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My name is Thijmen, and i'm trying to get started with leatherworking. i'm mostly interested in making functional items. but i can't figure out where to buy tools and what tools i'll actually need. so far i have: a curved leather needle (half a circle) a knife that easily cuts through leather. a set of chisels and gouges hole puncher tongs i also read about needing a mallet but, would a clawhammer with a rubber cover do (with that cover it'd pretty much be a rubber mallet in function) things i think i still need: an edge beveler piercer something to make grooves in the leather a steel ruler a self healing cuttingboard a marble slab (i plan to get a marble cutting board) materials i have: 2mm thick full grain leather which was supposed to cushion expensive couches. i have 2 garbage bags full of this mostly half skins. black thread suitable for leather (thats all i know about it) and a handful of buckles, buttons and similar things things i plan to make: wallets (seems like a good starting point) bags/backpacks (when i'm good enough) if i get good enough i also plan to make my own boots but that will wait untill i'm good enough in a few years the problems i have: is there anything i'm missing? and where should i buy tools. a steel ruler or a cutting board isn't hard to get but an edge beveler or groove maker is harder to find. thanks in advance

I've been working with leather for a long time now and want to take it to the next level, meaning I want more professional results. I've been lurking here abouts for some time, and know this is the place I have been looking for. I am sure I'll find the help I am seeking for those professional results. Glad to be here!

Hello All, New to leatherworking here. Thank you to all who contribute all this great knowledge. Just got stationed here in San Diego and wanted to say HELLO!!!! v/r Jonny

I have brand new latigo leather straps for sale. There is a limited quantity available which I'm trying to get sold as soon as possible so I've priced them a $9 each plus shipping. From what I've researched that is 40% off what you would pay for them on Amazon or Ebay. The measurements are 72 inches long by 1/2 wide. Color is brown. All are new. I have 76 is stock. If you purchase multiple straps they will be combined into one flat shipping and handling payment. I'm not a leather expert, just a commodities man moving some product but I'll do everything I can to answer any questions you may have. These were acquired from a retired leather/furniture maker. Payments are made through secure PayPal and can be purchased through my site or third party vendors. If they are purchased through my site and you order 10 or more I will ship USPS free of charge anywhere in the U.S.A. check them out at: www.givezees.com (my site) or http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main/ref=olp_merch_name_2?ie=UTF8&asin=B0056ZSHTA&isAmazonFulfilled=0&seller=A28AP9BV8VA02U email me with any questions and I'll do my best to tell you what I know. latigo@givezeesdotcom Thanks!

Hi, everyone! I'm very excited to join in on the interesting conversations that goes on in this forum. I signed up for this forum because I was interested in learning more about leather projects. Also, I'm a little curios on what you guys have to show. Well, that's it for my introduction.

Hey all, My name is Jake! I live, work, and play in Mesa, AZ. Im super new to leather working and am most interested in small projects and learning the craft! Most of my interests involve fantasy themes or "nerd" style. So far ive been practicing making small pouches and some rings out of leather and would like to peruse around and see what all there is out there. (turns out a hell of a lot) feel free to message me whenever or just say hi. Ill have more pictures up in a few days.

Hello all, I'm a beginning shoe and eventually boot maker in Utah. I'm just finishing up on my first pair of shoes. I will post my progress shortly when I can collect all the pictures and get them into one spot. My leather interests include shoe and boot making, bags, and whatever else I may come across. I hope to do some more learning and interacting. Before, I just went to this forum and perused but didn't become a member. Thanks!

