Homemade tools and ways you have saved money on tools

[bikermutt07]

16 hours ago, fredk said:

What is your thinking on this? I find the question rather vague

Well, if wood doesn't catch fire at 180* then you could make all kinds of molds and pour the plastic in. Possibilities could be endless.

[fredk]

12 hours ago, bikermutt07 said:

Well, if wood doesn't catch fire at 180* then you could make all kinds of molds and pour the plastic in. Possibilities could be endless.

Thats one way. After your suggestion I was thinking of glass bowls and such. Let the HDPE set and prise it out. Use it to mould over or use it as a male form to push the leather into the glass container.

Someone (I can't remember who) posted on here; he used two glass bowls to mould, pushing the leather into the larger with the smaller bowl. But if you only have the one bowl?

[Riem]

Some homemade items I use almost daily:

The funny shaped vegtan item top left is an awl stop. Made from several layers of old, almost disintegrating leather with two scraps glued top and bottom, this is used as backstop for my awl when stitching.

The brown strip at the bottom is also from old, dry leather and is also used as an awl stop used to save the awl blade when I need to make stitching holes on a longer side of an item. (I use an overstitch wheel to mark stitch placement, then push through the leather laid on top of this strip before setting the item in my stitch clamp.)

The awl on top of the leather strip was made from a nail. I did not properly harden and temper the blade before setting it in the handle of an old sponge brush, so the tip is far too soft to use on thicker leather. This is the awl I use to open up a stich hole made with my proper awl if it has closed up somewhat when I come around with needle and thread.

The two tubular items at the top are "finger cosies" I put on my fingers when I stitch. Made from medium thickness chrome tan scraps.

Top right are two leather thimbles from thinish vegtan scraps. Since "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I made these after examples seen here on leatherworker.net

[Rockoboy]

On ‎6‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 2:39 AM, Riem said:

top left is an awl stop

When I am making a hole with an awl, I use a cork sanding block, about 3" X 2" X 1 1/2" as a stop behind the leather being pierced. So much better than using a finger ... who amongst us has not done this with a finger?

[Riem]

Living off the beaten track means that I have to import tools - expensive, and usually out of range of my hobby budget - or attempt to make what I need. So I've 'repurposed' an old putty knife into some sort of skiving knife... Will it hold an edge? Don't know yet, but the steel seems to be OK. Took quite a bit of elbow grease to get an edge using the smaller stone I reserve for awls and tools. After sharpening I stropped it up on my homemade strop, and tested it on a piece of 3.5 mm vegtan. Here it is on top of the strop, and sandwiched between the strop and the stone is the test piece of vegtan strap, turned sideways.

Here's a second view, showing the other side (and the strop is turned also).

 

Edited August 12, 2018 by Riem
Fixed spewling mistake...

[Rockoboy]

On ‎12‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 8:43 PM, Riem said:

I've 'repurposed' an old putty knife into some sort of skiving knife... Will it hold an edge?

I reckon that skiving knife will do a pretty good job. Because the putty knife needs to be flexible, they are usually made from spring steel, so they have some carbon in the steel and can sharpen up a decent edge.

I have sharpened a 4" putty knife as a French scraper. It holds a decent edge, and I used it on timber.   

[immiketoo]

Well, shit.  I haven't saved money anywhere.  At all.  But I do have an awesome set of tools!

[chrisash]

That seems to indicate you don't have a wife who keeps saying "why do you need another one of those" or you have her well trained after all the wives out there let the husbands break the crockery when they dance

[Riem]

6 hours ago, Rockoboy said:

I reckon that skiving knife will do a pretty good job. Because the putty knife needs to be flexible, they are usually made from spring steel, so they have some carbon in the steel and can sharpen up a decent edge.

I have sharpened a 4" putty knife as a French scraper. It holds a decent edge, and I used it on timber.   

Thanks - so far so good. I haven't tortured it (yet) so after a few evenings of light use, it still slices brilliantly. I've had the putty knife in my collection of home maintenance tools for about 30 plus years and it's seen quite heavy use as a scraper. Thinking about it now, converting it to a skiving knife will probably be a "light duty" life for it, hopefully for the next 30 years!

[Riem]

1 hour ago, chrisash said:

That seems to indicate you don't have a wife who keeps saying "why do you need another one of those" or you have her well trained after all the wives out there let the husbands break the crockery when they dance

Hahaha - indeed a hazard to learning and exploration, the guardians of the household budget... But we really do it for them, don't we?

[immiketoo]

2 hours ago, chrisash said:

That seems to indicate you don't have a wife who keeps saying "why do you need another one of those" or you have her well trained after all the wives out there let the husbands break the crockery when they dance

Mine just steals my tools and act innocent when I can't find them

 

[billybopp]

7 hours ago, immiketoo said:

Mine just steals my tools and act innocent when I can't find them

 

I guess that's what happens when ya find yer mate on here!   LOL

[ScoobyNewbie]

Hey! I have always been an advocate of getting the right tool for the right job! And then using it for a door stop, or table leg shim.

Lol!

[immiketoo]

9 hours ago, billybopp said:

I guess that's what happens when ya find yer mate on here!   LOL

Absolute truth!