mikesteel Report post Posted July 19, 2012 Just to start off this forum is outstanding and yes I have searched and read many post before I chose to post so I hope you have a minute to hear me out. The situation I am in is that I have decided to work with leather regardless of how much money I make or how much I have to put in, I am into customizing and restoring or motorcycles, dirtbikes and ATV's and my main goal is to do custom seats for bikes so I can add that finishing touch ( I never understood why people spend 10k on their bike and not a single penny on their seat) even if it is justfor my own bikes. I also want to do biker belts and wallets , wristbands, saddle bags and things of that nature. Now with that being said I believe that you get what you pay for and I love every tool I own, I also know that crappy tools give crappy results and not every high priced tool is worth the money so the dilema I am in leaves me with the fact that I want to purchase every tool I will need for leatherworking. Yes I want to carve, stamp, dye, cut, mold, sew, work leather in most every aspect that you can think of and I want to create a leatherwork shop in my basement. I am not being lazy and wanting you to make me a list of items that I need to buy but more or less I am wondering if there is a place that I can buy everything from in a kit or am I stuck with ebay? I have no problem with buying quality used tools but I dont want to end up buying 4 or 5 different lots of items just to get the things I want and I also dont want to buy just single items at top dollar when I can get them all in a used set for a fraction of the cost. From my research I am looking at spending about from $500-$1000 for a used complete set of leatherworking tools on ebay. While those sets are pretty complete I still need to buy veg tan leather to work with and get back into the swing of things (waste leather) and also leather to work with for projects as I have a few lined up already. I still have to buy grommets, loops, and all those materials. I am sorry for the long post but I know how forums work and I just want to try and answer any questions you might have after reading this post. My main questions are.... Is there any place to buy an actual pro kit? I do not like the tandy kits and I do not like the $995 pro kit on the net as it has so many items that I am not going to use Do you think that the tool kits on ebay are worth the buy? I am talking about someone clearing out their tool sets that they no longer use around 500-1000 What are they key phrases to look for when searching for supplies such as VEG TAN, leather tooling, odd cuts, scraps of veg tan leather? Is there one person that I can deal with for all this stuff and just call it a day? Basically I dont have a problem with investing in myself and I am not rich either so I can waste any money but I honestly want to make this happen and have a few bucks saved up so it is time to turn this into a reality. If you are looking to get out of the business I am looking to get in so please feel free to let me know if you have kits, complete tool sets or a full business in a box that you are looking to get rid of. I know many people spend $200 bucks on a few items and never use them again but I am looking for a complete ready to work the day I recieve the box type of system... does it even exist? A complete kit with all the leather tools , hardware, and leather I will need? I guess I just feel crazy at this point because I have been searching for three weeks now and I have come up with a cheaper price if I leave out the items I dont think I will use but I know that if a tool is in my possesion I will find use for it so I dont think of tools as a waste even if its just used once. Should I just go completely custom and build a kit with only the items I think I am going to use or should I purchase someones used kit? I think if I purchase a used kit I will have everything I need but will still end up buying more stamps for biker related projects and custom things, that may leave me spending twice as much and ending up with a bunch of unused tools. Again thanks so much to everyone that post in the forums as it has provided me with endless hours of reading, information and the solid fact that you guys and gals stick together! Im just looking for a little help here and maybe you can help me from making a mistake or wasting money I could be spending on leather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesmith648 Report post Posted July 19, 2012 Springfield leather would be one good place to start. They also sell wholesale if you have a business and would be worth talking to. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesteel Report post Posted July 19, 2012 Thanks but I unfortunately am not in business and do not have a tax id yet but I am seriously considering it just for the wholesale factor that may help me in the long run with buying the leather. I will check now and see if maybe they are the one stop shop I am looking for. Thanks again for some direction. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesteel Report post Posted July 19, 2012 Yes they have the same "$995" kit for less then I seen other places but that kit seems like a waste of money to me when I look at the tools I can buy for the same amount minus all the things I do not need. Is there anywhere else to find used tools sets other then ebay and estate sales? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesteel Report post Posted July 19, 2012 Oh and by the way I have NO LEATHER TOOLS at the moment , I have a work bench and plenty of tools for bicycles , motorycles , cars and home improvement. I had starter kits over a decade ago but the ex wife was so nice to pack all the tools under weights from my home gym so I havent worked with leather for years. I have worked with fabrics and used leather in cars, to cover seats, dashboards, pillars and other crazy things. I made my own wallets and belts as well as a few for my friends, I used to do vinyl lettering and signs or custom decals so working with a little knife and small details is something I enjoy doing and I sure do miss my osborn swivle knife! How I started with leather was I found a small set of tools at a garage sale and learned on my own purchasing some starter kits and kits that were precut like wallets and belts that are blank. The starter kits really are not bad and I am not knocking them in any way but I do feel that I may have been spoiled by finding that tool box full of leatherworking tools in a garage sale for $25! I dont expect an insane deal like that again but I would really like to find a complete set that someone has been using, I find that they have made the mistakes and have figured out what they need most. There is nothing as frustrating as working on a project and realizing you need another tool in my own opinion. Do you guys and gals think that I should just buy one of the lots on ebay? Would you purchase one of the lots on ebay such as a lot with 96 tools for around $500 and a better lot that I found with everything I would need minus a few specialty stamps I will buy on my own for around $800 I will still need to get leather and rivits, loops, buckles, and hardware leaving me around the $1000 range. I think that spending $1000 and having things to work with is what I really want and the premade kits have too many things that I will not need, I am not making 10 key chains and 4 wallets , I am not reading the books as I still have the ones I purchsed (lol the ex didnt burn those) I guess the real question here is for the people that have thier own little shop area set up whether it is for business or hobby, how much did you spend on everything and how much would you look to get if you sold everything as a package? Just a round about number so I can have an idea of what I might be able to find out there. Thanks for the help and sorry about so much typing I just know from reading all the post in different sections of the forums the more information you put in the more information you can get out so thank you very much for spending a few minutes reading over my post and trying to help! