tech": drawing up templates by hand rather than using PC software, using as traditional methods and tools as possible, and if possible trying to be authentic in style/process with any historical based pieces I produce. I (like to think) I am fairly good at improvising, and this will also keep costs down. Who needs a £40 edge slicker when a double-pronged piece of deer antler (free if you know where/when to look) will do? Or expensive black dyes if you can master the likes of vinegaroon and lampblack?

All the better for getting stuck right in! :D

That is EXACTLY the beginner's set I should have arriving in the next few days. Except I paid (the UK equivalent to) nearly double that :/ still I guess even as exchange rates go (considering it looks to be Chinese in origin) with all that is happening in the world it's not anywhere near as pricey as a cheap beginner's set could be. My philosophy is the same as yours, I think. Practise with cheap, get as near to mastering them as is possible, then as/when replace them with tools which I will be able to appreciate the subtle differences between an OK one and a Good one. The only thing I'm not sure about whether is included or not is the all important diamond-shaped stitching awl (from photo quality on the various Ebay listings for the same set, it looks like the awl is the round scratch awl. I guess as stitching chisels are included it's not too big a deal to start with.

Thanks I've sort of got a general idea of what I'll be doing, but shall definitely be getting loads of practise in beforehand. So far I'm thinking wraparound style.. And that's about it. Seeing as the lady in question is very much into reenactment and such I've ggot much research to do because I want to make it as authentic-looking as possible. And of course being from a period where there aren't many (if any at all) well preserved sources for what a Saxon dagger sheath may have looked like (other than the fact that they would have been much more decorative and higher status than sword scabbards for example) means I have a mega load of research ahead of me. Still I guess coming up with decent designs for things is a major part of successful leatherwork.

It's certainly a tip I shall make a mental note of, thanks

A simple (I suppose) solution which I've picked up over the years from buying cheap costume jewellery made from even cheaper metal, is using clear nail varnish over the exposed shinny parts. Relatively cheap, chances are you may have some of the wife's laying about the house which she won't mind you using, and it comes with its own applicator brush for close-up detailing

Hello to a fellow UK newbie! *waves* I suppose if gun stuff is calling to you, you could always look at stuff for airsoft guns and such like? Or if that's not your thing, how about for Cosplay/Steampunk purposes?

Well I seem to be binge-watching anything to do with leather goods fabrication at the moment, so it's all good! That said, there's not much call for gun holsters this side of the pond due to firearms laws (won't go into details or personal right/wrong feelings over it coz that's too much thinking for a Sunday!). I think more than anything though, watching all these videos, even to an unskilled someone like me, helps prove a point. There's more than one way to skin a cat (not that cat leather is something I would want to use) and for every 1000 leatherworkers there's 10000 ways of doing something!