You’ve watched a few videos, read a few tutorials and feel that you’re finally ready to dive into trying to make something from leather yourself. The only thing you’re missing is a sturdy set of leather working tools. If your budget is a bit tight, then the seven tools which are listed below are the only ones you’ll absolutely need to get started.
A Knife
In order to properly get into leather work, it pays to invest in a good quality knife. There are a variety of knives to choose between, such as a swivel knife, round knife, skiing knife, utility knife, shoemaker’s knife, paring knife and channel knife. Though you can acquire each of the above knives over time, the one you should consider investing in first is a utility knife since it’s relatively inexpensive and meets a variety of leather working requirements.
Cutting Board
While you don’t necessarily need a cutting board to start with, it is worth considering investing in early if you don’t have a dedicated outdoor area that you can use. The cutting board will help you keep track of lines and patterns and protect anything below the leather you don’t want to damage – like your kitchen table.
Glue
Leather glue is a required tool of the trade for beginner leather workers since it will be used primarily to help bond two pieces of leather together. Gluing is done most often to test if pieces of leather will work well where you’re planning to put it. In this case, material glue may suffice. Top craftsmen often say that if you want to permanently glue leather together, then an all-purpose cement is ideal.
Chisels
Chisels are a versatile leather work tool. It can be used to work down a thick piece of leather, create holes in it, and can also help carve intricate patterns. One of their top first uses is to can also be used to make a leather stamp.
Hammer
A hammer will be one of the top-reached-for items in your leather work journey. Its uses include tapping glued leather together hammering a leather piece into shape, tapping a seam flat, setting a rivet, and hitting tacking nails into shoes.
Needle and Thread
To sew leather, you’ll need to invest in a solid set of leather needles and strong synthetic thread. These will be used in everything from saddle stitching to edge finishing and beyond. Sewing leather can be tricky to master, but well worth the effort when your pay-off is a cute bag or set of leather shoes.
A Ruler
Just like there are many bingo online in Australia games to choose from, there here are many kinds of rulers to choose between, from edge folding guide rulers to dial thickness gauges and multi-functional positioning rulers. One of the top choices is a curved corner and circle ruler, since it has both a straight outer edge and circular inners, which can assist for things like shoemaking.
Taking time to learn a skill like leather working will help you to have a greater appreciation of the level of detail and craftsmanship that goes into making something from scratch.
