Pan5N3

Sigh...I was hoping that something cheaper would have kept me content (like the hand press - which I'll still likely buy) but you are probably right.

I work for a giant faceless multi-national corporation. It is soul sucking, but it pays the bills. Leather work will likely remain a hobby but it would be nice to make a bit of extra money though selling stuff. @PeterinID: Tooling is something that I'm starting to look at. Practising on coasters and other small items that don't cost me much. End goal is to get good enough that I can make a tools fishing rod case for a friend. We're both into fly fishing and I think my buddy would really like a tooled rod case. But that's in the distance. Not sure i want a manual machine like the Boss. I was at Tandy and saw them using one and it didn't seem to be something I'd like. I can , however, be convinced otherwise because I really know nothing about the machines. Not exactly single arm machines, but saw an add for a Juki LU-562 walking foot machine for $875 CAD, which is about $605 USD. Not sure if that's a good deal or not. And for an additional $75, I can get a new Consew T-1919 Sewing Machine cost $950 CAD from Tandy. Not sure if anyone has on opinion on these but if so, let me know. Thanks for all the comments! This is helpful. I think sewing machine is the way to go, but the hand press is a close second. Will have to survive Christmas and then start looking.

Sorry, had computer issues and it looks like my reply didn't go through. Once again thanks for the advice On sharpening, I kind of enjoy sharpening. I have three different stones that I use for general sharpening and a small stone that lives on my workbench. Just the right size in case I need to more than stopping my blades. And I always sharpen (or at least strop) new tools. My concern with the machine is what you said - they are serious money. My problem is that I like making bags and other large items. Took me more than a week to hand sew the gym bag I made for my son. Gorgeous, but too expensive to sell. Tote bag and similar items take a long time and therefore there are only two options - 1.) Just make them for friends and family or 2.) sell them covering the cost of materials with a small profit and write off the labour. It's still a hobby so I suppose I could do that and save up the money to the point where I could buy those big expensive machines. I saw those videos a while back. They are a few out there and they are good. The one that caught my attention was the one about using an arbour press. Might be a poor man's solution to the hand press. A 2-ton unit costs around $60 on amazon.

Thanks for the all feedback. Think I need to talk to my boss and ask for a raise. The pro press that FredK mentioned is something I was considering but that splitter looks tempting. Maybe I'll tell my wife to buy me the press and then sneak the splitter in without telling her. I'll start digging a bit more on eBay. What's odd is that locally, I can't find used stuff. Two Tandy stores and a couple of other places, yet I can't find used. Very strange Still open for ideas. 19 days till Christmas,

I'm fairly new to leather work and doing it as a hobby. I'm slowly upgrading my Amazon tools and looking for recommendation or suggestions about machines or tools to put next on the list. While I would love to get a good sewing machine, powered skiver or clicker press, funds are limited and those type of machines are more of a 'win the lottery' type dream for me. But I'm looking to get something to speed up or allow more versatility. The things I have been building are; notepad covers and bags. I also have been doing so repairs / restorations for friends. The latter is my favourite, but I don't think I would even be able to recoup costs, so only family and friends. Oh, and I won favour with my wife by making her a dozen roses for mother's day. So, just wondering what folks think would be a good next step. I know that options are endless but thought I would ask what people found to be a good option that didn't break the bank. Also, are there things that I should avoid? I've been considering a manual splitter, hand presses, a manual skiver and pretty much anything else. I won't be in a position to start selling stuff for a while but would like to start building an inventory so that I can eventually hit a couple of craft fairs. Put another way, this is almost the opposite of the dream machine post Any suggestions would be apprecaited.

@Yukonrookie They're based in Saskatchewan; Saskatoon specifically I've tried, Wicket Craig, Seidel, Speici, SB Foot, Law Tannery (very thin feels great) , Arif & Sons, Horween and their own OA Original, One thing that I like is you don't always have to order a full side or full bend. I got started in leatherwork because I wanted to make a notebook cover. Didn't know if I would like leathercraft so I order 2 sq feet of 3/4oz black latigo by Wicket and Craig. No idea what it was but I thought it looked good. Also got one of their 'mystery' bundles. I was surprised by how much came in the bundle and how big some of the pieces were. Aside from visiting the local Tandy store, another Canadian store I've also ordered from is Hand and Sew (https://leathertools.ca/) They have some great exotics. You have to spend $250 before you get free shipping, but that's not hard to do. You might also want to check out the following post. There are a couple of links that don't work but overall it's great list. A lot of stores have free shipping if you spend a minimum amount. That varies, but it's not hard to meet most minimums.

One vendor you might want tot look at is OA Leather Supply. https://www.oaleathersupply.com/ I like them because a.) they are Canadian b.) Free shipping with $75 order in Canada ($250 US) c.) they have great customer service and d.) They post video descriptions of leather. Since you can't see and feel the leather yourself, the videos are a big help in understand what the leather is like. From a customer service standpoint, they answer quickly (especially about orders) and they have helped me figure out what I needed for products. One other thing is that they have 'auctions' where you can get some deals on products.

I use actual hockey pucks. They aren't heavy (6 oz) but you should be able to find them in sports stores for cheap. Prices have doubled during pandemic, but they are still cheap - $2.. There are 10oz pucks but they are not a common. Can find them in a lot of sports stores or on-line. Hockey pucks also make good punch blocks. Solid vulcanized rubber. Hard enough to hammer on but soft enough to not dull tools. Also useful for setting up decorative rivets. Easy to drill / carve out the shape you need. Hard enough to set the rivet but soft enough to not damage. Up here in Canada, hockey pucks are wonder tools. even used them for body work on cars :-)

My understanding is that Tokonole does not penetrate the same way water or gum trag do. As a result you can used it to burnish most chrome tanned leather because you polishing the Tokonole rather than burnishing the leather. I made a bag out of the OA split plank and could not burnish with gum trag or water but I was able to burnish with Tokonole. Below are a couple of videos that I found on burnishing Chrome with Tok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGtVrUcUdYI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9TBhL0D7gI For my watch straps I either use a large clip that is designed for closing chip bags OR, I use a 2x4 that I've cut a slot into. Depends on my mood as to which I use. :-)