I want to make something but dont have a lot of money

[Boriqua]

I wrote this in response to a question “what do I need to get started in leatherwork” on another forum but thought I would share it here. I am sure its been addressed plenty but I wanted to approach it from bare essentials. The gentleman who asked was disabled, recently unemployed and on a very tight budget so all my suggestions were skewed toward keeping it inexpensive

BUT

Still making a quality looking product. I modified this some to post here and I hope that others will join in with suggestions for people to get started “On the Cheap”. I think this may also help some early makers in making a bit more of a good looking finished product.

Leather
I have been purchasing leather from American Leather Direct
http://aleatherd.com/product/double-shoulders/

After some 6 rolls I have been happy with the quality of their Grade 1 shoulders and they cost a little more than $5 a square for 7/8 oz. It is usually on the heavier side.

If you are looking to pinch pennies as you go, the Tandy Economy Single shoulders come up for around $50 on sale often and you can get at least 6 holsters out of one. I find them to be a bit on the dry side and don't cut as nice but they work. They are more expensive per square foot but it may be easier to come up with $50 at first instead of $100 plus.

So now we have some leather to get started

Tools ... if you are out of work or just starting you dont want to drop a big nut until you get rolling. You can make beautiful stuff with very little. 

Leather Craft is first and foremost about the “craft.” Concentrate on making well built pieces first and then add the “art” when you are a little further along. Craft is all about math and attention to detail So here is bare bones

You will need the means to make holes. Get a decent awl and if you can swing it a couple of chisels. You can do without the chisels .. but they are nice to have.

I bought this chisel set in Oct of 2016 and use them about 5 days a week since then and am still very pleased. I have owned Seiwa and tandy and prefer these. I have one set for 6 spi and one for 5spi. You dont need both .. or either but if you decide to buy one the 5 spi is great for holster and sheath making.
$13.00

https://www.amazon.com/CrazyEve-Leathercraft-Spacing-Stitching-Leather/dp/B01EMNI4Q2/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1523472428&sr=8-1&keywords=CrazyEve+Leathercraft+1%2F5+Inch+5mm+Spacing+Stitching+Punch+Tool+1%2F2%2F4%2F6+Prong+Leather+Hole+Punch+Kit

 Vergez Blanchard makes a great diamond shape palm awl and I think it was like 15 bucks but I found that the cross section is a little small for the heavier thread size you will use making sheaths but it works. The siewa #2 awl works great with thread up to .040 Expect to pay about $15 for any number of nice awls and of course they can go up from there.

You will need glue and I use regular ol weldwood contact cement you get at the big box. Dont buy the gel. Again its more economical to buy the qt size but they make small bottles with a brush so you can expand your purchases as you sell things without to hard of an initial cash layout.
A small bottle of weldwood is $5.50

Stitching
One of the things that separates nice work from not so nice is how evenly from the edge you set your stitching. A wavy stitch line is just awful to look at and it doesn't matter if you stamped the finest stamping anyone ever could all I will ever see is that wavy stitch line.

You will need to mark an accurate line. There are tools for that and I really like the adjustable creaser and have had and use mine for about 20 years for setting my perimeter stitch line.

https://www.tandyleather.com/en/prod...stable-creaser

Having said that .. Wing dividers can be had for less money and I often see them used for peanuts at good will.

You can also use a simple math compass and almost everyone that has ever had children will have one around
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Unique-Bargains-Iron-Pencil-Compass-Practical-Math-Geometry-Tool-Architect-Drawing-Silvery/46718973

Having said that .... If you take 2 sharpened regular yellow pencils and put a rubber band around them with one tip being slightly lower than the other it makes a fine marker almost exactly 1/4 inch in from the edge. Dampen the leather and put the tip of the lower pencil to the outside of your work and press slightly down on the pencil that is on the leather and just trace around. Perfect line with something you probably already have in the house.

So far aside from leather we spent a necessary
$15 awl
$5.50 contact cement

Plotting holes
For another cost saver .. after you have made your stitching line take a fork and use the tines to mark the stitching holes. Most of my forks give me about 5 stitches per inch.  Make sure to put the first tine in the last mark

Now you have a nice even line from your edge and you have plotted evenly spaced holes.

Time to take your awl and away you go. and you will have nice even stitching so long as your awl work is good and you pull the thread consistently.

You need to cut the leather. I use for some 25 years a box cutter. Not the big thick utility knives but the ones supermarket guys use

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Handy-Cut...HC900/42452343

Blades are cheap but I strop mine before first use and then strop it every time I use it and the blades last forever and ZIP through heavy leather. Later if you feel the need you can get that nifty round knife but you don't need it to start making stuff for yourself or to sell.

You will need to develop patterns and I like manila file folders. Just the right firmness. I have a separate box cutter for cutting patterns because paper is tough on blades. You can also find the large poster board paper at the dollar store and I think its some 36"x30 and I get two sheets for a buck.

So so far we are in pretty cheap ... an awl, some glue, I will assume you have pencils, some pattern making material now we need thread and needles

If you think this is something you will stick with then I recommend Twin eagle thread. Its tough, beautiful and while it is a big initial outlay the cost per meter is amazing. Get the 1.1mm. I think anything less may look a little dinky on a sheath or holster.

http://lekoza.com/Thread/TwinEagle0.8

Again though .. its a big initial investment so … you dont NEED it to get going.

