What got any of us started with leather?

[radar67]

My two teenage daughters drug me to an animation convention last September. I was sort of a captive spectator since we were 3 hours from home. I wandered around looking things over, thinking to myself, Why? when I came upon a group who was dressed in leather armor and look like pirates, to an extent. I got to talking to the group about their costumes and curiosity got the best of me. Two of the members were sitting behind a table working on leather arm cuffs and all manner of leather. I have an obsession with tools, wood tools, blacksmith tools, just about anything to make stuff with, so I asked a lot of questions. The group was scheduled to have a hands on "How To" panel latter and invited me to come. I am still in contact with that group and they have given me some good pointers and advice over the last 4 months.

Long story short, my daughters liked the leather too and wanted me to make some of it for them. I have been buying tools and pounding cow since. I found this site about a month or two ago and have been reading everyday.

[bkingery]

As a kid we had a really old beginners kit that was in a box forever and I would pull it out and try it out every once in a while, never could get the hang of it. Put the box away when I moved out and got married at 17 never thought about it again until I decided to buy a 50.00 horse from my stepson some 20 years later and walked into the tack store and had the "Holy **** that **** is ********** expensive moment" and so I went home and found a few latigo belts that I had lying around from work and cut them up and made me some bridles and redid the leathers on an old saddle I bought and have been hooked eversince. Got the kit from my mom and started tooling met a few leather people bought a whole bunch of tools and then got divorced. X sold my WHOLE leather shop for 50.00 at a yard sale and it has taken me almost five years to get back half of what I had before, But thanks to this site I find inspiration and Love the people on here.

Peace

Bryan

[Dmitri]

I started learning about leather work from my father who learned it from an older gentleman many years ago.

My father was mainly into harness repair and production but also did some custom work.

I got away from it many years ago and am just getting back into the craft.

I am part of a medieval recreation group and we make alot of our own armour and other items. So leather work is a well respected and sought after skill.

I have just started building my shop up. Hand tools( some passed down from my father ), I just got a Mason openarm heavy machine, Robi Shoe 3 in 1, Foot press eyelet machine and a table mount snap setter. Now is the time to start making stuff again.

I am thinking about getting into medieval footwear as it is tough to come by at times.

[Historybuff]

My wife and I are both Living Historians, 1750-1812 peiods. After looking at the prices wanted for the leather accouterments I started making my own. I got into blacksmithing, woodworking, and schrimshawing for the same reasons.

My stuff may not look as good, but we portray average everyday folks living on the frontier and everything we had would have been hard used anyway.

[JohnBarton]

I love this thread. Especially the stories about not finding what you want and deciding to make your own. In 1990 I had a leather cue case and it was open and got knocked off the table and the cue shot out of it and got broken. While the cue was gone I decided that I was going to replace the interior of that case and make it more secure. I did that, crudely. When done I looked at the case and decided that I didn't really like it that much anyway and thought I could build my own in a style I liked.

I actually started with vinyl because it was easier for me to get and cheaper. My first use of leather came when my girlfriend and I took a trip to the Camargue in France and to get there we had to go over the mountains. Well she had done a little research and to surprise me she took me to a tannery in the mountains. I bought about $1500 worth of leather. I didn't know anything about what I was buying, I just felt the weight and texture and bought what I liked. I didn't know anything about having to skive the edges or how to turn leather etc.... But I bought the leather and started making leather cases anyway.

The rest is history and even today if you all were to give me a quiz on "working" leather I'd probably fail. But we sure have made quite a lot of nice leather cases over the years.

I have said it before but this never gets old, you all are some amazing artists and crafts people. Thank you for being here.

[Ellen]

... And a dissonant note:

Tough times, high unemployment rate, the university education no longer works for your advantage, one has to look out for anything else. Then accidentally finding the leatherwork photos, while were looking for something else. Can, like, can afford (half of what is required though), all would be fine ... if not where I live. :Sigh:

[JJLeatherworks]

Ellen, You and I are in the same boat. Hard times caused me to rethink my life. Only since last July have I been doing leatherwork. Now I have my own booth at Wimberly market days in Wimberly TX .

I'm also selling on etsy.com. We all keep doing what we need to do to survive.