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted July 19, 2012 Springfield leather is a great place to start for many of your tools and supplies, and you don't need a tax id to get their wholesale pricing - it's more like a Costco membership. But, if you're looking to find everything in a kit all you're going to get is cheap crap regardless of where you buy it or how much you spend. I think your best bet is to start small and get a few of the things you'll need then keep adding as stuff comes up. Start with a good swivel knife like a Barry King or Leatherwrangler's SK3 (both available at their own websites), a good set of stamping tools from Springfield (not the basic kit, but comparable tools that hey carry individually), and at least a poly mallet until you can move up to a well crafted maul. Aside from the knife, I have gotten almost everything I use from Springfield, including quality leather of all types. If you give them a call and talk to them about what you want to do they will be more than happy to get you started in the right direction. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesteel Report post Posted July 19, 2012 [Thanks Cyberthrasher I was not sure if it was a place that I could call and speak to someone so they can put together the individual items I want and I agree I see a lot of "less quality" tools in those ebay lots and I do not want crappy tools, I mean I never bent any of my tools while stamping or carving and I have heavy clumsy hands at times. Thanks for letting me know there is an actual person at springfield that can help me even though it says just ask for Kevin on the site I often steer away from internet shops but I will trust that you guys have dealt with the place before. Thanks for the advice I think I will spend today making an actual list so I can call springfeild to see what they can put together for me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesteel Report post Posted July 19, 2012 Wow thanks for the Barry King and leatherwrangler information, the SK3 definitely looks like a well made quality product and barry king has some great mauls stamps and the shopping cart feature is GOLD! I think that you may be right on point and these are the quality tools that I would like to have such as a good swivle knife, round knife, maul things like that are used a lot I do not mind spending $130 on my swivle knife cause its the last one Ill need, $80 on the maul is well worth it when you factor in a crappy mallet will damage your tools. Thanks very much I have no idea about who is out there and there are plenty of places out there to get stuff from but its hard to distinguish what is worth it and what is not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted July 19, 2012 [Thanks Cyberthrasher I was not sure if it was a place that I could call and speak to someone so they can put together the individual items I want and I agree I see a lot of "less quality" tools in those ebay lots and I do not want crappy tools, I mean I never bent any of my tools while stamping or carving and I have heavy clumsy hands at times. Thanks for letting me know there is an actual person at springfield that can help me even though it says just ask for Kevin on the site I often steer away from internet shops but I will trust that you guys have dealt with the place before. Thanks for the advice I think I will spend today making an actual list so I can call springfeild to see what they can put together for me. They're all great people who work there. Kevin is a member here and regularly chimes in. I usually talk to Emma when I call, since she's who answers. When I was ordering my BK knife (still can't afford an SK3) I was a little intimidated by the blade options. There was a thread around here somewhere with either Bob Park or Bruce Johnson talking about their recommended blade/barrel sizes (I'm really bad with details and can't even remember what I have). I'll see if I can find it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted July 19, 2012 That was easier than I thought http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=38551&view=findpost&p=239430 In summary, 1/2" barrel with 3/8" blade as recommended by Bob Park. I chose the 3/8" Thick blade over the thin since it was more of what I'm used to and matched up with the work I'm doing. If you buy from BK grab one of their keen edge sharpeners too since they're supposedly modified to fit their blades as well as the standard Tandy blade. I don't know if LW does the same or not, but I'm sure they'd let you know. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesteel Report post Posted July 19, 2012 Thanks I was also intimidated by all the options as I never ordered brand new and only used the tools I has so I did not know exactly what to order but I actually did read the post that you linked to earlier in order to try and figure out what works best for my hands. I have pretty big hands size xl gloves usually dont get past my thumb so a larger swivle knife feels better I think. The OC knife I got with the set I found was 10 times better in bad shape then the one I got when I ordered a new small set with a few shaders , pear, vien and a couple of other stamps. I think I wasted $50 bucks on that buy and the knife that came with it sat in my box unused after the first cut with it. Thanks for the really good advice it is solid and just about covers everything I needed to know. I am guessing that the odds of me finding a quality used set is slim to none being that most people that spent decent money on decent tools are still using them and the lots that I am finding on ebay are just the hobbiest collections when they are done. I will still keep an eye out for used tools but thanks to you now I know better then to buy a bunch of tools just because there are many, I will focus on the main tools and spend a little more on those then I will keep an eye out for some stamps and lots of tools for the other little things I need. Again thanks very much for the help! I think this may just work out and I will update when I finally end up putting everythinig together. I figure I will order sometime next week and that gives me about a week to get my workspace set up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted July 19, 2012 Sounds good. I'm really glad I could help you out. Don't hesitate to ask if there's anything else. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
