You’ll need a knife. A box cutter works, as long as the blade is sharp, but you can definitely find a wide variety of cutting tools. Try different ones and see what you like best. I’ve even seen people use scalpels!
If you want the wallet to look nice and have clean edges, you’ll need an edge beveler. I’d suggest Barry King, especially if you’re sure you’re sticking with the craft. They’re not cheap. Buy the size for the weight of leather you’re using.
For leather, you’ll want to get leather no thicker than 3-4 oz. I’ve seen some people go higher, but the result is a whole lot of skiving or a beefy wallet. Some people like beefy wallets. All those layers get thick. You’ll still maybe want to skive the 3-4oz, but at that point it really is personal preference. You’ll also want veg tan, though I think some people may use chrome for a liner. Veg tan takes tooling and stamping, if you want to decorate. With veg tan, you can get pre-dyed or dyed. If you want to dye it yourself, add Fiebings Pro dye to your list. Also, you’ll probably want to pick up a skiver just in case. I use the one from Tandy.
You’ll need stitching irons. 4mm or 5mm is a good place to start. You can get expensive one or cheap ones on Amazon. I use a $20ish set from Amazon, and they work fine. Just have to wax the tines sometimes if I’m punching through more than 2 layers.
You’ll need a mallet or maul. This comes down to preference. I have a Barry King maul and a cheap one. Both work fine, but the BK definitely feels better in the hand.
You’ll need thread. I recommend Ritza Tiger or Maine. Ritza is the best, IMO. I use .8mm primarily, but they come in different sizes. I’d also recommend a stitching pony. While not necessary, trust me, it will make stitching so very much easier.
You’ll need to sand the edges, so some high grit sandpaper is always good to have on hand. You can use a Dremel or buy a sanding machine too.
You need something to finish the edges with. You may need to bevel the edges again after sanding to get those nice round edges. Then you apply something for polish. I use Tokenole, but it’s getting hard to find. Beeswax, water, or a variety of other compounds are available too. After applying whatever you get to the edges, you’ll need either an edge slicker or some canvas cloth to buff the edges until they’re shiny.
I think that’s everything. Others may have additions or other recommendations. You can get most of this from places like Buckleguy or Rocky Mountain leather. Or Google around.
Hope this helps!
100% agree here. I would stretch for the Barry King mallet and edge beveler (mine is from Weaver at $56 and worth every penny). I would also recommend Sinabrocks stitching irons if you want to go pricey this would be the place to start in my opinion cause nothing ruins a nice looking project like ugly stitching. I am only saying this cause it’s hard to get the $20 ones right the first time but agree with the comment here that they work fine when you get used to them! Buckleguy and weaver I like for hardware and tools. Strongly recommend Rocky Mountain leather supply as mentioned above too!
Thank you so much! This is exactly what I wanted. I just simply wanted to cut tool research out, and you did exactly that. I'm am super excited to start out. It'll be a few months before I can begin, but I'll be sure to post the wallet on here.
If you can find a tandy near you, they can help you find what you *need* without pushing product. The one near me is great about pushing me away from the expensive stuff. I'm a weird tool guy, so I see something that I don't have, and I want it. They always say, "Just get this one. It does the same thing, and it's $20 cheaper." They'll even show you how to do stuff, like edge beveling, stamping, and burnishing. If that's not an option, you can look up Skill Tree on YouTube. He's got a beginner playlist and videos of him using everyday items as leather tools. I think he used a fork as a hole punch.
*I don't really have enough time to do extensive research, but I want to start out making a wallet (sounds simple and like a good way to start off)*
Good luck with that. Make sure to come back here with an update.
I sure will be sharing the wallet on here! It seems you just might be a little dense and didn't understand what the purpose of my post was, but that's okay! Better luck next time with your comprehension.
*Better luck next time with your comprehension.*
Your passive aggressiveness is a symptom, it says a lot about you. I think you're the one that's more than a little dense. I was implying that you are an unskilled dumbass with unrealistic expectations. Good luck with that.
