what resource was the most help to you when you were new at this?

[Johanna]

I'm just curious what resource was the most help to an aspiring leatherworker through the years. Everybody think back. What one resource gave you the most assistance when you were first starting out, and which one would you rather have had? Which one taught you the most? What did you like about learning leather the way you did? What would have been better? Please tell us what kind of leather education you would suggest to a newbie.

Thanks, everybody!

Johanna

[freak]

Well being a newbie that has just takin off the trainingwheels , i still fall down alot. I saw a few ( very limited) how too on tooling leather online. I still have SOOOO much to learn and try. But i can tell you this my friend. When i first found this place i read for hours just the first nite and it was not as big then as it is now. As soon as i got home the next nite i did it again. I read for about a week before i even posted. There where many threads i bet i read 10 times over. This place was God sent for me.

I searched the internet for months before i found this place. What i was able to find was very little help. If i remember right , someplace wanted me to buy a membership to view the site and their how too-s . Well not knowing anything and not knowing what there was to learn or even if i'll like it or be able to do it. I saw no way in #$%&& i'll join there. So needless to say my first projects i feel i was lucky that they even came out. Oh i almost forgot. I would browse diff motorcycle forums and check out the guys that where doing leather work and ask them questions . Beezachoppa was one of the first guys to give me info over at the crossroads. Thanks Beeza !!

I've learned TONS of stuff here, tons i tell you. I feel if i have any question no matter how small or of what area of leather work it maybe. I will get a answer here and tips without feeling like a newbie.

SO all in all i guest my answer where i first started would have to be "surfing the web"

I LOVE THIS PLACE....Drinks for all my friends.

[Beaverslayer]

Well, in a past life that I've left behind me, I was a resident of the Canadian Penal System. Club Fed we call it. They had a very well equiped hobby shop that I hung out in doing woodwork, making jewelry boxes and such for the guards. The fellow inmate that was in charge of the hobby shop tools was a leathercrafter, and on days when I did't feel like getting all dusty I would sit and watch him tool leather or lace things together.

One day the hobby shop manager had gotten an order of leather in from Tandy that had a full hide of garment leather. He called Tandy and asked why they had shipped it to the Institution, and they said it was a mistake and just to keep it they would not charge him for it. I asked him how much he wanted for it, and he said "Ah give me $20 for it.

Well now I have a piece of leather about 50 sq. ft. and no idea of what to do with it. So I took the hat I wore and cut it all apart to get the shape of each piece and made a pattern out of it. Then over the next month or so, I kept asking the hobby shop tool guy if he would teach me how to lace. This took a lot of doing as "Inside" every one is afraid that if they teach you something, you will end up "Cutting thier grass" and start selling stuff that they would have been able to sell. Very competitive place.

Anyways, after expressing myself that I would not be cutting his grass, that I would only make hats for myself and not others, he taught me how.

Once his sentence was over, I took over the job as "Hobby Shop" worker, and was able to make and sell the hats to whomever I wanted without repercussions. As it was against the rules to sell to another inmate, I would have them purchase a garment hide from the hobby shop manager in which I would make them a hat, and keep the rest of the leather for myself...Rule Bending...This way I increased my inventory of leather for my own projects without cost.

One day I took a shirt apart and made a pattern for a vest. This took a bit of doing to re-design a shirt to look like a vest, but after a bit of work..well you've all seen my vests. I finished my first one, and it all started from there. I would have inmates asking all the time to make a vest for them. Again some rule bending, and there was within a year quite a few people wearing my vests inside. I even made and sold them to the guards.

There was a "Lifer" that was transfered into our instittuion one day that when he finally got all his hobby stuff sent in and inventoried (you can only have things that are allowed and registered on your "Property Card") I was amazed at all the tools he had...19 BIG boxes. He owned EVERY tool that you see in the Tandy cataloque.

I instantly became friends with him. He, at that time had been in for 29 years, and took up tooling and carving when he first came in. I asked, and he wholy agreed to teach me how to tool and carve. We would spend hours in the hobby shop, and either of our cells till all hours of the morning teaching me. (In Club Fed) we were allowed to do what we wanted at night on our own units, we even had keys to our own cell doors, YES our own cell door keys.

