How did you get into leather work?

[DarkGoku]

16 hours ago, bikermutt07 said:

This thread is turning into a great read. Thanks, Roland.

@DarkGoku, I bet you think that 600 dollars is a steal now?

The ongoing joke around here is... I can make that wallet, belt, holster, etc, it's just some leather and thread...

$3,000.00 later we have a belt or wallet we are willing to live with.

LMAO!!!  oh man, over the stretch of time working with leather, I have learned the value of hard work, and quality in a product. I love it, that is a funny truth I seem to fall into so many times!

[Boriqua]

I had/have a thing for handmade knives. I purchased one from a maker who escapes me now sometime around 1990. I contacted a gentleman whose business name was "Treestump Leather" to ask about a sheath. I had very specific desires and he quoted me a price, if memory serves, of about $60.

I thought .. I don't need it made of gold .. just leather and decided to buy the materials and make it myself. I am a pretty handy guy and used to be fairly competitive so figured if there is a man on the planet that can do it .. I can do it too.

Ummmm turns out ... NO! I made a complete hunk of junk and by the time I expended all the material I spent at LEAST $60. It was bone stupid to put a $300 knife in a junk ugly sheath worth about $3.

I then ordered the sheath from him we had talked about.

What arrived was a thing of beauty and built like a tank. Just a fine fine piece of workmanship. It was stunning to me in every way. Being a motorcycle guy from the 70's I was an aficionado of leather work.

All it did was make me want to figure it out even more. If he could do it then it can be done!

I started selling my stuff early on to a well known saddlery shop in Manhattan and making biker bags but I was determined to figure out how that man made something so tight and beautiful. It helped pay for art supplies when I went to back to school at the School of Visual Arts.

I don't know if he is still in business or if someone here knows him. He appeared in some photos to be about mid forties early 50's at the time but if you know who I am talking about and he is still kicking .. tell him he cost me a fortune and led me down a rabbit hole that I am still working through!! If it weren't for his work .. I probably would have dropped it.

Tell him thank you!

That was 1990/91 .. I only hope that when people get stuff in the mail from me ... they feel 1/3 of what I felt when I got that damn sheath!!

 

Edited April 10, 2018 by Boriqua

[bikermutt07]

1 hour ago, Boriqua said:

I had/have a thing for handmade knives. I purchased one from a maker who escapes me now sometime around 1990. I contacted a gentleman whose business name was "Treestump Leather" to ask about a sheath. I had very specific desires and he quoted me a price, if memory serves, of about $60.

I thought .. I don't need it made of gold .. just leather and decided to buy the materials and make it myself. I am a pretty handy guy and used to be fairly competitive so figured if there is a man on the planet that can do it .. I can do it too.

Ummmm turns out ... NO! I made a complete hunk of junk and by the time I expended all the material I spent at LEAST $60. It was bone stupid to put a $300 knife in a junk ugly sheath worth about $3.

I then ordered the sheath from him we had talked about.

What arrived was a thing of beauty and built like a tank. Just a fine fine piece of workmanship. It was stunning to me in every way. Being a motorcycle guy from the 70's I was an aficionado of leather work.

All it did was make me want to figure it out even more. If he could do it then it can be done!

I started selling my stuff early on to a well known saddlery shop in Manhattan and making biker bags but I was determined to figure out how that man made something so tight and beautiful. It helped pay for art supplies when I went to back to school at the School of Visual Arts.

I don't know if he is still in business or if someone here knows him. He appeared in some photos to be about mid forties early 50's at the time but if you know who I am talking about and he is still kicking .. tell him he cost me a fortune and led me down a rabbit hole that I am still working through!! If it weren't for his work .. I probably would have dropped it.

Tell him thank you!

That was 1990/91 .. I only hope that when people get stuff in the mail from me ... they feel 1/3 of what I felt when I got that damn sheath!!

 

Love it!

[ljk]

It's been a fifty year adventure starting with upholstery and auto trim, followed by leather garments in the motorcycle industry.

Today I'm veg tanning deer and elk for use in boots, shoes, wallets and purses. All but the current hobby were for

profit businesses.  I've had to adjust to have any success    While looking for past info and pricing  I have some

evidence of an alarming pattern. Namely the continued effort too utilize subepidermal (split) leather) into top

grain product. This has happened with me, getting corrected product not as advertised.  The term full grain

was not in my info 25 years again.  Top grain was.  We should question any supplier that does not divulge all info.

