Leatherworking

[Fehyd643]

Does anyone here have any experience with leatherworking?  I'm not really talking about tanning, but working with cured leather.  I have been researching for a while and would really like to start with small projects.  Knife Sheaths, belts, maybe a rifle scabbard.

 

I'm really a "learn by watching/doing" kind of guy, and would love nothing more than to physically get together with someone with experience and sit down for a couple hours and work a small project.

 

Other than online, I wouldnt even know the first place to obtain leather to work with.  I've researched tools and such, but it is actually an overload of information.

 

Anyone?

[Jaeger]

Tandy leathergoods is a good start if you haven't researched them already.

 

I bought a stitcher from them and earned beer down at the barn keeping all the rich ladies horse halters stitched back together from the high strung horses they were to inexperienced to handle.

[landtracdeerhunter]

 I made some buckskin leather out of deer hides, but not strong enough for the purpose intended. I bought a roll on a flea market for pennies on the dollar, but pretty much used up now. I've purchased some 8 and 10 oz cow hide leather from a company up in the New York ; the name escapes me at the moment. A ll online. It ain't cheap. It is good leather and fast turn around. I have been looking for local people for two years now and seems like a lost art. Don't do to much and my work is rather crude right now.

Try buying some bulk scrap pieces to try your hand on. Yhis is what I did, not out much money if you screw it up. I made small change purses to start, then moved up. They sell for fair money and seem to be popular.

[Fehyd643]

I ordered 2 books from Tandy a couple days ago. Would still love some hands-on though.  It just seems like a really cool skill to have!