Qualify tools for a newbie

[AbbyR18]

Hi,

i am new to the craft of leather and would appreciate guidance to determine what tools I should get, as well as the manufacturer. (Tandy, CraftPro, Robert Beard, Barry King?)

I live in south Florida and considered purchasing swivel knife and basic tools from Tandy, but upon reading posts, I would prefer to invest a bit more money now and save in the end  

I am making a leather bible cover with the image found here https://cdn.tandyleather.com/media/downloads/2019-02-28-Floral-Messenger-Bag.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1LJNUlkIsgbVp1kPz8qtV-J0GwqkkvPE_KHI4guw_JFmcC_N3LBZaoOSM

 

  I would value your expertise in speaking to the specific size tool and manufacturer(s). Possibly it is important to get a higher end swivel knife and basic tools from Tandy? I just don’t know  

I prefer to write with thin barrel pens, and thus possibly a smaller diameter swivel is what I should get? Not sure why so many diameters are offered on Barry King’s site, nor do I know what size blade to get. 

I will utilize open table at Tandy and thus don’t need to buy ALL the tools listed for that design 

Thus I really need some assistance. Specific swivel knife, starter tools/beginner tools to get, manufacturer for each and the size (if options are given) 

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience with me. 

Abby

[Dwight]

Abby, if I may make a suggestion, . . . 

Go ahead and buy your first tools from Tandy, . . . 

I've used their tools now for 20 years or so, . . . have never had one "go bad".

No, . . . they probably are not the best ones in the world, but they will get you going and you will not have to apply to a NY bank for operating capital to get you going.

Once the leather is stamped, . . . it is very hard to tell the difference, . . . unless you want to be seriously picky, . . . and believe me, . . . the 99.5% of the world out there seeing the leather stampings will never know the difference.  They will be either oooooed and awwwwed by the work, . . . or will dismiss it because it doesn't have Harley Davidson attached to it.

The single most important tool you will buy, however is your swivel knife, . . . and get it SHARP type sharp, . . . and keep it that way.  Practice is what you need to do, . . . practice, practice, practice, . . . stamp stuff out on scraps and put em in little plastic boxes so you can come back in a while and see how you are progressing.

Best wishes, . . . may God bless,

Dwight

 

 

[AbbyR18]

Thank you Dwight for taking the time to reply back. God has, does and continues to bless me...May He do the same for you. 

[DJole]

Welcome, AbbyR18.
You might benefit from watching some of Ian Atkinson's videos.
The ones I linked below are from his website (https://www.ianatkinson.net/leather/videos.htm).
He does a great job of explaining what tools you need and why, and also showing that not everything you need must come from a leather supply store. 

Beginners’ Videos

• Top 25 Recommended Leatherwork Tools (45 mins) 
• The Tools You Need for Leatherwork (15 mins)
• The Hardware You Need for Leatherwork (30 mins) 
• Information About Dyeing Leather (45 mins) 
• Choosing the right type, weight and quality of leather for your projects (35 mins) 
• Hand Stitching Leather (1 hour 35 mins) 

[Stewbeans22]

Welcome to the awesome world of leather craft. 

I am fairly new myself as I’ve only been doing it a couple of months. 

Another youtuber by the name of Don Gonzales is fantastic to watch. He does some amazing carvings. 

Good luck and holler if you need anything. 

Stew

Finished Edge Leather Goods

[buzzardbait]

10 hours ago, Dwight said:

Abby, if I may make a suggestion, . . . 

Go ahead and buy your first tools from Tandy, . . . 

I've used their tools now for 20 years or so, . . . have never had one "go bad".

No, . . . they probably are not the best ones in the world, but they will get you going and you will not have to apply to a NY bank for operating capital to get you going.

Once the leather is stamped, . . . it is very hard to tell the difference, . . . unless you want to be seriously picky, . . . and believe me, . . . the 99.5% of the world out there seeing the leather stampings will never know the difference.  They will be either oooooed and awwwwed by the work, . . . or will dismiss it because it doesn't have Harley Davidson attached to it.

The single most important tool you will buy, however is your swivel knife, . . . and get it SHARP type sharp, . . . and keep it that way.  Practice is what you need to do, . . . practice, practice, practice, . . . stamp stuff out on scraps and put em in little plastic boxes so you can come back in a while and see how you are progressing.

Best wishes, . . . may God bless,

Dwight

 

 

Great post Dwight, great advice, spot on. 

[Halitech]

I'm with Dwight. Not quite as long but going on 8 years now and other then a lacing chisel I dropped on a hard floor and bent a prong (totally my fault) I've never had an issue, unless you count blades going dull. And that lacing chisel? Tandy still replaced it.

My grandfather was a finish carpenter and he always said, along with a lot of other oldtimers, it's a poor carpenter that blames a cruddy job on his tools.

 

For the swivel knife, I highly recommend going in and actually trying a few of them. I used the one in the beginner kit for a while and hated it. My hand would always cramp up after 5 minutes and I actually stamped doing tooling and would only basketweave things. Then I went in and tried a few and got the adjustable knife. Got it so it fits me and how I hold it and I can now carve for an hour with no problem.If you think you may have trouble keeping the blade sharp (look at your kitchen knives ) pick up a ceramic blade. Yes, a little more money but other then stropping, no maintenance required.

Pick up a bag of veg tan scraps and practice your swivel knife cuts. Try and get as even a circle as you can get and as small as you can get with a freehand.

Contrary to what the so called Gods will tell you, you don't need to mortgage the house to buy tools in order to do good work.

[AbbyR18]

Thank you!