[bikermutt07]

@ljk, it has been touched upon several times around in the last few years. Many suppliers even big ones use the terms  top and full grain interchangeably. 

I think anyone selling corrected grain should divulge such information, at least on the pieces that seem to appear natural. I wouldn't expect them to have to divulge that if we are talking about garment or printed leathers.

[rodneywt1180b]

I haven't been involved in leather long.  I mainly got into it as another option I can add to my canes-leather grips and wrist straps.  I've only made a few so far and have a long way to go before I I'll be completely satisfied with my work.  There are a few other leather projects I may attempt at some point, like a decent harness for our dog, but right now my focus is canes.

[Retswerb]

Thanks for the fun thread, @Rolandranch.

Like so many, I had a brief taste of stamping and lacing from a Tandy kit as a kid (in the 80s). I don’t remember much but I think I did some coasters, etc.

I'm not much into cowboy/western stuff so didn’t pay any attention to leather goods for years, I had only that association in mind. Ran across a (crappy) tutorial online a couple of years ago for a leather wallet and it got me interested again. Wife bought me a Tandy starter set in 2016 and I dove in. First project was a simple journal cover. Of course that was immediately followed by more covers, coin purses, keychains, knife sheath, etc, just finished a dog collar and working on my first belt. Love it! And now of course I have a huge appreciation for all that beautiful Sheridan & floral work I thought I didn’t like. 

Trying to figure out now how to begin selling some stuff to pay for more leather and tools. Not interested in making a living from it, just can’t afford to keep buying leather!

[Sheilajeanne]

Retswerb, how true is that! LOL!

[immiketoo]

On 4/9/2018 at 7:03 PM, DarkGoku said:

I started back in 06'(-ish) I walked into a leather armor shop at a Ren-fair and saw on a shelf, a pair of very nicely made gauntlets. I picked them up and tried them on, and very impressed now. Having a couple hundred bucks I felt confident enough to ask the price. $600 was the response. Not knowing anything about leather, I kinda scoffed and put them right back on the shelf, annoyed that they were asking so much, I turned around and walked out of the shop. I'm the type of person, if a cant buy it I will find a way to make it. So the next day I found a Tandy leather by my house and it happened to be a class day, so I stayed for the carving lesson. I have been doing it ever since, and love it today as I did when I got my first deluxe kit 

Would have been cheaper than the original 600 bucks I'll bet!  But the journey is priceless.

I got my start from a career in law enforcement and carrying crappy holsters.  My family is filled with creative people, and all I had ever been was a consumer.  I got tired on not being able to do anything other than buy things, and so after having a conversation with my dad about the "holsters" he made when I was a kid, I was encouraged to go to Tandy near my house.  A few thousand dollars later, I had my first beginner kit  and a new passion.  Like Jeff, I mangled hide after hide, trying to figure out this craft.  Leatherworker.net was a huge help as were many of my friends in the leather world.  I was so inspired by what I saw here that it drove me to improve my skills.

I focused mostly on carving, because I love that aspect the most, but I have tried all sorts of things since then , and I love the camaraderie amongst leather folks.  Some of the best people on the plant I say!

[Boriqua]

Wow wow wowwwwwww ... Mike that is some amazing carving!! You may have inspired me to do some carving this week just because!!

[immiketoo]

Thank you sir.  I hope that I have!  Show us what you do!

 

[HaloJones]

I have allways been slightly arty, mostly in painting minis & scenery making, many of my friends are crafty, I wanted a new hobby where I could make things that I could share, so had to pick a skill that none of my friends did (or how else can I trade), the construction nature of LW appealed, the whole measure twice cut once & the process of deconstructing an object mentally to work out the pattern was a mental challenge that I needed to distract me at that point in life. I had some capital from an inheritance so after some research I decided leatherwork.

i went to Tandy & pretty much brought one of everything, my 1st project was some Mocs that’s fell apart, the 2nd was a top hat that is so solid it could be a dangerous weapon, but I was hooked and have tried a few various things, each project teaches something new.

and yes I swap / trade with friends, my current project is a suit of armour!

My mum would have approved. 

[Rockoboy]

On ‎23‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 4:52 AM, HaloJones said:

My mum would have approved. 

