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Being an avid outdoorsman and Bushcrafter leather work seems to be the next hobby for me. I'm hoping to learn skills for making axe masks, knife sheaths, pouches etc.. I've started researching/learning on youtube & the web and came across this site. I Figured this would be one of my best learning tools and resource for info.. Thanks, AL

Hi there, I am Scott and this is my introduction post. I have been doing leather work for about 9 months after doing woodworking for 25 years. It has been a fun journey so far and I am happy to be here. Wishing you well and a Happy New Year! Scott

I'm a novice in leather working. I've made a few simple items out of veg tan scrap here and there and always just picked pieces from my bag that were the right thickness and size. I find myself with some time on my hands these days and wanted to recreate a simple messenger bag (only a little bit larger than the original) I had made for me a few years ago and think I have the skills to do so now. The bag I have measures 2.6mm to 2.8mm thick (measured with digital calipers) at all available edges which plants me well into the 6/7oz range, right? So I order some 6/7 oz leather. I received the leather, and opened the box and my heart sank a little. It seemed so thick! Remembering that I always think new leather looks thick because it's usually stiff and the edges haven't been beveled yet, I grab my trusty calipers. I found one spot along the edges that measures 2.8mm, but it's 3.0mm to 3.3mm everywhere else, with a couple of spots hitting 3.5mm. This plants it firmly in 7-8oz territory, right? Did I measure wrong? I'm quite confident in my ability to measure with calipers, so is there something specific to measuring leather that I missed out on? Did I use the wrong mm to leather thickness scale? Thanks for any insight!

Hi, I'm Bert from Poland, age 50, I'm interested in sewing machines. Now I just wanted to say hello and thank you for accepting me in the group. A few words about myself: About 3 years ago I became interested in the sewing machines and technical aspects of their functioning, later bought an old damaged sewing machine and the overlock and even managed to fix them. Recently I bought very cheap Pfaff 145 industrial machine . Actually it is a rare 4145 model, which I could see as a specific combination between the Pfaff 145 and the 4143. The machine is sewing but it is grossly neglected and requires general cleaning and adjustment. Therefore, I am now looking at posts in this group regarding the Pfaff 145 with interest. Later on surely I will have some questions, but first I want to check existing posts. And here are some photos of my machine. Regards. Bert

This is my first attemp at a nice bookmark, what do you guys think? https://postimg.org/image/ksj2s1anp/ I used 3-4 oz veg tanned leather, 0.3 ml of Eco-Flo Java Brown dye mixed with 1 ml water. Fire Red and White acrylic Angelus paint. Still need to apply Fiebing's Resolene finish.

Hi Everyone! I'm just going to ramble all the questions because I want to know anything and everything! I've been heavily dabbling in leather for the past year working with veg tan from Tandy and mostly getting my information from there too. I want to break away from just veg tan, and especially get away from Tandy as I saw it as an easy distributor. Now that I've been scouring through this forum I've realized my mistake with Tandy. So I'm wondering, where do all the aussies buy their leather? I'd like to try not to pay an arm and a leg for overseas shipping, but more than willing to pay for quality. I also recently did an intensive shoe making short course. I got to design, cut and make my own pair of boots (besides the seamstress parts). Are there any shoe makers here who could give me pointers on where to start for supplies? And also what type of leather and thickness do you use for your upper leather? And also for your lining leather? These were answers I got but didn't retain during the course as I was pretty flat out making those shoes. I've also searched up machinery and tools and know I'll have to source those overseas if I wanted to start up a workshop. Wallets!! I've been making a few wallets here and there that are tooled on veg tan leather from Tandy and lined with their (crappy) lining leather. What leather if I were to pull away from veg tanned would be fun to use in any future wallets? I make billfolds currently with tooled designs relating to video games but I see all these beautifully finished upholstery leathers and I'd love to work with them somehow. (I just love making things) Any other tips are definitely appreciated!

