My Top 5 Leather Tools
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I have so many leatherworking tools in my shop, I’m not even sure I could count them all. It’s taken me this past decade to amass this hoard of tools, many of which have become godsends when it comes to working more quickly and efficiently. When we first started this leatherworking journey, we had no idea what we actually needed. Hubby did a TON of research and sifted through a lot of information. The internet is a treasure trove, but everyone and their brother had an opinion about what should be in a beginner’s shop. We were lucky enough to have the resources to pour into getting a decent set-up in the beginning. Over the years we’ve added to our tool set when it became apparent that we needed an upgrade. Some of the tools were basic and over time we discovered our need for the more professional version. Some of the tools we didn’t think we’d have a use for, but found that we needed them after the fact. Others simply just hurt our hands with excessive use.
After all this time, I’ve grown fond of several of these tools. Some of them are my trusty companions that end up living on the workbench because I’m just going to pull them out the very next day. I limited myself to my top five leatherworking tools, but truth be told, I could have written about SO many more. It was very difficult to pair this list down, but these guys really are the MVPs of my shop!
1. Stylus Set
I use my stylus set pretty much every time I’m in my shop. These guys are so versatile and the grips on them are a great ergonomical touch! There are so many ways to mark patterns on leather, but I really like to get it wet and use a stylus to mark everything. It’s also a great tool for drawing out a design before I go in with my swivel knife. I’m able to do a light sort of pre-tooling to work everything out before I’m committing to carving into the leather. Then after I’ve carved the leather, the styluses are a great tool to help add dimension and depth to the design. I can add fine detail, emboss, and lift all with this set of tools. I particularly love the fine tip for really getting into those tight small designs. The spoon is also a favorite of mine. It’s great for pressing down edges and getting those designs to really pop up at you! Before I became comfortable with using the stamps to tool a design, I used nothing but these styluses and my own elbow grease!
2. Rotary Punch
On this one I kept going back and forth on whether I wanted to talk about the rotary punch or the punch set. While the punch set is a definite hand savior, I love that the rotary allows me to punch holes without having a sturdy work surface, rubber mat/cutting board, or mallet. I’ve taken this baby with me everywhere. Seriously, I’ve taken these with me on camping trips. I stick them in my travel bag and when I want to work on a project, it really cuts down on the amount of tools I have to drag with me. I love that I can stick it in a bag and work pretty much anywhere. Also, who wants to try to carry on a conversation or watch TV with you while you’re banging a hammer on a piece of metal? They’re sharp, they’re tough, and versatile! Each of the hole punches are removeable and replaceable. Bonus feature, unlike some other models that just have metal handles, this rotary punch has rubber grips. That definitely helps your hands out!
3. Snap Set
I have a confession. I hate snaps. They are my kryptonite. Don’t get me wrong, I love the versatility of a snap and how pretty they look on a project, but for some reason the mechanics of setting the darn things eludes me. That is, until I got this all-in-one kit. I was a serious snap failure and would do anything to keep them out of my projects before I got this. For whatever reason, these work fantastically for me and I’m never going back to struggling with other types of snaps! This set comes with everything you need. There’s a hole punch, snap anvil, and the setters for both sides. It’s pretty fool proof and these seem to work on a variety of leather thicknesses for me. They are much more forgiving than any that I’ve tried from other craft stores. And before I get criticized, I’ve read all sorts of tips, I’ve tried to match the correct size snap to the correct thickness of leather, and I’ve wasted a ton of snaps practicing. These babies right here seem to be the only ones that work for me!
When we started out, we went for the basic rawhide mallet. It was much less expensive and at that time we couldn’t justify spending the extra money for the polly. It got the job done, but it wasn’t the best. After a time it started to show wear and tear. We decided to upgrade during a black Friday sale and it was worth every penny! It gives the most amazing strike! It has a great weight and balance to it. This mallet feels so right when I’m using it. The best part is how durable it is. This guy is practically unscathed by the hours of work it’s put in!
I saved the best for last, I absolutely love these sheers! I seriously couldn’t live without them in my workshop. If I had to rate my most used tools, these would seriously be number one on my list. They’re sturdy and I’m fairly sure my hand would break before they would! They glide through thinner leather like a good set of scissors through fabric. Although these sheers are hefty they are extremely precise. Often I know I should be using my Exacto knife for projects, but I find myself grabbing these instead. They also work the best when you have to cut out large projects. These sheers have enough length to them to let you make nice long cuts with minimal effort. All I need to do is occasionally sharpen these scissors and I have never had a problem cutting through any thickness of leather. These babies are a workhorse and I can’t recommend them highly enough to any leathercrafter!
These leather tools are my tried and true top five. I could have made this a list of at least ten (probably twenty, haha), but decided to keep this short and sweet! This is definitely not an exhaustive list or even a complete starter list. These are my favorites, the ones I find myself reaching for more often than not. Over the years, I’ve had beginner versions of some of these tools and upgraded. The ones I’ve shared, I’ve shared because I feel they are a vast improvement over any simpler version. If you’re looking to begin leatherworking, these are definitely some tools I would suggest starting with. I’ll be making a comprehensive list in the future, so stay tuned!
Thank you for joining me today, and as always, life’s better with leather!
jess
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