I bet she would have, you are killing it, by the sound of things! Well done.

[GMHLeather]

I love this post!  I just started a tack and western shop with my wife and daughter and I am in the very beginning stage of leather craft to make basic strap goods - latigos, billets, spur straps, key chain fobs, and so on - nothing heavy.  Weaver is about 50 minutes south of me so I've been going there to pick up some materials and trying to figure out sewing, stamping and so on.  It is hard as I have arthritis in nearly all of my body and my hands require me to take a break every 10 minutes to relax my pain-ridden hands but I am hoping this will strengthen my hands and it will get easier.  I love this craft and what it entails, but it is a challenge.  But I am a firm believer that everyone needs a passion and right now this is mine - I just have to make something that I think is worthy to offer to the public.  This is yet to happen but I am early into this and I have a lot of hope and determination.  this is a very inspiring site and I am on it nearly every day just looking and reading.  Wonderful.

 

Cheers, Mike

[Rockoboy]

2 hours ago, GMHLeather said:

I just have to make something that I think is worthy to offer to the public

One of the best ideas I have heard hereabouts, comes from @bikermutt07. He suggests making a bunch of identical small items for practice. Start off with key fobs or drink coasters or wrist bands etc.

Get about 10 or 30 or 50 cut out, there's your knife practice.

Do some stamping or simple carving, small pieces like those mentioned above, will not take much. It gets your toe in the water for a start. Plus they won't be real expensive. If you make a mess of one, put it aside and try another one.

I always keep the blunders test pieces, to try out some dye or test a stamp or any other small thing, rather than using good new leather for those things.

Try out some edging processes, dye some pieces, oil some, try other finish techniques, play with it, learn some stuff and have fun with it.

[bikermutt07]

33 minutes ago, Rockoboy said:

One of the best ideas I have heard hereabouts, comes from @bikermutt07. He suggests making a bunch of identical small items for practice. Start off with key fobs or drink coasters or wrist bands etc.

Get about 10 or 30 or 50 cut out, there's your knife practice.

Do some stamping or simple carving, small pieces like those mentioned above, will not take much. It gets your toe in the water for a start. Plus they won't be real expensive. If you make a mess of one, put it aside and try another one.

I always keep the blunders test pieces, to try out some dye or test a stamp or any other small thing, rather than using good new leather for those things.

Try out some edging processes, dye some pieces, oil some, try other finish techniques, play with it, learn some stuff and have fun with it.

Sadly, it wasn't until I was a few years in before I heard about that process. I learned it from @NVLeatherWorx. Even more sadly, he doesn't come around here anymore. He is one of those virtual fountains of knowledge.

[thePassenger]

My girlfriend had a bag of which the thread holding the zipper had come loose...

After 3 days of youtube watching on stitching I decided to give it a go... been "hooked" since

Top line was my first ever stitching

The bag is still in use today.

[BDAZ]

On 4/6/2018 at 4:25 PM, Rolandranch said:

I was just a little curious about how you all began as leather workers. 

I started 2 years ago when I made a cheesy knife and wanted to make a leather sheath for it (I was 14). My dad took me to Tandy to get some leather and tools. I thought I was just getting enough material to make a sheath... but dad said I should make a bunch of leather products and try to sell them. We walked out with $300 worth of materials.  I made the sheath and was hooked with leather ever since. I started doing custom leather projects for friends and made enough money to buy a cb4500 sewing machine so I could up the production... and here I am enjoying leather work and learning something new from every project I do.

Here is that knife sheath. 

What's your story and first leather project?

-Ryan

I bought a belt with a Zuni buckle around 1980 when I was in Phoenix on business. I went up to Jerome, a decaying mining town at the time, to play some music and found a store selling turquoise stuff out in the middle of nowhere. Around 2013, the belt, an embossed western belt and worn daily, was done, and I tried to find a decent replacement. Because the original belt was 1 1/4" I was not able to find one off the shelf, so I went down to Tandy (Broadway store) and asked if they knew anyone that could make one and how much.. They said I'd bee looking at $200 plus for a custom, carved belt but they showed me a kit for $60 and that was the start of a long slippery slope. I next made a wallet which I still use daily. After hand stitching a few belts I ordered a CB 3200 and the rest is history. I started making musical instrument cases and instrument straps and now produce semi custom items on a wholesale basis and have shipped items to over 20 countries world wide.

