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Hi Everyone, I am pretty new to this and still learning tricks of the trade, honestly the reason I got into it was all because I was searching for a pair of nice pair of soft sole moccasins and couldn’t find ones I like so, I decided I would make my own. My first attempt honestly did not go well I learned a lot about what not to do and things I can do differently second pair was made from pieces of suede I found at hobby lobby, I can’t count how many times I stitched ,unstitched ,modified my pattern and did it again, after about 2 weeks of working on them on and off I was finally done, and I’m pretty sure I work them consistently the entirety of the whole COVID lockdown, my next few pairs were for my girlfriend and at the time 2 children. After wearing them around for sometime people started to show some interest in them and I had a few requests for some custom designs ( side note, I don’t know about you guys but the moment you hand the finished product to the customer is absolutely terrifying, but seeing the reactions when they saw them and put them on was one of the coolest feelings I have ever felt, since then I haven’t had a lot of time but I managed to make a few other pairs I still need to post on to my Reddit which I will link my forum because I have no idea how to get pictures on here haha but any input or advice would be gratefully appreciated, thanks for reading! https://www.reddit.com/r/BessMoccasins/

I have been racking my brain for the past few months and I have not been able to come up with a name that I am satisfied with for my one-man leatherworking operation. I really would just like some filler words, for example: mercantile, brand, works, goods, etc... I would love to use my last name (Petty), but unfortunately, the word "petty" also has a definition in the dictionary that is synonomous with lesser quality. But if I could insert a filler word, so that "Petty" isnt describing the type of leather, or the type of operation I am running, that would be ideal. Something like "Petty (insert word here) leather goods". Or am I just over-thinking this? Because, at the same time, I think that anyone with common sense would realize that no one in their right mind would use a negative word like "petty" to describe their own product, so they must come to the conclusion that "petty" is a surname. Am I right? I don't know! Does anyone have any good ideas? What are some common generic words people use in their leather company names, or even words that people use in the trade business? Thanks Zayne

Merry christmas! For Christmas I got this deer hide that my great grandpa shot and killed while hunting years ago. He never made anything out of it but my grandma (his daughter) wants me to do something with it if i can. Any ideas of something really cool i can make from it? All Ideas welcome!

Help! I have 3 tubs total of scrap leather I have accumulated over time. 1 tub oil tan, 1 tub veg, and 1 tub chrome tanned. I have drawn a blank on what to do with it, I don't like the idea of throwing any away if I don't have too. I just need ideas on simple easy projects that don't require much time that way I can continue with my normal day to day. Key fobs are the only thing I can think of right now, but it gets boring doing just those! The pieces range from the size of a standard rounded key fob, to a large journal. any advice would be appreciated in fact any projects are welcomed easy or hard, because I hope this post might help others who are in the same boat

Tips from Uncle Dave Most useful wax: Melt Paraffin, beeswax, and neatsfoot oil. Let cool. Very soft wax. Spread on edges to burnish easily, hardly any effort. Spread on top of leather finish for nice feel, and water resistance. Take a chunk and slap it on your sewing machine somewhere the thread passes. Nicely waxed thread. Best working table top: ABS plastic. It's the same stuff your cutting boards are made of. You can get it any size up to 4x8 sheets. Mailed to you. Try places like US. Plastics online. Comes in as little as a sq ft, all the way up to full 4x8 sheets. I think mine are like 1/8" thick. If it gets too many cut marks and stains, you can actually sand it down with an orbital sander. Keep table top cleaner: I buy brown paper rolls at Lowe's Hardware (20 inches or so wide). On my cutoff saw I chop them down to 10 inches. Nailed on the side of my bench is a paper towel roll. Place the cut brown paper in the roll, voyla! Roll out the length you need, tuck the ends under the abs plastic, and you keep leather clean, have a place to draw, daub dye onto...etc, etc Best glue dispensers: Simple, I just punch a hole in the top of a pickle jar lid. My artist paintbrushes stick through.I use different width/thickness brushes for different tasks. Fill the jar with ordinary contact cement, barge, white glue...your preference. Lid screws on and keeps the glue fresher longer. Dye Mix jars and a place for 'em: At your local garden center, they sell 3- 4" pots of plants. Those usually come in a plastic container that holds a dozen or so pots. Get some! When I make mixes of dyes, I use the pickle jars (we eat a lot of pickles it seems!). They fit perfectly in those planter containers. Leather storage: I buy the round cardboard concrete forms at Lowe's. Cut them in half, and then stack 'em. Buy different sizes for different size rolls. Keeps everything organized, and visible. Dye Thinner: I use Feibing's Pro dyes a lot. Instead of a $28 qt. bottle of their dye thinner, I use a $10 gal can of denatured alcohol from the hardware store.Works fine for me. Top finish: A good alternative to Resolene, atom wax, tan kote, etc is a simple Kiwi neutral finish found at every grocery store in a plastic dauber bottle. Easy application, and lasts a long time.Rub it on...done. Anyways, you get the idea. Let's hear some of yours. UPDATE: I found Part 1 of these tips dated 2010!

Hi all. Been learning about leather work as a weekend hobby for a couple of years. I've made easy bags, diary covers, dog collars and some simple bits n pieces. Pics later. My question is, what else can I try my hand at. I seem to have no imagination and just see what someone has made and try it myself. As I live in the UK anything to do with guns and even knives is pointless. I'm going to a craft fair in month so keen to make things for that. I make square and heart shaped keyrings for the Airedale Terrier of Scotland Club which are sold via the club. My airedale is called Fudge. https://en-gb.facebook.com/fudgeandme/ there are some pics of the things I've done here. So I'm looking for some inspiration, ideas, suggestions, either for new items or how to improve what I'm doing. I'd really appreciate your views. Thanks from sunny Scotland (insert happy face)

Hello everyone, I have been invited to host a leathercraft workshop at an event that is promoting handmade goods in Taiwan and am trying to come up with some suitable crafts for the event. I only have one hour for each workshop, so whatever project I have prepared needs to work within this time frame. Both children and adults might attend (children with a parents help). Any suggestions is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Chris

I found this old leather hatchet cover from my grandfathers house (who recently passed). As you can see from the photos, it looks as though it has some water damage. I Photoshoped his name out with the red just for posting purposes; he wrote his name with a black sharpie on the leather. My grandpa was a huge part of my life and I loved him very much. I want to keep this leather hatched cover as a reminder of him but Im not sure if I should try and repair it in any way. I want to keep it in its original state as much as possible. Does anyone have any ideas or advice?? Thanks!

Hey there! I need ideas on storing my leather hides that is space efficient. I have Hermann oak full half hides and I usually have anywhere from 5-10 at a time. Then I have a ton of small 2-3oz hides that are only 1-3 sqft. So not very big but I have a TON that come in and out. I currently have them in a bin you can store under a bed, but it's over flowing and not working out. My work shop consists of a large 3' tall cutting table (8'x4'). Then I have a wrap around work bench that goes along all the walls for half of my shop. On the other half of my shop (it's split in half by my cutting table) I have peg board along all of the walls so I can really store anything on the walls. I do have storage under the cutting table and the work desk but those are full. The only thing I can think of is to hang my hides from the ceiling? Any hanging ideas? Or any space efficient hide storing ideas? My shop is only about 600sqft.