/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Tools:
a sharp edge to cut the leather(utility knife)
a leather edging tool to bevel the cut edges
A sharp awl + maybe a oil stone
A leather sewing needle + thread
something to hold the leather while you awl/thread it
a piece of printer paper and a pencil to draw the form you want.

since it is scrap, dye is not needed. i would cut the leather into *1* shape, and fold into desired shape. then i would use the awl and needle to thread the leather.

google tandy for the tools. yourre gonna have to be a buyfag, unless you can smith them yourself.

Based on what I see it looks like a simple seam is sown up both ends and a band is sown across to hold the flap. Google basic tanning and leather working techniques would be helpfull

>>277811
>>277812
thank you both - seemed simple enough, but I didn't want to attempt it and just muck it up entirely

YES! i've been waiting for this thread for weeks now!

i've been wanting to make a wallet ever since i found out a friend has an unlimited amount of leather (and meat. and chickens. and a forge. and a better looking girlfriend. yes i'm fucking jealous.)

does /diy/ know how to make a bifold leather wallet or is that too complicated for someone new to leatherworking?

>>277853
waiting for this thread...?

you do realize YOU can make any thread you want, when you want...right?

Different anon here... what's a good place to buy scrap leather for /diy/ stuff?

>>277879
well yeah, but i'm new to diy. LURK MOAR and all that.

>>278136
/diy is slow and around here, just shoutin stuff out is better. We're a little bit different than the other threads like that. Questions and new ideas are always welcome.

I'm guessing I use the awl to punch holes for stitching? How far apart should they be? I want to get into leatherworking but I don't know what to make except a new wallet, anyone have some good ideas?

>>278200
Go to deviantArt and search the leatherwork section. Prepare to be inspired (or possibly overcome with despair at your lack of talent)

>>278203

That's nice! I was hoping for thinks other than bags/wallets/usual leather stuff though. Will check it out. Thank you.

FUCK YEA! NEW HOBBY.

how do you get started in this. I like to jump in. Is there a kit of pretty premium tools that is available, or a website that sells the doo dads to get started?

>>278414
i don't think you need much. just a cheap awl and some leather.

>>278414
It's pretty easy to get started. It just takes awhile before you're somewhat satisfied with your work.

At the most basic, you'll need:
>Leather
>A fork
>A drill
>Heavy needles
>Thread (waxed cotton or synthetic sinew would be best)
>A REALLY sharp fucking knife (an Exacto works)

That's about it. Everything else is about planning, design, and cutting things out right.

All the other tools make things easier and neater, but aren't absolutely required.

While an ungodly-sharp awl is best for prepping your thread holes, I drill it with a small bit.
A marking wheel helps mark out where your thread holes are going to go, but a fork can do this pretty well, too.
An edging tool makes your edges really nice. Personally, I use a bench grinder and a solid glass orb (the process for the latter is called 'boning', because in the old days they smoothed out the edge with a polished piece of bone).

Lock stitching sucks. It works, but one breakage and the whole thing can unravel. Learn to saddle-stitch. It's the god-tier of stitching.

If you have a Tandy Leather store nearby, the employees are usually very helpful and hold free instructional classes on occasion. They also have everything you'll need and then some.

Be careful. Leather crafting is pretty addictive. Pic related.

>>278458
>boning
i'm sure they did.

can you post a pic with your tools please?

>>278480
I would, but everything's packed away from when I moved.

>Knife
>Needles
>Overstitch wheel
>Razor scraper (from the hardware store, used kind of like a ghetto skiving knife to thin out thicker leathers)
>Bench grinder
>Glass orb
>Tacky glue
>Clothes pins
>Drill and bits

I also have a rivet setting tool for Copper saddlery rivets (as seen in the leather sheath I posted prior), as well as a setting tool for Sam Brown studs.

For scrap leather, check your local Salvation Army. You can find beat up and stained leather jackets for a pittance.

>>278488

>>278488
would you mind explaining the edging process? or should i go search youtube. i need to find some leather, this is badass.

>>278493
Well, pretty much everything I've learned was from online sources and trial-and-error.

My edges are done as follows:

>Cut out design with ~1/4" extra material on all sides.
>Glue pieces with hide glue (ie: common tacky glue).
>Clamp (clothespins) while drying.
>Stitch.

Now that the basic shape has been achieved (make sure all markings are in pencil on the outside, so you can see where inside edges are after its all sewn together but you can still wash them off), we move on to the actual edge treatment.

>Grind down final shape on bench grinder.
>Dampen the edge.
>Find grain direction, and smooth out edges with polished object (glass orb).
>Keep doing this until it looks good.
>This really takes awhile.
>A really long while.
>It's going to piss you off.
>Once it's good, let it dry.
>Apply choice of leather dye and fixative (fixative is a treatment after the dye to prevent it from bleeding out. I use Tandy's Carnauba Cream).
>Treat all exposed leather, once dry, with Mink Oil.
>Pay extra attention to the edges.

