SUP

If its a coin, you could make 2-4 holes placed symmetrically,, sew them in place between 2 layers of leather and make that a part of the design. Stick it everywhere else with contact cement though.

Yes. I like to use embossed leather because it is a little stiff anyway and it adds a touch of class as well! I too use chrome-tanned leather for the colors and variety available. Love working with veg-tanned leather but there is just so much you can do with it. Chrome tanned adds variety.

I don't do silk lining because it looks nice but is not very practical. We women tend to dump any and everything inside our bags. Silk gets dirty pretty fast and is difficult to clean. I made a bag recently with soft leather on the outside and a lovely ostrich embossed on the inside. It give support and looks unusual. Cuts down the weight too, which is always an important consideration.

@Handstitched, That is nice. I'm not surprised it sold fast. I like that slight dip at the base. @Dwight Good to know that not much conditioner is needed. I have use a little neatsfoot oil and some conditioner but to me, the neatsfoot oil has an unpleasant odor. Even the conditioner with its own fragrance cannot seem to mask it. But it will disappear. Meanwhile, I am whacking the leather often and bending and folding it and my husband is helping me with that too. It seems to be softening.

Oh wow! @Handstitched got a pic of that bag? That's called making a silk purse out of a sow's ear! I oiled a piece of the leather and bent it and bashed it a bit - it was slightly softer this morning, so rolled it up and held it in place for a while with rubber bands. I will keep it aside for about half an hour and then bash it some more. Great for when I am in a bit of a temper. @chuck123wapati, where are you? Sorry no. Just joking. No offense intended Chuck.

Oh. Okay. I will try that. I'm in no hurry to soften that leather anyway. Thank you.

@Garyak You made this bag? It is gorgeous! I hope you made more and charged a mint for them. The beauty of this is that it doesn't look like it's made from scraps. It looks deliberate.

@fredk, Could you please tell me how to soften stiff leather splits? Pretty please? See? I'm asking so nicely!

@toxo That's true but they should be unique AND beautiful. To me. I'm finicky. Not everyone has the eye and talent to design really beautiful things or to get the colors just right. No idea who designed this bag but that person has both.

I actually really like this the most. It is unusual and one of a kind. No offense @toxo but the others are nice but repeatable and sometime seen. This one? Nope.

My question is more of "Is it possible..." rather than "How...?' I know it is possible to stiffen leather but can it be softened permanently? I have a rather stiff split that I am thinking of using to make tool bags, IF I can soften it a little. I will only use small parts of the side. I will probably skive it too. But I will do all that only if there is a chance I can soften it a bit. I had thought skiving might soften it a bit but I read that thickness has nothing to do with temper.

@Wepster they also sell on Amazon and it's worth the extra paid at times like this. I find that Owden tools are good, I like them better than Wuta although Wuta seems to have a wider range. I have the Owden punches and they are sharp out of the box and retain that edge. Also via Amazon though.

Thank you @bruce johnson . I wanted to hear from someone who has actually used it. I don't think I will be buying it anytime soon. At this point, I am using ordinary whetstones in different grits and then the strop to sharpen my knives.. or the friendly neighbourhood cutler, who is knowledgeable and also has great knives for sale at reasonable prices. No leather knives though. Did get a great Damascus chef's knife - the blade remains sharp for so long; its months now and its not dulled even a little and that is all that I use. Just ordered some diamond sharpening stones. Can't wait to try them.

@dikman, true dat!

@NatesLeatherGds, No idea how it is. Maybe someone who has actually used one will talk about it here.

@Mablung, I've not seen a jig to sharpen swivel knives, but I don't think this is it. I mean this one. I believe it can hold the knife so that the blade can be sharpened at 15 degrees or 20 degrees. @fredk I think you are talking about the same one. I agree, Only 15 degrees or 20 degrees and the knife held at one particular angle will not be of much use for our leather working tools but since I saw it for the first time today, I wondered if it has any use at all. Like @bruce johnson says, for straight blades used in kitchens, maybe. It would be a bit awkward to use too, I thought. Good to know about anything new anyway. Thank you all.

Sorry all, was away for a few hours so could not answer your questions. Will post a pic shortly.

I just saw a rolling knife sharpener on Amazon for the first time. I wonder how effective they are. Has anyone here used one?

@fredk That is nice and a thoughtful thing to make.

The Tandy site says it can be used as a resist. Not sure about the dilution needed though. They do not say it needs to be diluted when they describe the method to use it as a resist. Maybe you could test it on some scrap? https://tandyleather.com/products/eco-flo-super-shene

No. I'm afraid not.

Ohh. I forgot about the resources section. Stupid of me. Will check that now. Thank you for reminding me. A little later - Looked up resources - a rich source, but every thing is found mixed in together. Maybe we need to have subsections? I know that when I search for something using the search engine, I don't always find it easily. Maybe I do something wrong.

I know exactly what everyone here means! I see my poor attempts and then the absolutely beautiful work posted on this forum and wonder at the patience and effort that was needed to reach that level of expertise. Awe-inspiring. And something to aspire for, isn't it?

Maybe we should have a thread dedicated to good books for leatherworking! There are so many books out there available on the net, not all necessarily good or worth the price. It's difficult to separate the chaff from the grain. But once one of us actually goes through a book and knows how it is, a comment here means less searching for the rest of us.

This is just an FYI for anyone who might be wanting to get into leather work or even leatherworkers whose knowledge has some blank areas - mine does.. The book titled "Leather Crafting starter Book" available at Tandy Leather gives a lot of useful information and plenty of tips. I just saw it today. Along with describing basic tools needed, It also teaches basics like saddle stitching, lacing, how to glue leather together, which glue to use when and so on. It also has nifty little projects for the beginner. The cute little dinosaurs are my favourite. Other projects include simple wallets, making a whip, flowers and a simple bag. I put this here because I did not know where else to put it. @Northmount, if it should be in a different place, could you please move it?