LEATHER TOOLS

This is a collection of some of the Ready made tools I use or have adapted for Leather work.

A &B are wheels used for marking the spacing for stitching with A having an adjustable guide.

C did not start life as a leather tool. It was a French Herb copper from around 1900. I picked it up at the antique market. Old French steel is incredibly good and this tool takes an edge that can’t be beat.

D is a handle that takes a needle with a diamond shaped profile. This cuts a fine slot as it pierces the leather, Making Stitching easier.

E is a grooving tool with a depth adjustment. It creates a channel for the stitching to lay in.

F is the classic edge beveller, putting a nice soft edge instead of an unfinished sharp edge.

G, H & I are awls. G & H are sharp and different diameters. I is blunted to open up an existing stitching hole without tearing a new one.

J is something I really treasure, a left handed palm thimble. When trying to push a needle through heavy leather, even with a punched hole, this is another invaluable accessory.

K.   I included a pair of shears because I wanted to talk about the importance of good heavy steel. I have any number of good scissors but they don’t compare to these oldies. The important thing is to sharpen them correctly. I only put the edges to the stone. Touching the faces is a “no-no” for me.

L is a stitching awl with a spool built in for the thread. The needle has the eye at the end and is blade like. For thinner leather this works great as you don’t need to pre-hole, a thick cork pad underneath makes the job easy. The extra needles and wrench store in the handle.

M & N are two craft knives. They came from a time when even a humble tool was made with the finest steel. They have worked well for over 40 years. They are extra tough and can take abuse, still holding their edge.

O is a shoemakers pliers designed to grab leather and pull it with a lever action. The flat faces also work as a tack hammer. At the end of one handle is a pry bar, the other is forked to remove tacks, very well thought out.

P.  last but not least, is a leather knife. As you might guess, I am not a big fan of disposable blades. At first they cut well and just get duller and duller until you can stand it no longer and change the blade. This means that most of the time is spent with a less than perfect blade. The knife I use is another home adaptation. A kitchen knife with the end cut off at an angle. Taking care not to overheat the metal, by dipping it in water frequently, I cut with a thin disk. It is worth mentioning that the thinnest part of the blade, the tip, will overheat first. As the tip is the most important cutting part, take care not to soften it by overheating. I used this particular knife because of the fineness of the blade at the cutting edge, making it easier to keep a razor edge on it. I also knew it to be fine, not stainless steel. It glides through the leather and only needs infrequent honing. As with all my sharp tools, it gets a surface grinding on the stone, once every few years, to keep the edge long and narrow.

Don’t forget, you can click on the image to get a better view.

Leather Lace & Thong Maker

I once had one of these things but lost it along the way. I was never very happy with the number of “Stanley” blades I would go through. I thought I might try to make one that uses those snap off cutter blades so I could just keep moving the blade up.

The blades are sandwiched between 4mm (3/16”) plywood with 10mm (1/2”) ply on each end. The plate at the bottom is for clamping to a bench and is only fixed to the side plywood with short bolts countersunk on the inside. The three long bolts with wingnuts holds the whole thing together.

A drill press was indispensable for getting it all lined up and straight. The bottom wing-nutted bolt goes through the hole in the base of the blade (so make sure the bolt is fine enough). The top bolt to the left is what the back of the blade rests on.

Additional holes have been added up the middle to move the blade up after snapping the used up bit off. I added a bar at the top to hold down the leather and a guide along the back. I did angle the curve at the top of the plywood leaves incorrectly. The cutting edge of the blade should be less than 90° to the wood surface rather than more. The leather tends to ride up whereas a sharper angle will keep the leather pushed down. So learn from my mistakes and do better.

Leather Skiving Knife

A leather skiver or paring knife is used to thin the edge of the leather. In bookbinding it is used so the leather that is folded under the cover doesn’t leave a ridge when covered with paper. In leathercraft it serves a similar purpose as well as facilitating seam work. It is used by most leather workers for all sorts of projects.

For many years I have used a skiver that uses disposable blades designed for an injection razors. As these blades are getting harder to come by I thought I would look at what the traditional tool was. It turns out to be no more than a thick bladed knife with either an angled edge or rounded front. I chose to make the one with the angled edge as I had seen it used on You Tube and thought it might be easier to handle.

As with other tools, I started with a chisel. . The quality of the steel is important. I tend to buy old chisels, at the second hand markets, to make custom tools. Buying inexpensive chisel at the hardware store will not give you tools with an edge that lasts as long as the high grade steel of old tools. It is also very important not to let the metal overheat and turn blue as you are cutting or grinding the shape. If the metal is annealed or softened it will not hold its edge, so plunge it into water every few seconds as you cut or grind. We start by cutting the angle with a fine cutting wheel, remembering to us the water. Next comes grinding the angle along the edge, the greater the angle, the better the cutting quality. I noticed the guy on You Tube was left handed, like me, so I could see it was important to have the blade for left or right handedness.

