Which beginner tool kit ???

[Woldbill1962]

Hey everyone, I know this has probably been asked a million times, but can I ask one more time :-)

just starting out, so which kit do you think is best ? Looked at Tandy, ebay, amazon and others, but not really which I should start with. So any advice will be very helpful. 

 

looking forward to your replies.

thanks

Bill

Edited August 26, 2019 by Woldbill1962

[Northmount]

4 hours ago, Woldbill1962 said:

Hey everyone, I know this has probably been asked a million times, but can I ask one more time :-)

just starting out, so which kit do you think is best ? Looked at Tandy, ebay, amazon and others, but not really which I should start with. So any advice will be very helpful.

What type of items do you want to make?  There are many routes to go.  Are you interested in tooling, sewing bags, making belts, etc?  Can't tell you what tools you need until you tell us what you want to make.

Tom

[Woldbill1962]

Hey Tom,  thanks for the reply. My plans are to make holsters, knife sheaths, wallets, purse for the wife unit, motorcycle tool bag, maybe a backpack etc.

Will prob be sewing and lace work, would like to try my hand at adding tooling to each project. 

 

To green to know if any tool kit that Tandy and others put out, will come close to what I really need. 

Dont have deep pockets, so want to get enough to get started and progress from there. 

 

Thanks for your help !

BILL

[Northmount]

A lot of what you want to do doesn't necessarily involve tooling.  So you could drop that portion until later and learn to cut, assemble, sew, rivet, etc. using hand tools.

Need patterns and a sharp knife - a box cutter will do to start with

Something to mark out stitches with, a good sewing awl with very sharp diamond point, harness needles and thread.

Some contact cement will help hold thing together while sewing, or for attaching a lining.

If lacing, will need lacing chisels, single and multiple prongs for the size of lace, lacing needles (I use a permalok) and some lace.

Maybe a good place to start might be a pre-cut kit where you are just assembling and either lacing or sewing.  Then you can get a feel for some of the work and move on from there.

Others will be along with some specifics and ideas for you too.

Tom

[Hardrada]

Ian Atkinson has put together a nice list of basics: Recommended Leather Tools. Worth checking out since he seems to focus on what you too want to focus.

I'd buy items individually and avoid kits: with kits you're likely to end up with tools you won't use, in addition to the low quality issue if you buy the "budget" ones.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Hardrada
Typo

[wizard of tragacanth]

I second the recommendation to avoid kits. You would get too many things that may be worthless to you, and often cheap versions of what you will eventually want.

As much as I like Ian Atkinson, and it won't hurt to watch his video... be careful. He discusses maybe 25 tools for beginners but you should only be buying a few tools in the beginning and only those that you need to get you through the project.

You will need some cutting tools. You can start with a box cutter for large pieces and something like an x-acto knife for smaller pieces. If you do not have these already, I would recommend getting the ones with the snap-off blades so that you will always have a sharp blade. Dull blades are very difficult and disappointing and can result in injuries more easily than a sharp blade. Get something like the Olfa brand, 9mm and 18mm. Lowe's or where ever.

You will need leather, of course. Holsters will need something in the range of 8-10oz veg tan, or two layers of 4-5oz if you plan to line it, gluing the layers back-to-back. 

You will need needles and thread. Try #2 Harness needles first. You will want waxed thread for hand-stitching (0.8mm - 1.0mm) nylon or linen thread. Buy the color that you need for your first project. Ultimately you will probably have several colors on hand. Black, brown and white are the most used colors, but just buy one for now.

You will need a way to mark your stitch spacing, 5-6 stitches per inch (spi) most likely. Then you need a way to make those holes. I started with a drill but now I use stitching irons (one, two and four tines).

You don't necessarily need dye right now. Many people leave the leather the natural color but if you dye it, I would suggest dark colors to start, like black or dark brown. Fewer problems.

You may want to top-coat or finish the project. The cheap but very popular way is a 50/50 mix of Mop & Glow with water. Apply in a very light coat or it becomes problematic.

Before you buy or do anything, watch some YouTube videos on holster making. Here is one:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFsXw3gabqkYou will want an edger, if you watch the above video, Hank shows how it is used. You will want some sandpaper and a sanding block. 120 or 150 grit up to 600 or higher to finish your edges.

 

I like the Warner sanding block https://www.lowes.com/pd/Warner-Sanding-Block/3078153   It is small, inexpensive and very useful, having a curved edge, wedge and flat side.

You can use water to burnish the edges but Gum Tragacanth is better and Tokonole is still better, IMHO. 

