Raquel Report post Posted February 20, 2012 hey guys, new member here. I am very much interested in making my own leather projects, however before I spend a ton of money on tools (no, I don’t want to buy crappy Tandy kits, hehe) I was wondering if someone knew of classes in northern NJ (Newark, Montclair, etc.) / NYC area? Also, I am not knowledgeable enough to trust myself to buy used tools off ebay. Do you know of a reputable person that sells quality tools? Thirdly, I am within walking distance from C.S. Osborne in Harrison NJ but according to their website they don’t sell to the public. Is this correct? It also seems that their older tools are better quality than what they are making now - do you agree? Where do you buy your new Osborne tools? are they worth it? or should I save my money an buy quality used / custom new ones? thank you kindly for answering my dumb questions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ouchmyfinger Report post Posted March 18, 2012 hey guys, new member here. I am very much interested in making my own leather projects, however before I spend a ton of money on tools (no, I don't want to buy crappy Tandy kits, hehe) I was wondering if someone knew of classes in northern NJ (Newark, Montclair, etc.) / NYC area? Also, I am not knowledgeable enough to trust myself to buy used tools off ebay. Do you know of a reputable person that sells quality tools? Thirdly, I am within walking distance from C.S. Osborne in Harrison NJ but according to their website they don't sell to the public. Is this correct? It also seems that their older tools are better quality than what they are making now - do you agree? Where do you buy your new Osborne tools? are they worth it? or should I save my money an buy quality used / custom new ones? thank you kindly for answering my dumb questions. what kind of projects are you wanting to do, this depends on where to go. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sylvia Report post Posted March 18, 2012 Also, I am not knowledgeable enough to trust myself to buy used tools off ebay. Do you know of a reputable person that sells quality tools? Hi Raquel The older Tandy stuff is good. Anything marked Craftool USA, Craftool Co and even older Craftool with numbers like 943 (no alpha at the beginning) are all old USA made tools that are smooth looking and tool nicely. I've not bought from Bruce Johnson, but he has quite a collection of vintage tools for sale. http://brucejohnsonleather.com/blog/?p=268 On ebay I look for tools that are marked Craftool Co and Craftool USA mostly. The trouble is most of us are out there looking for the next tool we need for our kit. If you are looking for new... Check out http://www.barrykingtools.com There are others but they escape me at the moment. Also check out estate sales in your area for good deals I've seen some folks get great deals on old tools . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Raquel Report post Posted March 20, 2012 what kind of projects are you wanting to do, this depends on where to go. I'd like to start off making belts, small purses and e-reader sleeves. thank you. Raquel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ouchmyfinger Report post Posted March 21, 2012 I'd like to start off making belts, small purses and e-reader sleeves. thank you. Raquel do you want to tool them on veg tan leather or do u want to make them out of other materials. the belts will obviously be veg tan so you will need an edge beveler, dye, chicago screws, buckles, and 2 hole punches(one for the chicago screws and one for the holes for the buckle. you will also need a strap end punch and an oblong punch for the buckle. then you need to find the method you want to use for slicking the edges, i recommend the glycerin soap and some canvas on a grooved slicker. springfield leather can supply you with everything except the canvas and I'm sure you can find that anywhere, i choose to use chicago screws instead of snaps because they are easier to put on the belt and easier for the customers that have a hard time with snaps. plus sometimes those snaps don't work exactly as they should and you really have to put some oomph in it to make them snap and its just too much hassle, and you won't have the opposite effect with them coming unsnapped by themselves with the chicago screws. just be sure to get the right size. purses you will need to find patterns and thats the difficult and fun part, then you will need to make the decision of a sewing machine or sew by hand, there are plenty of conversations on here for both. the e-reader sleeves are easy. i just made one for my gf. i hand stitched it and i didn't plan putting anything on the back then decided to so my borders around the outside didn't match up all to well. anytime you are gluing 2 pieces of leather together you will need to trim the edges to make them even, then sand and edge bevel and slick, so make do with what you may have at home. i use my bench grinder and a smooth wheel and that sands my edges down. i also drill my