Leather Projects For The Novice

Preparing For Leather Projects

When you have settled on your leather craft project you'll need to have an appropriated area and proper supplies in order to do the work. Being prepared beforehand makes your project far more gratifying.

Tools:

As you work with leather, look into the fundamentals: an awl and spare point, a retractable knife with a break-off blade, an X-acto knife and a rotary punch.

In addition, you will have to have needles, some waxed linen thread, a pair of strong scissors, a lump of beeswax, and a pair of pliers.

Then you will find leather edge slickers and bevellers that are used to finish the edges, drive punches for bigger holes and thong cutters for making laces. A folding rule and yardstick are necessities to ensure that your leather craft project is accurately measured.

Marking the Cut:

Use a yardstick or straight edge and a pencil to trace the place you want to cut on your leather craft. Just draw lightly with the pencil. An unsharpened edge should help if you're trying to cut on a curve. Use the point of an X-acto knife on a metal edge and carefully cut along the line keeping the knife pressed against the edge.

Trimming the Edges:

In order to trim the edges of the leather, arrange it on an even surface. Be sure the leather is damp, and keep it wet with a spray bottle full of water handy.

Next you will need what's called an edge beveling tool to even out the cut edges. The 2 prongs that make its V shape must be positioned so that they are facing upward on each side of the edge.

Steadying the edge beveling tool at about a forty-five degree angle with your finger positioned on top of the tool, then push the edge beveling tool away from you while cutting the edge, holding the leather strongly with your opposite hand.

As you are working, little strips of leather are going ro come off. It's wise to practice on extra scraps of leather before using the leather craft beveler on your actual project, so that you are more comfortable with the tool.

What You Should Cut On:

Whatever the project, you'll need to cut your piece of leather. Opt for a surface that is leveled and protected by a rubber mat. The mat should safeguard your supplies and tools and keep them from getting dull. If you need a different method, you can use a cutting board that self-heals. Cuts made in a board such as this, automatically seal up. This device is available at Office Max or art supply stores.

Summary:

If you're a novice at leather crafting, you may not want to spend a lot of money on tools. Once you've worked and practiced with a simple tool set and completed a few leather crafts, you'll have a greater feeling of exactly what supplies and tools you like best.

Finally, some comparative shopping and a little research might lead you to buy a greater quality leather tool when needed. Of course, even the most expensive tools will not help if you don't permit yourself the time to improve and perfect your skills.

If you do your very best with what you have got, it will not matter if you don't have the money to pay for the most extravagant leather craft awl or the very best knife. Your work quality will show through once you've figured out the basics.

You can usually locate a leather shop in your surrounding area by checking out your phone book. A lot of centers have a leather craft boutique close by.