Newbie Looking For Direction

[mdely]

Hey all,

As you may have already assumed from the title of my post, I am a fresh newcomer to the leather crafting scene and I could not be more excited. I have always been one to work with my hands, as I loved wood working at an early age. Now that I have graduated college and am about to start my new career in corporate America, I thought I could use a new hobby as an outlet from my full time job. I was first interested in leathercraft when I stumbled upon a company called Bellroy, which designs and manufactures really cool minimalist leather wallets. I decided that I would like to make wallets somewhat similar to the ones on their website and potentially start a brand of my own.

http://bellroy.com/wallets/note-sleeve-wallet <-- Another Example

Aside from these types of wallets, the only other items I would really be interested in making someday would be tablet/laptop/phone cases and notebooks. I do not expect to be able to make any of these items at the start of my long voyage, as I am aware that practice makes perfect, particularly with leathercraft. Now that you have a good idea where I am coming from and where I want to go, here are the main questions I have for all of you:

1. Which (if any) of the popular leathercrafting starter kits would be worth purchasing, knowing that I am really only interested in crafting wallets, cases and notebooks? I know the tandy leather deluxe kit is widely recommended, but I am unsure that would be the best kit for me to get.

2. If you don't think i should buy a starter kit, could you recommend the necessary tools i will need to start my work?

3. What types of leather would you recommend for making wallets similar to the ones on the Bellroy website? I understand that I probably should not be experimenting with more expensive and higher quality leathers, but I would love to know for my personal research and future usage.

4. What type of leather should I use for experimenting while learning the craft?

Thanks in advance to all those who reply! The support I have seen from this forum is incredible and I hope to contribute myself later down the line. I was planning on taking a class or two for professional guidance, but I could not find any in my area within a reasonable budget.

[barehandcustoms]

1. Personally I would stay away from the starter kits. You learn a lot by having to design and cut out your own templates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1pAMZQpYFA

2. Tools you will need by Ian Atkinson *great guy to learn from*

3. Buying Horween leather squares from Springfield Leather would be a good start when you are ready for that grade of material. By the time you are ready to start making actual branded products you will have a laundry list of leathers you prefer though.

4. Buy some cheap goat leather or Economy grade leathers from various vendors. I would recommend trying several varieties as you start learning to get a feel for different leathers. For wallets I tend to cut out my designs using thick sketch paper first and then using it as a template on the leather.

Hope that helps

Edited July 16, 2014 by barehandcustoms

[mdely]

Thanks so much for the help! I just had a couple of follow up questions:

1. It seems like there are a lot of tools covered by Ian in his video. At the end he mentions that there are other tools he did not mention in his video that may be useful. From your own knowledge, would you happen to know if there would be any specific tools i would need for wallet projects?

2. Because I am not using any starter kits for guidance, I am planning on using Ian's videos, this website, and the following three books:

The Art of Making Leather Cases Vol. 1 - Al Stohlman

http://www.amazon.com/The-Making-Leather-Cases-Vol/dp/1892214946

The Art of Hand Sewing Leather - Al Stohlman

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Hand-Sewing-Leather/dp/1892214911/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z

Leatherworking Handbook: A Practical Illustrated Sourcebook of Techniques and Projects - Valerie Michael

http://www.amazon.com/Leatherworking-Handbook-Illustrated-Sourcebook-Techniques/dp/1844034747/ref=zg_bs_5151_1

Are there any other resources you think i might find helpful for my specific projects?

Thanks again for the advice!

[barehandcustoms]

There are a lot of niche tools out there for leather. They will usually collect dust in your shop but absolutely excel at the specific task they were created for. One thing not in the video that you will need are stitching punches. I would get a 4 prong and a 2 prong.

He is most likely referring to tools strap cutters, stitching horse, various punches and numerous other tools.Eventually you will build up a wider variety of tools so don't get bogged down on the idea of missing one.

As far as learning goes, I watched almost every video Ian had posted multiple times before I ordered my first tool. In my opinion he has some of the best how to videos you can watch. Those books might bore you to death but it wont hurt to read them. Videos and books are great but you have to get started if you really want to learn. Most of what I know came from getting out in the shop and messing up until I figured things out.

P.S.

Buy good tools now so you don't have to buy new ones later to replace the cheap stuff. If you plan on selling leather then you might as well invest now in good tools.

