What projects do I begin with?

[Trunkdreamingnewbie]

Hi.

I am a complete newbie, and quite in doubt about what tools to get, and what projects to start up with in order to build the right skillset, to be able to end up with by dream project wich is a fully funktioning steamertrunk made of leather. I am prepared that this will take me years, and maybe even decades... but I have already been building my skills in other ancient crafts for 8 years... and what are ten or twenty more in the grand scheme of things? the best pictures of my dream project I could find are below... maybe some of the old dogs in here can tell from them what skills I will need and what smaller projects to start up with.

Thank you so much in advance

[Basically Bob]

I would start by buying three books: 

- the Leatherworking Handbook by Valerie Michaels (she guides you through projects, step by step, starting with simple projects, leading up to advanced projects.  

- the Art of Making leather Cases: Volumes 1 and 2  - perhaps three, later on.

Start with the stitching methods in Michael's book.  All the case making techniques you will need are covered in Stohlman's books.

Also, you tube has gobs of info: check out Leodis Leather and Nigel Armitage - lots more, but sometimes it is tough to sort out the good stuff from bad.

Tools: buy quality, for sure.

 

Edited June 12, 2017 by Basically Bob

[ByNelson]

Hi 

The best thing to do is making a small project and do it like 10-20 times.. like a wallet... then you can practice stitching, edges, cutting until you know the process... then you can move on till bigger things...

tools... make a search.. lots of info here...

dont waist a lot of good leather by making too big projects in the beginning 

Edited June 12, 2017 by ByNelson

[Basically Bob]

JLS Leather, a regular poster on this forum, has several, simple, wallet/case patterns (free) on his website.

ByNelson's advice to start small is very good.  

Edited June 12, 2017 by Basically Bob

[Mattsbagger]

49 minutes ago, Basically Bob said:

JLS Leather, a regular poster on this forum, has several, simple, wallet/case patterns (free) on his website.

ByNelson's advice to start small is very good.  

I second this. Jeff also is good at advise and answers to questions. He is direct and to the point so don't take offence.lol

[LeatherBeast]

Great goals! I agree with everyone here, start with a very basic project so you can get all of the techniques down. Take it step by step. Once you have a good foundation of basics then you can break down any project into the smaller pieces and tackle it that way.

[Grumpymann]

Quote

 

I'm going to buck the trend. Go for gold, keep your feet on the ground and reach for the stars, let your reach out distance your grasp. Try for things that mimic what you want to do. i.e. stitched boxes, photo albums with fancy closures. Clutter up the design over engineer the thing. DREAM BIG and COMPLEX! then when your knee deep in the project,  your sick of looking at it and you just want it done. You can strip all that crap you don't want or need. in the process you will find your ... voice. experiment with what will and won't work and hold in your hand what you like and not like. And play, have fun.

[cjartist]

One thing that all of those trunks have in common is straps.  Practice making some dog collars or belts to learn how to properly finish the edges.

Will your trunks be wood lined?  I would think that would make it much easier to attach certain hardware and also hide some seams.

You may want to learn wet molding for the corner pieces like shown in the first and last photo.

[JLSleather]

2 hours ago, Mattsbagger said:

 Jeff also is ....  direct and to the point so don't take offence.lol

Wait.. what ..

Some free download patterns on my site - and this is the point.  A guycould make those little projects.  If it don't "work out", not out much of anything.  And if it does work out, then you have an actual useable item you can use or sell, not just some scraps sewn together.

For most projects, you'll want rubber cement (or contact cement), stitching awl, harness needles, something to burnish edges with ...

Edited June 12, 2017 by JLSleather

[Stetson912]

Good advice. You will find the literature basicallybob suggested to contain invaluable information. You can even practice with some projects in those books. Start with smaller projects that require the basic tools (as you will use those tools the most) develop your skills with them and you can add on l a little at a time. 

I can say for certain you WILL need a good sharp knife, a skiving knife, a few different sized hole punches(for snaps and rivets), a good awl (or stitching chisels if you prefer), and something like a wood or plastic slicker to burnish edges. That is as basic as it gets. Later on you will want wing dividers for marking stitch lines ect, a v gouge or better yet a French skiver(or both) for gouging fold lines and beveling edges. 

All these tools are mentioned in the books listed above. 

Good luck and happy making!

[Trunkdreamingnewbie]

Thank you all so so much for you quick and kind answers I will take all of your advice to heart an head straight to amazon for the sugested books

The next stop will be a trip to get the basic tools for my first project, which i suspect will be a dog collar...  And again Thank you. I am a bit overwhelmed with the kindness you have all shown me.

PS: I will update when I have progress to show

[Stetson912]

Look forward to seeing what you make. You may also want an edge beveler or two. They come in different sizes. They round off edges and when you burnish said edges it looks good. It's good for belts and collars. Someone should be able to help you pick out a good size to start with(I still only have one size myself because it's all I use) where you go to pick up some tools. 

Just remember you don't need to spend a fortune to start. You can upgrade later when you come to realize what you need and such. But that said you get what you pay for too. The basics are worth spending a little extra on because odds are you'll have m and use em for a while. Just my thoughts, I don't want you to feel like we here are telling you what to do hahaha. 

[480volt]

I spent a lot of time practicing hand stitching on veg tan scrap, using different stitches-per-inch and different threads, till I felt I had some control over it. You're going to want to make/buy/improvise some kind of stitching pony or clam. Since it's trunks you want to do, Brettun's Village has a site devoted to trunk restoration, and a separate site for leather supplies and tools.

[Sceaden]

Leodis Leather has excellent videos including one on tools.

[johnv474]

Hey Trunkdreamingnewbie I share your interest in steamer trunka and the many variations that existed.  Attached is a neat PDF called A Potted History of Leathergoods, written by a professor of fine leatherworking.  His books suggested starting with straps, because much of the basics you need tp learn are included in straps (measuring, cutting, sewing, setting hardware, finishing edges, etc.).  And you will find that straps and belts and bracelets and suspenders are all strap-related... Plus, straps don't require huge amounts of material.  So jump in and make yourself a belt, then make some more belts, and soon you will be covering a trunk in leather, knowing that the straps and handles you make will deserve the attention they get.

 

 

A Potted History Of Leather V3.pdf

[AZNightwolf]

Got nothing to add but a warm welcome. I look forward to seeing your work. I myself chose to jump off the deep end and as such am working on a Dr. type bag for my Harley. In way over my head but learning lots. Good Luck.