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Hello, everyone! My name is Matthew from Michigan and I'm doing a crash course on armor leatherworking. I'm just getting started and have most of my tools. I simply lack the experience, which should make this interesting. My project is a near complete armor pattern set from Prince Armor Academy, the Imperial Knight. I have the patterns and am currently mocking up the armor to make sure that it will actually fit. I need to have the armor finished by June for a larp event at the end of that month. While it feels like I have plenty of time now, it'll go by quick. So much so that I'm looking at options to have the leather cut on a laser cutter for me. Please let me know if you know of any options in the mid-Michigan area. I'll be on here asking for help on a variety of topics from tooling to putting a metallic touch to the armor.

I have not used these leather tools in over 30 years. My dad used them frequently and made quite a few items for me as he taught me... Because I was the only one who knew anything about them, they were left to me when he passed away some time ago... I have kept them stored in their toolbox in my tack room.. I have a "Hereford Brand Yokum saddle" that I primarily use when working young/green horses that's in pretty rough shape. When I went to replace the saddle strings, It appears they are run through the tree... I would love to replace the saddle strings, rework the current leather, tooling and reshading, cleaning up the edges where there is tooling. I know I can do some of this after having removed the back jockey... Because I am not a saddlemaker and consider myself a greenie , I am a bit nervous about taking this down any further. I know I have two more screws to pull on each side of the pommel.... I'm just worried about tearing the seat more.. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to do the replacement I know is needed to the seat where it has been repaired on both sides and where it is still torn up... I believe I really I need to find a saddlemaker for this portion of the restoration process, especially considering I plan to continue using the saddle... To those of you that have done restoration work or are saddlemakers, I'd like to know, if I walked into your shop with a partial, would you be offended? That would be the very last thing I want to do to someone with this skill set so would love some HONEST advice! Below are photos of the saddle I would like to restore and am still looking for more information regarding it's history prior to 1990 which was when it was given to me... Thanks in advance!

Hi all! I've been trolling these forums for advice as I worked my way through this project, but am excited to finally post one of my own! I've made smaller things like mug straps and drawstring bags before, but this is my first big project and also my first time tooling. I used a pattern from Yvonne Williams for a leather corset, but combined the front panels to have space for a bigger design. The serpent is derived from motifs I found online and altered to the shape of this panel. I used ecoflo gel antique for the dye applied with just my hands (gloved hands, of course). I have sort of an idea of what I'm doing, but would appreciate any critique or advice. Also, I do have a few questions! 1) It's too late now since I've already finished this part, but I was definitely struggling in some of the smaller areas so you can see where I beveled over a cut. Whoops. Any recommendations for tools to get into those crevices? My beveler is small but not that small (I don't know the brand or number of the tool is since I inherited these from my dad). 2) I'll have to take another photo once they're all dry, but I noticed the tooled panel turned out a shade darker than the rest of my panels even though they were all cut from the same piece, dyed the same, with the same number of coatings. Could this have been an affect from residual moisture? I left the tooled panel to dry before dyeing, but perhaps I was a tad impatient... 3) As for putting the pattern together, the original guide used rivets, but I prefer the look of hand sewn. From what I've seen, many people cement before they sew, but given that the panels will be at curved angles to fit a human waist, I don't think I'll be able to get the cement to set correctly. Can I sew without it? Thanks for your help! I appreciate any and all advice, even not in response to those specific questions. I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out! (And will post updates along the way ^.^)

I am wanting to get into carving and tooling to spice up my holsters. I did a spruce tree today at our leather working breakfast and decided to go ahead and buy a few swivel knives and some stamping tools and what not. What are some good tooling sets to buy? Craft tool? Or is there something better? Please don’t ask to see my tree...

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!

Hi, I'm new to working with leather and about to start my first project. I'm trying to do some costing on a pair of shoes I want to make to figuire out what the exact input cost will be. This is what I have in mind (see below). How many pairs of shoes can one make on average with a piece of leather 1 meter by 1 meter (3.2 foot by 3.2 foot). Any guidance will be much appreciated

Greetings everyone just wanted to introduce myself and say hello to the community. I had decided to take my imagination and set it into work into something. Got myself a starter kit from Tandy Leathers and I'm hooked. I just a beginner and slowly building up my tools and knowledge of the craft. I hoping to continue to learn and hopefully find someone in my area who would be willing to teach me and help me grow as a leather worker. But in the meanwhile greetings and well met.