mum & daughter newbies from Australia

[tojoful]

Hi, we're mother and daughter (13) . My daughter is horse mad, (but sadly we don't have the room or money to buy her one), I think she loves leather because it's a smell familiar around horses. Anyway, she has made a couple of belts under the instruction off an old saddler, who was going to teach her more things like bridles, pouches etc. Unfortunately he is no longer able to give her lessons, so I am trying to learn from youtube how to do leathercraft so I may be able to teach her some more basics. I like to dabble with art and can sew so I guess I'm a little bit crafty (have never sewn leather though which i know is completely different). We are going to have a go at making personalised dog collars and belts and try to sell them for a bit of money to afford to buy more tools and leather and make better products. She wants to get into saddlery but is way to young for an apprenticeship or anything yet, so at least this will give her a bit of experience/exposure. Just trying to work out the most basic of tools we can get away with to get started, so much googling it is making my head spin but at least I discovered this great site, which I'm sure will be invaluable to our learning. (I'm new to forums too, so hope i have posted this right  )

Thanks

Edit:  according to IP address, location is Gladesville, New South Wales.  I suggest everyone include their location in their profile, so local peoples can add or help with sources, etc.

 

Edited December 2, 2016 by northmount
location

[cowboycolonel]

Tojo,

Your post was fine.  There's such a wide variety of techniques and approaches that it's about impossible where to go first.  I guess I'd start with a good head knife and a sharpening system that you can use.  The best advice I can give it to always use sharp tools.  Otherwise you'll ruin leather and your fingers.  Start simple - like making strap goods - belts, dog collars, etc.  Remember to sew with the run of the leather and not across it, as this just perforates the leather and weakens the product.  Get a good quality contact cement for heavy duty holding and a rubber cement for light work.  Keep your awl sharp and be consistent in your stitches.  Practice on your "scrap" and soon you will find that you don't have any.  Don't be bashful.  People on here will help you all they can.  Just watch and read, and chime in as you want.  Best of luck and welcome to the forum.

[JerseyFirefighter]

Personalized belts and dog collars I would suggest: 

A utility knife

Edge Beveler

Dye and or Neatsfoot oil if you are using natural leather

A beeswax and/or glycerine soap for edge burnishing

A burnisher

Either a Rotary Punch or a multi sized hand punch

A sealer such as resolene

A rivet setter and anvil (depends on how you want to secure your belts or decorate them

Finally, you should invest tens of hours and then some between here and youtube. The ultimate means to learn without a mentor is trial and error with hands on experience. I've made well over 1000 straps since I have started and every so often I have a light bulb moment where I find I can make my straps more accurately, more durable, and more efficiently. The information is there. The fact that you are here is great. Now take this vast wealth of resources and use it to your advantage. 

[AussieMade]

Welcome from a fellow Aussie (Brisbane). Where abouts are you located? There are a few really good suppliers in Australia where you can get some really good quality leather and tools from. Don't be afraid to post up what you have already made, Its the best way to learn by showing us what you have done and finding out how to improve your work. 

Youtube is your best friend. There are also classes offered in belts, bags, wallets, carving and tooling etc. for all ages at some suppliers as well.

Most important thing is don't give up, have fun learning, and encourage your daughter as much as possible, our kids are our future.

Cheers Damien

[Dwight]

And another welcome from an old US Navy sailor who had the privilege almost 50 years ago of spending almost a week on the Gold Coast, . . . ship tied up in Brisbane.

As AussieMade said, . . . lots of info on here and on youtube, . . . go for it.

I would comment on a couple of earlier posts though, . . . be careful of the head knife, . . . it is a wonderful tool if used properly and carefully, . . . and it can cut you or a loved one in a heartbeat, . . . in a way you never want to be cut.  I used one for a couple of years, . . . finally just quit having to count all my extremities every time I used it, . . .made a case for it and threw it in the bottom drawer where it resides today.  

A razor knife (utility knife / drywall knife) is adequate for just about any leather you will use in the things you mentioned.  

BUT, . . . one extra tool you might invest in is a strap cutter.  It will cut really good, straight, same sized straps for you with minimal effort.  It does also have a bit of a danger factor like the head knife, but if you and she are careful, . . . it'll save you a ton of time, . . . and is very accurate on the cuts.

Best wishes, . . . please show us what you are doing.  We all love pictures.

May God bless,

Dwight

[JLSleather]

On the utility knife and strap cutter, me too.  The only benefit I found of a head knife or round knife was being able to say I have one, which is of no value at all to me.  Oh, it will help you get rid of $100 US dollars (give or take) if you have too many of those your way

But a $5 utility knife and a straight edge makes a nice line on one side of a leather hide, and a strap cutter (little hand held model) makes straps pretty quickly.

I am, however, the dissenting opinion on why-tube (which is named because WHY would someone spend hours and hours of their life weeding through crap ...).  Which is not to say that there isn't ANYthing useful there.... but in all the videos I've seen and had someone recommend, I actually found use in about 3 of them (and one of those was cute girls in a country music video  ).

