Leather Craft Tools that are Essential for any Leather Craftsman.

The overwhelming selection and variety of leather craft tools available on the market can be hard to navigate. This is especially true for people that are new to the trade. We can all spend a lot of money buying tools that we might not find a use for often enough to justify the expense.

We get questions asking for guidance on getting a good core set of leather craft tools that will allow someone new to the craft the ability to complete projects effectively. When I started leather craft many years ago, there were many quality publications available that talked about tools and supplies for leather work. There were also “leather craft kits” on the market that came with a collection of leather craft tools to get a new craftsman started. These kits are still available today in many sizes and budgets. I do feel that these are a great resource for anyone starting out.

Many of us in the industry started out with one of these kits. The only problem with these at times is that you may find that a few or many of the items in the kit might not be something that you will use much. I still have many of the tools from my very first leather craft kit in my program within the shop today. But unfortunately, there are a number of tools that were in the box that I never found a use for.

I decided to put together what I believe is a solid core list of leather craft tools for anyone wanting to get into leather work.

Our hope is that with this blog post and the accompanying video, you will have a better handle on the tools that I believe are essential and why. This information will help to make a better determination on what tools that you may or may not need based on the leather craft projects you plan on creating.

I have tried to supply a source link for as many tools as I can in this list to maybe help you find these or something similar. Some of these tools may include our Amazon Affiliate links if that is a good place to find them. Many of these tools you can purchase from your favorite leather craft supply business of choice. Where you get the tools isn’t near as important as “Does the tool do its job and work for you?“… that’s the most important part.

I hope you find this video and list of leather craft tools helpful in your leather working goals. Let’s get started.

Below is our list of Essential Leather Craft Tools that anyone doing leather work should have in their tool box.

I have attempted to break this list up based on different leather working tasks. There are also links within this list for some suggestions as to where to find them.

Cutting Tools

Measuring and Marking Tools

  • C.S. Osbourne Spike Awl – Weaver Leather Supply sells some of these as well as Amazon. I can’t seem to find the exact one I have in that size but there are other sizes that will work.
  • Tape Measure – small size… 12′ or 16′ – any hardware store will have these
  • Square – Any hardware store will have this
  • Straight Edge – Maker’s Leather Supply makes the one I have in the video… but any straight edge will work
  • Wing Dividers – Springfield has the 8″ pair in the video… Maker’s Leather Supply has a couple versions as well as a cheaper version that I have as well that are good
  • Pencils – I really like the Ticonderoga brand of pencils and you can find them many places but here is where I get them on Amazon.

Punching Holes

  • Drive Punches size #2, #4, #8, #10 – Maker’s Leather Supply (these are a higher end CS Osbourne punch) and Springfield Leather have many different sizes and styles of drive punches. I have also used the super cheap ones from Harbor Freight in the past… you have to sharpen and buff them off, but they will work if that’s all you can get ahold of. This video, “Hole Punches You Need for Leather Work,” we talk about hole punch options.
  • Actual size of holes these make: #2 – 1/8″, #4 – 5/32″, #8 – 1/4″, #10 – 5/16″

Leather Edge Preparation and Slicking

  • Rub Stick – Leather Supply companies sell variations of these, but they are also really easy to make your own from scrap wood in any shape that you need and then sand to a smooth finish.
  • Slicking Rag – Any heavy canvas or denim cut to size will work for this. Canvas can be purchased at fabric stores like Hobby Lobby.
  • Can/Container for water as well is a dauber or sponge – I prefer a small tomato sauce can but any little container will work.
  • Here is a blog post we did on my process for slicking edges, “Slicking Leather Edges.
  • Edgers – size #2 and size #4 – Maker’s Leather Supply sells the Ron’s edgers like I have (these are higher end tools)… Springfield Leather sells many different types of edgers including the CS Osbourne edgers from the video (called Western Edgers)… Barry King makes some really nice higher end edgers as well. “What is the Best Edger Size for your Leather Work,” is a video we did on edger selection.
  • Sanding Blocks

Hand Stitching Tools

  • Stitch Groover – for the cheaper craftool version visit Tandy Leather – for the higher end wing divider style visit Jeremiah Watt Tools
  • Overstitch Wheel – looks like they don’t made one like mine anymore… Tandy Leather sells one with multiple wheels for different stitch lengths
  • Stitching Awl – for the CS Osbourne haft, Springfield Leather has them as well as blades, this blade is my best guess as to a decent one, but you may get a few different ones and see what you like. There are many options for blades depending on your goals. Barry King has the bigger haft as well as his own blades.
  • Hand Stitching Leather with an Awl and Two Needles” is a video we created to help with traditional hand sewing.

Hammers

  • Ball Pien Hammer – Smaller head size – you can find one of these at your local hardware story easlily.
  • Forming hammer – some type of flat faced smooth hammer or French Hammer – Makers Leather Supply, Springfield Leather, and Jeremiah Watt Tools has many hammers to choose from.
  • Maul or Mallet – preferably larger and weighted, I prefer a 24 oz maul for setting rivets and punching holes, but as heavy as 4lbs is helpful with heavy end punching and large bag slots… Springfield Leather, Barry King and Maker’s Leather Supply have them as well as many other companies.
  • Leather Craft Hammers” is an older video we did explaining different shop hammers.

Cutting Surface and Fastener Setting

  • Rubber mat – any type of dense rubber will work for this.
  • Cutting Board – wood or plastic… you can these at Walmart and other places… Hobby lobby also has self healing cutting mats
  • Small Metal Anvil – scrap steel, aluminum, railroad iron, or a mini anvil
  • Rivet Setter – for copper rivets… Maker’s Leather Supply (they carry two types) and other supply companies have these available
  • Hoof Nippers or Side Cutters – for cutting excess off copper rivets… an old set from a farrier work well but hardware stores carry good side cutters as well.

