COMPLETE beginner..

[Kain]

Hello everyone! I've been admiring all the fantastic artisan work I see around (especially at my local renaissance festival) for a long time now. I do 2-D art, drawing and such, and I dabble in hand-sewing very rarely. I really want to step boldly into the world of artisan crafts, especially leather since it has so many awesome uses.

So, basically, I'm a total beginner. I've poked around to see some of the things that leatherworking involves, but I have so many questions and I have no idea where to begin.

My main question is this: What are the basic tools I'll need for cutting, shaping, engraving, sewing, coloring, etc? I see fifty different $100 knives and I have no clue which I should get. Are there basic tools that people use in most projects? Where should I get them, etc?

I think that if I can figure out what tools to get, I can start messing up.. err, I mean, practicing.

Thanks a lot for your time! (And if this thread is in the wrong forum, moderators, please move it and I'm really sorry. )

[CitizenKate]

To begin with, what sorts of projects are you interested in doing?

Kate

[Kain]

LOTS of stuff. I love rennfest stuff so I suppose I'd be concentrating on all kinds of pouches, belts, and eventually armor. (Though doing little vambraces wouldn't be too hard, maybe!) I'd also like to make leather jewelry like necklaces and bracelets or anklets. Being able to make sturdy bags and leather clothing would be fun, too.

Edit: Oh, and I'd love to do a lot of stuff with tooling and dying, like making cool patterns on stuff!

Edited October 7, 2008 by Kain

[CitizenKate]

Okay, so it looks like we're talking about mostly tooling leather to start out, a considerable amount of stitching, and being able to punch holes and set rivets. Are you interested in much as far as carving and stamping?

Kate

[TwinOaks]

Hi Kain, and to Leatherworker.net!

You've found the best site on the entire web, where experience meets novice in good ways.

To start out, there's several paths to take- visit a store or order online are the two obvious ones. For "find out if I like it", you might want to check out some of the prepackaged beginner kits. They give you a limited, but good selection of tools to try out.

To cut leather, start out with a good pair of scissors/shears and a razor knife. You can use a utility knife for some things, and an exacto type knife for others. Some basic stamping/carving tools like bevelers, and camoflauge will get you started, and some modeling tools will help things along greatly. I have done work with only a modeling tool and a swivel knife, and it turned out well. A decent swivel knife is a must. For coloring, pick up a multipack of dyes. Or, if you don't intend to do too much coloring, Sharpie markers work well. If you want to do stitching, needles and thread of course, or for lacing you'll want some lacing needles. THE basic tools you'll need are as follows: Swivel knife, modeling tool(s), beveler/cams, cutting knife/scissor, and an AWL. You'll use the awl to punch holes in things including leather, your fingers, clothing, expensive/nice furniture, etc. Do a search on how to sharpen one for some good reading. A general idea of how wickedly sharp your awl should be is that it should penetrate at least halfway through a finger or thumb before you feel it.

If you'll be more specific in what you intend to try, I think we'll be able to narrow down your tool list for you.

edit...apparently there was a lot of typing going on while I wrote this....

Edited October 7, 2008 by TwinOaks

[Kain]

Thanks a lot for responding, guys!

Kate: Yes, those are the sorts of things I'd love to do! Though I don't know the difference between tooling and carving leather. Stamping seems like it'd be useful but wouldn't it require getting/making metal stamps? I think I may wanna save it for later in that case!

TwinOaks: Thanks for the greeting! I don't have a car so it'd be most useful for me to order online. What's a swivel knife? It's a tool I see all over the place but I can't tell if it's for cutting or carving or what. :total newbie: That seems like a fairly good list--I think my mom has an awl and I know I have good sewing shears (not sure how good they'd be for leather, but they're sharp and high quality). As for the dyes, can you do detailed color work with them? Like using brushes to do lots of details? Or are there special kinds of paints and so on? And I assume I'd need to seal it to protect it, too..

(And sorry, I'm really excited about finally jumping into all this! :D)

[Surveyor]

Hello Kain,

Welcome to the board. As already suggested, a small prepackaged kit would be a good way for you to get started. These kits have the basic leatherwork manual which will explain the uses of the various tools and stamps included in the kit.

A swivel knife is used to cut out your design for tooling as well as making decorative cuts on the leather.

Don't be sorry for your excitement; no point in doing something you don't enjoy.

[Daniel]

Hello Kain and Welcome,

I also recommend a starters kit. Look for Tandy Leather on you search engine and look at the starter kits and see which one you can afford. If you don't like any of them I am sure we can help you get started with some basic tool ideas little by little. I would also recommend that you look for a Tandy store in your area. They usually have classes that you can take for free in most cases. Also if you can find a Leathercraft Guild in you area that would help alot. You can go alot farther in leathercraft in a Learthercraft Guild especially if you would like to compete in the Leathercraft Shows. You can get some real good deals on tools on EBay, some people will sell their whole collection of leather craft tools for a good price as well. Maybe your Mom will get involved too, it is a lot of fun and you can make some money from it too. Hope this helps.