The things that make this job easier!

[fredk]

It seems we favour pliers

I use these very long ones for where I can't get my fingers. i.e. inside dice cups, these pliers are used to pull the needle through. I have two other pairs but they just not as long but very nearly

Its not often I can't pull a needle through but when I can't I use these pliers. They are also used when I'm putting flat lace on the lacing needle, they are used to press the lace down onto the prongs without damaging the prongs 

A piece of cork used when I'm making a hole with an awl. Its used to back up and support the leather so the awl goes into it, not my fingers (!)

 

Small pieces of cork with mapping pins. I use these to hold parts together whilst I sew them up

I wouldn't be without my anvil. Used as its supposed to be for hammering and shaping things, eg setting ready-rivets but its also a good weight to put on pieces glued up

 

[NatesLeatherGds]

Oh and this. Gold medals to all who know what it is (all of you I am sure).

[tsunkasapa]

12 hours ago, fredk said:

A piece of cork used when I'm making a hole with an awl. Its used to back up and support the leather so the awl goes into it, not my fingers (!)

I have my friends that drink wine (nasty stuff, never touch it myself) save the corks for just that purpose.

[Mablung]

19 minutes ago, tsunkasapa said:

I have my friends that drink wine (nasty stuff, never touch it myself) save the corks for just that purpose.

I picked up that idea from you and have found it most helpful indeed.  I got an obnoxious cut on my finger from a dull awl that punched through the second layer of a piece rather violently, when I didn't use the cork.  THAT taught me to use the cork religiously.

[DwightT]

On 5/1/2024 at 7:39 AM, tsunkasapa said:

I have my friends that drink wine (nasty stuff, never touch it myself) save the corks for just that purpose.

Personally, I use a Champagne cork.  The bigger knob on the one end is easier to hold on to.

    /dwight

[toxo]

Wasgoinon? You're all supposed to be using blunt harness needles?

[dikman]

It's the AWL, toxo, the AWL that does the damage (blunt awls don't work so well).

You're probably speed-reading again.

[toxo]

Just now, dikman said:

It's the AWL, toxo, the AWL that does the damage (blunt awls don't work so well).

You're probably speed-reading again.

LOL. Probably. Mind you, that is a different world to me having hole punches, stitching chisels and a lot of hammers and three sewing machines. I think the awl thing got old with bags having a lot more holes than a holster.

[Handstitched]

On 4/30/2024 at 11:16 PM, tsunkasapa said:

As a carpenter, I found center for 40 years without one. I have one now, and use it occasionally. But I never found it essential.

I just use a ruler and a calculator to find the centre . Measure the item to be laced or stitched and divide by 2  and work out what markings I need from that 

HS

[JLDetroit]

Sometimes when setting double cap rivets, the leather is pushing back, so I inserted a rivet setter into a file handle. Then I can use the tool to push the rivet down until the cap clicks in place before I use another rivet setter to actually set the rivet.