Brigg

I've made about 20 items out of leather so far. Pen cases, card cases, pouches, sleeves, sheaths, jotters, etc. I keep making new things never revisiting previous patterns/designs and I am wondering if it is better to work on "perfecting" one design or to keep making new things. I am constantly getting better but nothing I've made so far would meet my quality standard for my own personal purchase. I keep learning new types of construction and techniques and I am considering moving on to bigger items like bags but I am not sure that makes sense if what I am currently making isn't there yet. What were your first leather projects like and what have you found to be the most efficient/best way to grow your skills?

$245 is definitely a possibility if I like this style of knife. What would you stay makes his knives special? Finishing? Geometry? Steel? Forging quality? Bob Dozier also makes smaller head knives for $250. From dozierknives.com

Why are oil stones so popular for sharpening leather knives? Maybe they are most common in the UK? I use Chosera stones and diamond plates to sharpen my various knives (haven't sharpened leather knives yet).

Thank you all for your help! I really appreciate it. I order a 3.5" head knife from Terry Moore and may end up also buying a knife from Bruce Johnson if he has one that fits my requirements. From Moore Saddle Shop's Facebook Page:

I don't think that knife will be any better quality but it is cheap-ish and a size that works. I spoke to Bruce last night he is going to see if he has anything that will fit my criteria. Yes I am in the US.

I am just trying to figure out what knives work best for me. I have a single bevel Japanese kiridashi knife and have been using the black carbon Olfa snap off blades. I am curious about the round shape as it is supposed to be good cutting curves.

These look perfect. I will give him a call tomorrow. This was the knife I originally wanted but the size seems a bit big for me. How do you like yours? I missed it...though still a bit big at 4.75" The Barnsley single point head knife does seem like a good option though double point one is big.

I think you are right about the sticker. My mistake. "All items made by us" doesn't mean anything. A Mercedes doesn't have to be made in Germany to be made by Mercedes Benz. These knives could be made in the U.K. but there is no information about the country of origin. Anyways no need to make ad hominem attacks. I didn't mean to offend you. I am not sure how useful the picture is but you could be right. Osbourne says it is used by stained glass and leather workers.

That looks like a nice knife. I will add it to my list of knives to consider if I decide I like that style of knife. No where on the listing does it say where the knives are made...that is usually a pride point if they made in the place the business is located. I've never seen a custom knife maker use quality control stickers. Is the makers mark the pin decoration? Normally knife makers will sign the blade as that is the essential part of the tool. Handles don't always last the life of the knife. I know Bob Kramer uses that sort of decoration but he always signs the actual blade of the knife as far as I know.

Thank you for the recommendation. Somethings that stand out to me about these knives is 1) the quality control sticker and 2) the lack of a maker's mark...they might be okay but they seems like a cheap Chinese knives. Thank you for the recommendation. I just ordered the Osbourne 73 Lead knife which I think is their equivalent of the Barnsley one as it is cheaper with shipping...can't say if the Barnley would be better or worse as they both look crude but they are priced accordingly. The Dixon one is really big. If anyone else has recommendations for a 4" or smaller round/head knife I would still be curious.

I am looking for a smaller head knife that is good quality. I don't want to spend more than $150 as I am new to this style of knife. I can find custom ones that are $200 +. I've looked at Abbey England, RM Leather, Osbourne and I have not found one. There is the Osbourne 71 which is 4.5" but is sounds like this is a low quality knife that needs pretty serious sharpening from new. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know. If I need to spend more I can, I've never used or sharpened this style of knife before so I am hesitant to spend too much. Would a French knife be a good alternative? Image from Abbey England

Thanks for your reply zuludog! I use Blanchard #10 irons (2.7mm) and I find that the .45mm and 832 look the best to my eye. As I start making bigger projects like bags I am sure I will want different irons and thicker thread. I will take give MeiSi Superfine Linen threads a try.

I am new to leather crafting and I have tried the following threads: Fil Au Chinois 832 and 632. Twist 0.45mm waxed linen Twist Polybraid 0.45mm Ritza Tiger 0.6mm A couple of observations. Fil Au Chinois 832 is cheaper per meter than Twist 0.45mm linen...the Twist in my opinion is easier to work with than the Fil Au Chinois which is the most difficult. Ritza is the easiest to work with but aesthetically I don't like it. A couple of questions is the Fil Au Chinois a higher quality brand than Twist or is it more of a heritage thing? Can people tell the difference between it and the Twist linen by looking at the thread? How does Barbour thread compare?

