Leather Work Tips

For leather work, consider the basics: an awl and spare point, a retractable X-acto knife and spare blades, a retractable knife with a break-off blade and a rotary punch. In addition, you'll need needles, a lump of beeswax and some waxed linen thread.

As well, a pair of pliers to pull the needle through the leather is a must, and scissors you can use for cutting the leather. Then there are edge slickers and bevellers that are used to finish the edges, drive punches for bigger holes and thong cutters for making laces. A T-square, compass and yardstick are essential to ensure that your leather work is measured accurately.

If you're just starting out with leather work, you might not want to spend a lot of money on tools. Once you've worked with the basic set and completed a few projects, you'll have a better idea of what tools work best and what you use most. At that point, a little research and some comparative shopping can lead you to acquiring some better quality tools that will enhance your leather work.

Of course, even the most expensive tools won't help if you haven't taken the time to develop and perfect your craft. If you do your very best with what you have, it doesn't matter if you can't afford the most expensive awl or the latest knife. Quality will show anyway.

Tips and Tricks:

* Start with a basic tool set.

* Buy better quality tools once you've completed some projects and have a better idea of what will enhance the quality of your leather work.

* Study the various types of leather before starting.

Tooling Leather

There are many different types of leather available, some better than others, depending upon the project you have in mind. Vegetable-tanned leather, also called tooling leather, has been processed using vegetable dyes rather than chemicals. It's usually flesh-colored and is excellent for a variety of projects, especially if the top is to be stamped or tooled.

Because it has a relatively rigid structure, this type of leather is ideal for leather work items like book covers and belts.

Latigo

Oil-tanned leather, also called latigo, unlike other leathers, has a waxy surface and is ideal for leather work projects where durability and flexibility are a must, such as for tack and saddles. Avoid using it though if you don't want the finished product to have stretch and flexibility, such as in dog collars. Bear in mind also that it can't be tooled or stamped.

Top Grain Leather

Top grain leather has one smooth side, called grain, which is the skin side, and a rough inner side, the flesh side. Either side can be used, rough or smooth.

Chrome-Tanned Leather

Chrome-tanned leather is dyed with modern chemicals such as chromium and comes in a variety of colors, is often white on one side, though the cut edges can be a different color than the facing. It's relatively inexpensive, but not very breathable, and can't be tooled or stamped because it's too soft for leather work and it's waterproof

Weight of Leather

Leather thickness is given in ounces. The heavier the weight, the thicker the leather is.

Calf or goat skin is generally 2 ounces or 1/32 inch thick. One ounce is 1/64th of an inch thick. On the other end of the scale, 8 ounce leather is usually 1/8 inch thick.

Summary:

* Tooling leather is the best choice for most leather work projects.

* Latigo leather is great for durables like tack and saddles.

* Choose suede and garment leather when making clothing.

* The heavier the weight of leather, the thicker it is.

* When ordering leather through the mail, try some sample swatches first.

* Keep your leather soft and supple with the proper oil.

Hey! Need To Know More About Leather? Here's How to Get Your Answers Quick and Easy Click Here ==> Leather Work Secrets

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Crafts-Hobbies Information:

Related Articles

Candle Maintenance
Many people don't know that you can actually improve the quality of the flame you get from your candles. Some people think that if a flame is too large or you are getting excess soot that it is the makers fault.
Photograph Mosaics and Markers in Your Scrapbooks
An attractive technique for placing photographs into scrapbooks is the photograph mosaic. Mosaics stretch photographs into an artistic rendition of the original photograph.
Use Newspaper Clippings, Graphics, Kids Art, and Clipart to Enhance Your Scrapbook
A popular addition to scrapbook pages is newspaper clippings. Newspaper clippings of birth announcements, team photographs, or favorite celebrities add a personal touch to scrapbook pages.
Ideas for Making Gift Baskets
Do you want to give gifts to your friends or family for birthdays, Christmas or some other holiday, but you just don't know what to get them?Just take a decorative basket and you can create a gift basket filled with great items that either your friends or family will love.The items basically you will need to create a gift basket will include:**A decorative basket;**Shrink wrap;**Any color tissue paper;**Different assortment of shredded paper.
Baby Boomers Need Creative Practical Hobbies
"Well how are you really enjoying your retirement?" I asked out of interest, "it was great to start with" he said, but lately, I've just become kind of lost..
Easy Origami
Starting outOrigami is an art of paper folding, therefore all you should need is a piece of paper and you can start folding away without any problems, right? Well, almost. You might need a few other things that we will talk about in this chapter.
A Look at Cabinet Humidors
Cabinet humidors are specially designed for the serious cigar aficionado. Much more of an investment than a small desktop humidor that can hold 100 to 200 cigars, cabinet humidors can be as small as a standing chest, can hold up to 8000 cigars or more, can measure as much as four feet wide by 20 inches deep and over six feet in height or larger and resemble a large bookcase, and can cost from the high hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars.
Friendship Albums
My 12-year-old daughter was mad at me when I refused to pay $25 for a school yearbook last year. Who are they trying to kid?In an attempt to appease my daughter, I suggested buying a little notebook that her friends could write messages in for her.
4 Fun Ways to Display Photos
From baby pictures to vacation pictures, images of family and friends are treasures that are kept for a lifetime. They make great gifts and add cheer and warmth to the interiors of our homes.
Scrapbooking Childrens Favorite Stories
Countless memories are built during the formative childhood days. If there's an excellent means to record them down in some ways, it'll be scrapbooking.
Create A Gift Basket For A Dog Lover!
The choice of what gift to give your family and friends can often be a difficult one. One of the best gifts that you can give is a gift basket.
More Than A Memory- A Legacy
Everyone has that box of pictures either in a close or in a garage. Even worse yet in a magnetic album.
Diecast Collectibles: The Collectors' Guide to Making a Profit
Millions of people have made a hobby of collecting items ofone sort or another, but some take it to a higher level. These collectors view their collections as more than just an accumulation of trinkets that they happen to enjoy; to them, it's a business, and they're not in it to lose money.
Working With Leather
This can be as simple & basic Or advanced & professional.There are many books, booklets, pamphlets, reprints, even articles describing how to assemble a simple article cut from a basic design which is purchased as a kit from a supplier.
Amish Quilts - A Dying American Art
Amish quilting has been a tradition for more than a century here in rural Pennsylvania. Amish women create quilts, often in groups called quilting bees.
Do You Really Know What You're Buying?
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a popular gift show in my local area. My purpose in attending this gift show was to scope out my competition and the quality of their soy candles compared to what I offer.
Five Ways To Find New Markets for Your Dog and Cat Art
As you create your dog and cat art, you will find that you would like to find a market for your many non-commissioned pieces. When it comes to generic dog and cat art, keep the following tips in mind:1.
Butterfly Candle Holders
Butterfly candle holders are easy to make and a great gift idea. The materials are very inexpensive, and you can use your imagination for a variety of designs.
Robotic Vacuum Cleaners: Perfect for Cleaning Pool Tables
A friend of mine bought a robotic vaccum cleaner as a gag. It's actually pretty fun to watch it semi randomly roaming around the room.
Tooling Leather
Use vegetable-tanned, light-colored top-grained leather for tooling leather. If you're not sure what you have, test the leather's ability to take a pattern by wetting a corner and making lines with different objects like the edge of a coin.
>