I was a former competitive handgunner but decided that market was saturated. I did design, what I think is the most practical pocket holster, custom made for the pocket, but I have only made them for friends. I am afraid of liability issues. I am also getting work with local architects decorating new bars and offices.

I have pretty much converted my house to a workshop, the dining room is now a cutting room with a custom table with leather storage, the family room is loaded with benches and tools including 3 presses, and a bunch of other bench power tools. I still have other businesses so this is a part time venture, but I am usually backed up with orders. I definitely want to get back to carving. Below is the first step on that long slippery slope:

Bob

 

On 4/10/2018 at 7:51 PM, rodneywt1180b said:

I haven't been involved in leather long.  I mainly got into it as another option I can add to my canes-leather grips and wrist straps.  I've only made a few so far and have a long way to go before I I'll be completely satisfied with my work.  There are a few other leather projects I may attempt at some point, like a decent harness for our dog, but right now my focus is canes.

Ever been to Slushers rare coin?? One of my favorite stores in the whole world!

Bob

[rodneywt1180b]

Only once.  I sold off my childhood coin collection to pay some bills.

Rodney

[BDAZ]

I was playing at an Old Time Gathering in Centralia last summer. Slusher has 90,000 authentic Hawaiian shirts and at least 5,000 in the store. I bought 10!

Bob

[Reddturtle]

Did it as kid in 4H, then in 2009 I went to Sturgis and saw a very nice solo seat. Couldn't afford the price, so i got back into it. I do a wide range of things from biker to cowboy, big or small. Do a lot of wall pix. I'm designing my own saddle, will be making my own tree as well. Now that l just inherited a bigger sewing machine, 1919 Bauer machine company harness stitcher. I can now start expanding and bigger projects that I've wanted to do, but didn't want to hand stitch.

[Rolandranch]

27 minutes ago, Reddturtle said:

Did it as kid in 4H, then in 2009 I went to Sturgis and saw a very nice solo seat. Couldn't afford the price, so i got back into it. I do a wide range of things from biker to cowboy, big or small. Do a lot of wall pix. I'm designing my own saddle, will be making my own tree as well. Now that l just inherited a bigger sewing machine, 1919 Bauer machine company harness stitcher. I can now start expanding and bigger projects that I've wanted to do, but didn't want to hand stitch.

That's great! Where are you in Arizona?

[Reddturtle]

Glendale for now.

[kyrrk]

A year ago, I was looking for a watch strap for my apple watch. It was really interesting to see how handmade leather straps are made until I came across a Youtuber's video of having a Louis Vuitton watch strap.

So me not having a spare buckle laying around, it got me to browse other handmade items, then I ended up watching some tooling videos. I don't remember which of it made me to buy tools and stuff but heres one of my first item. Just got some starter tools for leather crafting

P.S. 

I still haven't made myself a watch strap lol

[karlova]

On 5/28/2018 at 10:08 AM, kyrrk said:

P.S. 

I still haven't made myself a watch strap lol

I guess the watch strap was exactly my first hand stitched project.

*****

Thanks for the interesting thread, so many stories here. 

I was just looking for some quiet hobby…. LOL just kiddin
I guess I had mentioned that in my thread in Members Gallery, it was about 2 years ago when I got a tiny little puppy, and I couldn’t find a harness for her, she was too little, everything I could find was too big. 

So I found a tiny little sewing machine on my boat and my neighbor brought me a veg tanned sheepskin from Tandy and also gave me some supplies like snaps, rivets, setters, some other tools, it was scary but after some experiments with fabrics I decided to try, and actually she used this harness for over a year until it started stinking like hell so I made her a few new ones. 

So, before this year I was sewing some bags out of fabric, and then I ordered 3 sides from Acadia which none of my two machines could sew properly (because they were all 5-5.5 oz) and I decided to try hand stitching and got addicted to it. 

Actually, I loved the leather since I can remember myself, I just thought that I would never be able to make anything decent and it would only result in wasting expensive materials :D 

Well, sometimes I do waste some expensive materials due to some failed projects but now I'm OK with that! 

I’d say I am jealous when I read about the people who have real leather stores nearby, I can only order online - there is just nothing here! Tho, this might have saved me a lot of money LOL!