Good evening, New guy on this forum from Alberta Canada. Started working leather in school grade six. I've been picking away at it off and on. I'm starting to take it seriously as a hobby now and have been enjoying all the wisdom and good humour this forum has to offer. I have mostly done tooling work in belts a few wallets and other smaller projects. I'm looking forward to being a part of this community. Cheers

Hello! I'm new to the world of leatherworking and I'm looking gain as much knowledge as I can! I have an interest in constructing leather armor pieces, bags, and other accessories along the way and to improve my tooling skills to add beauty to those pieces! I'd love to make friends in the community and would love to hear any tips or tricks you have for someone making their first foray into the craft. If you're in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region I'd love to know what stores you go to or if there are any interesting leather conventions/guilds around. Thanks! Elli

Hello, i am just starting out and i figured out real fast that this is a VERY expensive hobby starting up, but I've found and made some things to cut cost that i wanted to share with yal to help out, ill label whats free, and what i payed for and how much. 1. FREE... wine box from any liquor store.just ask them if they have one to give to you, they just throw them out. Makes a tool holder, storage box.. anything you want, just be creative. 2. CHEAP...Bar soap containers. 1$ at walmart... for holding all your small stuff you want to keep separate. Like the swivel knife and stamps. 3. CHEAP/FREE.Trash bags/walmart bags. Used to lay down under leather when dying. Be careful with walmart bags though, alot of times they'll have holes and not as flat. CHEAP... tool storage boxes.. bought a pack of 4 of them at walmart for 9 bucks. Good for keeping things organized. FREE/CHEAP... old white t-shirts.. instead of throwing away the old white work shirts. Keep them cut them up. Good for tons of stuff.. buffing towels, speading glue and dye, what ever you can think of. CHEAP... stanley box knife. Couple bucks at wal mart and you can get 50 blades for 5 bucks i believe. FREE/CHEAP... BOOKS! Scribd.com 8 bucks a month and you get a ton of books(including al stohlman)..you can also download them onto your phone, using your free 30 day trial(wink, wink).. and if you cancel membership before the month is over you dont pay a dime. Again (wink wink) its not letting me put up the pics so if you want to see them, or have any questions, send me a message and ill send them to you somehow! Addition! Ill add stuff as i think of them and do them... The internet/youtube!! I have already learned a ton of stuff off youtube, and when you have a better understanding of what your doing and how to do it you'll waste less products and save money... Tandy leathers offers a free beginner's class go take it!!

Hello and greetings from sunny Bournemouth, England! (Except it's currently 02:20 and therefore not very sunny at the moment, but oh well...) I'm probably the latest in a long line of long-time casual browsers of this forum, and also viewers of certain beginner-friendly channels on Youtube. I'm the sort of person who can research something to death but still not quite get the grip of certain things, so please bare with me if at times I sound like I know what I'm talking about but actually have it all wrong I've been after something creative to do in my spare time for quite a while now, and in my search for something to put a decent amount of time and effort in to, I've decided to turn my attention more seriously towards the Wonderful World of Leather. I'm sure that has to be the name of something in the "adult" genre, or else furniture, but I'm sure you get my drift. I'm currently waiting on delivery of some El Cheapo beginners tools (my theory being if I don't take to it, it won't be too much money wasted, and once I get into it more I will be able to get a feeling for what to replace as and when). I'm also going to be ordering some needles/thread and most importantly Veg Tan over the weekend. What with being what we Brits call a "Bank Holiday" over Easter (basically everywhere apart from retail shuts down for 4 days Friday - Monday, and if you don't work in retail it's customary to spend from 5pm Thursday drinking booze and stumble into work on Tuesday morning with an impressive hangover) I thought I'd wait til nearer my equipment's meant to arrive before getting the raw materials in . I'm deliberately neglecting any finishes, treatments etc for the time being as I'd rather get to grips with basics of stitching and simple patterns first. Fancy tooling and colours can come later (if I even end up going down that road) because without straight lines and semi-sturdy stitching, decorative things don't do much more than make it look like a 3 year old has gone happy with arts and crafts. In my opinion, anyway. As far as what I'll be doing, I've got a 2nd/3rd project idea of a combined cigarette/lighter pouch. 1st and 2nd will probably be simple card holders and the like. And I've already been asked to consider making a sheath for a Reenactor friend's saxon dagger once I'm confident enough, so there's that. In the long run, I guess I'd like to see myself making pocket items (wallets etc) as well as the occasional more costumey wearables. And journal covers. And so on. But yeah, thought I'd actually make an introduction post and hopefully start getting to know some of you fine Leathersmiths and no doubt learn a thing or 2 doz. Hope everyone's having a god weekend!

I think I finally got the hang of the saddle stitch! Please critique and let me know what I need to improve on. The top line was my first attempt - please ignore!! I know it's dreadful. the second line was where I think I got the hang of it. I did not use a stitch groover- should arrive tomorrow. I know my line is not perfectly straight; I was less worried about that vs just getting this two-handed stitch thing down. and yes, my stitching pony solution at the moment is my husband's blacksmithing vise!