Anyways thats how I started leatherworking. I spent 3 years as the hobby shop guy, and over those 3 years learned everything that I know today. When I was released, I had saved enough money from sales that I made to the guards, and I also had "Sent Out" a lot of stuff that the guy that taught me how to lace, would sell for me in a store in a small city in northern Alberta. I also had an "Outside Job" as a drywall taper for my last 2 months of incarceration that payed me very well for being out on "Work Release".

With this money that I had saved up, I started Beaverslayer Custom Leather upon my release. I aproached all the Harley shops here in Calgary, and also the Custom Bike builders. Through these contacts I have been able to not only keep busy, but also make enough to survive and away from the "Past Life".

Well that's my story. Other than, like alot of people here on Leatherworkers, I spent countless hours on the net, trying to find out more about leatherworking, and after almost a year of looking I found this place. My MANY hats are off to not only Johanna, but everyone that participates. The comraderie I have found here is second to none, and I appreciate all the people more than you could ever imagine for helping each other out the way you do. No one here is afraid of having thier "Grass Cut" so to speak, and is more than willing to help out thier fellow leatherworker.

Ken

[Studio-N]

Not done learning, but have learned by DOING.

I had a background in other crafts, and much of that knowledge tranfered over. After that, it's just a matter of thinking through problem.

Measure twice, cut once. No wait, that's woodworking. Oh well, same thing. peace.

[Mike Craw]

Since we could only choose one, I chose "Books" but I think fair credit would require that I say Al Stohlman...

[Dragons Pearl]

I voted the hard way as I still have my training wheels on and didn't have a teacher lol. I took an art class in high school, but that was years ago. I just picked up a starter kit last year and did a couple things then stopped. I recently had a couple people ask me for rosary cases (the oval coin purses I posted in Show Off) and it started me wanting to create again. I have a couple books, just the ones from tandy by A. S., but nothing other than that and the internet for teaching. Nobody I know of does leather here other than one person who sells stuff out of his house. I think he may ask for payment for teaching and I am sorta broke lol. So I will just keep learning how I have been and using this site as a sounding board and information database.

[Guest]

I tried to add a reply but everything blew up and got deleted when I ran the spell check.... and I still can't get it to run.

Dave

[$$hobby]

i was lucky to have a leathershop class in Jr. HS. but i learned most by books and trial and error.

its one of the reasons why i buy all the books i can on leatherwork. sometimes you will get a different slant from different authors.

[yaklady]

Al Stohlman was my inspiration. I have always been interested in figure and pictorial carving, and have studied those two books from cover to cover. It was many years before I finally found out how much more I can learn from real people.

I started a saddle making class at Tandy's, and half-way through the class, the instructor was transferred to another store, far away. I finished the saddle by reading Al's saddle encyclopedias. My little tiny chicken brain had no problem following his instructions. That's how I learned for the first 25 years of leather craft, reading Al's books.

How about you, Johanna????

Kathy

[abn]

I think probably the best way to learn is through a mentor, who can give you inspiration, show you techniques and answer questions. But they're so hard to find, and most are too busy to be of much assistance.

In the absence of a good mentor, I haven't found anything that's more informative than a good online community like Leatherworker.net. I've always gotten good answers to my questions -- and have even been able to offer some advice of my own on occasion! It's interesting to read topics on so many different subjects, and I find myself learning something new almost every day.

The other options listed (books, videos, magazines, etc.) are all fine ways to learn, too, but there's no interaction. For example, if you have a follow-up question to the material presented, tough luck. Also, you're only getting the author's opinion... Here on Leatherworker.net, you post a question and you may get all kinds of different opinions -- all equally valid -- on the best way to do something.

Best of all, this site is a free resource! (However, contributions are appreciated to keep the server running, and consequently, the doughnuts that sit on top of it warm.)

I've enjoyed getting to know everyone here and thank the Leatherworker.net team for setting this site up.