Edited July 16, 2014 by barehandcustoms

[mlapaglia]

As another way of doing things instead of stitching punches get a good diamond awl and an over stitch wheel. There is a major difference of opinion regarding stitching punches, Diamond awl and Prickling irons. Prickling irons park the location to push the awl through just like the over stitch wheel does. Some people use prickling irons to punch holes in thinner leather some dont. The point being there are many opinions and suggestions you will get that are at times all correct. Find someone you trust, on or off line and go with what they suggest to start. Then after you get a feel for it you might change your view point. I started with Diamond stitching punches. 4, 2 and 1 hole. Now I only use a diamond awl when I hand stitch. FYI I also have a sewing maching for leather but that's down the road for you. A lot of people handstitch everything and it looks great. better than machine stitching.

I wish there were a simple answer but there is not. There are too many ways to get the same job done. Buy fewer tools than too many to start and then but what you need as you need it. To make the wallest you showed in the link you could go with as little as a:

Good (sharp) knife to cut out the leather

An edging tool in 2-3 sizes

a skiving tool to thin edges when needed

a Diamond Awl with handle

Overstitch wheel or prickling irons in the SPI (stitch per inch) you plan to use

Stitching pony. (this is almost a must if you hand stitch)

good quality thread

ruler

contact cement

dye

finish

compass

gouge

And a few I probably forgot and a few you might not need. The video above is a good place to start. Dont worry about the other things he didnt mention. You will know when you need a new tool and we can tell you which are the good ones.

Dont get overwhelmed. Start small.

Michael

[ClaireAshton]

I think the most important point to understand is that many of the nice looking small leather items for sale on the web are not handcrafted but basically assembled on production line, to all intents and purposes. Unless you are willing to invest in some machinery, such as sewing machine, skivers etc. then you will not be able to reproduce what they sell. What you can do,is to provide one off, totally handmade, items such as wallets that you sell to a customer who has specified certain features.

My advice is to make for yourself wallets, book covers and so on to learn the techniques and gain the confidence to actually make a commission. Once you can make items as good as Ian's or those of Nigel Armitage (Armitage Leather on You Tube videos) then you can be confident they would be acceptable to the public.

The Stohlman books are excellent for the basics and very clear instruction, but do use You Tube as there are some superb instructionals on there.

Good luck!

[DavidL]

The type of stuff bellroy does is more advanced and you will struggle with the folded edge and getting a flawless assembly. i'd think it would take 100 hours after you learn the basics (probably 2 years) to get the same looking wallet as bellroy by hand and no machinery. A regular card holder maybe 4 months to get a good looking one.

It starts from pattern making - hand cutting and skiving - gluing - stitching - finishing

Pattern making - Knife *must be sharp (olfa), paper or cardboard, good ruler that is heavy duty, 90 degree ruler

Handcutting and skiving - hand skiver or dremel tool.

gluing - brushes and contact cement

stitching - awl, stitching pony, needles, thread, beeswax, compass/gouge, pricking iron size 7 - this tools can be $60 -220 for euro tools or 12-20 for japanese.

finishing - if dyeing leather then you need a finish like resolene, edge paint

cost around $80-200 depending on the quality of the tools.

Stohlman art of hand sewing is highly praised, although it only has very basic info that can be found in-depth on youtube.

A japanese wallet making book is a good place to start.

Edited July 24, 2014 by DavidL

[ClaireAshton]

......................A japanese wallet making book is a good place to start.

Any in particular? I tried a general google search but only came up with books in Japanese language, which I'm not about to start learning.....

[DavidL]

leathercrafttool.com has a few. They have a few on ebay translated in mandarin if by chance you can read it or know someone who does. Other than that its mostly a step by step picture tutorial that isn't too hard to figure out.

[mdely]

First off, thanks all to those who provided such great advice. I definitely feel like i have a better grasp of where I need to start out.

As for the Japanese Wallet Book...

They have a few on ebay translated in mandarin if by chance you can read it or know someone who does. Other than that its mostly a step by step picture tutorial that isn't too hard to figure out.

I believe this is the most comprehensive book on the web that I found, which fits the description: The Making of Leather Wallets

Thanks Again!

[DavidL]

if you do buy that book leathercraftool has the book for $25ish dollars