The tool on the right was my first attempt and I was almost finished grinding the angle on the edge when I noticed I had gotten confused and made it right handed. Rather than re-grind, I decided to make a second one, thinking you can never have to many tools. After grinding along the edge comes the sharpening. First, a coarse oil stone and then a fine. It is important to keep the bottom of the knife flat without a curve up at the edge as even a slight curve makes it difficult to control the cutting process. Even if this means a lot more working away on the stone to get the bottom level, it’s worth the time and effort.

The reason I had gone for the skiver, with the razor blade, was an assumption that it would be much easier to use, as the guide makes it hard to over-cut. In fact, these knives, I made, work great and in no time I‘ve gotten the hang of them.

CLAY WORKING TOOLS

The tools I use for clay work have changed little over time. Once I established what tools I needed it was time to find a way to store them. As I use my studio for many disciplines it is not an option to leave tools lying about. Putting them in a box has the disadvantage of having to rummage to find the tool you need. Many tools, like chisels, have traditionally been kept in canvas pocketed roll up bags. With that in mind I created this custom roll up. All my clay tools are in clear view so I can grab “the right tool for the right job”.

Clay Wire Tool

These very practical tools are also called “ribbon tools”.

I was in need of some large ones, as the ones I had were taking too long to remove material and it was hard to reach deeper recesses. The largest of these is 38cm (15”). The hardened wire I had around was shaped with the help of a vice, ballpeen hammer and vice grips. I wrapped thinner wire around the shapes to give the tools more tooth. The parts that runs down the side of the wood is turned in at the ends to fit in holes drilled in the wood.

The wire binding is done as shown in the illustration. First, holding a bit of wire vertically, bending at the top, wrapping around and then twisting the two ends of wire at the bottom. Remember, I am left handed, you righties might want to go in the other direction.

Forming Hammer

Not all that long ago I was trying to help out a friend with a silverplate coffee pot that needed the dents taken out. The mouth was too narrow to get the usual tools inside. I had been wanting a small hammer, with one flat and one rounded side, for a long time.

Looking around I saw ii had one of those hammers with the rubber and plastic heads. Removing the heads, I cut off the protruding bolt, rounded one end, took the sharp edge off the flat side and polished it up. The thing to look out for is that the metal part has a protrusion that can be cut off and not a hole that the plastic and rubber fit into. I will be getting more of these hammers as it would be nice to have a selection of shapes. I’m sure something can be store bought but this is more fun.

Leather Strop

I have always liked the idea of using a Leather strop to finish off my blade honing. For the longest time I never really understood why I was using a strop. It seemed to give me a finer edge but I was not sure it wasn’t just my imagination. It turns out that the difference between honing and stropping is that honing on a stone removes the bent out of alignment metal, or burr, while stropping re-aligns the metal edge without removing any material.

My original strop was just a small piece of leather that came with a sharpening kit I bought. This one was designed after an adjustable one that is meant for straight razors and had leather on both sides without a wooden support board. For mine the end blocks are glued and screwed to the plank from underneath. The third block is adjustable with two 6mm ( ¼ inch ) bolts attaching it to the end block. I added a handle as the one I was copying from had one. It turns out to be an important addition for ease of use. The leather they recommend using is cow hide although I think other stiff hides might work well too. This is a very heavy leftover scrap of cow hide that I use for sandal soles. It seems to me that it might be better to use leather without a plastic finished top surface. When they suggest a leather belt will do the job I would try to get one with a natural unpainted finish. The same is true of a piece of leather you might buy for the purpose.

I screwed the leather to the blocks with flat head screws and brass countersunk washers. I just like the look better than roundhead screws and flat washers when working with leather.

Although I have not yet found the need, they do suggest you might want to work some polishing compound into the leather. The red jewellers rouge works well, but for me I think I would go with the green chromium oxide which is finer. I already have a stick of the stuff for jewellery work and it seems than warming up the leather helps in applying the stick form. They also make a more liquid form which would be easy to apply and work in.

This units was made larger than the usual strop with a total length of 60cm (24 inches) with a 6cm ( 2 ½ inch ) wide leather. Here are a few bits of additional information that might be useful.