A Few Extras

  • Side Cutters
  • Needle Nose Pliers
  • Cigarette Lighter
  • All three of these items can be purchased at Walmart or any hardware store.

Two Different Belt Basket Stamping Styles

This video shows two different ways to run any basket stamp on a belt in order to get a different look.

The Arrow Basket Stamp style has always been a popular one for us along with the Angled Basket Stamp variation.

Give these a shot on some scrap leather and see if you can incorporate these arrangements into your next belt project.

The Stamps that I use and review in this video were made by Clay Miller and you can click the link here to get in contact with him if you would like to give his stamps a try.

He makes really nice tools and is a good contact to have if you are a leather tooler. Great source for high quality hand tools.

Mohair Cinch Cleaning and Care

This Article was written for us by Dana Eklund with Big Sky Mohair Cinches.

Each mohair cinch is hand-tied in Bozeman, Montana, by sisters Dana and Tracy Eklund. 

Big Sky Mohair Cinches was born out of necessity- a horse at the therapeutic riding program where they worked required a 42″ cinch- a tough size to find! Their goal is to create a highly usable piece of tack that is as functional as it is beautiful.

Because a comfortable horse can get the job done.

Like any tack, there will come a time when you need to wash your mohair cinch!

As far as cinch materials go, Mohair is a terrific choice in general due to the natural fibers being highly breathable, slightly elastic, and long wearing. Dirty cinches, of any material, are more likely to trap dirt/heat and cause soring. You can have a really nicely made piece of equipment, but if it’s extremely dirty or not adjusted correctly, soring can happen.

The more you care for your cinch by washing/rinsing it when it needs it, the longer it will last.

Continue reading

Large Basket Weave Pattern Hand Tooled

The Large Basket Weave Pattern is a hand tooled style of geometric stamping that I really admire. I have seen this type of tooling being done by some really talented toolers over the last few years and I think it looks really unique. I did not invent this style, nor did I start the trend… I am late to the game when it comes to tooling this creative style.

With that being said, I am showing in this video how I tool this Large Basket Weave Pattern. It really is a very simple pattern once you understand what is happening in the tooling. This is a great pattern for wallets, bible covers, notebooks, and even saddles. The only caution that has to be mentioned here is to keep in mind that the bigger the tooling window (area the tooling will be in) the more confusing it can become.

As you will see in the video, the only tools that you will need are listed below and it’s not much. You don’t need to go out and purchase some new fancy stamping tool or line carving device. This pattern utilizes tools you already have in your arsenal but allows you to create a pattern that customers seem to really enjoy. Here are the tools that you will need:

  • Swivel knife
  • 1″ wide or so straight edge (I use a scale which is 7/8″ in width)
  • vertical lined thumbprint
  • wide beveler

That’s all ya need!

Check out this video and give the Large Basket Weave Pattern a shot. I bet this will become one of your favorite geometric tooling patterns for your leather craft projects.

Making a Leather Roper Wallet

The Leather roper wallet, or long wallet, has been popular for quite sometime. We have done a few videos on making different style wallets, but this is one that has been requested that we finally got around to making. If you have customers wanting you to make them leather roper wallets or you just want one for yourself, then check out this project video.

We show you all the steps in making one of the leather roper wallet as well as info on leather used. We do offer a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD pattern pack if you would like to purchase that. This pattern pack comes with all the cut patterns for the parts as well as 8 tooling patterns.

Here are some links that we mention in the video:

Video showing how to create the Large Basket stamping, “Hand Tooling a Large Basket Weave Pattern

I get my Goat Skin Leather for the interiors at C-Loy Leather in El Paso, TX

The pen I use to mark out the liner pieces is called a Silver Pen and they are used on any full grain finished leathers. They mark well and just wipe off when finished. I got mine from Maker’s Leather Supply

Click here if you would like the Digital Pattern Pack that goes along with this project video.

How to Make a Sideways Knife Sheath

In this project video, I show you how to make one of our new sideway leather knife sheaths.

This style of sheath is for a case trapper pocket knife and allows the knife to sit horizontal instead of vertical.

We offer a DIGITAL pattern pack for this project with 10 different floral tooling patterns.

We also offer a material packs for these as well. This is Herman Oak Leather die cut to make this sheath.

How to Make a Crossbody Fannypack Purse

In this project video, I show you how to make one of our new Crossbody Fannypack style purses.

I made this purse from French Calf on the outside and Goat skin on the inside with a tooled feather front panel. This is a really fun bag to make and they seem to be a popular style these days.

My hardware came from Ohio Travel Bag Company.

The leather came from C Loy’s Leather.

If you would like to purchase the pattern pack for this project, use the links below. We offer them in either DIGITAL DOWNLOAD or PRINTED versions.

This is a large format print so if you choose the DIGITAL version, you will have to take to a printing company to have them printed for you you.

PRINTED version

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD version

How to Make a Leather Rifle Saddle Scabbard

In this video, I show you how I make one of our Leather Rifle Saddle Scabbards.

These are a lot of fun to make and have a ton of room for tooling and artwork. They are not really difficult to make, they are just large and use a lot of leather.

As we always do, we do offer a pattern pack for this project. You can use the links below to go directly to our website to purchase your copy. We offer this in a PRINTED and a DIGITAL version.

This is a large format printing so if you get the digital version, you will need to take it somewhere and have them print it out for you.

PRINTED VERSION

DIGITAL VERSION