redcell7 Report post Posted December 9, 2010 hello guys and gals ...im new to leather and have no tools as of yet but plan on buying some ....i was looking at tandys ultimate set it seams to have all the basics that i would need ....but my question is should i buy the whole kit or should i buy individual pieces as i learn .....i have the money to get the whole kit and i want to try to do everything i can with leather hence buying the whole kit .....any advice would be much needed thanks in advance Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJLeatherworks Report post Posted December 9, 2010 hello guys and gals ...im new to leather and have no tools as of yet but plan on buying some ....i was looking at tandys ultimate set it seams to have all the basics that i would need ....but my question is should i buy the whole kit or should i buy individual pieces as i learn .....i have the money to get the whole kit and i want to try to do everything i can with leather hence buying the whole kit .....any advice would be much needed thanks in advance Save yourself a lot of headache. You really only need about twenty tools. Start buy looking at Ebay for older crafttools. Google Barry King tools. Get quality and you will go far, get quantity and you will give up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whinewine Report post Posted December 9, 2010 hello guys and gals ...im new to leather and have no tools as of yet but plan on buying some ....i was looking at tandys ultimate set it seams to have all the basics that i would need ....but my question is should i buy the whole kit or should i buy individual pieces as i learn .....i have the money to get the whole kit and i want to try to do everything i can with leather hence buying the whole kit .....any advice would be much needed thanks in advance Just a thought- what if you hate it? It would be better to piece it, buying tools as you go along, buying better tools as you come across them [for instance, the older craftools are better, in general, than the new ones- especially the early ones with no letter prefixes. They were individually machined by hand, not cast in molds]. There are good tools out there of higher quality for about the same price (Hidecrafter's Pro-Crafter line, for example- btw, Springfield Leather has some of their tools at reduced prices, but you need to call them to see which ones). There are also high end tools (hackbarth, for example, that are individually done & leave very crisp impressions). And this is only for the stamping/carving tools... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted December 9, 2010 I always say No to toolkits/collections. It is better to buy quality tools over time, and only the ones you need for a project. Most of the tools at Tandy are lower quality than tools from independent makers. You won't buy a much better maul than the Bear man or Barry King makes. Paul Zalesack and Barry King make excellent swivel knives also, much better than Tandy. You can get excellent vintage tools from Bob Douglas, or from Sheridan Leather Outfitters. Barry King, Bob Beard, Lonnie Height, and others make excellent stamping tools. There are several excellent knifemakers that I can recommend, or a vintage knife from Bob is and option, but to start, the well polished utility knife and/or what I call a clicker knife will do the job. You are better off spending your money on several tools to do projects that are good quality than a whole kit of stuff you might not use a lot. A 15 piece set of very good 1018 stamping tools from Gomph-Hackbarth will do everything pretty much for about $165. Buy special stamps from Tandy to try them out, and if you use them a lot, get better ones. Try and go to a vendor show where you can put hand and tool to leather. There are always plenty of recommendations here, usually you get sound advice. Don't be afraid to ask. Art hello guys and gals ...im new to leather and have no tools as of yet but plan on buying some ....i was looking at tandys ultimate set it seams to have all the basics that i would need ....but my question is should i buy the whole kit or should i buy individual pieces as i learn .....i have the money to get the whole kit and i want to try to do everything i can with leather hence buying the whole kit .....any advice would be much needed thanks in advance Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redcell7 Report post Posted December 9, 2010 are cs osbourne tool a good company for there punches??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted December 10, 2010 The arch punches are excellent, however, they will generally have to be sharpened. Almost all CSO edged tools are that way. For a sharp punch, get a vintage one from Bob Douglas or Sheridan Leather Outfitters. For new punches, Weaver punches are good. Art are cs osbourne tool a good company for there punches??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HellfireJack Report post Posted December 10, 2010 I agree with most that you should buy what you need as you need it but if for some reason you do buy the kit I'd advise you spend 30 bucks for their wholesale membership and save 370 bucks overall. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdb Report post Posted December 10, 2010 Not saying good or bad, but Tandy is running a Web Special through the 13th. This set can be had for $599. $400 OFF! