View Full Version : Leatherwork Starter Kit
MagiKelly
20-02-2007, 15:49
I am looking to try a couple of simple leather projects and was looking for the basic tools. Is there anywhere that you can get a sort of basic kit?
I found the two links below. The first looks not bad but I think I would want a groover and stitch marking wheel as well, and obviously some leather :rolleyes:
http://www.bowstock.co.uk/acatalog/Starter___Stitching_Kits.html bottom item
The second one probably has much more than i need to start with and funnily enough does not have the stitch marking wheel. I don't fancy the pricking iron much.
http://www.leathercourses.co.uk/tools.htm
To be hones if the first supplier had a stitch marking wheel I would probably just add that and order from there.
Of course if anyone has tools they no longer want then let me know.
singteck
20-02-2007, 16:02
I think you should get the tools that you want to use and then just buy them one at a time rather then a kit. Of the two kits listed, I would spent the money on the second one. The first one only have some needles and an awl at the end of the day. Off cuts leather can be bought really cheap for practise.
I would say to get a pack of saddler's needle in size 1,2 or 3 (makes not much of a difference), a saddler's awl with handle, a scratch awl, some threads, and a no.6 stitch marker.
To that you can add a compass or a adjustable stitch grover. Very useful to mark the stitching line.
You can do a lot with those.
Good luck
singteck
Klenchblaize
20-02-2007, 16:27
"I don't fancy the pricking iron much."
You really should, in my opinion, get at least one set* of small (*”harness & Portmanteau”) pricking irons as this is the basis for producing the best work and ensuring your stitching ‘sits up’ as is the mark of such work. Get them in a No 7 or 8 for small, handsewen leather casework, or in whatever size is used for harness work and that appears to be the same for knife pouches.
To get started all you need is:
Awl blade sized to pricking iron and thread to be used. They are linked.
(The handle could be made from any off-cut of wood)
Pair of needles
Set of dividers
Beeswax
Thread: Linen or Ritza
Adjustable creasing iron for edge marking detail. Optional I guess?
Mallet or lump of wood for striking pricking iron
Cutting matt or supply of thick card. You can use the later for pattern making too.
Click knife or whatever you can get away with for cutting leather to pattern
Production paper of various grades
Glue
Leather dye. This can be used for edging if not using “Edgecoat” when used with refined burnishing wax.
Something to clamp your work in without marking it.
Hope this is some help.
Cheers
Sounds like a good title for a Group buy :D
I will follow this thread with interest as I would also like to try my hand at some leather work.
Paul
bent-stick
20-02-2007, 16:44
I got a bowstock kit some time ago. A couple of pieces of leather to practice saddle stitch, an edge beveller, an awl, some edge finish and a belt kit with an instruction booklet as I recall. I didn't stop to price all the individual items but other than the booklet I feel that buying the bits might have been better value.
I stand to be corrected if someone wants to trawl the catalogue and check.
Depends on what you are planning to do but as well as a stitching wheel I'd also consider getting a sticthing groover.
"I don't fancy the pricking iron much."
You really should, in my opinion, get at least one set*...
I've recently switched to using pricking irons instead of stitching wheels - still reach for the wheel occasionally, but less & less. Different style & end result.
Adjustable creasing iron for edge marking detail. Optional I guess?
Optional, but adds a nice decorative touch.
Mallet or lump of wood for striking pricking iron
Just to reinforce - do NOT hit pricking irons with metal hammers. You'll knacker the ends. A couple of mine show all the signs of repeated abuse like that...
Cutting matt or supply of thick card. You can use the later for pattern making too.
MDF works not badly for a a while. No grain, so the blade isn't deflected.
Click knife or whatever you can get away with for cutting leather to pattern
Round knife :D
Lethal, but lovely tools once you start to get used to them.
Glue
Eg Evostick.
Le Prevo in Newcastle, also mail order and internet recommend a starter kit's contents. Le Prevo are used and recommended by a number of people on this forum. That's where I heard from them.They don't offer a kit, as such, just tell you what they would recommend. They have a good on-line catalogue so you can see what you are buying and at what price. They prefer you buy on-line, but they're very helpful if you give them a ring.
'luck
i work with a ex shoe maker, he told me to practise your stitching on two pieces of thick carboard & ordinary thread.
Le Prevo in Newcastle, also mail order and internet recommend a starter kit's contents. Le Prevo are used and recommended by a number of people on this forum. That's where I heard from them.They don't offer a kit, as such, just tell you what they would recommend. They have a good on-line catalogue so you can see what you are buying and at what price. They prefer you buy on-line, but they're very helpful if you give them a ring.
'luck
I deal with LePrevo (http://www.leprevo.co.uk) a lot, they have got good service. Remeber that the price you see is not the price you pay.
The quoted prices are before VAT. They also have a minimum order of £10.
They have a good range of tools and they have a how to section, the one that mentions what kit you need is how to sew (http://www.leprevo.co.uk/sew.htm).
If you are going to be making sheaths or possibles pouches from Veg tanned then 18/3 will do the job, there are considerably heavier grades (15/4 is one of the ones I have). There are synthetics which are good as well, but they are normally quite expensive.
