Wtb And/or Trade For Basic Tools For Starting Out

[JHobbs]

First thanks for taking time to look at this,

I am brand spanking new to this art and am in need of the basic tools to get started. Like every one else money is always tight so used is good! I am looking for a good knife, edgers, overstitchwheel ,sewing supplies,etc. just the basics so I can get started and from what I have read and what I have been told I do not want any Tandy tools. My budget is 100.00 dollars (I Know, I know..) But with three kids and the economy thats what I can spend (and not get in to trouble with the wife) to see if I will enjoy this en devour. I can also trade I have a kayak 2 person on top made by coleman its unsinkable believe me on that, and I have an "antique" whiskey distiller that I am no longer wanting to "display". I live in SE Florida, if that matters thanks again.

[TwinOaks]

Welcome to Leatherworker.net!!

I hate to be the first to say this, and possibly discourage your interest in leather work, but $100 is not going to get you much in the way of tools and leather. I suggest spending what you need to for the leather, and use whatever tools you have instead of buying a bunch. There are many, many, many people who have turned out fantastic pieces of leather work that didn't have "leather" tools. I'll dig around in a bit to see if I can find it, but we had a member from somewhere over in Scandanavia 'show off' an absolutely beautiful artistic piece that she made with ....a manicure set. The only tool I can think of that you'd need that is commonly only found in leather work (besides stamps) is a diamond awl. That refers to the blade shape, not any particular material. One of our members reports making diamond awls out of bicycle spokes, so if you're handy with tools, you can make a lot of your own. I have made several stamps from SS bolts.

So....local sources you can find things-

Hobby Lobby- they have several items you can use, including stamp sets, needles, thread (I use the waxed linen sold as "On A String" brand)

Hardware store, grocery store, and wallyworld- Mop-n-glo is a reasonable substitute for Resolene. Dap Weldwood is an excellent leather adhesive, Olive Oil can be used to condition leather, Deft lacquer makes a nice finish, bolts make nice stamps after a little work...so do nails. Forget the 'leather sewing needle' with the large eye because it breaks easily. Just get a pack of needles from wally world's craft dept., I think it's a little under $2 for 8 needles in different sizes. You need an overstitch wheel? No, you don't. Use a fork to lay out your stitches, and start saddle stitching (two needles)- it'll pull down nice and tight to the leather. Edger- use sand paper to shape the edges.

A good knife- you can use pretty much any knife to cut leather. It needs to be scary sharp and you need to be careful, even if it means more than one pass to cut the leather. You can also use scissors.

Need a tool to make a line a consistent distance from the edge? Get a $2 compass from the school supply section. If you absolutely HAVE to get a stitch groover, get the free hand one and put it in the compass, replacing the little pencil. Now you can make lines a LONG way from the edge, or right next to it as you want......and a freehand groover in a compass will do circles.

Swivel knife? If you have to make do, use the square 'chisel' blade in an exacto knife. Heck, Al Stohlman (IIRC) started out with a sharpened screwdriver.

In short, the tools we use in leather working were developed to make jobs a little easier, but are in no way the only tools you can -or should- use. Need little bitty circles as part of a background? Take the ink ball out of pen, and start tooling. Need an interesting background for foliage (trees and bushes)- put a torx bit on a handle and start stamping. Get creative! ......and hey, if you start using some of your wife's make up accessories for working on leather, I bet you she'll find a way to get you some leather tools.

[Vikti]

If your starting out then you should get some Tandy tools. They are excellent for beginners for their price, the reason some people don't like them is that the quality of the impression isn't there, but they are good enough to learn with. Once you get to a point where they don't produce the quality that you desire then look at upgrading if you have the money or find someone who can teach you to modify them to suit your needs.

You can get the basic 7 tools (seeder, beveler, pair shader, camoflage, veiner, backgrounder and swivel knife) for $40, a poly mallet for $25, jewelers rouge ( for stropping your swivel knife $4, and a granite slab for about $45. (all prices are form TLF web site) Now if you rummage around this site you'll find links and tip to cut down this cost. You mentioned an overstitch wheel, I started out with a wing divider and for almost a year I used it in place of a stitch grover and overstitch wheel. Yes, it's slower because you have to measure out your stitch holes but you can still get the job done. Hey, that gives you a reason to stay at the work bench a little longer. But like everything else in life, shop around until you find a good deal.

Damon

[WyomingSlick]

I agree with Vikti. You have gotten the wrong impression about Tandy tools. No, they are not the best tools out there. Walmart does not attract very many professional auto mechanics, but they do have tools that work just fine for millions of beginner and weekend mechanics.

The tools that TLF sell will do the job for the most part. I would reccomend buying your beginning stamping tools on eBay. They are available all the time on eBay for less than they cost new at TLF. For cutting leather, one of the cheap X-acto type knife sets from China will do a lot for the money.

The most important tool that you need, or any beginner, is knowledge. Time after time, we see questions on the forum from beginners where the information desired could be obtained from the manuals readily obtained from TLF. The best money I have ever spent in forty years has been on books!!!!!! Any of Al Stohlman's book's are worth many, many times their cover price. One that I think is essential is his book on tools which covers 95% of all the tools ever used in leather fabrication: how to use them, how to care for them, and how to sharpen them. A definate must buy !!!! In fact, I would say it should be a first buy and a first read. Armed with the know-how in it, you will be able to make much better decisions about what you do buy later. Knowledge is power.

[JHobbs]

Wow I appreciate the responses, Twin Oaks you gave me alot of great ideas, I tend to improvise with tools often not sure why I felt I couldn't with leather. Thanks everyone for your comments and I am going to use your suggestions.