Yes, believe it or not, Game of Thrones is not an actual series of events. Im sure you are just as disappointed as I was when I first learned this. But don't let that deter you from watching the show, Or even better, reading the books. I am very new to Leather working and I am excited and ready for the journey to Master Leather Crafter. Right now my skills are very subpar, and I would consider myself still an apprentice at best if I had a Master to learn from (I don't). I have only been at this hobby for a few months and only very recently started to get serious about it. I feel I am progressing rapidly but am always looking for the next step to perfecting every detail. Some day I would love to make this a work from home career that some day my to young boys ( 2 and 6 months) would be able to help me out with. Last year I left the Navy and my job as a Corpsman for the Marine Corp and really struggled to find my place in life. I'm not trying to write a sob story or anything but I struggled to cope with PTSD and leaving a job that I felt made a difference in the world. Leather working has really helped me in that regard. I really hate putting out poorly made gear, so I am on a constant quest for perfection. Each new project is better then the last, but I still have a long way to go. I would love any criticism or guidance/ mentor ship from the masters in this community. Any help or tips on starting up my own business would also be very appreciated. Thanks, Doc Mac "...I have found, in brief, that all great nations learned their truth of word and strength of thought in war; that they were nourished by war and wasted in peace; taught by war and deceived by peace; trained by war and betrayed by peace; in a word, that they were born in war and expired in peace." "Crown of Wild Olive" by John Ruskin

Hello, To all aspiring saddle and tack makers - This is a quick review of the machine I just bought which is a Cobras Class 4- I am writing this strictly to help you make a major decision - I know it took me hours and days of sifting though information and reviews online as well as calling the various 441 clone makers to decide on a machine - I hope this simplifies the process for you. I personally found that the decision was a hard one to make - It's a big investment, and there are many conflicting opinions online which confuse a rookie like myself. My goal was to buy a machine which would be: A) easy to use for a newbie, Sew as heavy as skirts to fleece for saddles, C) Sew as light as making a pair of armitas, D) be fairly fool proof. My decision to purchase the Class 4 was based on: 01 - A saddle maker who owns this machine highly recommended it and Steve as well - He told me it was the easiest machine to use he's ever encountered. 02 - I believe that this machine will hold it's value relatively well. 03 - It is fairly versatile 04 - Controlability of sewing speed 05 - Steve and Cobra are well regarded Prior to receiving this machine I had used a home owners grade machine maybe once so I am a complete rookie in the sewing world. However, the Cobra set-up very easily. I might have spent an hour or so setting it up. I then probably spent three+ hours sewing scrap material - It definitely takes some getting used to if you aren't familiar with running a sewing machine. I would highly recommend to any new sewing machine owner to spend as much time as you need to feel completely comfortable sewing and making tension adjustments before starting into an actual project. If not, I can guarantee you will wreck a piece or two. Anyhow, it probably took me about 4 hours to get the hang of this machine - I have now completed a couple of items - A simple spade bit hanger (pic attached), a pulling style breast collar and some rear billets for my saddle. The machine is very easy to use. Once you get the hang of it really works well - The speed control is amazing. I can literally sew as slow as I want to (Very slow at times for this rookie) and I find the tension adjustments between leather thicknesses and thread sizes fairly easy and intuitive. The bottom line is I am very happy with my purchase, The machine works well - I have sewn two layers of light chap leather together with ease and as heavy as 3/4" skirting with ease as well. I will post some pictures of projects I complete over the next while. My hope is that this will help the rest of you aspiring sewing machine owners out there make a simple informed decision. Regards, Ron L

So this is my first sheath this year, ment as a present for a good friend of mine. He got this old boatsmen knife (he teaches shooting for the german armed forces) and wanted me to make him a new sheath as the old one was starting to fall apart. This is what I came up with: And here you can see the old sheath (on the right) compared to the new one (on the left): The sheath is "butt-sewed" around a plastic inlay, I took from the old one. The knife fits in snugly and won´t come out without pulling it. Hope you like it

