hand tools leather2

[zuludog]

Just a suggestion........

If you haven't done so already, Search YouTube for 'beginners tools for leathercraft'; there are several videos.......although they are similar, each one is slightly different, so you can make up your own choices & variations 

[Leather2]

On 5/29/2021 at 3:12 AM, zuludog said:

Just a suggestion........

If you haven't done so already, Search YouTube for 'beginners tools for leathercraft'; there are several videos.......although they are similar, each one is slightly different, so you can make up your own choices & variations 

Thank you, watched some people and added some tools to the list.

[Spyros]

I have separated most leatherworking items into stuff that it's worth paying more, and stuff that it's not worth it.

In my opinion.

 

STUFF NOT WORTH BUYING EXPENSIVE

Chisels. Those cheap diamond shaped chisels are pretty much the same everywhere.  Look at Corter leather youtube, those ones.   Some people return to them after they've spent hundreds on Sinabroks and KS Blades, simply because it's easier to pass a thread through a chunky diamond hole than a narrow slit.   Just get the shiny cheap ones, shiny means they've been polished which means it's a little easier to pull out of the leather.

Box cutters and Xacto knock offs are as good as it gets.  Dedicated leatherworking knives work great and look great, but they require sharpening, and they require the purchase of another knife every time you need a different shape blade.  Sharpening can easily turn into a sub-hobby within a hobby, anyone tells you they have a cheap/easy/quick method of sharpening are either lying or want to sell you something.    There is very little that is cheap, easy or quick when it comes to shaping steel to exact angles with extreme accuracy, which is what sharpening is.  Avoid sharpening whenever possible, replaceable box cutter/Xacto blades are a life saver.

Cheap entry-level bevellers / edgers work just as well as expensive ones, it's a simple question of (you guessed it), sharpening.  Better to have 3-4 sizes of cheap ones than 1 expensive one.

Cheapest knock off dremel type tool is more than adequate for leatherworking applications.

Edge slickers, rulers, bone folders etc, honestly just about anything will do, just use your imagination.  Get some self adhesive rubbery tape, stick it under a ruler so it doesn't slide too much on the leather and you're good to go.

Mauls.  I have no idea why they exist.  I have one, I made it and I love it, but if I'm honest with myself any kind of rubber or timber mallet from the hardware shop would do pretty much exactly the same job.

Wool daubers. Why?  You can (and should) apply your paint/glue/gum tranc or whatever it is you're applying with a huge variety of different household items, depending on the situation.

Electric creasing machines.  You can spend $1k or you can spend $200.  In my experience you'll struggle to see a difference in every day use or in the end result.

Stitching ponies.  Super simple things, get a cheap one, and choose the big size.  Big is much more useful than good.  Again I spent a couple of days woodworking to make mine out of the best timber and brass, it's pretty much perfect, and it still does nothing more than a $80 one from ebay.

Avoid anything with fancy shiny handles.  If you find yourself afflicted with the fancy handle disease get a woodworking lathe and make your own.  Trust me it will work out cheaper in the long term.  

Anvil.  You need an anvil, but even the tiniest one that is bolted on a steady bench will do the trick 99% of the time.  Anvils are expensive, get a tiny one.

Peen hammer.  Cheap is fine, all you need is a round steel thing to bang on soft copper.

Hand press for rivets and various hardware.  Cheap or expensive, they're all pretty much the same.  I have the cheapest possible from Etsy and I couldn't be happier.  One day I will get a proper free standing machine that allows to press a rivet in the middle of a bag, but currently I don't have the space for it.

Glue.  I've tried 10 different water based brands and honestly I can't tell the diff.

Strap cutters:  They're all the same.  If you're cutting straps all day every day get a metal instead of the usual timber one, otherwise a cheap timber one is fine.

Rollers, tiny japanese woodworking planes, other weird stuff:  Redundant.

 

STUFF WORTH BUYING EXPENSIVE

- Cutting surface.  If you can, buy a huge slab of soft plastic like HDPE and bolt it on a desk.  It makes life much easier than permanently wondering if your cutting mat is actually still under your leather.

 - Punches of all shapes and sizes.  Good punches are expensive and sooner or later you'll need a tonne of them.  They don't necessarily need to be top of the line, but they need to be at least average or you'll simple end up constantly destroying and replacing them.  Buy them as you need them, avoid the cheap ones.

- Metal round rulers.  Not cheap but very handy.

- Silicone glue applicators, much easier to clean.

- Ultimately it's all about the leather and hardware.  Get the absolute best you can afford, dont waste your time with crap, never skimp on leather or hardware.

