Leatherwork tool kit list
- Thread starter Tengu
- Start date
THE LEATHERWORKERS TOOLKIT
Kai wanted to start leatherworkand so wanted advice on a tool kit. (See Bushmoot projects)
Toolkits have been around aslong as people have worked hides. (6-9[SUP]th[/SUP] century leatherworkerstoolkit.)
There are toolkits commercially available(Identity Store Leatherwork Kits)
Books on crafts often suggest afull portfolio of tools. I take adifferent stance. This is to decide whatproject you wish to make, then acquire the tools for that project. The next project you will plan your tools,and only buy the ones you need. That wayyou will not end up forking out a lot of money on expensive tools you may neveruse.
When you plan your next project,-make a new list. Only ever buy the toolsyou need as you need them.
A lot of the basic tools are notspecific to leatherwork.
All the leather stores areonline (Le Prevo, Identity Store) and sell pretty much everything you need.(And a lot of things you don’t need.) There is also Ebay. (ebay.)
Specialist leatherwork tools areexpensive but sometimes necessary. (See Bushmoot projects)
A BASIC LIST
A quantity of leather scraps,old jackets, bits of sofas, oddments from leather stores. (Old pattern books from sofa stores will haveleather sections.)
A quantity of thin card to useas templates (cereal boxes and the like.)
Needles (Saddlers needles arebest but any sturdy ones will do.)
Sharp knife (craft scalpel,stanley knife)
Means to keep knife sharp ifyou’re not using disposable blades.
Sturdy pair of scissors.
Mallet (or hammer or hefty billetof wood.)
Awl (or sharp pointyobject. You could use a dart.)
Cutting mat (or an old board, oreven a sheet made from layers of thin card, -as the top layer is damaged,replace it.)
Metal ruler (or straight bit ofmetal you can use as a ruler.)
Pen (biro or gel pen.)
Linen thread (carpet thread,button thread.)
Lump of beeswax. (1oz/25g willlast you ages)
Hole punch (Don’t get a cheapone.)
A magnet. (This is for checkingfittings on bags you may find to see if they are solid brass. Brass is not magnetic, of course. If thefittings are solid brass, chances are the item will be good quality and worthhaving.)
Absorbine Horsemans one step (Absorbineleathercare products.) (Or other leather conditioning product.)
Box or bag to store it all in.
With this basic kit you may notjust make leather goods, you can repair them too. (See Anthea Young’s Bags)Which will save you money and help out your friends. Experimental Archaeology provides Real Worldskills. (Heritage Craft Association.)
STUFF IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE
Edge slicker
Stitch marking wheel
Stitch groover
Thong cutter (for making thongs)
Strap cutter (Bigger version ofthe above. You can of course purchasestraps but its far cheaper to cut your own if you need any quantity. )
Brass eyelets (`Hipkiss` brandare available in most hardware stores and come with their own setting tool.)
Copper rivets
Copper rivet set.
Sewing machine capable of sewingleather. (Any industrial one.)
EXTRA LIST ONE
FOR MAKING BOTTLES AND TANKARDS
Vegetable tanned leather, 2-3mm thick.
Several pounds of beeswax.
Double pan (Bain marie, or put asmall pan inside a big one. One you usea pan for beeswax it will forever be for that purpose. Pans can be cleaned of wax but it’s not aneasy task.)
EXTRA LIST TWO
FOR TOOLING LEATHER
Supply of scraps of vegatabletanned leather
Leather stamps. (Got fromleather stores, though in past times they would have carved them fromhardwoods.) (Archers Bracers and Wooden stamps)
swivel knife
##################################################################################
REFERENCES
http://absorbine.com/products/leather-care AbsorbineLeather care products
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
www.ebay.co.uk Ebay
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
http://heritagecrafts.org.uk/ HeritageCraft Association
(Accessed 7[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
http://www.hipkiss.co.uk/ Hipkiss eyelets
(Accessed 7[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
http://www.theidentitystore.co.uk/ Identity Store
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March 2016.)
http://www.theidentitystore.co.uk/prodcats.asp?catID=45 Identity Store Leatherwork kits
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
http://www.leprevo.co.uk/ Le Prevo
(Accessed 7[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
https://leatherworkingreverend.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/6-9th-century-leather-workers-toolkit/
6-9[SUP]th[/SUP] centuryLeatherworkers toolkit
(Accessed 7[SUP]th[/SUP] March 2016.)
https://leatherworkingreverend.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/archers-bracers-and-wooden-stamps-again/ Wooden stamps
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
Kai wanted to start leatherworkand so wanted advice on a tool kit. (See Bushmoot projects)
Toolkits have been around aslong as people have worked hides. (6-9[SUP]th[/SUP] century leatherworkerstoolkit.)