Regards, -Alex

[waddy]

I received a Tandy Leather kit for Christmas or birthday when I was pretty young. I worked through all the kits, trying to follow the directions, which were a little sparse at the time. The only help I received was a tip on how to case leather for tooling from a neighbor rancher who made chaps and did a little tooling in his spare time. Everything else has been books and lately, videos.I bought an Adler flat top sewing machine when I was still in the Navy, and wehen I got home I made headstalls, saddle bags, chaps, etc. by the trial and error method. Many errors and trials before I was able to make anything really worthwhile. I could work out the basics on my own, but the little tricks that make it easier and more professional escaped me and made things very hard and crude until I learned a few things on my own. When I decided to do this for a living I forked over the money for a bona fide saddle making school with Jesse W. Smith. It was worth 3 times what I paid for it. I would have given anything to have had help like this available earlier. I hope the folks just starting out realize just how valuable this forum actually is.

[Seasoned Warrior]

My Grandfather was my inspiration and my mentor. Both my Father's family and my Mother's were blacksmiths going back many generations: there are tools named after my paternal great-great-grandfather still in use today. As was the tradition in our families the oldest male children learned the "trade" and so did I. One of the first things I learned to do is make knives and axes and of course they all had to have sheaths so leatherwork was just a thing you did in the evenings after you beat iron all day. When I went to college I was going to be an Industrial Arts teacher and took a series of courses entitled craft industries where we learned the various traditional crafts from an historical as well as a practical perspective crafts that were the basic industries that made our great Nation great. I tooled my first piece of leather as a craft industries project and I was hooked. I have held a number of jobs since I left school but everywhere I went I worked steel and leather together. I don't have a son but my daughter can beat steel with the best so I like to think I've kept the family tradition alive. At least for me I don't think I could have had a better mentor than my Grandfather.

[whinewine]

Back in the late '60s, the father of a girl I was dating at the time did leatherwork. He showed me & I was hooked. Later, Tandy opened a store in our town, so I constantly went there to watch other leathercrafters & ask questions. The manager (Barry Yeingst) asked me if I'd like to become his assistant and I tried to absorb as much knowledge as I could while I was there. Eventually I moved on & into half a dozen different (& divergent) careers, but still kept my patterns & tools (even though I didn't touch them again for over 20++ years).

After I retired from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, my older son asked me if I would teach him how to carve leather & so we now make renfaire gear on a limited basis. And I still watch other leathercrafters & still ask questions.

[hiloboy]

well i'm new to leather work.and so far my inspiration is all of you and this web site. like i said before i have worked as a engraver on metal, ivory glass wood and what ever else will stand still i will engrave it..i did this engraving job and got payed with leather tools. so i thought i would try and learn how to work on leather. and then i found this place.. so where am i learning leather work from? RIGHT HERE!! i'm still trying to get my leather and a couple other stuff i need and i will be on my way thanks to all of you.. i do have some stuff i did on my picturetrail site in my signature.. but no leather but soon i hope...i also want to try burning on leather or what i call pyrographic art along with the tooling on leather.. aloha Curt

Edited September 16, 2007 by hiloboy

[Zilla]

I had the pleasure of learning to tool leather in my art class in High School. Most of it came from books but with a lot of encouragement from my teacher. After a few belts, wallets and a few purses I dropped it for the last 20-25 years.

After a move back to Oregon from Dallas TX, I have to drive past the TLF store on my way to work every day. After a few looks at their new catalog I noticed that the nicer starter kits were 50% off SOOO I picked up one.

Come to find out tooling leather is one of those art/craft forms that if you don't use you lose. I am highly embarrassed by the couple items I've done so far but it is getting better the more I do.

I must say I am very, VERY impressed by the work I've seen here and by the works on the links that have been provided.

Kevin

[Pip]

Here!!! Thanks guys!!!! Everyone i ve met who does leather work seems to have been salt of the earth..... Is it something to do with the almost meditative nature of tooling leather.

I have been given tools, some of which I don't know what they do! given leather for practice and great advice at every turn.

I have been really lucky, and try to give it back by introducing it to younguns, learning as i teach.

