Brand new,read blog posts, still need help!

[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. 

[Rockoboy]

If you have a Tandy store close enough to you, I believe you could utilise their classes to try out some tools, techniques, finishes etc. Once you have some practice with some tools, it may become more apparent which tools are worth buying cheaper and which tools are better bought at the higher end of the market.

Basically, I believe box cutter (Stanley knife type) are great for general purpose cutting, as are roller knives (Olfa brand etc) better for cutting straight lines on softer leather. Strap cutters, plough gauges etc are great once you get into the craft a little, but a knife and straight edge will do great for a while. I also use a cutting matt with the lines marked on the cutting surface.

Dividers and a scratch awl for marking cut lines and stitch lines.

Stitching chisels are my preference, rather than pricking chisels or a stitching wheel, which I hammer right thru to make my stitch holes.

Needles made by John James in size 2 (NOT 2/0) are my preference in my cases.

I have several different thread options. My favourite is Ritza Tiger Thread, but some people prefer linen or some other variation. Tiger Thread comes ready waxed in different thicknesses and many different colours. You could possibly get by for a while with a generic 'no-name' thread, but I would suggest waxing it.

If you are looking to get into carving and stamping, there is a whole raft of books and videos that might help.

In the beginning I would suggest getting the following stamps in a similar size - beveller (couple of different sizes to do straight sections or get into corners), veiner, camo, pear shader, seeder, a stop and backgrounder maybe a basketweave for fun. Some people will say a mulesfoot, but I find them difficult to line up correctly, so I don't use it much at all. As for a swivel knife, they are fairly cheap, and you will probably end up with several, each with their own blade. So a Tandy cheaper in the beginning, is a good option IMHO.

[AbbyR18]

Thank you for taking time to provide such a thorough response.