The leather I used for this project was very thick and hard. As an experiment I cut a length with a conventional craft knife with disposable blades. It took over 12 passes to get through the leather. My converted kitchen knife that I use for leather work and has a carbon steel blade, did the job in 5 passes. Also, as I keep all my super-sharp blades and other craft tools together in one box, I need to protect their cutting edges. For this I use a combination of things. At the office supply stores they sell a plastic strip meant to bind together pages. Cut to length they slip on and off the edge easily. For curved edges a split piece of tube will do the job. I always planned to make some leather sheathes for my craft tools but haven’t got to it yet. To keep the blade from cutting through the stitching a strip of leather is placed between the two outside pieces of leather along the stitching line to protect the thread as the stitch goes through the three layers of leather and is not exposed to the blade between the outside layers. I have done this for my large blades like sickles, machetes and axes but have not gotten to the craft tools yet.

You might want to click on the image to enlarge it. Going back by clicking on the link at the top or bottom of the page.

Finishing Press

The big deal with the Finishing Press is how to make the screws. I thought to buy two vice screws. The type they use on a carpenters bench, turns out to be too expensive for my taste. So how do I create a mechanism that does everything the store bought ones do. I started with 10mm (3/8”) threaded rod. The one disadvantage is having to do a lot more turning to move the same distance, as bench vices have much grosser threads. I found some female threaded plates and drilled holes in the corners. The front plate by the handles should not be threaded so I drilled them out so the rod could move freely. If threaded plates aren’t available a simple bit of drilled out metal for the front and any number of female threaded fittings that screw into wood (Threaded Inserts), for the back, will do. To fitting the handles and front plates to the threaded rod I bought some large tool handles as the metal collar on the front helps keep the cotter pins secure but you can get creative. Drill out the handle so the threaded rod screws in easily. Drill a hole through the handle collar and rod after marking it with a set punch. The collar should have a chunk of wood underneath to get the hole to go through straight. Some sort of drill press is a great help for this project. Put a cotter pin through the hole and bend it over. Slide a washer, the plate and another washer up to the handle. Mark the rod behind the last washer for a hole in the threaded rod. Leave a little slack for freedom of movement when you mark the rod. Remove the washers and plate. Use a set punch at the mark and drill a hole for the second cotter pin. Don’t make the hole too large as it might weaken the rod. One of those nice little vices that hold a rod for a drill press would be really handy for this. Slide the washer, plate and washer back on and set the cotter pin.

At this point we are ready to deal with the wood. Cut your pieces to allow for the screws not to be too close to the edge and the space between the screws to accommodate the largest book you ever plan to make. It is important that the holes that hold the rods be lined up perfectly through both pieces of wood. This is where the drill press comes in handy. Clamp the two pieces of wood together and if your drill isn’t long enough to go through both pieces of wood, drill through one into the other enough to leave guide holes and removing the top piece drill the rest of the way through the bottom one. To accommodate the handle assembly we need to gouge out enough material from the front wood block to allow for free movement of the washer and cotter pin behind the plate. For this reason it is important to use a smallish washer and cotter pin as we need to leave enough material for the plate to screw into. The back wooden block needs to have the nut plate or threaded inserts installed on its back face. For each threaded insert, the hole needs to be enlarged to the depth of the insert and to the recommended diameter. After screwing the threaded insert down, the rod and handle are screwed through the two wooden blocks till firm and the two plates screwed down. For the threaded back plate it is best to assemble the handle rod and back plate through the wood and tightening it slightly, screw the plates down.

The length of the threaded rods is calculated by the wood thickness plus the Backing Press if you want one plus the fattest book you will ever make plus a little extra. At this point we can affix the aluminium flat bars if wanted. Remember to line up the bars with the inside edge of each piece of wood and make sure the screws are countersunk below the bars top surface.

The Finishing Press will need a stand. Mine is mounted on a case that becomes the storage box for all the bookbinding equipment. The Press is held down by carriage bolts and wing nuts. Remember to make your stand strong enough to stand up to pounding and the push and pull of edge ploughing. Don’t forget to leave enough space underneath to accommodate the biggest project. It also needs to be able to be clamped to a work bench unless it is permanently fixed to a purpose built bookbinding bench.

Punch Cradle

My Punch Cradle got a little tricky. Some of my art friends clamp the folded pages together and run a fine saw across the lined up folded edges. The importance of using this method is that all the holes will line up when you sew. The problem with the normal Punching Cradle is that each set of sheets is marked separately and might not line up exactly. Even taking one sheet of punched paper from the last batch and using it as a guide still means you have to be careful about where you place the awl.

So, I created a strip of angle iron with holes drilled down the centre big enough to take the awl shaft. I placed the holes at 1cm (3/8”) intervals. I then put a paper strip with markings down the sides of the angle iron to show me the placement of every second or third hole if I want wider spacing.

