Hi from the UK

[AwlShucks]

Welcome to the forum.

[hughlle]

On 12/10/2019 at 10:33 PM, zuludog said:

Here are some British suppliers of leathercraft tools, in no particular order -

 

Come back to us when you've got a shopping list, and we'll give you our opinions

Hey Zuludog. Thanks for the suggestions. Abbey looked good, but seemed like you needed to be a member of the trade to shop from them. Or do you just make it all up on the regustration form? :D 

Having watched a bunch of youtube videos and looked at what I could squeexe out of my budget, I've put a few shopping lists together at different sites, and placed a few orders. Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive. I'd rather not buy cheap and buy twice. So currently ordered and awaiting delivery are

Diamond chisel set

Wing divider

eco weld contact adhesive

Poundo

cheap craft knife and spare blades

No 4 and 2 John James needles

0.8mm Rizta 25 tiger in amber glow

Ansio A1 self-healing cutting board

 

 

So beyond this I've got to chose/pay for:

Stitching pony of some kind

Tokonole

scratch awl

no 1 round edge tool

edge burnisher

mallet

hole punch for watch straps etc

edge dye

Chose between stanle knife or a disc cutter

leather. I'm thinking about skipping dying for now, and just getting something pre-dyed like This. I'm thinking 1.5mm is about right for my current needs, with 2.5-3 should I try making some shuolder bags etc. 

Enough kit that it's a tad daunting!

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by hughlle

[zuludog]

No, Abbey don't publish prices on their website unless you've registered with them, though they will give you a couple of prices over the phone if you ask. That's because they are mainly a wholesaler. I also see it as a hangover from the old, secretive & restrictive practices of British industry

If you want Osborne tools, H Webber and Metropolitan Leather publish prices, and could well be cheaper

If you're just doing watch straps you could probably manage without a stitching pony, at least to start with

Yes, Tokonole is good; try www.goodsjapan.com or Surf Ebay, Amazon, etc

A scratch awl is cheap enough, and they're all much the same

The #1 edge beveler is easy enough to use and sharpen; search YouTube for how to do that

You can find edge burnishers easily enough, but for watch straps you might want something smaller. I've heard of people making small edge burnishers from plastic screwdriver handles or pieces of deer antler - anyone like to comment?

Mallet, punch, dye, just Search & Surf

Stanley knife or Rotary cutter? I've tried a rotary cutter but didn't take to it. On the other hand, lots of people do, notably Ian Atkinson. It is especially good for straight cuts on thin leather - like watch straps! A Stanley knife is simple to use, and you can do good work with one. Why not try both; a basic fixed (but replaceable) blade Stanley knife is cheap enough

Metropolitan is a good supplier, but I've just bought some leather from www.buyleatheronline. The prices are very reasonable and delivery was about 7 days. You could phone Identity; Artisan; Leather4craft; explain what you want and they might have smaller pieces which would be OK for watch straps, and work out cheaper

Don't forget a lump of beeswax. It's used for all sorts of jobs in leatherwork as well as waxing thread - even ready waxed. And a steel ruler or similar straight edge

[hughlle]

Funnily, for whatever technical reason, Google searches give me Abbeys prices, but upon going to their website it is then all nudge nudge wink wink. 

I've got most of the tools lined up, just a case of hitting buy. The majority of this is being funded through sale if a NV scope, just waiting on ebay to release the funds. Gah! 

I'll certainly phone around regarding leather. There is a wholesaler a mile or two down the road in cheddar that I plan to visit, even if just to get an idea as to what I can do with the various thicknesses. I like the idea of 1.5mm from metropolitan, but given that 3mm is the same price, I'd expect to be provided the splits as well; something to practice on. 

Most of the stuff is a case of just clicking buy and seeing if it works for me. 

 

And yes, I've dozens of bars of beeswax in a draw already for various projects. I considered saving some money and just buying some NFO, but seems like at the end of the day, tokonole is just a better product.