SUP

You also get finger protectors. Little cut-resistant things you slip onto fingers. I find full gloves restricting but I slip these onto my fingers and they seem to help.

Yes, commenting every month or so is a good idea. About oiling, I thought I would check which of the leather pieces require oiling and which I can postpose for a while. It will tell us the frequency needed for the different oils.

I have completely stopped using poly cutting boards. For actually cutting leather, I use self healing mats. For punching, thick pieces of splits ( pretty inexpensive) which do the least damage to punches and stitching chisels. The split pieces are placed, usually on a thick block of wax in a large pan, which is placed on a piece of granite. Works for me.

Yes. Checking in every month or so is a good idea, even if just to say that there is no change. About oiling, maybe we could oil each piece as needed and make a note of it. We will get an idea of the frequency of oiling needed for each of the different oils.

So true!

You do get empty oil sprayers into which you add whichever oil that you want. Those would work for you.

Leather has been used for thousands of years. People through the ages will have used whatever tools were available to them. It is the same now. Use what is comfortable to use or you have at hand. You can use the most expensive of tools or whatever you have at hand, but ultimately, it is the efforts and talent of the leatherworker that is the most important. If you want to know more about leatherworking tools, there are many threads here which do give that with information, provided by experienced, wise and very helpful leatherworkers. You could look those up.

Look up Etsy. Many of them are willing to let buyers sell items made from their patterns. If you want something unique, you might need to come up with something yourself. If someone comes up with a unique pattern, they might not want to just hand it around.

Oh. Okay. Thank you.

Oh. Okay. I did not initially see the springy plastic. These are are a great idea. Where did you get that springy plastic base, if I might ask?

Wow! Those are lovely! Do you make them in different sizes?

Love that! I'm going to make one for each of us in my family!

Great advice @Dwight and @Mulesaw This thread needs to be pinned for anyone who wants to start a leather business. .

D-Limonene in water with alcohol and a surfactant. Spray on, leave for a while, wipe off, repeat until clean. This usually works for most things. If it is dog stuff on your leather, it might work. I use a 16oz spray bottle, 3 Tbsp each of D-Limonene and rubbing alcohol and a couple of drops of dishwashing soap. I increase the Limonene if needed. It is a solvent so I wear gloves when making the concoction but the spray is harmless, at least for me and my dog. I use food grade everything.

Thank you @Zanshin.

Thank you for those tips. I should try that, since I already have the tin.

Oh Yuck! And before my first coffee too!

That's properly intimidating!

I can imagine. All that hard work and the beautiful results. It is heirloom quality.

That's very beautiful!

I found this small edge paint roller some time back. it works well for smaller items. It is available on Amazon and Temu, Temu being half the price but longer wait time for delivery. Artisan Leather Supply has something similar but with an attachment to control the thickness of the paint film. Buckle Buy has a larger roller for larger projects but that is, of course, more expensive.

I just use a permanent waterproof Gorilla glue and it works fine. I have barge but never used it. Too much of a hassle with worrying about the lid getting stuck and so on.

I saw an East Asian video for this some time ago but I cannot find it. The woman used dilute Tokonole on small sections (so that very little is absorbed) and quickly slicked it down, moving her glass slicker in long strokes in one direction, towards the edges. This pasted down the fibres while removing most of the Tokonole, leaving only a very thin layer behind. This smoothened the flesh side without making it stiff or damaging the tooling on the grain side. I tried it and it works well. Much pressure is not needed, so the tooling on the grain side is not damaged in any way. I used a glass coaster for this as I did not have a burnisher and it worked. If you use something too heavy or put too much pressure, the tooling might get affected. This technique does not require much pressure.

You've caught the eyes really well! That sweet innocence that all dogs have.

And now, why not get back to the subject of this forum in general and this thread specifically? If anyone wants to discus religion or does not like what is done here or the people here, there are surely other forums for such people. Just not this one. As my wise old great-grandmother used to say, " If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.'