[Dan Hammons]

Hi All,

I was helping my Dad on his barn one day and ran acrossed a box that said leather tools on it and opened it up and was looking at the lucky seven book when he came in and asked what I had found. I showed them to him and he says I've been packing them around since you were in grade school just set them over there out of the way . Later I ask him if I could give them a try .He says sure but it's not as easy as that guy (Al Stolhman ) makes it sound . So I got right after the job at hand and destroyed evry piece of leather or kit I bought for a while that winter and put them up and dinked with it in the winter months but nothing very serious and I got to where I could make a checkbook look good enough to use but thats about it.After a devorce I found alot of peaceful time that winter to work on it and found it pretty handy not having to put everything away everyday. I got better at the floral but figure carving was what I wanted to do but couldn't get the hang of it so it was off and on in the winter for the most part and even gave it up for a few years and then the State of Utah decided that I didn't need a drivers licence for a year. Well after being moody for a couple of weeks and realizing being pissed off wasn't helping at all ,I was at work one day and thought about the leather tools and figured that if I was ever gonna figure out how to tool now would be the time cuz I'm gonna have alot of that . And that is what I did every night after work and every weekend non stop . I bought every book ever made and got on e-bay and started buying me a good set of older tools and made everything from wallets to purses and gave them to whoever wanted them. I got alot better pretty fast but then for about four months it seemed like I never progressed at all and then one day a friend of mine wanted a horse on a purse and I sat down and carved that horse like it was easy and it was as good as the pattern I was useing. When that purse was done and I saw the look on her face when I gave it to her I knew I would never quit .That was three yrs ago and although I realize that I will never do a perfect carving it gets harder and harder for the average person to see and most never do. As long as I'm better next yr at this time then I am now a guy can't complain to much. So to be honest with all of you . If I wouldn't have got that DUI I honestly believe I wouldn't be writting this today for the simple fact that I wouldn't have put that much time into it and I don't by any means want anyone to think thats the thing to do.lol Believe me It Sucks!!

One more thing I want to say and that is Thank You Johanna !!! This is the best site on the entire internet . Who would have thought a leather worker site would be the best in the world but stranger things have happened and I'm proud to be part of it . Thanks to all of you too.....Dan The Horse Purse I did for my friend.

[Guest]

I'll try this again; but I won't run a spell check this time! LOL

When I started there were no Tandy stores close....I don't consider the one in Columbus, Ohio as close (220 miles) so I learned by doing. Bought a few books but mostly it was trial and error. LOTS of error.

About 3 years ago I had decided to start up an old hobby of mine...that of knife making. I had made about 6-8 of them when I had a brain storm and decided that they all needed sheaths.....That was my start. But about 3 months into my sheath making, my son saw me working and told me that I HAD to make him a seat for the motorcycle that he was building. My first one was as ugly as a mud fence! So I tore it apart and did it again ... and again and again. I was satisfied enough with the fourth one that I gave it to my son.....it was the "king of hearts" seat. You can see it on my photobucket site. He liked it too and took it to work to show his boss....(he worked part time at a custom bike shop at the time). His boss like it enough to call me immediately and ask for a seat for a show bike that was being entered in the Easyriders show in Cincinnati. This was just after Thanksgiving 2005. The bike shop was Sucker Punch Sallys and that was almost 2 years and 200 seats ago. There is something to be said for doing the same thing over and over and over....You are bound to improve. Somehow it isn't boring when someone is paying you for it.....lol

That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

Dave

[pepin1948]

I think "from a teacher/camp counselor/scout" and "in prison" both need to be added...

I learned at Camp Cherith, in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, in 1983. I remember the date because I still have a rose carved coaster I'd made (have since lost the bookmarker). Camp Cherith was run by the Pioneer Girls, and I think is now called Mount Gilead. I wish to this day that I could track down my teacher and offer my sincere gratitude. At the time, she drove me nuts with her nitpicking over my swivel knive cuts (she used to make sure we did what she called "true cuts", and not just denting the surface of the leather.) I don't remember her name, just the year.