Hey y'all! I am brand new here; got into leather work about 2 weeks ago! Quick intro - I am creating/designing a leather cuff that can hold a drivers license/credit or debit card/a few dollars. This concept was born out of me losing my drivers license somewhere between TSA and the gate at the airport flying back home with three children under the age of 5. Necessity is the mother of invention? Anyways, I have gone to Tandy Leather twice to purchase supplies, but have not been able to take any classes yet (did I mention three children under the age of 5?). My question is this - what is the process of completing a project? Is there a "right" sequence of steps? What I do now is: measure and cut my leather (veg-tanned), punch the holes for the snaps, set the snaps, oil w/ neatsfoot, let rest for several hours or overnight if I'm not too hasty, edge bevel, slick, dye, wipe off excess dye, resolene and buff. I will be learning this week how to saddle stitch the ID pocket; my one prototype has a plastic sleeve, which will not work long-term. I assume that I will perform the saddle stitching before applying the resolene? Any feedback is greatly appreciated! photos will be uploaded under comments

Hiya Folks! Jessie From Québec, Canada! I've just started leatherworking as a side hobby. (One of too many ) I'm in love with anything that let me express myself through art. (I paint, draw ,do watercolors, Pspro, Corel Draw ect.) I'm already half-way thru my first leather project; a masquerade mask. The pieces are cut (4 out of 4), 3 of them are dyed and burnished. Only missing the main piece, probably doing it tonight! I've been lurking the forum for the past 2 month, for finally buying the tools and leathers in the past 2 weeks. I now have a quite nice selection of tools and a nice Veg-Tan shoulder to start the projects i have in mind! I've been loving the tutorials and help people seem to be receiving on this forum. It's been of good help for me to start Hoping to make and meet peoples with similar interests, and let's hope even more, Some located near me!!! (On a side note :Most of the community i've met here going to Tandy's we're mens, so i assume this is a trade with more guys than gals? Let's change this ) Looking for a mentor, a community that will help me grow as a leatherworker and get better and better! Will post my finished Masquerade mask as soon as it's done in the showoff Gallery!

All, I'm rather new to this hobby, so I apologize if this question is rather naive. I've been working with some basic kits and belt blanks that were all the standard veg-tanned leather. I'm working on my first custom design where I'm going to make a partial dash cover for my truck. Our family spends a lot of time hunting/fishing/etc and I thought about trying to use deer hide rather than the standard veg-tanned leather. Does deer hide stamp well in a similar manner as veg-tanned? How tough is it to work with? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, everyone! Efraín here, from Monterrey, Mexico. I joined the group because I've gotten somewhat serious on this as a hobby and want to learna bit more since I have some other projects in mind. I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself (and show off a little, to tell the truth). I'm a software engineer, with a very serious film photography hobby that led me into this other hobby of leather work. I started by wanting a vintage looking sturdy backpack for my cameras. The obvious choice was to purchase a leather bag, but the prices I saw for what I liked were out of my league. I tried to convince myself that the price was worth it, so I started looking in Youtube for reviews about Saddleback Buffalo Jack, Satchel &Page, etc... one thing led to another and soon I was watching at videos on how to do saddle stitching. I took the jump, purchased some tools and thread, built my own stitching pony and started practicing my stitches on some scraps as I went and made the pattern for my backpack with ideas borrowed from different models. Bought some leather and started the project. (I have the pattern drawn at scale and can share if you want, but I made modifications to the cut pieces once I started putting them together, so the pattern does not represent the actual, finished bag). The logo was made with a laser print, which I engraved by hammering a little screwdriver into the design after dampening the leather with some water. The leather I got for it is called "sillero" here in Mexico, meaning it's the one used for saddles... by Tandy's buying guide it's somewhere between 8-10 oz, so, you can guess it's a heavy bag!!. I'm sure it will be a blast to go through the forums and get to know all of you. Here are some pictures of my bag and the process (the color is a bit off in some of them because of lighting and filter process in the iPhone). I hope you like'em!

Hi All, I am new to leather work and new to the forum. I wanted to add my name to the last project I made and decided to 3D-print a stamp instead of buying one. The first step was to design a stamp, I did this using a mixture of Photoshop (GIMP is a great alternative) and FreeCad. Once I had my design, I printed it using my PURSIA I3. This was the result; After some prep; I applied it to some leather off-cuts. (Please excuse the terrible stitch experiment here, I was using an old singer sewing machine); I was quite impressed with the result. I'm going to try it with 2 clamps next time, hopefully this will spread the pressure more evenly. The grain effect was unintentional, but I quite like it. Please let me know your thoughts, MARSHY.

