Klara

Have you seen this guy ? Nope, it's not leather work, but I am dreaming of having some of his tools. And skills. Actually, I will try the cutter blade in the edge of the work bench - should work (there's another video where a nail stops the blade from coming back out), though I can't believe how easily cut his blades through tire rubber. And does anybody know what the grip is he uses for the groover cut from a razor blade?

Of course it's basically the same stuff. And I have already had a look and found something that might possibly be worth buying if nothing better crops up - but you were probably too busy insulting people to read it. Thirdly, Gosut seems perfectly capable to do his own search, now that he has several suggestions what to look for.

Yes. And the minimal tools are: 2 (nearly) identical saddlers needles (neeles with a blunt tip and a fairly small eye that is almost the same size as the shaft. Made from good-quality steel so it doesn't break) - not an assortment of tapestry and mattress needles as in your links. A stitching awl. Meaning an awl that smoothly cuts through pretty thick leather. A round awl - scratch awl - is useful but not essential. Something to mark the stitches at equal distances: A fork, stitching chisels or a stitching wheel. Something to mark the stitching line an even distance from the leather's edge - a groover or compass. (Of course you can also eyeball the stiches, but marking them makes things a lot easier and gives a better result.) For stitching fluently a stitching pony (or saddler's clam) is extremely helpful, I consider it essential. A rag to burnish the edges and rub the thread, if you wax it yourself (and feel like polishing it. I've never...) The minimal materials are, in my opinion: Leather suitable for the project One spool of good-quality thread that goes with the leather and your needles. Not an assortment of dubious-quality stuff as in your links. A piece of beeswax to wax the thread (unless you buy it waxed) and for burnishing the edges. Glue makes leatherwork easier, but for example Jo from JH Leather works mostly without it (then she uses tacks). Personally, I consider sharpening equipment for maintaining my cutting tools essential as well - it allows me to spend less on them (only the most expensive ones cut right out of the box) and to enjoy them longer. And of course it also works for kitchen and pocket knives. This is not a long list (if you want to see a long list, read Nigel Armitage's first book), but the tool kits you linked just don't cover it. Why are you so invested in them? Are you the seller?

As Tsunkapasa says. The first thing I look for in a kit is stitching chisels. And when I do that, I discover that there are very few, if any, useable "complete" kits left. Nothing on Ebay, on Amazon I found this. There's 4 stitching chisels and a groover/edge beveler multi tool. @Gosut you might be better off buying separately just a chisel set, a decent edge beveler and use a compass you already have. Not the cheapest version, but the most fun, is to find an actual brick and mortar store with knowledgeable sales staff, where you can compare different tools. Choices over which I've agonized in front of the PC have become very easy touching the tools. But be warned, unless you are good at sticking to shopping lists, that can get very expensive (I can't help it, Deco Cuir have leather in the shop that's not on the website...) Saddlers needles (John James) are ridiculously cheap - I've bought all sizes. Thread is astonishingly expensive, but I am convinced that the stuff in the cheap kits is not good quality. And you really, really don't want to work with bad thread! A piece of beeswax costs little and you can use it for the thread (if you buy unwaxed, which has the advantage that you can thin it out for easier threading) and the edges of the leather. Regarding the awl: You can pay a fortune and get one that's ready to use (the sales lady let me try a Barry King when I said I didn't understand the price difference to "normal" awls. Now I do.) or you can learn to sharpen awl blades, which is the better long-term solution. You'll probably also want to make a leather strop (meaning you need to buy the polishing compound. I only use the green.) - it makes a huge difference in knife and awl sharpness. I'm assuming that you already have a sharpening stone for all your other knives...

You mean like a seamstresses thimble? Don't think I've ever used one for sewing leather...

Nope, absolutely not. You don't three different threads, just one coulour that goes with your leather and diameter that goes with your needle. The set contains only a scratch awl (if it is one?), no two identical needles, and what's the ring for?

You may be right, I was thinking of the bashing in another forum... Actually, two of them (both German...)

It just occurred to me: You don't need a groover, but you'll probably want something to mark your stitchline an even distance from the edge. I mostly use a compass (with two pointy ends, no oencil).

I'd recommend Al Stohlman's The Art of Handsewing Leather and The Art of Making Leather Cases, Vol. 1, which describes making a knife sheath. Both books contain huge amounts of useful information. (In France the books are on Kindle, but I can't imagine the fomat working well - check out the sample.) As for the mallet, it's quicker and easier to make than to buy: I've made mine from an oak branch and never looked back (but then, I live in the country and have a workshop with woodworking tools) I've also made a stitching pony which I consider almost essential when working as described by Stohlman. If you have a workshop it's easy to make as well. By the way, I'm still using the stitching chisels I've bought at the very beginning on Amazon in a leathercraft tool set (came with a burnisher - still occasionally in use - and a groover/edger set of which the groover works well, the edgers less so, for less money than I would have paid in my leather shop for the chisels alone). If the offer is not too ridiculous (like "50 tools for $ 20" - how could that work? ) it can be a good start.