There are toolkits commercially available(Identity Store Leatherwork Kits)
Books on crafts often suggest afull portfolio of tools. I take adifferent stance. This is to decide whatproject you wish to make, then acquire the tools for that project. The next project you will plan your tools,and only buy the ones you need. That wayyou will not end up forking out a lot of money on expensive tools you may neveruse.
When you plan your next project,-make a new list. Only ever buy the toolsyou need as you need them.
A lot of the basic tools are notspecific to leatherwork.
All the leather stores areonline (Le Prevo, Identity Store) and sell pretty much everything you need.(And a lot of things you don’t need.) There is also Ebay. (ebay.)
Specialist leatherwork tools areexpensive but sometimes necessary. (See Bushmoot projects)
A BASIC LIST
A quantity of leather scraps,old jackets, bits of sofas, oddments from leather stores. (Old pattern books from sofa stores will haveleather sections.)
A quantity of thin card to useas templates (cereal boxes and the like.)
Needles (Saddlers needles arebest but any sturdy ones will do.)
Sharp knife (craft scalpel,stanley knife)
Means to keep knife sharp ifyou’re not using disposable blades.
Sturdy pair of scissors.
Mallet (or hammer or hefty billetof wood.)
Awl (or sharp pointyobject. You could use a dart.)
Cutting mat (or an old board, oreven a sheet made from layers of thin card, -as the top layer is damaged,replace it.)
Metal ruler (or straight bit ofmetal you can use as a ruler.)
Pen (biro or gel pen.)
Linen thread (carpet thread,button thread.)
Lump of beeswax. (1oz/25g willlast you ages)
Hole punch (Don’t get a cheapone.)
A magnet. (This is for checkingfittings on bags you may find to see if they are solid brass. Brass is not magnetic, of course. If thefittings are solid brass, chances are the item will be good quality and worthhaving.)
Absorbine Horsemans one step (Absorbineleathercare products.) (Or other leather conditioning product.)
Box or bag to store it all in.
With this basic kit you may notjust make leather goods, you can repair them too. (See Anthea Young’s Bags)Which will save you money and help out your friends. Experimental Archaeology provides Real Worldskills. (Heritage Craft Association.)
STUFF IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE
Edge slicker
Stitch marking wheel
Stitch groover
Thong cutter (for making thongs)
Strap cutter (Bigger version ofthe above. You can of course purchasestraps but its far cheaper to cut your own if you need any quantity. )
Brass eyelets (`Hipkiss` brandare available in most hardware stores and come with their own setting tool.)
Copper rivets
Copper rivet set.
Sewing machine capable of sewingleather. (Any industrial one.)
EXTRA LIST ONE
FOR MAKING BOTTLES AND TANKARDS
Vegetable tanned leather, 2-3mm thick.
Several pounds of beeswax.
Double pan (Bain marie, or put asmall pan inside a big one. One you usea pan for beeswax it will forever be for that purpose. Pans can be cleaned of wax but it’s not aneasy task.)
EXTRA LIST TWO
FOR TOOLING LEATHER
Supply of scraps of vegatabletanned leather
Leather stamps. (Got fromleather stores, though in past times they would have carved them fromhardwoods.) (Archers Bracers and Wooden stamps)
swivel knife
##################################################################################
REFERENCES
http://absorbine.com/products/leather-care AbsorbineLeather care products
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
www.ebay.co.uk Ebay
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
http://heritagecrafts.org.uk/ HeritageCraft Association
(Accessed 7[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
http://www.hipkiss.co.uk/ Hipkiss eyelets
(Accessed 7[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
http://www.theidentitystore.co.uk/ Identity Store
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March 2016.)
http://www.theidentitystore.co.uk/prodcats.asp?catID=45 Identity Store Leatherwork kits
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
http://www.leprevo.co.uk/ Le Prevo
(Accessed 7[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
https://leatherworkingreverend.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/6-9th-century-leather-workers-toolkit/
6-9[SUP]th[/SUP] centuryLeatherworkers toolkit
(Accessed 7[SUP]th[/SUP] March 2016.)
https://leatherworkingreverend.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/archers-bracers-and-wooden-stamps-again/ Wooden stamps
(Accessed 6[SUP]th[/SUP] March2016.)
Dreadhead
Bushcrafter through and through
interesting link to the 6-9th century toolkit, didn't know that was up in Edinbrugh. Definitely got to be worth a trip in itself 
Um, the list sort of makes me feel a bit guilty/silly at the vast amount of kit I've acquired from boots and fleas for the relatively small amount I've done with it and my still relatively low skill level.