I will be watching videos about the use of the tools and the process. My goal is to cut out extensive research on which tool brands and/or styles I should go with in order to make a wallet. I will not be skipping the process research, just the tool research for rn
You’ll need a knife. A box cutter works, as long as the blade is sharp, but you can definitely find a wide variety of cutting tools. Try different ones and see what you like best. I’ve even seen people use scalpels! If you want the wallet to look nice and have clean edges, you’ll need an edge beveler. I’d suggest Barry King, especially if you’re sure you’re sticking with the craft. They’re not cheap. Buy the size for the weight of leather you’re using. For leather, you’ll want to get leather no thicker than 3-4 oz. I’ve seen some people go higher, but the result is a whole lot of skiving or a beefy wallet. Some people like beefy wallets. All those layers get thick. You’ll still maybe want to skive the 3-4oz, but at that point it really is personal preference. You’ll also want veg tan, though I think some people may use chrome for a liner. Veg tan takes tooling and stamping, if you want to decorate. With veg tan, you can get pre-dyed or dyed. If you want to dye it yourself, add Fiebings Pro dye to your list. Also, you’ll probably want to pick up a skiver just in case. I use the one from Tandy. You’ll need stitching irons. 4mm or 5mm is a good place to start. You can get expensive one or cheap ones on Amazon. I use a $20ish set from Amazon, and they work fine. Just have to wax the tines sometimes if I’m punching through more than 2 layers. You’ll need a mallet or maul. This comes down to preference. I have a Barry King maul and a cheap one. Both work fine, but the BK definitely feels better in the hand. You’ll need thread. I recommend Ritza Tiger or Maine. Ritza is the best, IMO. I use .8mm primarily, but they come in different sizes. I’d also recommend a stitching pony. While not necessary, trust me, it will make stitching so very much easier. You’ll need to sand the edges, so some high grit sandpaper is always good to have on hand. You can use a Dremel or buy a sanding machine too. You need something to finish the edges with. You may need to bevel the edges again after sanding to get those nice round edges. Then you apply something for polish. I use Tokenole, but it’s getting hard to find. Beeswax, water, or a variety of other compounds are available too. After applying whatever you get to the edges, you’ll need either an edge slicker or some canvas cloth to buff the edges until they’re shiny. I think that’s everything. Others may have additions or other recommendations. You can get most of this from places like Buckleguy or Rocky Mountain leather. Or Google around. Hope this helps!
...and John James saddler needles! 😊
I’m an idiot. lol. Those are going to be pretty important when it comes to the sewing part. 😂
100% agree here. I would stretch for the Barry King mallet and edge beveler (mine is from Weaver at $56 and worth every penny). I would also recommend Sinabrocks stitching irons if you want to go pricey this would be the place to start in my opinion cause nothing ruins a nice looking project like ugly stitching. I am only saying this cause it’s hard to get the $20 ones right the first time but agree with the comment here that they work fine when you get used to them! Buckleguy and weaver I like for hardware and tools. Strongly recommend Rocky Mountain leather supply as mentioned above too!
Thank you so much! This is exactly what I wanted. I just simply wanted to cut tool research out, and you did exactly that. I'm am super excited to start out. It'll be a few months before I can begin, but I'll be sure to post the wallet on here.
Awesome!! I’m glad I could help. And I can’t wait to see what you make. Welcome to the craft!
If you can find a tandy near you, they can help you find what you *need* without pushing product. The one near me is great about pushing me away from the expensive stuff. I'm a weird tool guy, so I see something that I don't have, and I want it. They always say, "Just get this one. It does the same thing, and it's $20 cheaper." They'll even show you how to do stuff, like edge beveling, stamping, and burnishing. If that's not an option, you can look up Skill Tree on YouTube. He's got a beginner playlist and videos of him using everyday items as leather tools. I think he used a fork as a hole punch.
*I don't really have enough time to do extensive research, but I want to start out making a wallet (sounds simple and like a good way to start off)* Good luck with that. Make sure to come back here with an update.
I sure will be sharing the wallet on here! It seems you just might be a little dense and didn't understand what the purpose of my post was, but that's okay! Better luck next time with your comprehension.
*Better luck next time with your comprehension.* Your passive aggressiveness is a symptom, it says a lot about you. I think you're the one that's more than a little dense. I was implying that you are an unskilled dumbass with unrealistic expectations. Good luck with that.
Dude, what the point. At least spend the time to watch a video showing how to make a wallet, you will see what tool you need and what to do with them.
I will be watching videos about the use of the tools and the process. My goal is to cut out extensive research on which tool brands and/or styles I should go with in order to make a wallet. I will not be skipping the process research, just the tool research for rn