If the aim is to make a bit of money and kill a little time, that can be done easy enough.  If she'd like to go past that "bop it and slop it" routine, then you'll want to learn to recognize good leather, and how to gauge the moisture content of it for proper leather working (which I imagine can be taught by video, but I don't know that it has been).  You'll get people on about letting the leather dry until "cool to the touch" (because they heard someone say that before)... but completely dry leather will be "cool to the touch" in a room which is 68°F., and thus means nothing really.

By the way, sewing leather isn't completely different from sewing fabric.  I'm no sewing expert by any stretch, but have done both.  The machines tend to be heavier and more rugged, it's true, but the idea is the same.

So I would actually offer TWO pieces of advice:  

• Ask questions, but
• weigh the answers

 

Edited December 2, 2016 by JLSleather

[cowboycolonel]

Different strokes -- as they say. I find the box knife dangerous and useless but use the head knife ALL THE TIME.,  Guess it depends on what you're used to and what you become proficient with.  I have a saddlemaker friend who uses box knives and another who uses hand-held razor blades.  AS for me --Head knife.  If I were doing solely strap goods, the first thing I'd buy would be a strap cutter - Draw knife takes some getting used to.  Even after doing this for years I rarely use mine.

[billybopp]

You might want to check out this video by Ian Atkinson about starter leather tools on youtube.  He also has a list of those tools with prices in UK pounds.  It covers a pretty good selection of the basics.  Everybody will have a slightly different list, but this is a good starting point. A couple of things I'd suggest, if you don't already have something serviceable are a folding utility knife, as the blade will have very little wobble compared to the retractable type.  You may also find that a cork or rubber backed straight edge/ruler won't slide around so easily in use.  Hobby knife sets are inexpensive, if you don't already have them.  For my part, I find the standard hobby knife #11 blade a little flimsy for leather and prefer the beefier #22 blades.

 Many of the tools that you need initially you may already have, such as a cutting surface, utility knife, hobby knife, hammer, lighter and such.  Now, note that the tools he lists are oriented toward assembling things made of leather.  Decorating, or tooling, leather is a different subject .. BUT most things that are tooled also need to be assembled, so it's a good starting point.  

Another really great resource, is the Tandy leathercraft library.  Amongst the first things I'd suggest on there are the leathercraft tools book, and the handsewing leather book.  I have hard copies of both and still refer back to them often.  Many others of the books are very useful as well .. the Stohlman books were written long ago, and many of the projects in them are now dated BUT the techniques they teach are still valid and timeless.  

Most projects involve at least some amount of sewing, and the Tandy book is a good start, but you may also want to check out Youtube videos by Nigel Armitage.  Nigel has several saddle-stitch videos and a some project videos as well.   UKSaddlery's videos are also well worth a look!  (They are also members here, and occasionally kick in with answers to questions).

The last thing I'd add is sharpening tools.  Leather cutting tools must be sharp.  VERY sharp.  There are a lot of options here, and you may well have stones, a strop, etc. already.  The leathercraft tools book above gives some good info on how to sharpen tools. There is a forum on here all about sharpening that's very useful.  If you're on a budget, the Scary Sharp method works well, although I feel their suggestion to use "float glass" is overkill.  I use my glass topped coffee table and it works well.  There is also a youtube video by Paul Sellers showing the scary sharp method on wood chisels.  It'll give you a good idea of how this works.  I should add here, that even utility knife blades from the box, while sharp, often still have grinding marks on the cutting edge and can benefit from some stropping to make them really sing.   Also worth noting, sharpening is a handy, life long skill that's terribly useful.  My kitchen knives are now more useful than ever since I've learned to sharpen well!

Hope that helps

 Bill

 

[JLSleather]

Knives, cutters, videos, books.... uhh.. just a thought here -- some of your money will need to go toward leather.  Hey, don't laugh -- I've seen a number of people so determined to buy tools they spent all their money and had no leather to use the tools on!

I've got some stuff around here I wouldn't mind givin' a youngster who was interested.. just send a message if you want it.

 

[billybopp]

11 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

Knives, cutters, videos, books.... uhh.. just a thought here -- some of your money will need to go toward leather.  Hey, don't laugh -- I've seen a number of people so determined to buy tools they spent all their money and had no leather to use the tools on!

I've got some stuff around here I wouldn't mind givin' a youngster who was interested.. just send a message if you want it.

 

LOL.  Good point.  There are other things as well.  They all go hand in hand, tho.  Leather is not much use unless you know what to do with it and have a few tools around to use too.  Also worth mentioning are consumables such as glue, dye, finishes, needles, thread, and hardware such as belt buckles.  Just about any of the above is worthy of their own subject (and frequently are on here)!  Good leather vs. so so is a huge thing .. It's not the place to go for cheap.  JLS doesn't do crappy leather, so that's a very generous offer!