Greetings everyone! My name is Paul Alfred, and I am a new member here. I took an interest in leatherworking from my father, who used to run a taxidermy shop. Often he would have extra buckskin left over and would use it to make wallets, pouches, bags, backpacks, etc. I loved watching him make these things, and I enjoyed "helping" (often it was less than helpful, I'm sure). Years later, while I was in the US Air Force, I found out that a mentor of mine was also a saddler. When I mentioned my interest in leatherworking he began taking me to his shop and showing me the ropes. I enjoyed working with him, and with the leather, and I learned much over the next three years before deployments, and life, took me away to far and distant places. I have an interest in two types of leatherworking primarily. First is Medieval and Celtic leatherworking, for use at SCA and Renaissance Festival events. I have no intention of making leather armor (cool stuff, but not my thing). Instead, I enjoy making more practical things; bags, pouches, belts, book covers, etc. I also enjoy drawing Celtic knotwork, and many of my bits of artwork are drawn for leatherworking projects. My second interest in leatherworking is for reenacting, be it Celtic/Viking (or possibly Roman) items, or American Civil War and Texas Frontier items. I am starting to learn how to do classic Western leatherwork tooling, and hope to be able to create pieces for SASS members as well (I have a few friends in the SASS who are kindly asking me to learn this, lol). As of yet, I do not have a website. I have one under construction, though it will be at least a few weeks before it is up. I do have a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/alfredleatherworks), a Google+ (https://plus.google.com/u/1/113615960789211711186/posts), and a Twitter account (https://twitter.com/AlfredLworks). Once the website is up I'll post it here for y'all to take a look at. Also, I thought I'd post a couple pictures of me, just for fun.

Hi All I thought I'd say Hello to all! New to this forum and look forward to my time here. Need to ask one question in the "How to" forum I have posted a forum post. But it has posted itself three times slight technical difficulty on my side. How do I delete two of the three posts as I have tried without any joy? Thanks

Hello people of the leatherworking types. I'm new to the site and still pretty brand new to leatherworking but I love it and want some more of it. I'm making a big change soon and will be moving to Pennsylvania from Florida. Florida has a Tandy Leather Factory right there but as I'm going someplace new I'll have to start hunting for a new place, or since my GF's dad likes to hunt just figure out how to tan leather from what he's hunting. Either way I'll be posting non stop looking for tools and supplies seeing as most of mine were stolen. I look forward to getting to know a community that loves what I love: Making things from dead animal skins. Will

I recently bought leather belt blanks and would like to dye them white. I am very new to leather working and would like to know if it is safe to use acrylic dye on something like a belt. It is for a costume and won't be going through any belt loops on pants. I am also hoping to make white belt accessories, such as small harnesses for bottles and am unsure what kind of leather (I don't want suede) I should use if I am going to use acrylic dyes. I am attaching pics of items similar to what I hope to craft. Thank you in advance for your help.

Hello! My name is Yomahra and I have a very small business that I run from home. It is called Bici Couture and I make leather bags for bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles. You can check out my shop here www.bicicouture.etsy.com . I have been leather crafting for about 5 years now and I absolutely love it! I recently started a beginners course on leather carving and tooling at a local shop. This is my first forum experience and I hope to share some of the knowledge that I have on leather working and of course I cant wait to learn from everyone here.

I have a NEW old Stock No. 86 for sale. It has never been mounted or used. It came from a Hardware store that closed in the 60`s and sat on the shelf in the building untill I bought it. I thought I would use it more but never have so here is a chance to get a new machine for much less then new cost. Comes with original vintage box as well $500 Cash and trades concidered.

Hi, I'm Lisa and I've been lurking here for a while. I am new to leather working, and have only been doing leatherwork for a couple of years now. I hope to be able to increase my skills and knowledge. I'm sure that I'll be asking lots of questions! Nice to meet you all!

Hi all, Thought I would introduce myself. I'm a scot living in Wales and, like a lot of people in the forum, I took up this craft whilst recovering from a visit to hospital. I bought a starter kit from Tandy and completed the projects in that during my recover period. I really enjoyed it and like other people have said, it is quite relaxing (except when I make a mistake I can't cover up;-) ). Unfortunately, at the start of this year I had to have my dog put to sleep so in memory of him the very first piece I designed and created is a wallet with his profile as attatched. I looks better in real life, It's quite plain when compared to the real crafters on here. Any comment please go ahead, I thirst for knowledge on this.