- Patterns.  Learn to make your own, but until then buy some good ones.  Good designers generally dont sell their best patters, they keep those for themselves.  But there are some good ones out there, and they do sell them more expensively.  It's worth it, get the more expensive patters, a crappy design will destroy any kind of project doesn't matter how good the materials or the execution.

- Get a good awl that matches the shape of your chisels.  Avoid fancy handles.

- Liquids.  Finishes, dyes, conditioners, oils etc.  Don't skimp, get the good stuff, it matters.  A bad/cheap finish can destroy a whole project you've been working for days on, don't risk it.

- Anything to do with stamping.  Good stamps produce a different result, and it is visible.

Edited June 2, 2021 by Spyros

[fredk]

Thats an excellent summary

Only other thing I can add for now is I like my stitching holes pliers 

These; 

They are available with four teeth and two teeth. Only really suitable for a maximum thickness of about 3.5mm tho

They make the making of a long run of stitching holes a real doodle. Not too long ago I made a book cover,  like this one, 

It took me about 5 minutes to make the stitching holes all round it.

Down side of these pliers is the stitch spacing and the size of the holes is fixed to one size. afair The teeth are about 2mm wide and 2mm spacing, gives about 6 or 7 stiches per inch, which is ok for many things

Spyros mentions an anvil. For years I've used a lump of steel that I got from somewhere. Its round, about 4 inches diameter and 2 inches thick with one square edge and one bevelled edge. Still serves me well but I also have a 3kg anvil - that is small. The anvil has a horn on it which is useful for setting ready rivets inside something

 

[Spyros]

Those stitching hole pliers that Fred mentioned are also great for another reason: it makes it 100% certain that the holes will be equal distance from the edge of the leather both on the top and the bottom.  A lot of people have a problem with that (including me when the leather is above a certain thickness).   I know a professional wallet maker who uses them exclusively for this reason.

I'm actually considering getting a pair, just not sure if the shape/size/distance of the holes will work for me.

[Klara]

While I either agree with most of what you write, @Spyros or don't have an opinion (never used wool daubers yet), I feel differently about the knives. For me, knife sharpening is one of life's essential skills, not just for leatherworking. (After nearly cutting off my thumb with a blunt (!) kitchen knife while butchering a chicken, I tried using an Xacto for cutting them open. It's not the right tool for the job.) And I just love a rounded blade... In theory I would consider knives one of the items worth spending money on, but I still bought a cheap head knife to hone my sharpening skills... (pun intended)

[Spyros]

I agree sharpening is an essential skill, I sharpen all the time.  But exactly because I sharpen all the time for woodworking and for the kitchen, I don't want to spend even more time sharpening unless I absolutely have to.  And for leatherworking I just don't have to, it's really that simple.  I sharpen the bevellers and a couple of skiving hand tools but very infrequently.

Did you really cut a chicken with an Xacto knife? 

Edited June 2, 2021 by Spyros

[chrisash]

@Spyros great post, I often think Glitz and that often used phrase " Buy once" that is thrown around every other post, is just fine for the rich to say, but often the lower cost items will do a very good job, although you will never get someone who pays $200 for a stitching chisel to agree that a $50 makes just as good slit in leather. some prefer to spend hours sharpening round knifes other are happy with a Stanley knife each to their own and financial situation

 

[Klara]

1 hour ago, Spyros said:

I agree sharpening is an essential skill, I sharpen all the time.  But exactly because I sharpen all the time for woodworking and for the kitchen, I don't want to spend even more time sharpening unless I absolutely have to.  And for leatherworking I just don't have to, it's really that simple.  I sharpen the bevellers and a couple of skiving hand tools but very infrequently.

Did you really cut a chicken with an Xacto knife? 

Makes sense. As I don't sharpen knives for woodworking I can spend the time on leather knives

Regarding the chicken: I figured cutting the belly open to take out the innards would be similar to what a surgeon does and a craftknife was as close to a scalpel as I could get at the time (with dial-up internet, Amazon selling books and Aliexpress not yet in existence). Well, it was an idea and I still have all my fingers. And a hand-forged, small, pointy knife made by my friend, which I bought soon after.

By the way, would scalpels work for leather? Could I scrounge used ones from the vet? Something to find out...

 

 

 

[fredk]

1 minute ago, Klara said:

By the way, would scalpels work for leather? Could I scrounge used ones from the vet? Something to find out...

yes, but limited use. I use Swann & Morton scalpels and blades. I use them for cutting threads, trimming lace to a fine point for the brass round lacing needles, for trimming badly cut edges. . . .

No good for main cutting or cutting for tooling instead of a swivel knife