You will need rubber cement. I prefer a small bottle of Weldwood because if I am not doing many projects the glue will dry up. It is MUCH better when it is fresh! Lowe's or anywhere.

Some things should be bought in sets, such as round drive punches, but again, wait until you need them.

You need a cutting surface if you do not have one. Kitchen cutting boards, like the white poly ones from Walmart will do for starters. You will probably want a Poundo board at some point, maybe soon.

https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/poundo-boards Choose the size based on how big your expected projects and work area are. I only do holsters, so 12"x12" is enough for me. Same for Quartz slabs.

https://www.tandyleather.com/en/category/quartz-slabs which I use to back up the poundo board for using stitching chisels.

Tandy Pro Line Diamond Chisel 2mm spacing, for 6 spi https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/pro-line-diamond-stitching-chisels  You will find out that these things are both a curse and a blessing. Maybe start with a drill press or Dremel on a stand. 

I cannot remember the bit size, I think it is 3/64".

So, you may have much of this already and may require only the "specialty" leather craft tools, hopefully. I probably left some stuff out, we will see.

nick

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by wizard of tragacanth

[zuludog]

Yes, the question about tools for beginners has been asked several times before, just look through past Threads on the Getting Started and Leather Tools sections

There are also some videos about beginners tools on YouTube, though you will notice that each one is slightly different

Wizard's suggestions are good, but before you buy anything I suggest you look at videos on holsters, sheaths, and the rest of the items you've mentioned. That way you will see how other people make them, the tools they use, and how they are used. 

I make mostly knife sheaths from 3mm vegetable tanned leather. Here are a few things to get you started -

A cutting mat, the usual green thing from a craft or hobby store; get the biggest you can manage

A utility or craft knife

A stitching chisel. Tandy Craftool  2 prong 4mm spacing. In theory they replace an awl, but when you have a few thicknesses of leather to penetrate you need to do extra work with an awl. You can start with a steel hammer if you already have one, but this will damage the tool if you use it regularly so you will need a soft hammer/mallet - nylon, hide, wood, but not rubber as this will bounce too much

Needles; Rocky Mountain Leather Supply sell an assorted pack of John James needles

Thread; Tandy ready waxed nylon thread is good & cheap, or see what your local craft shop have

Dividers, to set the line of stitching and it's distance from the edge; or you could use the stitching chisel

An awl. Don't be tempted by the 4-in-1 awl sold by Tandy, and others, it's expensive and not very good. Just get a simple, ready mounted, fixed blade awl

An edge beveller; Tandy Craftool size 2 is a good one to start with. It's fairly cheap, and easy to use & sharpen

A tube of contact or general purpose glue

An edge burnisher

Beeswax

Even if you get disposable blades they can be improved by a bit of extra sharpening, plus you will need to sharpen the awl. There is loads of information about this - various stones or wet & dry paper, and making a strop is just about the easiest piece of leatherwork you will do

Have look through the websites for Tandy, Rocky Mountain Leather Supply, and other leather craft suppliers. Even if you don't buy anything from them you will see the sort of things that are available

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by zuludog

[Woldbill1962]

WOW !  Thank you for all of the great information and advice. Folks like you are what makes this forum great. 

Looks like I will be putting a shopping list together based on your advice and wisdom. Will also be spending some time on YouTube gathering some information and knowledge. 

Thank y,all so much for taking the time to help @

Bill

[arashikage]

To piggyback off of what zuludog said, i would suggest looking up Andrews Custom Leather on youtube. He has a lot of good videos and you can get a feel for what you will need and what you may eventually want to get.

The only thing I would add is don't actually buy a quartz slab unless you have to. Check with any kitchen remodeling company near you if they have any samples or sink cutouts that they are getting rid of. I got a 12" x 12" x 1.25" slab for free. 

[wizard of tragacanth]

5 hours ago, Woldbill1962 said:

... Will also be spending some time on YouTube gathering some information and knowledge.

Yes, as zuludog said, watching videos is really the first step. Do not buy anything until you have watched several tool selection videos and some building videos.

There are dozens of helpful videos on YouTube.

Watch Nigel Armitage,  Ian Atkinson and Sam Andrews... you will be amazed at how much you have learned in such a short time!

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by wizard of tragacanth

[Hardrada]

Second the suggestion about avoiding the 4-in-1 awl: I got it as part of the Tandy sewing kit (hence my previous suggestion about avoiding kits) and the blade is duller than my teeth. Get an awl that already comes sharpened. Yes, eventually you'll have to get your sharpening stones if you stick with the craft, but if you get the Tandy awl you'll have to buy them NOW.