A rounded piece of wood was screwed (with countersunk screws) to the inside of the angle iron at each end. The support, at each end of the cradle, needs to have the trough cut at 90°. My Cradle is attached to the end supports with wing nuts and brackets as I want it to disassemble. Leave a narrow slot between the two side boards wide enough to accommodate the awl shaft. I re-enforced the bottom of each side with a strip of wood so the panels don’t flex when the awl is driven through the paper. Now we hinge the angle iron at one end.

As paper thickness might vary the hinge has the bottom part cut with a slot as shown. A wing nut or knob can then be loosened and the assembly raised or lowered.

The stops for the paper need to be adjustable as the holes should be centred on the sheets. I accomplished this by making slots in the cradle and allowing the stops to be moved back and forth with wing nuts or knobs. If you are using those star knobs for any of these projects, check out wood thicknesses and screw lengths as the knobs will only go on so far and you might end up having to cut down screws to make it work unless the knobs are the open top type.

Bone Folder

A store bought Bone Folder is not a great expense. I’m not a big fan of plastic when there is something better that might last longer. You can buy the real thing at a reasonable price, but I thought it might be fun to make my own.

I picked up an old broken bit of craftwork that had once been a boat of some sort. It looked a little like ivory but turned out to be bone or tusk. These materials cut well with ordinary power tools. I used a jig saw to cut a rough strip. It is not so easy to clamp an odd shaped bit of material. Remember that as you cut, the blade will bind up as it comes to the part where the clamp presses. If you put one end in the clamp and cut only to the middle you can then turn the piece around, clamping the cut end and cut from the other direction. If you’re using a band saw make sure your using the push stick. Cutting odd shapes is always dangerous so wear all the safety gear.

Next, take a marker and draw the shape you want on the rough piece. Clamp and saw out the shape. I have a bench clamp for my power drill that allows me to use a sanding disk. Even though the chunk of bone was pretty irregular, with a bit (actually a lot) of patience I was able to get the shape I wanted with course sandpaper. Finer paper and a buffing finishes it off. If you want to hook up your sanding belt or other sanding equipment the only thing to remember is that it works better to have the sander stationary and hand hold the piece. Remember the gloves and goggles. This Bone Folder glides very smoothly and I think it will get even better with age, like me.

Sewing Frame

A Sewing Frame is useful for holding ribbon and other materials in place. All the ones I have seen have an adjustable top bar. I thought I might make do with a fixed one.

To reduce waste I planned to use long pieces of ribbon, fed from the top that I would cut off to the right length after sewing. I could then pull more ribbon down, anchor it at the top and bottom end and sew another book. I thought to use rubber along the inside of the clamping bars at top and bottom or make some of those things that fasten the ribbon. In the end, just using pins seems to work. I have since come up with a more elegant solution by making some sewing keys. I added a holding press to my version. It just seemed like a good idea. I ended up with it also having a length of strap aluminium on the back side of the holding press, so it fits on the back side of the base board which also has a piece of strap aluminium. My Sewing Frame now doubles as a laid down Finishing Press.

Edge Plough

Trimming the pages adds a professional touch to handmade books. The equipment normally employed for this job is specialized and expensive. It is also designed to be used with a specific Finishing Press. Although people have used all sorts of blades as a cheap substitute, razor blades and other cutting edges have the disadvantage of the cutting edge being centred in the metal. This causes the blade to lift ever so slightly as it cuts through the layers of paper. The cutting edge needs to be on the lower edge of the metal like a wood chisel.

My first homemade effort was in fact a wood chisel that I had put a rounded edge on. When I checked it out on the web it turns out to be a common solution. I would think that a thinner piece of steel might work even better. It should be thick enough not to flex. The quality of the steel is important. I tend to buy old chisels, at the second hand markets, to make custom tools. Buying inexpensive chisel at the hardware store will not give you tools with an edge that lasts as long as the high grade steel of old tools. It is also very important not to let the metal overheat and turn blue as you are grinding the shape. If the metal is annealed it will not hold its edge, so plunge it into water every few seconds as you grind. The underside of the edge plough must be ground very flat to avoid it riding up as you cut through the paper. Hand finish the surfaces and edge with a course then fine oil stone. I have added a knob to mine which gives me a lot more control. The screw underneath must be well countersunk. As I have surfaced my Finishing Press with aluminium I do not have to worry about wearing away the surface of the press.

Also keep an eye out for other tools that might do the job. I came across something described as a scrape in the paint store (pictured here). It makes an excellent Edge Plough.