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

2 hours ago, cowboycolonel said:

Different strokes -- as they say. I find the box knife dangerous and useless but use the head knife ALL THE TIME.,  Guess it depends on what you're used to and what you become proficient with.  I have a saddlemaker friend who uses box knives and another who uses hand-held razor blades.  AS for me --Head knife.  If I were doing solely strap goods, the first thing I'd buy would be a strap cutter - Draw knife takes some getting used to.  Even after doing this for years I rarely use mine.

I gotta agree with Colonel here. I have a box cutter/utility knife, and other non-leatherworking knives, but if I had to use one, I'd spend half a day looking for any one of them.  I absolutely can't function without my round knife. HOWEVER there is a learning curve to them, and if you don't get a good one and know how sharp SHARP actually is, they can be downright dangerous. In that case, you may be better off with one of the others.  About the only thing I use a box cutter for, is cutting boxes. . Seriously, I burn wood in the shop, and I cut up cardboard to start my fires.  But as I don't know where those knives are, I've been using my Gerber tool, which stays right on my belt.  Anyway, I digress.

At 13 years of age, if you can find a saddler within a decent distance that would be willing to teach here some things, she is not too young. I realize you could run into labor laws, insurance issues, etc, but my boys, all 3 of them, were helping me in the shop before they were that old.  Those were some of the best times of my life.  Of course, I realize that since they were MY kids, none of those issues I mentioned applied.

You've gotten some good advice, best of luck to you and your daughter!

[HBAR]

I always used a utility knife, thinking it was easier.  Then I took a class with Chris Andre of Slickbald.com

I now hate to use a utility knife.  After I was properly taught how to use a head knife and a good one it is night and day different.  The head knife is so so smooth and manuverable.   I have an old osborne head knife and it sucks.  The smaller ones with different shapes and features are great.  I think leather wrangler makes or sells some of them. 

If I was learning from the start again, I would get trained to use a head knife and use it properly.

[daljitgroup]

i like your post and want to give you a suggestion that youtube video search is better.

[tojoful]

Thank you everyone for some great advise and pointers on where to start. Sorry I haven't been back to thank you before now, like I said I'm new to forums as well and have been reading other peoples posts on here instead of coming back to check mine.

Aussiemade - We're in Newcastle/Hunter region NSW. I don't have to encourage her at all, she is very keen to get started.  

JLSleather - thanks for the offer, I'm not sure how to message you but will experiment. Yes I almost went over board on tools etc - looked at total of shopping basket and was up to $600 - without leather and without all the fancy tools and stamps I'd like to buy!  Had to clear it and start again with just the things we need to get started. So many things to get, so little money to get it with 

I've bought pre-cut belt lengths to start with, but will definitely have to buy some leather. I looked at different knifes and didn't know which sort to get. The strap cutters look like a great tool, for now we just have a retractable craft knife, but will get something better when we start buying pieces of leather. My brother used to be a butcher so will get a lesson in knife sharpening off him.

Have also ordered some basic tools off ebay, (9pc hole punch, edge beveller, stitch groover, awls, needles, thread, alphabet stamps and one of those cheap 20pc stamp sets which are probably no good but it's a start. Also got press studs & setter, rivets, buckles, resolene, dye, conditioner and a zoingo boingo (lol -just trying to trick you, that's for my other daughter). Now just have to sit back and wait for the mailman to deliver it all - which since it's almost Christmas will probably be mid January! Guess we'll research some more while we wait and look up the links you guys have given us.

Thanks heaps, will definitely put up pics of her attempts for guidance/feedback.

 

[AussieMade]

5 hours ago, tojoful said:

Aussiemade - We're in Newcastle/Hunter region NSW. I don't have to encourage her at all, she is very keen to get started.  

There are some good suppliers down that way:

Not sure how far Botany is from you but there is:

Birdsall Leathercraft: http://www.birdsall-leather.com.au/

There is also the Leather Workers Guild of NSW, they hold a lot of workshops etc. and are a wealth of knowledge: http://www.leatherworkersguildnsw.org.au/

There are also some good online shops as well up this way in Brisbane,

Maclace is one of them: http://www.maclace.com.au/

Good luck, looking forward to seeing what you and your daughter produce.

Cheers Damien

[tojoful]

Thanks Aussiemade, yes I have just in the last few days stumbled across the Birdsall website, it looks good - in price and in the variety of stuff they sell. I saw on their website they have lessons as well - I'm born and raised in the bush and small country towns, hate driving in more than 2 lanes of traffic and avoid cities at all costs. I might just have to toughen up cause they are only a couple of hours from us and look to have some amazing lessons on different things, for us learners and also for the experienced. Plus it would be great to look and feel (and smell) the products instead just seeing them on my computer screen.

I'm going straight over to look at the leather workers guild website now, I've been looking on facebook for "groups" but not finding much at all. Thanks heaps for your help.

Ta 

Jo

[Chain]

Jo

there is a Facebook page for Aussie Leathercrafters.  Sylvia from Birdsall is quite active there.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/aussieleathercrafters/

 

 

[tojoful]

Thank you Chain, just joined the group this morning after reading your message. Have already been given some great advice/direction from one of the admin on the group.

Thanks heaps