I did nothing with leather again 'til I graduated college in 1989, but then I was talked into making a shoulder harness sheath for a broadsword. Because of that camp counselor's detail driven instruction, things came back to me surprisingly quickly. (Thanks also to ALOT of help from Tandy Leather in Allentown, PA) After that, the "itch" got into me and I've not looked back!

[Mike Phelps]

I took up leatherwork because I wanted a nice, clean, tasteful guitar straps but whenever I found something even close to what I wanted the prices were just outrageous [now I know why]. I had a bit of time on my hands and my mother in-law located a box of crusty old tools, hardware and really iffy institutional dyes and finishes for me. The tools cleaned up good enough to be serviceable. But I was still faced with a mountain of ignorance and a lack of raw material. But at the store my wife and I were operating at the time we had a couple of computers hooked to the WWW.

Found suppliers for everything I'd thought I'd ever need. But hey we're talking about a guy trying to keep a small business afloat in a really tiny rural town, money is tight folks, if we have beans on Monday it's refried beans on Tuesday tight. So to keep from wasting money out of ignorance I fired up the search engines for "How To Leather Work" found a whole lot of ghost towns and/or aimless sites. Finally I came across the IILG. Pretty fine bunch of folks there. Wayne Christiansen, Verlane Destrange, gosh those two gave me insights and sent me detailed instructions on how to do things that I would have had to buy volumes of books to get otherwise. There are a lot of folks on this forum that were/are members there. I know Joanna's name was frequently mentioned while I was there.

[fortysomething]

I can't remember what got me started in leatherwork. I probably needed a bit of leather for a project or repair. Anyway, I found my way into the local Tandy store, where I found most of the books from which I gleaned much knowledge.

After the books, experimentation, practice and technique discussions with the Tandy manager, kept my skills improving. I put my tools away a few years ago to pursue other hobbies and to make room for my new family.

Now, since retiring at a fairly young age, I am ready to get back into leatherwork and thinking of possibly using leather to supplement my income. I don't have the work space that I had previously, but that is not a big problem.

I happily found this forum where I am sure I will get much inspiration and encouragement, and continue my learning.

[cjbleather]

I noted books. By these I meant mostly Al Stohlmans books that I got from Tandys. Once I got going, I found the O-MI-O Leathercraft Guild. My attending these meetings and seeing the work being done by masters and those with more experience than I, probably gave me my most valuable info. carlb

[tlowry]

i voted books. In '71 the internet was not around, if I was starting now it would to be this site. back then I didn't know anyone who did leatherwork so i had to read from books i bought at one of two Tandy stores, Jackson, Miss or Baton Rouge, La. That was during the flower power days and i sold a lot of simple belts thru a head shop in Natchez, Miss. In the mid '80s I had a set back when my entire leather tool collection was stolen. It's taken a long time to accumulate everything all over again.

[rawhide1]

I marked apprenticed which is kinda what it was. Right out of high school I went to work for a wholesale place called Western Heritage. And the fella that ran their shop was a man by the name of John McBeth and he had two boys Bart and Blake that also worked fer him. And between the three of them they taught me how to make headstalls,breast collars, reins,flanks, braided gear, and a number of other items. About the only thing we didn't make was saddles. So I worked there fer a couple of years and then John and his boys left and I was put to running shop fer about a year or so. Well I couldn't keep production up with all the stuff they were selling to TSC stores and everyone else without dropping quality. Which I wouldn't do so they kinda of run me off. But I used to braid a lot of mystery reins and tye downs for them. So that got me going on braiding. So know 10-15yrs later I've tried to pick the braiding back up but this time with rawhide. But those years I worked for John and his boys was the most fun I've ever had. Sorry for going on so much Mike

[gearsmithy]

I've never been very good at following instructions so I learned the hard way. I would get an idea in my head and then try to figure it out on my own. I would lean a little bit about how to do something and then take a little further on my own. I screwed up many projects but sometimes I come up with new ways of doing things. I think I prefer it that way, keeps me on my toes. I started out carving leather on my kitchen floor (space is an expensive comodity in Chicago). Now I have a little dedicated workshop setup in my bedroom entirely paid for by my pieces.