I quite like the look of pigskin and would like to buy good quality pigskin in 3-4oz weight an 1-2oz weights ideally from a store in the USA. Smythson used to use this material a lot. It is quite attractive particularly in a golden brown and lighter colors...seems like they don't use it anymore though. Picture from Watch Collecting Lifestyle

Thank you for the suggestions!

I want to buy an electronic edge creaser but I don't what to spend more than I need to. What makes the Ets Regard so expensive? How does it regulate the temperature. If it doesn't use a PID then I think these cheaper Chinese ones would actually be better at keeping the temp. I am considering YUCraftPro model for $300 https://www.etsy.com/listing/691160733/electric-leather-edge-creaser-edge?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=electric+edge+creaser&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&variation0=1121699330 There is also this Vulcan Mozart M3000 for $400 https://www.etsy.com/listing/838973351/vulcan-mozart-m3000-electric-signal-edge?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=electric+edge+creaser&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&organic_search_click=1&frs=1 Does anyone have experience with these or recommend another model?

What would be a good alternative to Blanchard pricking irons that mark the leather without piercing or even cutting the top part of the leather? I can't find Dixons and Osborne only makes on per size. Wuta and Abbey England have been mentioned but these companies make different types of irons so I am not sure which would be comparable. Which if any from these companies would be comparable to Blanchard? Are there other irons that are more similar?

I have Wuta chisels that are designed to punch holes in the leather and not mark the leather. I figure if I buy a tool made in Asia I will still end up wanting the one made in Europe...I think the Blanchards have decent resale value and are what the school I might want to attend uses.

Thank you all again for all your help! I ordered all my tools to start with the exception of pricking irons (have some cheap 3mm Wuta ones already) I do have one more question about pricking irons. I would like to get some Blanchard ones in the near future. Atelier Amblard only sells ones with 2, 4, 12 teeth. RM Leather seems to sell ones with up to 13 teeth with exception of the 12 tooth model. What are the recommended number of teeth assuming I only want two irons? Amblard says 12 and 2 and RM leather says 2 and 8. The largest one I have has 6 teeth...so 12 seems enormous especially for smaller items. How many teeth do your regularly used irons have?

Thank you all for the help! I really appreciate it.

I agree with your point and it is more likely than not I will never get there. I think I may have put the cart before the horse with this thread in that I have no idea which projects to start with. How do you determine what style of leather craft to begin with? I bought this book Making Leather Bags, Wallets, and Cases: 20+ Projects with Contemporary Style The projects appear very simple. The tool list is about $200 (mostly Kyoshin Elle products). I like the minimalistic design, the final result looks visually appealing but if these items were for sale in a store I wouldn't buy them for myself. From an aesthetic perspective I much prefer the look of these projects to the Tandy and Weaver projects I have seen. I also have the Valerie Michael book and I like her style very much. The projects seem like too much for me off the bat, though, suggesting a huge workshop and thousands of dollars of tools.

Yikes. I was quoted over $600 for that pen case.

Thank you all for the replies! I have a lot to think about. I did not know there was a difference between a stitching chisel and a pricking iron. I also appreciate the leather suggestions. It is hard to know what leather to buy in the beginning because I don't want to buy something that is awful to work with and that is of low quality but I also don't want to buy really high end practice material. If anyone has other suggestions I would be curious to know. What edger would you recommend? Selecting tools is definitely difficult when it is unclear how to get the results I want. I have attached some photos of the kind of things I would like to make. I also am fond very fond of Hermes, Moynat, Berluti, Dunhill, Goyard (full leather products). I don't know if this would guide my tool selection. Hakase x T. MBH Qualialeather Swaine Adeney tl.watchstrapvn

I am new to leather working and am having trouble figuring out what I should spend money on and what I can skimp on. I don't want to buy junk but I also don't want to overdo it either. What should I make sure I invest in when getting started? I want to make luxury leather wallets, bags, and attaché cases. I am going to try and do some projects in a book first and then do the Leathercraft Masterclass (I like the projects he does) and then if I decide to move forward with this hobby I want to take Amblard Leather Atelier classes in person. Also, if anyone has opinions on either these classes/courses I would be curious to know. Awls and pricking irons confuse me. Is it better to get sharp pricking irons that go all the way through the leather or get duller ones and use an awl? On the expensive side there is Amy Roke (sharp) and Blanchard (dull?). I want to get my stitches as nice as possible and don't mind the awl step if the result is actually better. Should I get cheaper ones? Considering the projects I want to do I will likely need more than one set (I am thinking 2.7mm and 3.8mm). Thank you for your help.