Old newbie

[cv66seabear]

Haven't worked with any kind of leather since Boy Scouts in the 70s, and those were kits. 

I am going to get back into Single Action (Cowboy) Shooting, and also hopefully retiring and I'd like to do some leather crafts. 

I have some leather I bought years ago, and some I just got along with some tools (Chinese). 

I've got cutting mats from puppet making.

I'm not thinking of getting a machine, id like to make some leather belt bags and maybe work up to holsters. 

I'm very much a plain kind of guy, not thinking of carving, but some stamping for borders.   Maybe I'll feel carving is something I'll like later. 

Just looking for suggestions on tools- like what is really necessary for easy patterns, where to buy leather, if there's a site with some free patterns or templates. 

Advice for an old newbie! Thanks so much in advance! 

Kent

[fredk]

Welcome to the mad-house, er. . . the forum

Patterns; Tandy library has plenty of free patterns, or put a shout on here and I can maybe send you a PDF of a suitable Tandy pattern

Tools; tell us what you have and we'll help you spend your money 

[kgg]

8 hours ago, cv66seabear said:

I'm not thinking of getting a machine, id like to make some leather belt bags and maybe work up to holsters. 

Here is a great article on what machine or machines you will need depending on what you want to sew.

In a nutshell if you are doing:

i) Belts and bags a cylinder arm machine similar to the Juki LS-341 or Juki LS-1341 or clones would be a good choice with a flatbed attachment.

ii) Holsters you will need a Class 441 similar to a Juki TSC-441 or clone.

What is your budget???

kgg

Edited 10 hours ago by kgg

[Dwight]

If you have a "friendly" Tandy store like I have . . . they'll give you more help than you can use as far as ideas are concerned . . . they also have patterns that I've found to be pretty simple and basic .

They also are my "go to" store for leather.  I've tried some of the expensive stuff . . . and it's like comparing a Ford to an Audi . . . both gets you down the road . . . but one is more than twice the price.  I pick my own out . . . and they'll even help me there if they have time.

May God bless,

Dwight

[cv66seabear]

Fred, thanks for the offer! 

I didn't realize Tandy had a free library! 

I'm looking right now for a belt bag for a Western belt, so about 4" X 4", 6"X4" with a 3" loop. 

I have a stitching pony the kind you sit on, some skivvers, waxed thread, various needles, knife, stitching hole cutters and some pattern punches. 

How much room do I need?  I have a VW bus, tools and some woodworking equipment already. 

Is a 6' bench a good size? Would 4' work?  Since I'm not doing a machine now? Or should I allow for that possibility in the future?  I build my benches on wheels so I can move them around. What's a good height? Do mist of you

Budget wise, I can't spend a fortune, seems like leather will be pretty pricey! 

Here's the set I bought.  Sorry the one got inserted in the middle. I couldn't delete it. 

 

[cv66seabear]

Thanks Dwight!

I'm in the middle of Wisconsin, I think the nearest Tandy is 2 1/2 hours away, but good ideas , I'll save up and go in person! 

I assume you're a vet.  I'm ex-Navy - mostly on a bird farm. 

Any hand stitching thoughts?  

Thanks again everyone!

[AlZilla]

@cv66seabear

That starter set seems to have most of what you'll need. I'd add a razor knife of some kind and a steel rule to cut straight lines.

Let me suggest that you enable email notification of responses to your threads. We've found that New users forget to check for responses and drift away.  As follows:

"To enable email notifications when someone posts on your topics (like this one), you can visit https://leatherworker.net/forum/notifications/options/ - then click "Mentions and My Content" and make sure the "Email" box is checked."