Squid61

Yes, poke it through from the blade end back out the top and be careful not to damage the blade edge.

You might consider a soldering/woodburning iron with a spade shaped tip; smaller, easy to maneuver and won't eat batteries. I just use a lighter.

I do the same, sand in one direction only.

Looks great, thanks.

What thread size best fills the hole and do the holes close well after hammering?

Yep. Came sharpened, just a strop and it was perfect.

I've been struggling with cutting leather since I got into this hobby. I've tried a Japanese style knife and found it far too alien from my normal knife grip to be useful, I tried utility knives and found them too awkward for anything but straight cuts and I tried hobby scalpel/craft knives but they require a finger grip similar to a pencil which my arthritis doesn't allow, I also found the blade flex difficult to mange on tight curves. Since I also work in wood carving using a Mora 122 knife I decided to try a Murphy Sharp Point Leather knife No. 2 with a 3 1/8" blade which is similar to the Mora but with a much thinner blade. What a difference, I can now make straight cuts with ease and following pattern curves is a snap. No more wrist discomfort or grip fatigue and my grip is now consistent between the two hobbies.

I've looked at machines, the REX on Amazon looks reasonable for the casual user at under $400 . Most of the "heavy duty" Singer and such are really not good for much more than garment leather from all I've read. So far everything I've sewn including a few clutches and a purse for the wife look better saddle stitched than they would lock stitched so a machine wouldn't have helped. I don't suffer any pain stitching and can go along pretty fast using a sharp awl, blunt needles and smooth jawed needle nose pliers, I have discovered that awl stabs bleed more than needles but needles hurt worse.

Is the casing .pdf still available? Can't seem to get the link to work.

Alpha2, can't tell the size but it looks like a vintage meat tenderizer for home kitchen use.

New to leathercraft. Retired Aerospace Test Engineer with a lot of time available so I plan to be an active crafter. For those interested in user name origins mine is the year I entered the US Submarine Service thus the "Squid" tag.