Relly's Tool List

[Relly]

This post is for my fellow new posters who may not be as tool-fancy as I am.

I am a newbie, too, so your mileage may vary ... :D

One thing that you might notice is that many of the more useful tools that I mention are less than $20.

Leather is a very affordable hobby and many of the tools are readily available.

My background in a few words:

I got my start in leathercraft when I bought a Deluxe Leathercraft Kit from Tandy.

Recently I have been making leather bracelets similar to the ones that you might buy at the Tandy Leather store.

I have no room for anything that I am not using to its fullest - my living space is very small (but cozy!)..

Okay, now here are some things that I found really helpful

A granite block

It's heavy. It's obnoxious. I have one. Mandatory tool.

I use mine for setting snaps, punching holes or for tooling work.

Sometimes, I glue a workpiece right on the top!

Thick self-healing cutting board

I do all my cutting and hole making on one of these boards.

Mine's a half inch thick (more or less) and about a foot on both sides.

In my opinion, anything smaller than this is pointless.

Hole punch kits

I use the Tandy Mini punch set often, and now I have the Maxi punch set, too.

The reason that I use these stick punches is that I can really give one a good tap!

I have my cutting board underneath the workpiece, and the granite is under the board.

The benefit of the granite is that it provides a rock-solid base for hammering.

The cutting board provides some shock control, and also protects the granite surface.

Leathercrafting requires a lot of hole punching. At least for me, it does.

Soft-face hammers

I use two of these, a 6-ounce and a 12-ounce. The small one is good for tooling.

The big one is good for whacking things! I use the big one all the time.

My hammers are by Vaughan - red rubber on one side, yellow plastic on the other.

The tips are replaceable and non-marring.

The big hammer is item # 651446 at Home Depot, and item # 348341 at Lowes - $15, cheap!

The small hammer is harder to find, but I got one online, maybe $8?

Needle-nose pliers (medium size) ($8/each)

I use two of these. One is mandatory. Two is very helpful. I used two when stitching - it made hand sewing easier for me.

These pliers are good for trimming light wire, which I use when holding a workpiece together while it dries.

Sometimes you need to grip something small, and that's what these pliers do. They are also useful

when a punch won't come out of a workpiece.

Calipers

This is a mandatory tool. Without a caliper, you may not know how thick your leather is. It's not fun when you put

time and effort into a leather project, and then the snaps don't work because the leather is too thick (or too thin).

I have two calipers, but the one that I use all the time cost $8 - "4 inch pocket caliper" - item #501570 at Home Depot.

Carpenter square (steel)

I use this tool for cutting straight lines and marking up leather. Nothing fancy ...

8"x12", costs about $5.

Light gauge wire (24 gauge)

Wire is for holding a workpiece together while it dries. Wire is so cheap and useful that I think that everyone should have some.

Good clamps

I own two bar clamps, about 8 inches long with a pad on the tip. About $8 each, mandatory tool for my work.

Clamps are for holding stuff together while it dries and also holding a piece down while you work on it.

I skive my bracelets by clamping down one end on the cutting board. Clamps are like an extra set of hands.

Don't scrimp on clamps.

Hobby vise with suction-cup base

I used this tool only once, when I was learning to sew. It was helpful, and at about $25, worth it.

It's like a clamp that can hold a workpiece at different angles. Not mandatory if you don't sew,

but I do not regret buying it.

Round Knife

I own one, but I took the nice edge off it trying to "sharpen" it. This tool has thousands of years of history behind it.

That's one reason why I own one. Now, about that ruined edge ...

If you get a round knife, you will also be buying sharpening stones.

I spent $40 on the knife and $120 on the stones.

There are cheaper ways to cut leather but I WILL master this tool ... eventually ...

This tool is something that I understand is really useful, but I am still too green to appreciate as yet.

Mebbe once I sharpen it ... heehee ...

Box cutter / Utility Knife

I use this tool all the time! Mandatory tool.

I bought the knife with a quick-change feature and soft rubber grip.

Don't go cheap! A "Utility knife" is $10 for the super nice ones.

I have the Stanley 10-788.

Painter's tape

Mandatory tool. Super cheap! I use this stuff all the time.

I use it to hold down tracing paper, tape stuff to the granite ... lots of uses.

Finishing compound

Mandatory tool. Lots of options. Tandy supershene, Fiebing Resolene. Bag kote.

I put this stuff on by hand with a shop rag.

A project is not done if it's ... well ... not done!

Shop Rag

Mandatory tool. I put a workpiece on a rag when dyeing, staining or finishing it.

Okay, there's more tools, but I'm done now.

[GlenH]

I also started with the Tandy Deluxe kit about a year ago (plus some stamps and tools that my dad used back in the 70's). I've had to replace three of the stamps that came with the kit because they started bending (the camo, the basketweave, and the backgrounder). The ones I replaced are a lot better anyway, and the patterns are more what you see in the pictures.

Glen

[Dee]

I also started with the Deluxe Starter kit and the basketweave and camo stamps have already had to be replaced because of bending. Neither had even had much use, only about half a belt worth! At least the LTS replaced them with no problems.

[billsreef]

How hard are you guys hitting your stamps? I started with the same set as a kid back in the 70's, and I've yet to have a stamp bend.

Edited April 3, 2011 by billsreef

[GlenH]

It looks like they're made with different metal (obviously a softer metal) than the ones you buy by themselves. Even the patterns are slightly different.

How hard are you guys hitting your stamps? I started with the same set as a kid back in the 70's, and I've yet to have a stamp bend.

[LilRay]

I just got a Deluxe Kit back in February. I'm thinking the basketweave stamp may have been bent when new. How would I know other than by eye?

God Bless, Ray

[dirtclod]

Set a square on a table and hold the tool next to it and you should be able to tell if it's bent.

[LonnieChambers]

Hello I to have some of the tandy basket weave stamps. I have never had a problem out of them. On the articel above talking about the granit stone. I do agree they can be a pain. I beleave your stone needs to be at least three inches thick. There are a lot of guys that have visited places where they make head stones for cemitarys. You can usaly get a broken head stone that is in good shape pretty cheep. If you dont mind some dead guys name on the back of your tooling stone. My block is about five inches thick. I cut a hole in my tooling table so that the stone sets leavel with my bench. This will let your bigger projects to be flat at all times when you are tooling them. If you are using a thin stone you might be bending are having to hit your tool harder to get a good compretion in the leather with what tool you are needing at the time. This might be why you are bending the tool. I do disagree with the article on the granit stone being use for setting gromets, punching holes are glueing stuff to it, so it can be tooled with out streaching. I used to glue thin leather to thin poster board so my leather wouldnt streach out of shape. But now I use a good clear packing tape. I find it less messy to deal with. And it comes off a lot easyer.