Adjusting to current circumstances due to the vagaries of life is not failing, it is succeeding in managing priorities when things intrude on your life.

Thanks for sharing your goals!

Recently purchased another leather workers business. My goal is to pay that off.

Gracias.

2025 Goals: 1. Survive 2025, 2. Investing in Champagne Leatherworks Halloween merch.

Enjoyed the recommended starter tools. I’m getting into wet forming sheaths, guards and holsters.

Great vid, for newbies!! Im little past newbie... not lot..lol. i started with, J.J. needles.. never broke one-- yet.. but i went to Maine Thread site online, and decided to try their threads. The braided.. and found the, Osborne needles.. i really like Osborne, over JJ!! The egg eye is the selling point. Really helps in stringing my threads.. i started out with, Ritza. Still use Ritza, but in last year or so, Maine Threads have changed or improved their hand sewing thread.. its beautiful thread!! I reach for it now, and pass on Ritza. [ Ritza still awesome, expensive], price is fairly close.. Maine is little better on pocketbook!! One my best hammers, i use more than any,now, was a nylon 2lb dead blow.. works great on punching holes, cutting corners and rounds, etc.cost me less than $5.00! One item i didn't see on your table--- a stitching groover?? The 2 tools 8 decided not to skimp on, groover and stitching irons/ pricking irons.. i ended up with Osborne Compass groover, with 3 size tips. This is awesome tool with multiple uses.. and the most expensive, but definitely game changing tool-- Corters BG Pricking Irons.. these irons are absolutely great. Expensive, but lot less than some others. Like them so much, im ordering a set of their French Irons.. thanks for vid!! I did just subscrib.

Needles were a big one for me. I did not like stitching with glovers needles but once I switched I started looking forward to stitching.

Ronnieeeee! So glad to see you back on yt :) Excited to see what '25 brings for you :)

👏👏👏🍾🍾🍾

Happy New Year. Congrats on the marriage. I understand what’s it’s like to feel overwhelmed. I’m sure we all do. You mentioned failure a few times but you didn’t fail. Everything we do is a life lesson. Temporary pauses to take a breath or reassess things is totally fine and something we should all do. You make great quality videos and leatherwork as well. Look forward to more videos in the future.

👌

talk-over is more useful for beginners so we can hear you explain what you're doing as you go.

Great idea.

Fantastic video. Straight to the point. Thanks for all the helpful advice

?? Why do you keep looking off to your right? It appears that something or someone is pressing you! other wise you have a great presntation!

Thank you for your very helpful video!

I just got into leatherwork this summer and used your link to buy those diamond chisels in #5. I've used them in a lot of projects since then, and so far they've held up great. Thanks for the video.

Great tips here! I enjoy watching your video!

Great video. Thanks!

I'm dying to get into this craft and lucked out with your video! Thanks!!

Thank you so much! So informative and im new to the craft so i can use all the help i can get!!!!

I've made some of these for fidget spinners i want to carry but don't want scratched or pocket lint in the bearing...... Nice work!

Because... we all need a coin holder 😊

Im really glad i came across this video. Im surprised by the lack beginner videos for leather craft.

Agreed, I'm doing a bag now and have stopped to work on a wallet while i develop my skill a little more before returning to the bag. A project that challenges you really exposes your weaknesses but thats a good thing if you want to improve.

Youve disappeared, come back with an update

Thanks

Solid recommendations...

Liked your vids. Will probably try some like that myself - getting tired of my own small wallet designs. Good job on the music too and just did my part to get you outta those crocs. 😊

Hey man, I'm in. Just tying to get into leatherwork, and you seem like someone who is not uppity about beginning techniques or ablitlities. FYI, video and audio are great, so (as people have probably told you), focus on content and enjoy the journey. Good luck with the business, but remember, you have to love it. Wishing you the best.

Great video just hope I can find your recommendations as I live near the UK.

For chisels and irons I've read that at one point, "French" inches measured 27mm instead of 25.4mm and they stuck with it. That is what messes up the stiches per inch (spi) vs tooth count (or spacing between them?) that we might expect. I think it's better to actually use the spacing between teeth and not the spi when shopping for irons.

Great video. The only thing I would have added to the list is a smooth polished hammer for setting certain glues and stiching. I look forward to seeing what else you have put out. New subscriber.

I started doing a 220, 400, 600, 1500 and finish it off with tokinol. I then will add beeswax at the end using a heat gun. If you accidentally get tokinol on the face of the leather you can put it on the entire piece and it will burnish up nicely- it basically gives it a forced patina.

