When it comes to getting the best possible edges in your work, sanding tools are one of the most important areas to focus on. Without a well sanded edge on your leather project, you won’t be able to get the smooth finish you are looking for. Even the best possible cut piece of leather still needs sanding on the edge to prepare the leather to be burnished.
There are many different ways to accomplish the same thing in leather work. Sanding is no different. There are antique line finishers, who’s sole purpose is to sand and burnish any leather edge to a high gloss finish… particularly on shoes and boots. But these machines are heavy and take up a lot of room in a workshop. There are cabinet finishers that take up much less room and do just as good of a job. But finding one of these on the used market can be difficult… most folks won’t part with them. There are even other “powered” machines used in other industries that can accomplish your sanding needs. Continue reading
Last year around this time we created a project video for a shave kit. That video was for what I call a “bear trap” style shave kit. In this video I show how to make a new style shave kit. I wanted a shave kit that wasn’t so big and bulky. I also wanted one that could hang and this is what I came up with.
Everyone has their own way of organizing their leatherwork tools in their shops. In my shop, I have always worn a tool belt. My tool belt is where I keep my most used tools so that they are always close at hand.
Leathercraft can be intimidating to the uninitiated. The tools for the beginner can be hard to decide upon and even more difficult to find. Since leatherwork is not a common trade skill, many of these tools can not be purchased from local hardware stores.
For the majority of us in Leathercraft, we absolutely love what we do. But, if you are like me, you probably don’t love working on the financial side of your business. If you want to strengthen your business, then the financial aspect of the business has to be discussed.