If you are making something in a softer leather like chrome tanned then you can get away with lighter thread. If you intend on making moccasins then you can get synthetic sinew (I have just got 300 yards of it).
MagiKelly
21-02-2007, 11:16
I've got thong from LePrevo before and it was there I was intending to purchase from if I am making up the kits myself. The hard part is not going overboard and ordering too much :rolleyes:
I've got thong from LePrevo before and it was there I was intending to purchase from if I am making up the kits myself. The hard part is not going overboard and ordering too much :rolleyes:
Jon I am probably not the one to talk to about it, I had 41 feet of hide arrive yesterday from the states along with 300 yards of synthetic sinew. I have three reels of 25/3, 2 x 16/2, 2 x 18/3, 1 x 15/4 a real of tiger thread and god knows what else.
I have about ten feet of 13oz , about 20 of 8oz and about 10 of 6oz all in natural veg tanned, not including oak bark tanned or antique distressed leather and that's before the tools, fittings, dyes, oils and finishes.
What makes that bad is there are people that have a lot more than me:eek:
John there are four tanneries in Glasgow, we can get thonging very cheaply and I owe you barters anyway so you don't need to be buying linen thread :-)
I also know three leatherworkers in Glasgow who will happily show you kit, and let you have a good hands on before you spend money, especially if you want to try out some simple leather projects.
Want to visit some workshops?
atb,
Toddy
What makes that bad is there are people that have a lot more than me:eek:
The only time I keep track of what I have in stock is when I need to do the tax return...
MagiKelly
21-02-2007, 12:14
Jon I am probably not the one to talk to about it, I had 41 feet of hide arrive yesterday from the states along with 300 yards of synthetic sinew. I have three reels of 25/3, 2 x 16/2, 2 x 18/3, 1 x 15/4 a real of tiger thread and god knows what else.
I have about ten feet of 13oz , about 20 of 8oz and about 10 of 6oz all in natural veg tanned, not including oak bark tanned or antique distressed leather and that's before the tools, fittings, dyes, oils and finishes.
What makes that bad is there are people that have a lot more than me:eek:
Leon, What size of moccasins are you planning to make :D
MagiKelly
21-02-2007, 12:21
John there are four tanneries in Glasgow, we can get thonging very cheaply and I owe you barters anyway so you don't need to be buying linen thread :-)
I also know three leatherworkers in Glasgow who will happily show you kit, and let you have a good hands on before you spend money, especially if you want to try out some simple leather projects.
Want to visit some workshops?
atb,
Toddy
Thanks Toddy. Much as I would love to I think that I would be struggling for time. Do any of them run organised workshops? Might be worth seeing if I could fit in one to my schedule.The thing to remember though is I am really just wanting to have a play at it at the moment. this is not the start of a new production line.
Eleanor has decided she wants to be on Time Team when she grows up and if she can't do that she is going to be an archaeologist. So I told her she can do work experience with you ;) Of course since she is only 8 there is no rush :)
Looking at the recommendations it really looks like I would only be about £20 for a pretty comprehensive set of tools. Not enough to frighten me. The leather would be a bit more.
Leon, What size of moccasins are you planning to make :D
Hi Jon, they are only size 8 but they have walls about 3 feet thick and have similar attributes to Chobham Armour:D.
I have a new design that I am working on and some friends have asked me to make them sets, for a reasonable sized set you need about 6 - 8 feet dependant on the height that you require (if you want really high ones then you could be looking at 10 feet) and of course the size of the barges that they are going to fit:D. I need to get some Pigskin as well, but that will probably have to wait for a little time The bison and the elk hide will have to make do.:)
Ogri the trog
21-02-2007, 12:52
Hey all,
John, I think you're after the same sort of thing as me. No matter how level headed I start off, theres always the "what-ifs" and the "nice-to haves" that extend the list into unaffordability. Do I take it that you are trying to gather the necessary tools to sell on as "Starter Kits", or have I grasped the wrong end of the stick.
I have made some bits and pieces but nowhere near the quality of stuff thats posted in photos here, so if you don't mind me posing an open question in your thread...
I have a problem with keeping my stitches as neat on the back as they are on the front - is a pricking iron the only way to get around this, as some folk recommend using a pillar drill to keep the stitches paralell, which in turn is fine if you can hold things flat and level for the entire periphery?
Cheers all
Ogri the trog
Stitching clamp, stitching pony or saddler's clam. Buy or make...
Chuck Burrows has a good plan at http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_stitchpony.html
I invariably mark the back face with either a crease or a groove so I can be sure where the awl is coming out, it is then a simple (!) matter of keeping the awl at the same angle for each stitch. If the awl looks like it will come out in the wrong place, pull back & re-aim before it goes through.
MagiKelly
21-02-2007, 13:44
Do I take it that you are trying to gather the necessary tools to sell on as "Starter Kits", or have I grasped the wrong end of the stick.
Wrong end of the stick ;) I just want to try doing a bit of leatherwork and have no tools for it and wondered what I would need. So no plans for a group buy of leatherworking tools.
