Starting Leathercraft on a Budget

[cold scream]

I often see people thinking they need expensive tools to make beautiful leather goods but that simply isn't true. You can get great results with basic irons from sites like Aliexpress and buying high end gear won't fix poor technique anyway. I suggest avoiding the cheap kits on Amazon and instead spending about 30 dollars on one good skiving knife with decent steel. For leather you can save money by looking for bellies or bags of offcuts that makers often sell for very little. I used to blame my cheap tools for my bad stitching until I realized I just needed more practice. It is much better to learn how to sharpen and polish basic tools first to make sure you actually enjoy the hobby. Once you start selling your work you can slowly upgrade your kit one piece at a time.

 

[Raw Pony]

I often see people thinking they need expensive tools to make beautiful leather goods but that simply isn't true. You can get great results with basic irons from sites like Aliexpress and buying high end gear won't fix poor technique anyway. I suggest avoiding the cheap kits on Amazon and instead spending about 30 dollars on one good skiving knife with decent steel. For leather you can save money by looking for bellies or bags of offcuts that makers often sell for very little. I used to blame my cheap tools for my bad stitching until I realized I just needed more practice. It is much better to learn how to sharpen and polish basic tools first to make sure you actually enjoy the hobby. Once you start selling your work you can slowly upgrade your kit one piece at a time.

Seems like sound advice.

 

[fluffyman]

You are right! Those kits online are very tempting especially for folks who are just starting this hobby.

 

[ph@r$a]

I used to blame my tools too but my stitching only got better when I practiced more, not when I spent more. Upgrading slowly once you know what you really need keeps the hobby fun and stops you from buying stuff you never use.