Well, I was needing a new wallet. I wanted to recreate my old wallet. So, I took it apart, measured my pieces and got after it. It was going to be a front pocket wallet with a leather money clip. Pretty sweet set up. I laminated some pretty sheepskin to some w&c chestnut. I had a hard time cutting the leather straight. No worries, I made everything extra big. I glued it all together. Took it to work and sanded everything down real even. I brought it home and burnished the edges. I spent a lot of time on those edges. Ok, here's where it goes bad. My money clip part wasn't going to fly. So, I just cut it off and decided "ok, well I'll at least have a 2 pocket wallet for now". Away I went, no looking back. I spent about three hours sewing it up. The back was pretty rough. The leather and sheepskin flexed a lot in the pony and made for poor stitching on the back. I can still live with that for a temporary wallet. I get all the way finished and low and behold, it won't fit so much as a business card in it. Color me deflated.

Well I posted here a couple of weeks back trying to get some insight on what to get as far as my first leather sewing machine and I was gonna go with a Cobra 4 but went with the Cowboy instead...well because the "Bob's" are awesome guys! The CB4500 came in yesterday on a rainy day in drought stricken California and I was scrambling to get everything in my "workshop" (read garage, tiny by the way) and with the help of my geezer neighbors the machine was up and almost running in about an hour. By the way, to those new to leather sewing machine....this thing is a BEAST!!! It's heavy as heck and definitely would need another set of arms to help you unpack and get it assembled. The picture in Bob's website doesn't really do it justice and scale...I'm a small guy (5'5") and it's big to me. First thing I did was watch Bob's YouTube video on how to thread it and so I did and tested it on some scraps....smooth as buttah! But it was making a mark so I loosened up the presser feet tension all the way up...like almost popping it out and then loosened the top thread tension just a tad. Some of my scraps had the knot showing on top so I loosened the top thread tension just a bit more and that seemed to fix it...I have to warn you though I had no clue as to what I was doing but fiddling around with tensions and whatnot I finally got it to where I was satisfied. I kept the sample leather that came with the machine just to have a reference on how it's supposed to sew when it came out of Bob's shop. First thing that I noticed, and this is for the newbies on this machine, when you turn off the switch, the servo motor still has a "load" in it and will still move the machine, so make sure to wait a few seconds before fiddling with anything especially with the needle. I will move the on/off switch further out of the table so I could see it easily and I plugged in the lamp which is left in the ON position behind the servo motor so that I know when the machine is ON or OFF and that gives me another way of telling that yes, it's on or yes the needle went through your finger. I like redundant safety systems and so I don't mess anything up because I love my fingers. With that said, I got the hang of the machine last night and decided on making my dog a collar using #277 thread that came with the machine, I stitched at the slowest setting first and bumped it up a couple of notches because the slowest is...yep, reaaallllly slow! I was enjoying the machine last night and the only thing that ruined it was that I have to go to sleep. I'd like to thank Bob and Bob again for being such cool guys and answering all my newbie questions and giving me advice on what to really works with what. I just ordered a lighter spring for the CB4500 and a few more spools of thread and that should tide me over for a bit until I get another machine from him. Wow this was a long'ish post, just goes to show how stoked I am with the machine and if you're trying to decide on what kind of machine to get, I would wholeheartedly recommend the CB4500 or the smaller versions if you don't need this big of a machine. I still have a long way to go but learning from the pros here in LW saved me a lot of time and energy and I'm so glad that I went with the Cowboy.

I just received my Cobra class 4:) never owned or even used a sewing machine before. its a challenge, but what I would like to know is, how do I make using this easier? I hand stitch everything, so when I received my tax return, I bought the cobra. no telling when an opportunity would allow me another chance, so I jumped. is there any advice on practices or even places that instruct on this matter:) I have tons of crap, and soon that will run out at the rate I'm going. I only ask, because I really don't want to learn poor habits, instead id like advice of some good habits to build on. Thank you:)

Hello from Northwestern MN! I stumbled upon this forum and boy I wish I would have found you people earlier. I farm and have a small dog collar business on the side. I'm also very active with my dogs in areas of agility, flyball, dock diving, hunting, shed hunting and herding. I help others train their dogs too! I'm heavily into rescue work and have been known to foster up to 10-20 dogs a year. Outdoors is where I prefer to be, I'm a creative soul that loves to try new things. I tend to jump in and learn as I'm doing. My business is called Off Leash Collars. Since 2011, I have specialized in fabric dog collars and a little over ago, I started working with leather. I fell in LOVE with the leather medium and after much investment, I'm selling leather dog collars alongside my fabric ones. I also make memory leather cuffs and add a hand stamped name or saying to help people grieve the loss of a loved one. I am self taught and have learned mostly by trial and error. I have learned so much over the course of the year and I want to learn more. My craft has evolved so much and there are tricks to everything. I've searched for so many places to learn in person or a mentor since I'm such a hands on type person, but I have failed at finding any schooling type places. When I found this forum yesterday I was on cloud 9! My goal is to have a finished product to die for. Us crazy dog people love to deck out our pups! I'm needing help to make those tweaks in looking seriously professional, not just artisan. I have companies that are looking at my work and want to offer my collars for sale on their sites. Which brings up another topic of how much to charge. I've included a picture of one of my collars, all my other pictures are apparently too big to add