I've seen quite a lot of leatherwork in various museums and searching on the net and it never ceases to amaze me the quality and variety of what they made given the relatively small range of tools and devices they used.
Thanks for sharing.
ATB
Tom
if anyone's interested I'll red back the contents of my leatherwork tool box if they want to see some of the antiques I've tarted up.
I've seen quite a lot of leatherwork in various museums and searching on the net and it never ceases to amaze me the quality and variety of what they made given the relatively small range of tools and devices they used.
Thanks for sharing.
ATB
Tom
if anyone's interested I'll red back the contents of my leatherwork tool box if they want to see some of the antiques I've tarted up.
Dreadhead
Bushcrafter through and through
That's assuming we have found their entire kit, which I very much doubt. But I know what you mean, compared to today they still had a modest set of tools. It certainly shows just how truly skilled they were. I'm constantly trying to upgrade my toolkit, then sell peices off, and buy others etc. constantly evolving until I find which tools work for me and which ones don't. I'd be interested to see your main users
Uw, that will be mildly embarrassing but a interesting exercise. A lot of what I use weren't originally made for leather working, no doubt that's the norm rather than the exception these days. My strip cutter is actually for slicing balsa wood into precise widths, with a new scalpel blade it does the job lovely and my favourite knives are various Swan Morton scalpels. I'll do a pic and stick it in another thread so I don't hijack this one!
atb
Tom
atb
Tom
I'll never devote much time and effort to leatherwork.
However, such a kit list does arouse my curiosity to turn on my "learning new stuff" genes.
That's a post worth printing. Thanks.
My district has not been settled for more than 100 years.
Spring is coming and the season for yard sales and farm sales.
Now I have a list to know what I should be looking for.
However, such a kit list does arouse my curiosity to turn on my "learning new stuff" genes.
That's a post worth printing. Thanks.
My district has not been settled for more than 100 years.
Spring is coming and the season for yard sales and farm sales.
Now I have a list to know what I should be looking for.
Well, since the threads gone a bit quiet I'll post the pic of my carboot leather working tools here. The ones on the right I use regularly, the ones on the left, well some I've tried out, mainly to see if I've restored them right but they are all ones I'd like to learn how to use.
Well the big clamp I will be using as I made it to fill a need, and the 1/8th" stitch marker is something I've been looking for. Something that's never turned up on fleas are the punches for making the slots for the tongues on buckles.
Not shown is the jar of scalpels and all the tools that ain't just for leather working like cutting boards and squeeze clamps etc etc.
The only bits bought new have been Maun smooth jawed parallel closing pliers, the sailmakers Palm, the set of six replica Saxon stamps ( was a present ) one of the rivet set and snaps and the pen like embossing tool.
ATB
Tom
Well the big clamp I will be using as I made it to fill a need, and the 1/8th" stitch marker is something I've been looking for. Something that's never turned up on fleas are the punches for making the slots for the tongues on buckles.
Not shown is the jar of scalpels and all the tools that ain't just for leather working like cutting boards and squeeze clamps etc etc.
The only bits bought new have been Maun smooth jawed parallel closing pliers, the sailmakers Palm, the set of six replica Saxon stamps ( was a present ) one of the rivet set and snaps and the pen like embossing tool.
ATB
Tom
Dreadhead
Bushcrafter through and through
that's a nice toolkit mate, you have a lot of stuff I don't have and I'm a full-time leathersmith hahah
P.S any details on where the saxon stamps came from? sounds interesting
P.S any details on where the saxon stamps came from? sounds interesting
Yeah, a bit embarrassing, I feel a tad guilty knowing others would get much more out of them but it's so hit and miss you have to get them when they turn up in case you do need them when you get better at it. Saying that I have turned my nose up at what would have been duplicates so if tha likes pm me a list ( with pics or a link if it's some thing I wouldn't recognise ) and I'll keep my eye open. The average price I pay is 2 quid I guess , I think one of the pairs of lasting pliers was a fiver and that was me being extravagant! I'm a bit of a tart when it come to makers, most of them are by folk like Dixons or George Barnsley.
The leather stamps are by Daegrad Tools over in Sheffield, nice guy to deal with.
http://daegrad.co.uk/page4.php?view=productListPage&category=7
ATB
Tom
The leather stamps are by Daegrad Tools over in Sheffield, nice guy to deal with.
http://daegrad.co.uk/page4.php?view=productListPage&category=7
ATB
Tom