hand stitching holes with a dremel after i make a groove and use my overstitch wheel to space them out properly. you can also use the dremel to sand the edges of your work, to drill holes with the dremel you will need a small bit and a little kit that will let your dremel accept the smaller bits, so when you switch to the sanding barrel you have to take it apart a little and replace the internal grip thing and its a big hassle, thats why i leave it set up for drilling holes and use the bench grinder. this is the best method i have ever seen for the edges IMO here is also the ebook reader i made a few weeks ago. good luck FinishingEdges-2-15-11.pdf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Raquel Report post Posted March 22, 2012 do you want to tool them on veg tan leather or do u want to make them out of other materials. the belts will obviously be veg tan so you will need an edge beveler, dye, chicago screws, buckles, and 2 hole punches(one for the chicago screws and one for the holes for the buckle. you will also need a strap end punch and an oblong punch for the buckle. then you need to find the method you want to use for slicking the edges, i recommend the glycerin soap and some canvas on a grooved slicker. springfield leather can supply you with everything except the canvas and I'm sure you can find that anywhere, i choose to use chicago screws instead of snaps because they are easier to put on the belt and easier for the customers that have a hard time with snaps. plus sometimes those snaps don't work exactly as they should and you really have to put some oomph in it to make them snap and its just too much hassle, and you won't have the opposite effect with them coming unsnapped by themselves with the chicago screws. just be sure to get the right size. purses you will need to find patterns and thats the difficult and fun part, then you will need to make the decision of a sewing machine or sew by hand, there are plenty of conversations on here for both. the e-reader sleeves are easy. i just made one for my gf. i hand stitched it and i didn't plan putting anything on the back then decided to so my borders around the outside didn't match up all to well. anytime you are gluing 2 pieces of leather together you will need to trim the edges to make them even, then sand and edge bevel and slick, so make do with what you may have at home. i use my bench grinder and a smooth wheel and that sands my edges down. i also drill my hand stitching holes with a dremel after i make a groove and use my overstitch wheel to space them out properly. you can also use the dremel to sand the edges of your work, to drill holes with the dremel you will need a small bit and a little kit that will let your dremel accept the smaller bits, so when you switch to the sanding barrel you have to take it apart a little and replace the internal grip thing and its a big hassle, thats why i leave it set up for drilling holes and use the bench grinder. this is the best method i have ever seen for the edges IMO here is also the ebook reader i made a few weeks ago. good luck your e-reader cover looks amazing! thank you so much for all the info. I will be sewing by hand and eventually would like to learn the different techniques such as stamping, carving, painting, decorative braiding, etc. I've been reading this site for a few weeks and feeling a little overwhelmed with all the info, so I'll just buy whatever I need for each project and then add more tools accordingly. Once again, thank you for your generous advice. This site is awesome!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ouchmyfinger Report post Posted March 22, 2012 your e-reader cover looks amazing! thank you so much for all the info. I will be sewing by hand and eventually would like to learn the different techniques such as stamping, carving, painting, decorative braiding, etc. I've been reading this site for a few weeks and feeling a little overwhelmed with all the info, so I'll just buy whatever I need for each project and then add more tools accordingly. Once again, thank you for your generous advice. This site is awesome!!! Without the tooling u will just need some leather, a stitching groover, overstitcher for your stitching spaces, a way to punch holes, needle n thread. You can still make it look good with some nice dye and finish, or you could just do a nice coat of neatsfoot oil and leave it natural. The good thing about this hobby is that if you do your research and do a good job it can pay for itself. As long as you get some sandpaper, glyceryn soap, and canvas you can make great edges also. You may have to glue stuff together also so possibly some contact cement would be a good investment Tandy sells a good book on Lacing for like 5 bucks. Then you will need lace, Lacing needles (get enough because they do not last long), a way to punch lace holes. Shell out the money for good lace. It's stronger and looks way better when finished. Cheap lace is for boyscouts n breaks easy Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
