Leather Aprenticship

[Roxindirt]

Hey guys ive been teaching myself everything I can about leather work but I would really like to find someone to learn from. I live in Gilbert AZ and ive been to every saddle maker in the area (2) and have had no luck! If there is anyone you guys could point me to or if any of you would like to help I would greatly apreciate it! Im in college and I cant pay for classes but im willing to do anything to gain more knowledge. If you can help in any way please let me know anything helps. Thanks for your time!

[johnv474]

Are there any leather groups or guilds in your area?

It helps to know what types of leatherwork you hope to do. Saddlery and harness? Construction (bags, pouches, holsters, sheaths, wallets)? Decoration (tooling, carving, stamping, pyrography)? Clothing (costumes, chaps, fashion)?

In the absence of a teacher, much of what you need is available via Youtube, these forums, Leathercraftlibrary, web searches for specific topics, Pinterest, and Google Books.

There are more hobbyists than there are apprenticeships, but if you want to find a place to learn about many kinds of leatherwork, you may look into finding a club (usually these are for tooling and stamping, and secondarily for construction), a makerspace (though leatherwork is usually not the top priority), or asking if the local shoe repair shop will let you put in some hours helping out. Those shops repair bags, holsters, shoes, and luggage regularly and are often asked to make custom straps or belts, so that could be a place to larn about construction and finishing work.

[Jwalker]

Tandy does some classes...and there are several groups on Facebook that are a hUge help

[simontuntelder]

Ask around for retired guys.

They'll have way more time and wealth of knowledge that they're often eager to pass on.

Ask around at the local leather shop, cobbler, saddler or wherever people work or deal with leather.