For hardening leather, you can also dip it in molten wax. Or use a brush to apply melted beeswax, then use a heatgun to make the leather wick it up into the surface.
Waxing is how leather bottles are made.

Pic is an older sheath I made. Fucked that up royally, but it still works. The pouch is made from a leather jacket from a Salvation Army. Picked it up for the sole reason that the leather matched my good and expensive leather jacket from Schott NYC. Good to have for patch material.

Another sheath, for a WWI issue kukri.

Sheath for my Scrap Yard Dogfather. Thick leather drop-leg rig with leg-tie (not shown).

The hard part about this sheath was that it is.... (drumroll please)...

>>278500
MOLLE-compatible!

That shit is a PAIN IN THE ASS. Seriously, leather PALS webbing isn't common FOR A REASON.

Works awesome, though. The whole concept was to be able to have it on my thigh, or use some attachment clips to attach it to the side of a Maxpedition Condor II pack.

>>278501
Attached to pack.

>>278501
dear mother of god, that must have taken a lot of work. it looks downright awesome.

have you tried making soft leather gloves?

>>278504
Naw, I generally work with thicker stuff, focusing on sheaths. Never had to make gloves, for some reason I magically FIND them... It's really weird.

Only thin leather I worked with was whip-stitching the sack-panels for that belt pouch.

Also had to wrap a poplar sword-scabbard, but couldn't find good leather. I opted to use a leather automotive chamois. They're very thin, but pretty strong and inexpensive.
Dyed it brown with simple fabric dye, and while it was slightly damp I sprayed the core with spray-adhesive. I stretched the leather around it, and cut the seam even at the back.
I then gave it a slick treatment with the Mink Oil.

Pic related. Everything in this pic I made by hand, except for the blade (an Albion-marked Del Tin Cinquedea blade) and the chape (the metal scabbard tip, also from Albion's moat sale).

Also, this is making me nostalgic for my college apartment.

>>278508
i bet you have the best halloween costumes.

how long does it take you to make a sheath? how many do you even have, it looks like you really like sheaths.

>>278522
Probably a dozen sheaths.

And no, I never really make Halloween costumes. I've always been stuck working.

My last job was in security. I spent three years all alone in a little shack, all damn night. On holidays when the plant I guarded was empty and I had even LESS to do, I'd bring all my leatherworking shit in and just make stuff.

That kukri sheath was made at work, in the course of an 8-hour shift (except for the final grinding, dyeing the edge, and finishing the edge).

Shit. It's late. Off to bed, work in the morning.

Good luck, bro. Just remember, you can get addicted to this shit.

Hey leatherworkfriends, I'm really interested in getting into the hobby, but there are not really any suppliers in my country, so I would have to order everything online. Would something like this:

http://www.tandyleather.eu/en-eur/home/department/Beginning-Leather-Kits/55510-00.aspx

be worth buying to get started or would I be better off buying the tools individually, and picking up the finishes and stuff as I go along?

>>278965
That kit looks like a waste of money, spend $50 on real, quality tools.

Buy some shitty leather rain coats from value village and go to town.

>>278979
Do you know of any good suppliers where I can order tools? Like I say I can't just go to a store and buy some, there are no leatherwork suppliers in my country. I have to order them internationally, and Tandy is the only place I know of. Also, from what I am aware, you need veg tanned, untreated leather for tooling, leather raincoats would not work or do I have this wrong?

http://www.mehr-als-werkzeug.de/category/Leder-3624_3629.htm

>>279446
I cant see how they are charging €300 for half a side of leather, when Tandy are charging less than €150 for a whole side.

Online tutorials please?

I'm a total beginner at this, I don't even know how leather is made from skin but I don't know the terminology either to google it.

SAUCES PLS

>>281491
I havent got my hands on any leather yet so I cant really judge, but I've been watching this guy's tutorials and they seem pretty good:

http://www.youtube.com/user/satansbarber

>>281491
The actual process of turning skin into leather is 'TANNING'. So that's a start.

As for tutorials, google that shit.

I mean, think of what you want to make, and just look for a tutorial on it. Satchels? Shoes? Sheaths? Clothing? It's all out there.

Just remember, due to the cost of tools and materials, it's an expensive hobby. It takes a LOT (years) of trial-and-error and practicing to get your work to a point where you can earn any money from it as a hobby.

I've been doing it in my spare time for probably 4 years, and I'm just about getting there. Still not clean enough to be comfortable selling it (plus I specialize in sheaths, which is a very built-to-fit kinda thing, so you can't really build a stock).

Plus, I don't even TOOL the leather (cutting and pressing patterns and designs into the surface). I stick to a solid hide surface, so I don't even do have the work associated with a lot of leather products.