John
I have the Bowstock Leatherworking starter kit and have never got around to using it. I was planning on trying to convince Leon or JD to teach me the basics at the Summer moot anyway so the kit is just going to sit on the shelf.
It's yours if you want it. Then you can just add a stitch wheel or whatever.
Ogri the trog
21-02-2007, 14:04
Wrong end of the stick ;)
Phew, I though you might be in need of a Bushcrafting Knighthood. :cool:
OK, so having molded my sheath, it wouldn't fit in a stitching pony so I'm skeptical about the "need" for one. I can see that a stitch-marker would keep things neat, and a groover helps to protect the finished stitches, but what are the differences between an adjustable one and a fixed? What about things like a beveller, is one necessary if I'm only making sheaths and the odd pouch? Then awls etc etc.
Perhaps some of our experienced leatherworkers could post a photo of their bare minimum kit and explain what each tool does and why they think it necessary. It's asking a lot but I'm starting from a position of very little information here. Marts, do you have a link for the kit you bought :o
TIA
Ogri the trog
Marts, do you have a link for the kit you bought :o
Ogri the trog
Hi Ogri - Link is in John's post #1 - Bowstock - last item on the list
Ogri the trog
21-02-2007, 14:10
Oops,
:confused:
Ogri the trog
If you want really, really minimalist then an awl, needles, thread and a knife are all that are needed. You can do all the cutting out, skiving, bevelling etc. with the one knife if you really want to.
Beveller and burnisher (or bone folder) are excellent for making edges nice & neat; a bone knife handle or similar makes a really good burnisher.
I don't use my fully adjustable groover much, usually preferring to work with a couple of pre-set groovers. An adjustable crease gets used quite a lot, although it is a newish tool to me.
If you're using an awl, a means of holding the work hands free is not just nice to have, I'd regard it as pretty much essential. At the very least it'll cut down on the number of times you jab yourself; I found it made it much, much easier to get neater stitches.
Might be worth remembering that when it comes to tools, I'm anything but a minimalist... :D
John
I have the Bowstock Leatherworking starter kit and have never got around to using it. I was planning on trying to convince Leon or JD to teach me the basics at the Summer moot anyway so the kit is just going to sit on the shelf.
It's yours if you want it. Then you can just add a stitch wheel or whatever.
Marts If I am there look me up:D.
I may be making a set of moccs or similar, but if you want to sit and have a chat and brew whilst I am doing things you know you are welcome. Any knowledge I have you are welcome to.
I would say that I would teach people how to make at this meet, but I probably couldn't afford the hide/supplies without charging and it would have to be limited numbers.
this is an interesting thread for us newbie leather workers. I've made a couple of sheaths in the last month: my first ever leather work. I found leather marvelous stuff to work with, and very forgiving!
But the latest post re awls interests me: what do you put under the workpiece when making holes? I work on a piece of olive wood to protect the kitchen table, and I've broken an awl blade by pushing too hard onto the wood. Also, I get a better hole if I have nothing underneath, as I can push the blade all the way through, rather than being stopped by the wood. So I either do the work in my lap, or over the edge of the board. Either way the leather tends to bend as I work on it, and I have real difficulty keeping the awl straight.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
queeg9000
22-02-2007, 09:00
What a good thread, I'm also in the process of making out an order list from Leprevo, they're definately the cheapest I've found for all the necessary bits and pieces.
Having a little bit of trouble getting my order to upload, but I'll ring em today and sort it out.
I'm ordering the following as a starter kit:-
Stitch groover small
Overstitich wheel
Awl handle
Awl blade 2 inch
Saddlers needles size 3
Stitich groover adjustable
Some oil dye
and then some various rivets and poppers etc for projects i've got in mind.
I found the Leprevo "How To's" very good for an idea on what basics to buy.
You have to watch the VAT and carriage, as it does add up very quickly, and as Magic Kelly says, it's easy to get carried away :lmao:
bent-stick
22-02-2007, 10:25
They don't take phone orders...better to email.
Any suggestions?
A thick cork mat?
bent-stick
22-02-2007, 11:31
I use a cork sanding block 99p from Wilkinsons...
Good ideas. I'll try both. Thanks
just found this, how would it do as a starter kit?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEATHER-HAND-STITCH-KIT_W0QQitemZ180087584909QQihZ 008QQcategoryZ75565QQtcZphotoQ QcmdZViewItem
MagiKelly
01-03-2007, 12:22
Looks not bad.
I am pretty much sorted now. Just a few bits still to get. A friend is making me a stitching pony so that will be a help too.
billycan
02-03-2007, 17:22
I am a leather working newbie, usually i just use a big needle and thread and a bradawl from my workshop, so excuse my newbieness.
whats the difference between a thonging punch/ chisel and a pricking iron as they look similar?
oh and whats the difference between a scratch awl and a ordinary awl, as someone earlier recomended you needed both?
Ogri the trog
02-03-2007, 20:10
Hmm,
Well I might have some of the basics sewn up :rolleyes: but Leprevo had sold out of groovers both fixed and adjustable. If theres some kind soul willing to post a good close-up photo of a groover, I might be able to make one or use something similar as an improvisation....
Any takers....
Ogri the trog