"Broutard" commes from "brouter" - to graze - because they mostly stand around in a field and eat (in (South?) German they are called "Fresser" which means the same), but I guess yes, they'd be male, so steers or bullocks.

Pethardware in Poland is my source, but as you are in the US. you can just as easily get them from Aliexpress. Just a few days ago I saw some, but I can't find them again. As long as you buy stainless steel or solid brass from a specialist supplier, the quality should be fine.

Well I'm not planning on becoming rich and famous - hopefully I've managed to turn off ads once and for all - but YouTube is a great platform for showing videos of my dog to her breeder and various friends. So I see no reason for YouTube-bashing...

Well, it seems cattle breeding is done very differently in different parts of the world. Here in France decent dairy cows are kept until they have serious health problems - often only 3 calves for high-performance Prim' Holsteins. Or 10, if all goes well. For beef cows it's basically the same, except they don't develop the health problems so quickly if they can give birth easily. Generally the whole herd (which is much smaller than in the U.S.) is impregnated (by a bull in the field) and the male calves either sold as calves or castrated and left to grow up (no idea how to translate broutard, sorry) for a year or two. The females are selected - the promising ones for the stable (replacing old cows or increasing the herd), the others for the table.

@Civan Your pictures look like they came from Aliexpress (or similar), meaning the article can be made from pretty much anything. If the price is low, my bet would be on plastic-coated split leather. Something like this which I've bought by mistake (but at € 85) and hated at first (because at the time it eas not described as split leather, so I felt I had been had). Since then I've discovered that it's actually brilliant stuff for daily use in wet conditions. My dog collars and bags are still good, without any care whatsoever.

You can get a free Kindle App for PC (Windows) or Android devices. Well worth it in my opinion because I prefer reading in the Kindle App to looking at the sample on the web site ("Look Inside" is still an option for you if you don't want to install Kindle). Secondly, the book is available to me in France, but via Amazon.fr Have you tried Amazon.co.uk? You can simply click on the link and change the country identifier. I just got my sample and checked that the leather bottle making is still included... Thirdly, I don't particularly like people talking about forgotten or disappeared crafts. Generally people think so only because they don't know the subject (I've heard of somebody claiming there's no need for farriers anymore) - and if a craft was forgotten or had disappeared, you couldn't make a book about the craftsmen...

Is what is shown in the picture all that is being sold? Because I'd only buy a complete machine, with table/treadle. I'm not denying the usefulness of a sewing machine, but you do know that you don't need one for leather work, don't you? I'm asking because people often react with "you must have a powerful sewing machine" to my "I made it myself" and are rather surprised when I answer "oh no, it's sewn by hand".

Completely right, but as I understand Aven, the kids are not hers. Meaning she can't control their diet. But she can do her best to get non-toxic leather for their shoes.

Great work and I just love the wood! It looks amazing!

@Schick Use the leather for practice. I made the same mistake, bought some leather whose price was too good to be true. It was plastic-coated veg tan split leather, but not described as split on the web site. At first I was angry and disappointed (also with me, because I didn't realise what I had until I had started using it and the coating came off at an edge, so I couldn't send it back). But then I enjoyed the freedom that came with working with a cheap material where I don't need to be afraid of messing up. And since then I've realised that it is a perfect material for dog collars and all-weather utility bags, because it needs no taking care of. My dog has gone in the water with it almost daily for over a year, and the collar is still as good as new. What I'm trying to say: You'll find a use for your purchase, even if it's not what you originally intended.

https://www.decocuir.com/tannage-vegetal-finition-couleur-c102x3662815 Lots of goat and sheep. However, I'm not sure that veg tan is the best option, as I know it as generally stiffer than chrome tan.

When my belt-making, dog-owning colleague gave my dog a bit of leather to chew on, it was undyed veg tan (probably pretty pricey). (My dog wasn't interested at all). There are a lot of toxic shoe leathers around, made in Pakistan, used for (all) the cheap shoes people like to buy. German TV did a documentary on the subject, Gift auf unserer Haut (poison on our skin). My point is that you are right to worry, but my only solution is to find a reputable supplier close to where you live and ask him the questions. I would NOT buy organic from overseas. (Though, incidentally, I wonder what makes you classify arsenic as organic? As far as I know arsenic is a metalloid, meaning it's not part of organic chemistry. Unlike petrol and its products...) The shorter the chain of supply, the better the chance that things are as they should be, to my mind. But maybe I'm naive or deluded...

Assuming you are a man, "quite small" is probably a bit more than 14.5 cm

That was one of the reasons I sold my knitting, which was not made to measure. If somebody bought it, I was reasonably sure that they liked it (and if not, I at least had the money). I didn't want to be the aunt who smothers her relatives in woolen things they don't like (for I had knitted a scarf for my sister which she didn't wear...) Of course then I found out that I didn't want to work for cents per hour, either...

Mine as well. Nice watch, btw, but I suspect larger thn 36 mm (which is the maximum size for me).

Red! For this watch only, not generally for black/brown straps. But here it would enhance the second hand, I think. There's already enough white on the watch.