[zuludog]

Hello Woldbill. Remember. of course, that you will need some leather!

Leather is the skin of a cow, and different parts will have differing quality & thickness, and be priced accordingly

Somewhere on Tandy's website there is a guide to the types of leather and what they might be used for

I make knife sheaths from 3mm vegetable tanned shoulders. I've just had a look at Tandy USA website and they're $39-99 each

Veg tanned belly isn't as good, but it would still be OK for making smaller, simple items, like small sheaths, coasters, key fobs, a strop, and general practice. The advantage for beginning & practising is that a belly is $15-99. You probably couldn't make a tool bag out of it, but you could make a belt pouch or a small possibles bag. They wouldn't be as good as using top class tanned & coloured leather, but neither would they be as expensive, and you've gotta start somewhere. Search YT accordingly. Or you could make a roll for some tools & spanners (wrenches to you!)

[Sturme]

you might want to go here, lots of ebook and patterns you can use to get started. and they are free.

tandy leather library

[Woldbill1962]

Thanks everyone for sharing your wisdom and advice. I have decided to take your advice and not get a kit. Have put a list together using your advice and will order today. 

Cant wait to get started. 

 

Bill

[Sheilajeanne]

Woldbill, I always balked at getting that Tandy marble slab. I thought it was ridiculously expensive. I went to Home Depot instead, and bought a 10x10 polished granite tile. So far, it has held up to everything I've done, and if it breaks, it's $12 to replace it!

Places that make counter tops and headstones are also a good source for slabs, if you don't want to pay Tandy's prices. They will often let you have their off cuts for nothing.

 

[Hardrada]

4 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Woldbill, I always balked at getting that Tandy marble slab. I thought it was ridiculously expensive. I went to Home Depot instead, and bought a 10x10 polished granite tile. So far, it has held up to everything I've done, and if it breaks, it's $12 to replace it!

Places that make counter tops and headstones are also a good source for slabs, if you don't want to pay Tandy's prices. They will often let you have their off cuts for nothing.

 

Are those cut offs polished? I've been thinking the same thing: going to one of the countertops places in town, but haven't yet. The Tandy slab does look expensive, especially when you factor in the extra charge to shipping due to heavy weight.

[wizard of tragacanth]

I recommend granite over quartz. I recently got a red quartz (man-made) stone from Tandy and I hate it. This is weird and I will understand if you don't believe it... no matter what I clean the stone with, it always feels dirty. I can wash it with soap and water, then as soon as it is dry, rub my hand across it and it feels like little particles are all over it. I cannot figure out how this happens. Is this real or is it just a perceptual thing? I don't know! Anyone else have this experience?

nick 

[Hardrada]

Yeah, I've had that experience with some stones and it drives me bonkers. Good advice on the granite, thankee.

[Onidori]

As a follow up question to the original post, which tools are better? Tandy's? Weaver's? Different brand(s) altogether?

 

I am also just starting out and kond of lost with all the different tools and selections, and was pondering buying a kit as well (Tandy had a "complete starter kit for about $600). As it looks to me right now, Weaver's tools look nicer/more visually appealing, and that leads me to believe they are better put together and higher quality, but i could be very wrong about this, IDK. Any advice or information on the subject would be greatly appreciated, as id really like to put my limited budget to the best quality i can (within reason).

[DJole]

1 hour ago, Onidori said:

As a follow up question to the original post, which tools are better? Tandy's? Weaver's? Different brand(s) altogether?

I am also just starting out and kond of lost with all the different tools and selections, and was pondering buying a kit as well (Tandy had a "complete starter kit for about $600). As it looks to me right now, Weaver's tools look nicer/more visually appealing, and that leads me to believe they are better put together and higher quality, but i could be very wrong about this, IDK. Any advice or information on the subject would be greatly appreciated, as id really like to put my limited budget to the best quality i can (within reason).

The first place to start is this: what are you planning to do in leather? 
That will help us figure out not only the basics, but what additional things  you might need. 
The "starter" kits may have a bunch of tools you don't actually need for the things you are planning to do (for example, if you're not interested in tooling, there's no reason to have those specific tools.)
You might find Ian Atkinson's videos helpful for  this topic:
https://www.ianatkinson.net/leather/toolset.htm

[zuludog]

ONIDORI

The problem with buying a starter kit is that it will almost certainly contain some things you will not use, and there will be some things you do want that it does not have. The solution to that issue is to have a kit that covers every eventuality, and thus it simply becomes ludicrously big and expensive. It would end up being like a whole workshop full of kit that most people take years to acquire. And that is true of most hobbies, activities, and pastimes, such as the model making that I do, or as a friend who does stone carving & small scale sculpture has found out. Besides, choosing and shopping for tools is all part of the interest and fun!