I am fairly new to leather working. My father did it for many years and I would occasionally join him when I was a kid. After he passed 5 years ago, I inherited all his leather working materials and in the last six months have started making a few things. This is my latest item to make it a bit easier to hold my work while stitching. I have made three sheaths and a cabinet to hold my leather working tools. I am looking forward to learning a lot and focusing on learning correct tooling! I have also started work on a sheath and tooled for the first time! Looks pretty ugly, but it's a start! Thanks for looking and would appreciate constructive criticism!

My name Chris and I am a compulsive hobbyist. I play guitar, mandolin, ukulele, harmonica, and bang a banjo when feeling brave. I also make beer and other alcoholic beverages on a regular basis. I shave with an old fashioned safety razor (double edge) and a straight razor and lather with a badger hair brush. To add my list of manly hobbies, I decided to start leather working to appeal to my need to create. The itch happens when I look at something and say "I can do that!" I have bought a few tools to get started and have run into many learning curve problems that I can't seem to find the answers to after trolling the forums and YouTube videos. I have noticed after dyeing my cheap little thin pieces of vegtan from the local big hobby store that the material is now stiff as a board and curling on the edges...that doesn't help make a nice wallet. What are the proper steps to dyeing a piece of leather that doesn't make it feel like a piece of jerky when it is all said and done? I have been rubbing olive oil on these pieces like crazy to no effect.....but I have soft hands now. Also, I am not sure but it seems to me that I have been losing some size after dyeing (I read about the removal of moisture after dyeing) and can understand that. Should I be accounting for a certain amount of shrinkage? Like a 1/4 of an inch or something? I would like to make some patterns to repeat my work and I am not sure if this something that people take into account for dyeing (and stitching). Having fun but getting frustrated with what I don't know....if there is something that I should be reading to answer these questions, please let me know. I have been digging but not finding the right information. Thanks for any help!

Okay, I've been poking around the site now for a while and have learned a ton, but I also have lots of questions. Like... Should I be using a stitching awl or stitching chisel? Until now, I've been using one of several chisels (6, 2 and 1 points) I got from Tandy on everything I do. I've been using my awl (I got from Tandy) just to widen holes as I stitch so I can pass two needles through at the same time. It pointed, but far from sharp like what I hear about Bob Douglas awls. What am I missing here? When should I be using an awl or the chisel. Getting Stitching Holes to Line Up? What's the trick here? I think I've experimented every which way and cant say I've found the "right" way yet. If I punch holes first, they're less likely to lineup perfectly. But If I glue first, then punch holes, I have to go back over it with the dye again. Using the groover make it even more complicated and difficult to get things lined up. Should I always use a groover? I understand the groovers are used to recess and protect stitching lines. I've been doing it on EVERYTHING regardless of how it will be used because I thought 'that's just how its done'. After reading through the forums, I'm not so sure. Should I stop using the groover? Why/when should I use an overstitch wheel? I've been using it to layout holes around corners and curves. Should I be using it for something else? If it helps... I primarily have been working with leather weights between 3oz and 9oz to make variety of large and small cases/bags, iPad sleeves, and wallets. I've been stitching everything hand using Tandy needles and what I think is 4oz waxed nylon thread. Any help and suggestions you can offer are appreciated. Thanks. - Odin

Hey there all you leather experts! I'm a brand new newbie here, I have never worked with leather, I don't even own any tools yet. I've been interested in leather for a while, I just haven't yet taken the opportunity to actually learn how to work with it. I've been browsing the forum and looking at other people's work, it appears that there are quite a few artisans showing off their work here! I think for starters I'll pick up some basic tools and work on the Basic Leather Carving Tutorial.

Hi guys, first time posting anything as its the first time I really like the way something turned out... Not perfect maybe, but it feels great to use it. I have made a few things but they always ended up looking a bit ermmm "primitive"... :-) IE; like Fred Flintstone made them....