Low budget Leather working

[Daes]

Thank you everyone! all this information is wonderful, I think leather carving is the next thing on my list to learn. Been practicing with drawstring bags and decent with them. As for material, I figured it would be best to just save up for full hides

[Riem]

Here's a link to a 2016 thread with very useful information about doing cost effective leather work.

a

[johnv474]

You can get pretty far on basic, inexpensive tools, because a big part of leathercraft is developing the skills you use and not just acquiring tools. To illustrate Eric Clapton can make a student beginner cheapo guitar sound pretty good, but a beginner can't make a $3000 guitar sound good.

As a work surface, contact a local granite countertop installer. Usually you can get a free or near-free cutout from a sink.

For cutting, a rotary knife is helpful. A good quality box cutter (with plenty of spare blades) works also. A clicky retractable snapoff razor knife can be a skiver. A McKay knife ($9) can be used for most cutting and some skiving. You can save up for a round/head knife ($60+) but there is a big learning curve. Shears work up until 6 iz if you buybgood ones like Gingher ($22). I find a small hawkbill knife, a thin skiving knife, and a knsfe for cutting rubber can cover most needs, and cost under $30 total. Xacto knives also are good and have many attachments.

For stitching, the inexpensive stitch forks available online do a fine job, considering you can find a set for about $17. Cheaper is the awl haft with fixed blade made by Osborne, for about $10 online.

For thread, it's hard to beat Maine thread for the price. 70 yards is about $7.

Osborne needles should cost about $7 for a pack of 25. Size 2 is a good general purpose size unless you only do holsters.

Hardware store contact cement is a good adhesive and readily available.

Grocery sacks work for pattern material.

This site has a wealth of patterns and tips.

Many of the tools out there are dor decoration (tooling), for setting hardware or reinforcing (rivets etc), or for consistency (skiving, sewing machines, punches). A lot can be improvised or sewn, for example, instead of using rivets, etc.

Hope this helps!