Hallo from Vienna Austria

Have you ever tried french or japanese style stitching irons? And if no, why not?

Why dont you just punch the hole after you have folded over?

Just collected up my scraps to make a few of these. There are so many different sizes of "Challenge Coins" so each has to be a custom fit. The Harley Davidson poker chips are all the same size so that's a little easier. I've found that on small items like this a single mm one way or the other makes a difference. They are fun items and we can modify them quite a bit for the novelty. Thanks for the great idea.

To prevent rust, a VERY light coat of oil will protect your tools. For the smaller ones, such as needles, store them in something like a pill bottle, altoids tin, etc and add some dessicant. An additional tool I'd suggest qould be a sail cloth needle and an S curve needle, especially if you're an outdoorsman/woodsman

Brilliant stuff - thankyou!

What about how long it will last. Will the burnish vanish? I have heard that only water burnish last the shortest ,tokenol in middle and gum the longest.

Great video. I think we all who work with leather have these concerns. Constantly improving that should be all our goals.

Very good video and helpful to me! I'm looking into doing some small leather projects. I've been watching leather working videos the past couple months which has really increased my interest and looks like a good hobby to keep me busy now that I'm retired. I ordered a kit earlier today from Amazon which will have some of the things I need and be able to use but likely a lot that I won't use. Just seemed like a good deal. Wish I'd have caught your video earlier and just gone with your list to begin with but I'll be going with your list when I find out what I really need. New subscriber and thanks for posting!

Great recommendations. But you mentioned needles being disposable. They definitely are, unless you get John James needles. I used to break a needle every couple projects, but I've used the same two John James needles for over a dozen projects and countless stitches. At this rate, the pack of 25 needles I bought for $8 will outlast me. Lol.

You're doing great. Just showing up is progress. Keep up the good work.

Nice vid bro, really good observations, specially for those who are startimg in leathercraft and are looking to improvre their job. So i want to share some tips if it works for you, great. there are some steps to get amazing, mirror glass finish edges even if you are using bad quality leather, or chrome tanned leather (trust me, i used poor quality leather and chrome tanned for almost 4 years till i found a nice leather supplier) 1.- be sure to trace the patterns following the same direction, or final orientation, this is very important cuz when sanding the edges ther will be no resistance and the grain will polish the same direction 2.- i start sanding at 220 grit sand paper, next 500, and 1000 upgrading 500 till getting 2500. 3.- burnish your edge after every sanding, you can use water or tokonole/gum trag etc. if you want, but usually with fine leathers like WC, conceria walpier etc, any premium leather its fine if you just burnish it, you'll get the same results 4.- giving the final touch using beeswax and polishing with a canvas piece really helps a lot to get a stunishing result Then, to help with the wrinkles when you fold the piece i discovered 2 main problems 1.- you are using thicker leather than you need (i use 1mm leather for small leather goods like wallets and stuf) and 2.- you are using the wrong size edge beveler (it happens more than you thought) I also saw you use weaver tools like french skiver and i asume you also use weaver edge bevelers, i recomend you to let that tools go😂 I also used that brand in the begining but i found the quality isnt great, specially when it comes to bevelers sizes, theres no much room to try something else, i moved to palosanto tools and really where a ge changer. Hope some of my tips can help you man, you really do and amazing job and fills my heart to see people that still belieave in the art that a handmade product becomes. Wish you all the succes you deserve EL JEFE CUSTOM LEATHER-MEXICO

Yes! Sizes of Needles and Thread and Chisels. Thank you SO MUCH for addressing this subject. Super helpful video. Thank you. 😊

A couple of thoughts on this video and your goals for the year. First of all, you are a self professed beginner in leather work and creating a product line. Great, now from this video, you impress me as someone with big ambitions, and sometimes those ambitions get in the way. Well, that happens to all of us at some point in our likes. What I have learned in 73 years is that humans are creatures of habits, and those habits can make or break our personal goals. The importance of a particular goal will dictate how hard we work on a particular goal each day. How does one eat an elephant, one bite at a time. It might be you will need re-examine your goals and rework your habits. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. In military your day is broken down in different task that are repeated each and every day. It takes 14 to 21 days to create a habit. Set a schedule and follow it. It will pay off in the lounge hall. We are our worst critics. Evaluate your performance to date and make the hard changes as needed. Practice, Practice Patience. Thin it becomes a habit. Sorry for such a long rant. Just wanted to share my thoughts. You are doing well with this endeavor.👍😃😉😎

Good list for a beginner. Highly support Buckleguy. Great people there, very knowledgeable and supportive of beginners!!