I really really like Maine thread too and use a bunch of it and it is far more economical than buying the little spools at tandy. I use .040 for holsters and sheaths and it is 6.60 for 70 yds at Maine as opposed to the little tandy spool which is $8 for 25 yds. I have a whole drawer filled with different colors of Maine Thread but buy a black and you are good to go.

https://www.mainethread.com/index.php/waxed-polycord

Needles .. I really like the John James Saddlers harness needles. They can be had on ebay for the same price as the Tandy ones but with the tandy ones I have alot of breaking at the eyelet and I have had no such problem with the John james. Expect to pay about 8 bucks but that is for 25 needles so you will have needles forever.

Edges
Sand those edges down real smooth first. A sheet of 100 grit will make short work of an edge and you can usually buy single sheets at Ace hardware. If you want to really shine get a sheet of 100 and one of 220.

For burnishing edges I use an old shoe horn that is actually horn and it is wonderful. Again you can find stuff like that at goodwill for almost nothing.
You can also use a piece of heavy denim or canvass and even a piece of wooden dowel with some beeswax applied to condition the wood but I personally am not a big fan of wood burnishers and prefer bone or horn.

For many years all I used was water to burnish the edges and  .. you can still get it free in most of America.

You will need to color your leather. Maybe ...
some people like just an oiled finish. Dye is expensive so there is no way around it. I think you can get slightly better prices on ebay than at tandy on Fiebings. I dont hate tandy water dyes but for rugged gear I dont like its longevity. Stick with Fiebings or Angelus. I have used Fiebings for a million years but I have been switching over to Angelus on some colors just because I like the richness of the colors a little more but fiebings is the go to for most leather folk and is easier to find small amounts of.

I think a small bottle can be had for around $6 and will get you through at  very least 4-5 holsters.

DONT buy Fiebings usmc black unless you want to deal with color rub for the rest of your life. Its awful stuff.

You can also get black using vinegaroon. It costs pennies to make. Just requires some steel wool and some vinegar and then you need to have some baking soda around to neutralize the action. Takes about a week to make up a batch but I have like a 2 qt container of it for years.

A lot cheaper than fiebings to start off with, doesnt rub and you can color 100 sheaths or holsters for about a buck.
 

So we made a pattern, we marked for holes, we made the holes, stitched, colored and burnished.

Last step seal ... I use resolene cut about 60%water but .... I know a good many experienced leather worker using ... Mop and glo. You can get a jug of the stuff at any grocery store for a couple of bucks. Cut it with some water and you will have enough for 100 sheaths. I haven't checked recently but I think you can get 32 oz for about $6. If you cut it in half you have A GALLON of sealer.

There you have it ... I think I covered an entire sheath or holster on the cheap but still making sure to make something nice. Hope that helps!

As you sell things you can start trading out for some fancy stuff but the list I gave you is really all you need to get going. I have tested everything I mentioned and I can make a quality, very marketable piece using the suggestions above. You regulars already know all this stuff but I am sure their are some people in the shadows that maybe kinda dont. Are having better tools nice .. you bet .. but you can get started without them.

I hope that was helpful! 

Alex

Edited April 11, 2018 by Boriqua

[bikermutt07]

Skin some roadkill couches. That'll save a buck. Look at Goodwill for old leather clothing or bags. 

[Boriqua]

6 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Skin some roadkill couches. That'll save a buck. Look at Goodwill for old leather clothing or bags. 

I actually go to goodwill to look for interesting inlay materials. Why do what everyone else is doing .. there was a point there I think every maker in the world was doing shark. Nice stuff but if ten people are already doing it why do it too. I have used palm cloth, leather from old boots, straw from abandoned straw hats. There is plenty cool stuff you can make interesting inlays and overlays with that cost near nothing!

[Tugadude]

Boriqua, what a cool thing you did to help folks.  Time well spent and I'm sure it will be appreciated!  Paying it forward in information that is hard-learned.  I salute you!

[alpha2]

Well done!

[rodneywt1180b]

Good write up.

[garypl]

Alex - nice outline for beginners - thank you for taking the time to put this together!  I would add a 12” or longer metal ruler from Wally World to list of tools - comes in handy when trying to cut straight lines.

Gary

[Double Daddy]

Boriqua - this is exactly the reason I love this forum...folks freely sharing knowledge across the expertise spectrum for all comers!  Many thanks for your time in putting together this write-up.

Your post reminds me of another leatherworker (Odin Clack's) answer to a similar question recently when asked the best way to get started in this hobby...I'll paraphrase his response..."Get some inexpensive material, a few basic tools & supplies and start making a few simple projects to expand your knowledge base and skillset (pattern making, hand-sewing, edge burnishing, etc) ...don't insist on having a lot of fancy equipment to enjoy leathercraft." Odin is burning the candle at both ends right now, working full-time in his new workshop and showroom...all that in only about 5-6 years from starting his "hobby." That's drive!

Great advice!

Edited April 12, 2018 by Double Daddy