What Small Change(S) Helped Improve Your Leatherwork?

[DavidL]

The best tip that helped improve my stitching was sharpening the tip of the awl widening it slightly. Slightly widening the tip helps the awl align with the pricking iron tip the same angle, always in the middle, straightening the stitches.

With all the members on this forum it would be interesting to hear what tips really helped improve your leather work.

[rawcustom]

Too many to list, but one of my best changes was using a sponge for applying dye. Cut off just a portion and rub the first swipes against cardboard before applying to your work. Also learning to apply some oil before dying helped a lot.

[Matt T]

Using a rotary cutter and ruler for cutting straight lines in thin leather. For thick leather, I find that the blade bends and doesn't cut perfectly straight. In that case, I use a ruler and a knife blade (not rotary) that doesn't bend.

Edited May 18, 2015 by Matt T

[ConradPark]

Get a proper oiling stone or water stone and learn how to properly sharpen your tools, this takes time and will be very frustrating, but when you'll finally get the hang of it you'll wonder how you did things before. It affects everything from stitching to cutting.

And finish your projects even if it turns to crap in the middle of it. That will teach you that sometimes you can salvage things anyway, and it actually makes you to be more careful for the next project.

There is nothing wrong and even advisable to use a free template or copy something that is copy free to learn how to make something for the first time. But for the next time, try to do something that is your own, change anything really - size, design, type of leather, etc. This in itself will teach you not to just be a robot.

Do start and finish a project, small or large on a regular basis, especially if you're not sure how to go ahead. You will quickly realize that most questions, answer them self as you're working on your stuff and that there are seldom needed to seek answers through others. Most of the time your questions are because you haven't tried.

[Bob Blea]

When carving leather quality bevelers are worth every penny. If you are starting off and want to improve you carving ability that should be one of the first things you look at.

[Art]

I would say the best thing (that I didn't have when I started, when Pontius Pilate was a Corporal) was YouTube videos. Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage come to mind, but there are many others. If you just pick-up one little thing and try it, it may be worth it.

In addition to that, just making stuff is the greatest benefit. Watch videos, make stuff; even if it is turning to scrap before your eyes, finish it. I'll still have my first sheath and my first knife; didn't have a clue what I was doing, the knife turned out well, the sheath, not so much (engineering was way off, execution was not that bad); no, you can't see it. First tooling project you could call impressionistic at best and modernistic at the more realistic end of the spectrum.

If you don't try, you don't learn.

Draw your own patterns, they will be way less complicated than those pattern packs, and they will actually fit the item too.

Art

[cgleathercraft]

Keep all the scrap you can, that half inch wide piece that is 3 inches long may not be much but it works as a welt! There does come a point to clean the scrap box out, but throwing all the scrap will have you cutting fresh leather for small barely seen parts that scrap is better suited for. A good workbench makes everything easier. Its not a small change, I know, but a few small improvements on an existing workbench could make it a great one! If you use a carpet/razor knife - strop the blade - it makes an enormous difference. Just because it came straight out of the package and can hit bone faster than you can feel it doesn't make it sharp.

Practice, practice, practice...

(engineering was way off, execution was not that bad); no, you can't see it.

I have lots of that stuff laying around, even more found the trash can! lol

[TinkerTailor]

1. Only listen to commercial free preferably mostly instrumental music. Electronic, world, classical, jazz, whatever is well produced and intelligent. Elevator music is for elevators. The goal is to eliminate distractions, and commercials are designed to distract.

Radio Paradise is a great streaming station. (not affiliated)

If in doubt, play bluegrass an full volume. "turn it up to eleven" as they say in spinal tap.

2. When creative blocks occur, sharpen and clean tools. Just touching your tools will move you past the block and create inspiration.

3. Invest in some great freshly roasted coffee, and make use of it. If you have 12 cups, take a break from stitching. Stitchin' and twitchin' don't mix....

(This may be number one actually...)

[rawcustom]

If in doubt, play bluegrass an full volume. "turn it up to eleven" as they say in spinal tap.

Well it's 1 louder isn't it?

[cgleathercraft]

Well it's 1 louder isn't it?

Volume knobs on older amps had volume levels from 1-10. "turning it up to 11" is playing louder than possible because it's awesome. I'm no hardware expert when it comes to music but found that one out playing Guitar Hero and Rockband in college.

2. When creative blocks occur, sharpen and clean tools. Just touching your tools will move you past the block and create inspiration.

Thought this was worth mentioning again since it's helped me out more than I realized until now. Also, clean, well taken care of tools will outlast us and our kids.