Starting to work with Leather

[DamnthePants]

I recently bought some leather from the Tandy leather Factory, to try my hand at some leather work. I finally managed to whip something up.

My first little test was to try to make a braided strip of three pieces of leather. It was easier then I thought. When it’s wet it acts like soft spaghetti, but when it dries it hardens right back up. Looked pretty good too.


http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3569/201602.jpg
braid

My next project was one of those leather wrist bands. It seemed simple enough. I cut the leather into a square strip, than with my handy leather puncher I made all the little holes id need to sew on the accent strip in the center and the coiled boarder. The snaps were the hardest part. They were designed for cloth, so I had to really soak the leather, than pound in the parts to make them snap. I broke one or two of them before I got the hang of it, but in the end it snaps together nice and tight.

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Front view

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/4171/201447.jpg
back view

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3063/201712.jpg
Comparison between the one I made, and a cheap store bought one

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/6571/201812.jpg
On Wrist

Last, though not leather related, I have had these two deer horns in my possession since this spring. You cant walk anywhere in the woods without coming across them when they start to shed them. I just cant for the life of me figure out what I’m going to do with them.
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Horns

[sydnie7]

Deer horns = knife handles, horn buttons, or a cool cribbage board

Nice start on the leather, we've got a bag of supplies from Tandy that hasn't made it out of the bag yet. . .

[Tobus]

You're off to a decent start on leather working.

If you can do a three-part flat braid, try your hand at a four-part round braid, and end with a turk's head knot. You can find instructions online, although I recommend buying a book on braiding and lacing. If you can get comfortable with that, it makes an excellent decoration for all kinds of stuff (including sporrans). You can impress friends and neighbors and people at parties too!

As for the antler sheds, You can make leather working tools out of them. For example, keep about a 6" length of antler for rounding leather edges. Sometimes you'll want to create a nice smooth edge to the leather using a beveling tool, but even after you bevel it you'll want to smooth it down by rubbing something smooth over it. An antler makes a great (and cheap) tool for that.

[sanddog28]

Great work with the leather... The antlers are very nice, you simply need to work the barter system now, find someone that is a good metal worker and trade them some of the antler in return for a knife blade then you both end up with a very nice piece...

[be da veva]

You can send some of the horns my way.... ;)