Hello, all, I'm so happy this place exists, and I hope to learn as much as I can from my betters. I've already read many previous posts, and I'm sure my craft will improve with such wonderful people willing to help and share their experiences. I've recently met a local carpenter willing to make a stitching horse for me here in Toronto, so I will post pics of this soon. I was going to make my own (MacGyver style), but I figured I could support a local craftsman and receive a quality piece of functional furniture. I can't wait to start making some larger projects with it and posting them for scrutiny and advice. Cheers, Lolligagger

Well I think there should be an new Forum area. one for just starting leather craft.. When I see first work done-well they been doing it for a while. That keeps it to learning and not Professional style work and no one overrides what they are learning with items that are saleable. You have the Critique my work, that's fine when you are past a learning stage. If I learned something and see some ones work that I maybe able to suggest a different way and I am not at the level of good, but may help, Next thing there is a perfect project done showing nothing but a picture. Or There is no responses. 150 views- no replies! is that fair? Set up a different section-Let beginners bounce ideas between them selves and let the Pros show off. This may not be right to say but I wanted to give my thoughts on something and what I seen being tooled could have influenced the next one done . No one chipped in and say " bevel the other side to make a difference. So I figure that post was not looking at by some? This is not what I in countered a few years ago so I guess Leatherworkers personality has changed. Yes there are Craftsmen here that would give good advice and I have learned from them. Just set up a area that is ours with out Grand standing. Well this maybe me being Hanged! So Be it. Joe Stewart

Hello all! This is my first post (how exciting)! I've just started out with leather working and have done some Tandy kits. I'm fairly happy with the quality of the work so far (no pics yet, sorry), a few rookie mistakes. A small splash of die in the wrong place on one wallet and tiny little tooling imperfections. Anyway! I don't really like the Tandy wallet designs. Might be because I'm from Australia and we have different wallet culture... or it could be that Tandy kits are weird. So, I want to start making them from scratch so I can make what I want and feel some real pride in my work. I'm trying to find a pattern to use and/or learn from but I'm having a really hard time finding any decent ones. I'm happy to pay for one, I just can't find one. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm looking to make a bi-fold in the same vein as the pic I've attached (ignore the red arrow, not relevant). The second part of my enquiry is about acrylic paints. I want to make a wallet that has a design painted on the front part (not near any bends) but I've heard that the paint can wear off pretty badly... On the other hand the paint manufacturers claim that their paints are fine on wallets. Does anyone have any advice about this? Should I just avoid it entirely or will it go fine if I put some finish over it? Thanks in advance for your help, R

I am wanting to buy a Tippmann Boss Hand Stitcher in either the US or Canada. Please let me know if you have one for sale and your asking price. Thank you!

Hello everyone! Just discovered the site and am really enjoying the community! I did a bit of searching around (probably didn't have the best search parameters) but have a few general questions for a completely new craftsman. I believe my interests revolve around more simple design, not so much carved, just hand stitched. I would like to start with maybe a wallet or belt, maybe a dog lead. Question is, what are the basic tools I need to get going? Is a stitching chisel the way to go or maybe a prickling chisel maybe ever just punches? Basically I was hoping for opinions of a good "starter" loadout for a simple, no carve workbench. I don't have a ton of money to spend but do not want to have to rebuy after junk tools break so medium grade sounds like a plan. PS: The Art of Hand Sewing Leather is already on order.

Hello everybody, I've been thinking of getting into leather working as a hobby, but also to fulfill my obsession with steampunk things. I have no idea where to start though. I would like to develop the skills necessary to make really cool steampunk masks, bracers, belts, hats, etc. but I don't mind starting small. Can you guys help me figure out what I need to get started? What tools should I get and what kind of leather? I do have a fairly low budget, can I get started with less than fifty dollars, or will I have to save up more before I can even start? Thanks in advance