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheridanman Report post Posted December 11, 2010 hello guys and gals ...im new to leather and have no tools as of yet but plan on buying some ....i was looking at tandys ultimate set it seams to have all the basics that i would need ....but my question is should i buy the whole kit or should i buy individual pieces as i learn .....i have the money to get the whole kit and i want to try to do everything i can with leather hence buying the whole kit .....any advice would be much needed thanks in advance hi definitely agree and would say the same as most peeps here. when i was bitten by the leather working bug i had the same notion like yours. that if i had the budget why not buy the whole kit set up. but you know what? when you become good at crafting leather (which i know you will) , you begin to realize you don't need all the tools for each purpose. when you improve and develop your own style of work for example in making leather projects, besides tooling you would be surprised you need fewer tools but have the function that your work only demands. get quality tools one by one. don't rush or you'll jsut end up like me looking for buyers for tools you don't need after all. honestly i still have unopened tools here from tandy. most beginners end up thinking "if i had all the tools in this kit i saw online or everything i see one crafter has after the other, i can do almost anything" partly true, but as you go along you begin to realize the tools' quality is still important. and if you plan to do leatherwork for a long time you can't trust kits. i still trust an apply the "less is more" rule here and yes, i myself was surprised after cutting down a whole tool box of an assortment of sewing and leather hand tools (from kits and by guess purchases) into 10 quality hand tools for leather working, all of them i can use over and over to the next project after the other with consistency. i can still make small and big projects with just a handful but the difference is you become friends with these small number of tools and they help you ease your work. i sold all my crappy tools and got myself very minimal but of quality number of tools. i invested on Blanchard tools for stitching and old Osbornes, Gomphs for leather hand tools. the only tools i have here that i did not buy is a home made stitching clamp, my english paring knife that i hand made and designed for my specific use and my stitching groover blade that i just finished last night and a soon to be finished handle for it. i also have carving/stamping tools luckily the sheridan set i have was given to me as a gift and were modified tools from old craftools by my mentor there in the States. but this is a different issue and i also put them to a minimal and have those i only need. having said all of the above, get the ones with quality it doesn't matter if its old as long as its useable and with a good steel and get only the minimal, you'd be really surprised you don't need all of them tools after all. trust me you will see after a few years with leather working. thanks for listening. goodluck on your search! P.S. > i'd be happy to send you a list of tools i use that are all around in my book just let me know. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted December 11, 2010 If the kit is on sale for $400 off, making it $599......and they're still making money on it.....that means the value of the set is about $599. Ditto all the comments about quality vs. quantity. I fell into the "tool collector" category for a while and have a rather varied selection of tools I thought would be nice to use. Result? I have a box of mis-formed, badly chromed, unevenly shaped new Tandy tools sitting unused, and a smaller collection of the old Tandy tools (30+ years old) and a few I made myself. Spend less money and get a smaller set of quality stamps, maybe a head knife. Rulers, scissors, cutting boards, etc. are easier to find locally and one at a time. For my cutting board, I went to a kitchen supply store- 1/2" thick 12x18 was something like $8. Granite block was picked up from a counter top store for $5 for a piece of their scrap. So....200 for Hackbarth, ~50 for stamping block, cutting board, utility knife, ruler. 30-50 for a good set of scissors, or pick up the "medic's" scissors from somewhere for about $2. A few modeling tools, maybe spoon and stylus...$25, and you've got lots more money to spend on leather. Maybe even one of the SK3 swivel knives....:D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whinewine Report post Posted December 11, 2010 Oh- speaking of odds & ends & things like scissors, get yourself a pair of Ginghers- they are phenomenal(sp?). Do NOT buy a pair of Tandy's Pro shears- they're junk. I bought a pair for my son & it cost me $25 additional to have them professionally sharpened to the same angle as my Ginghers. Springfield leather has Ginghers for a reasonable price. Unless you need to cut really thick or hard leather, you don't need any shears with serrated teeth. Serrations leave tooth marks & if for some reason you need to cut with the grain side facing the teeth, well, it's not pretty. (Btw, I've never used a new pair of Osborne's clone of the Ginghers , so I can't really comment about them.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redcell7 Report post Posted December 12, 2010 thank you every one for the time yall took out of your day to help a newbie out ......so the way i figure it each company or custom fabricator makes or sells somthing that is better then others ....now all i have to do is find out what i need for now ....get the best.... then buy my tools as needed and keeping the quality high...alot to take in ....but thats what i like ...never gets boring lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