For example, I started with a Tandy beginners kit that contained an overstitch wheel that I've never used........the 4-in-1 awl which I quickly realised wasn't very good, and I had to replace it.......... a stitching groover which I used for a while, but no longer as I mark my stitching lines with dividers. However it did not have an edge beveler, which is more or less essential, and I had to buy separately. You will probably need to but stitching chisels as well. Oh yes, I've also replaced the Tandy needles with John James 002

All I can suggest is that you follow the advice already given, and that is to look at relevant videos on YT and Threads on this forum, and buy items as you need them. Though this need not mean just buying one at a time; strike a balance between buying a few tools that you know you need and a whole load of tools that you might not

Besides Tandy and Weaver, have a look at Rocky Mountains Leather Supply, they have an interesting selection of tools and thread, and also sell John James needles, which are considered the best

It would help if you could give us some idea of the sort of things that you would like to make.

Certainly, if you are thinking of spending $600, I would definitely give it some serious thought, and perhaps make up your own list then compare it to the kit

 

Edited January 16, 2020 by zuludog

[Hardrada]

5 hours ago, zuludog said:

For example, I started with a Tandy beginners kit that contained an overstitch wheel that I've never used........the 4-in-1 awl which I quickly realised wasn't very good, and I had to replace it.......... a stitching groover which I used for a while, but no longer as I mark my stitching lines with dividers. However it did not have an edge beveler, which is more or less essential, and I had to buy separately. You will probably need to but stitching chisels as well.

We probably bought the same kit or similar: mine was their stitching kit. Yes, I don't use the pricking wheel, have bought a sharper awl and ended up using the scratching awl tip for dyeing edges, the thread was useful for test projects but I still have most of it as I now use Tiger. I'm still using the needles and the groover, although I use the latter not for marking lines but for gouging channels for bending the leather 90°.

You really save more buying things separately. Another good place to get tools is goodsjapan.com. Their Seiwa and Kyoshin Elle chisels and edgers are top notch (plus, the KE edgers come with a sharpening rod and papers), and they supply Tokonole. RM Leather Supply stocks some of Kyoshin Elle products and they carry Tokonole too, but if you can't find stuff at RML, do go to goodsjapan.com

[chrisash]

I look at it in a different way, for instance you can buy a cheap kit for $32 like here https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xleather+kits.TRS0&_nkw=leather+kits&_sacat=0 try the hobbie at little cost and learn what tools you need and how to use them. to me it is not worth while buying expensive tools until you know what you are looking for and can make a skilled choice. the buy once scenario is fine as it goes, but $32 is a low cost to learn what you need, good tools do not make you a better craftsman until you are good enough to be able to need the small difference they bring to your work

[zuludog]

Probably only relevant to British members, but I've noticed that https://www.artisanleather.co.uk have some starter kits that look like they're better quality then usual

Artisan Leather have also recently started selling their own brand 0,6mm braided polyester thread which they say is similar to tiger, but as it's on 300m reels the initial price is cheaper; though I haven't tried any yet

EDIT in fact Artisan's thread is cheaper anyway - £5-95 for 300m is approx £20 for 1,000m. Abbey charge approx £60 for 1,000m of Ritza/Tiger thread

Edited January 17, 2020 by zuludog

[Onidori]

 

The first place to start is this: what are you planning to do in leather? 
That will help us figure out not only the basics, but what additional things  you might need. 
The "starter" kits may have a bunch of tools you don't actually need for the things you are planning to do (for example, if you're not interested in tooling, there's no reason to have those specific tools.)
You might find Ian Atkinson's videos helpful for  this topic:
https://www.ianatkinson.net/leather/toolset.htm

Honestly, i plan on dabbling in/making everything and anything. Basically whatever i want or need that would require leather, or whatever i could sell. I realize that everyone says that at first, but its something ive been planning on at least experimenting with for a while.

Specifically at this moment, im going to focus on making knife sheaths of varying types, belts, holsters, axe head covers, axe shaft protectors, pouches, bags & purses, wallets, coasters, etc.

Eventually, id like to expand in to making clothing (especially period correct/reproduction clothing), jackets, vests, book covers/bindings, decorative pieces, vests, and even vehicle trim.

 

Im not exactly clear on what you mean by "tooling", though.