Top products from r/Leatherworking

We found 17 product mentions on r/Leatherworking. We ranked the 17 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top comments that mention products on r/Leatherworking:

u/DaveIsMyBrother · 1 pointr/Leatherworking

There is also an all natural non-toxic product called Leather Honey. It's been around for a long time.

I've found it to be very useful on all types of leather, from my cowhide backpack, my SO's new winter boots, and my deerskin moccasins. It does tend to darken the leather you apply it to significantly. I've applied it to several of my things several times each and have not yet used a quarter of the bottle. However, I keep a small rag about 2x2 inches in a zipped bag and it's well saturated. I think this helps with not wasting the product.

I think you need to be careful with what you use to condition and recondition leather, especially old leather. Sometimes you might apply something and it works great, but you discover in a couple of years that the leather has begun to rot.

Do what you wish, but be aware that the tanning process (a preservative) can break down over time. When you try to restore your leather, you want to penetrate it with leather-friendly moisture that will not chemically undo the tanning.

Finally, whatever method you decide to do, test an inconspicuous area and wait a few hours. If you like what you see, gently apply your conditioning product (boughten or home made) and let it sit overnight. Sometimes I'll set the item a few feet in front of a space heater to gently warm the leather for a few hours.

I've also been known to use a hair blow dryer on seams to make sure it's penetrating well. Too close will just make it dry and crack. Reapply the next day, and let it soak in. Keep doing this slowly and patiently, until you see that your leather is not absorbing any more. Let it sit another day, then heat it a bit and begin to gently buff away any excess reconditioning material.

You should be left with something pretty amazing.

Best of luck!

u/Deusis · 5 pointsr/Leatherworking

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Section 1: Tools

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Note: Just because it is more expensive doesn't mean it is better. You could get by just fine with the "cheaper" options.

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| Tool | Required vs. Optional | Use | Notes | Price & Link |
|:---|:---:|:---|:---|:---:|:---:|
| Tandy Wholesale Membership | O | Allows you to get better pricing at Tandy. | This is definitely optional. Items will cost slightly more without it OR if you have a tax ID you can get the membership with better pricing for free. | $35 / Free|
| Awl Haft | R | The handle which will hold your blade. | This particular haft allows for different blades to be added or removed with ease. | $16 / $35|
| Diamond Awl Blade| R | This is the blade used for piercing the holes in your projects.| This goes in the awl haft.| $4.80 / $28
| Channel Groover | R | Used to measure and gouge channels where your thread will lay. | Some say gouging a channel is optional however I find it to be required. It further protects your thread from damage. | $16 / $80 |
| Overstitch Wheel | R | Marks where you will punch your holes. | This particular overstitch wheel is a few dollars more than the versions that only offer one wheel. | $24 / $225 |
| Edge Beveler | R | Used to bevel and round off the edges of your project prior to burnishing. | Sizes vary. The smaller the number, the smaller the round edge. | $12 / $55 |
| Adhesive Glue | O | Used to hold your pieces of leather together prior to piercing the holes. | Some people prefer binder clips instead of glue. I've found that the clips end up making marks on my projects so I've always stuck with glue. | $6 / $30 |
| Gum Tragacanth | R | Used as a burnishing agent for your edges.| Some people use saddle soap. I prefer gum trag.| $6.40 / $21|
| Harness Needles | R | Used in combination with the thread for your projects. | Avoid the stitching needles. They break very easily.| $5.99 / $7.50 |
| Xacto Blade | R | Used for cutting projects. | You may have one of these at home already. Be ready to have replacement blades handy ($21.95) | $2.49 / $50 |
| Self-Healing Cutting Mat | R | Used for cutting your leather projects.| You may have one of these at home already. If so, you can obviously use that.| $14.73 / $50.80 |
| Cork-backed Ruler| R | Used for cutting straight lines.| I highly recommend the cork-backed version. It will save from accidental cuts/slips.| $4.80 / $14 |
| Burnishing Tool | R | Used in combination with the gum tragacanth to get a good burnish.| A good piece of canvas can be used as well. | $8.99 / $80 + $99|
| Sanding Tool| O | Used to sand down the edges prior to burnishing.| You might have sandpaper at home. Feel free to use that too.| $7.30 / $0 with dremel|
| Steel Square | O | Used for creating nice, even squares/rectangles for projects. | Learn to use this correctly!| $8 / $14|
| Thread Cutters | O | Use these for cutting your thread in the hard to reach places without running the risk of damaging your project. | Scissors work for cutting thread and the xacto blade can work for cutting thread inside your projects -- just be careful! | $3.95 / $39 |
| Maul | O | Used for end punches, rivets, snaps, chisels, or irons. | You really only need one of these if you are planning on doing any of the activities mentioned previously. | $20 / $55 |
| Pricking Iron/Chisel | O | Use these to mark or punch your holes instead of an overstitch wheel and awl. I prefer using the overstitch wheel and awl but others like the irons/chisels. | There is a big difference between irons vs. chisels, diamond vs. lacing. They all produce different results. Definitely ask before purchasing! The ones I linked are very different.| $12 / $259|
| Creaser | O | Used for decorative creases on things like card slots. | Definitely optional and definitely personal preference. | $14.40 / $72 |
| Wax | O | Used for burnishing. Gives the edges a nice seal. | The $10 is my top secret wax I use. I bought a bunch on sale for $5 and it is fantastic. | $4 / $10|

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u/ThelemaAndLouise · 2 pointsr/Leatherworking

> That's one of the reasons I'm looking for a bag that's open on top.

you could simply cut the top off. if the bag ends up too floppy, you could take pieces of plastic laminate and use short bolts to affix them to the inside, creating a rigid lining.

or look into panniers, which will often have rigid structural elements in them, and be designed to hook onto a bicycle rear rack (basically tubing between 1/4" and 1/2")

really, the plus side to getting a solution like this is you can do it for under $30, and then have plenty of time to find a better solution.

u/TwoToedTerror · 2 pointsr/Leatherworking

The Art of Hand Sewing Leather by Al Stohlman is a superb guide from beginner to expert. Depending on the projects you are looking into starting, you won't need any other reference for a long time.

u/TryUsingScience · 1 pointr/Leatherworking

In case you didn't know, you can get a torso form for really cheap on amazon. Makes it a lot easier to take good pictures of torso armor.

u/JVonDron · 2 pointsr/Leatherworking

Budget?

under $20 - Books - I highly recommend the Stohlman hand sewing book and his leather cases series, it should be required reading for beginners.

$25 - strap cutter

Garland Rawhide mallets - American made, will last damn near forever, and deliver hard hits to tools without damaging the end of the tool. I mostly use a #2 split head for driving punches and setting rivets, and a #3 unweighted for tooling and smaller work.

Knives - A good utility or rotary is always a good idea, but one thing most beginners won't have is a round knife. Unfortunately, most new ones are crap and don't hold an edge very well. I haven't used a newer Osborne's but I'd trust them over most other brands available today unless you go to a custom knife maker. The other option is a vintage Gomph or Rose brand knife. Unfortunately, they're no longer in business, but Bruce Johnson specializes in selling vintage tools. He is also very helpful if you have any other questions.