5 Tips to Make You a Better at Leatherwork Guaranteed

[@billharpster7968]

Well done. Straight forward. Sound advice. No stupid background music.

[@kaineyakuza8099]

Thank you for your vids very honest and clear

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Thanks for watching!

[@MountainFisher]

I use diamond compound to strop my leather tools. One micron is 15,000 grit and 1/2 a micron is 60,000 grit and diamond is pretty aggressive, a little goes a long way. For cutting heavy leather for unlined belts, 11 to 13 oz, 4.7mm or 3/16th inch I found using a strap cutter a good way to make some expensive Hermann Oak into scrap if I wasn't slow and careful. I use my head knife and a 6 foot or two meter ruler instead to cut heavy unwaxed and unoiled veg tan. You see some folks just zip through bridle leather or thin veg tan, but usually they're zipping through a waxed leather, I can do that, but through 12 oz veg tan you will find it easy to cut off your line. Maybe I'm just not good at it, but the head knife cuts very easily and I get perfect cuts every time. I used Herman Oak leather and never went back to using imports, I've also used Wicket and Craig leather too. You can't go wrong with either. Since I hand stitch I found lining belts to really be a chore, but tooling a 9-10 oz veg tan belt it ends up being a little bit too thin, 10-12 is OK. In other words I typically buy Hermann Oak saddle skirting. I have "not getting dye or antique on the flesh side" down to a science and before I dye my belts I take off the tape that prevents stretching from tooling and double seal the flesh side with Tandy's Satin Shene, a finish and resist. I then re-tape the back and dye and antique the face of the belt or paint, whatever I do. You better know I'm very careful to the point of I only punch my billet holes halfway and finish punching after all the finishing is done. Billet is the name for the end with the holes for the buckle's prong to go into. I punch an oval hole instead of a round hole as the oval prevents most of the bunching up from the prong. If you use a belly to make a belt you must skive at least half the flesh side off and put a better piece of leather there as bellies are less dense and the hole will get really stretched out in a fairly short time. I have a splitter and can skive 90% of the billet end off and then insert a piece of cutoff in and glue and sew it in place. I skive it even before sewing, but best not to use a belly for belts, but bellies are great for stretching to form cases for phones and such.

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Thanks for the tips! I'm going to get some diamond compound and give that a shot!

[@MountainFisher]

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods I get mine from Boride Engineered Abrasives. I find their pricing and quality to be the best. I get the Adamas brand in extra heavy concentration for five gram syringe. It has lasted me 3 years and I use it for mirror polishing hardened knives if a customer wants it, but it adds $120 to the price of a knife. I also use the 1 micron on the edges of leather to strop my edge bevellers. I even strop my hand skiver razor blades, Exacto knife and my utility knives. Boride also has the best prices on Cratex on the internet if you ever want to jewel metal. I will jewel flat faced stainless belt buckles with them. Just get the round sticks and chuck up a piece in my drill press and put a jeweled pattern onto the buckle. Of course I do it with knives as well. www.borideabrasives.com/PublicStore/Default.aspx

[@pellediangelo5754]

Spot on mate! As a fellow leathercrafter I cannot agree more ! 👏

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

[@hethuszar01]

Hi there. Been binge watching your videos, very good advice. I also started this as a hobby, back in December, and is nice to see who you deal with the same issues. Like I found out that doing more cuts with less pressure simply resulted in better cuts but did not know why. So the leather bent. Now I know. Its always nice to hear advice from people who start the business without having any background in the craft, because most of the time those advices are the most useful. And now I know why my sd card holder has nice stitching in the front but not on the inside. For that I have ordered (but not received) a changeable pricking iron, in which I can reverse the angle of the irons, so the angle will match perfectly and will have (at least hope so) the same wave pattern on the front and on the back :-) So keep it up, very good videos as well. Zsolt

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Hey, Zsolt! Glad to hear my video helped! That problem where one side of your stitch looks good and the other doesn't is a common one. I struggled with it for quite a while. Practice and figuring out what works for you is what it's all about! Thanks for watching!

[@irapelletier5506]

Great tips man! I just started uploading some leather working videos as well. Good luck with your channel! Subscribed!!!

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Hey brother! Sorry, I somehow missed this comment! I appreciate your support! Just subscribed to you as well!

[@irapelletier5506]

@@BlackFlagLeatherGoods all good dude! Keep up the good work!!!

[@patinapirate126]

Solid ones! Thank you for sharing them !

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Thank you, dude! I appreciate you coming to check out the video!

[@mikep4199]

Hey man great advice. I am just starting and all advice helps! Please keep up the awesome videos.

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Hey buddy! Thanks for watching and the kind words!

[@ProfGilRodrigues]

Keep up the good work. Good luck with your channel

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@themadleaf]

Good advice. 👍

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

I appreciate it! Thanks for watching!

[@JBGIBSON]

Good stuff! Subscribed!

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Thanks, Bruce! I appreciate it!

[@hangingoutwithronwalters4505]

Thank you! I am brand new to leather crafting . My question is is there really any money in leather crafting? I have just sold my first project , a set of coasters.

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

There definitely is but to make it worth your time, I think you pretty much have to progress to using a machine and clicker press/laser cutter. Fully handmade leather is a ton of work otherwise and for me, I don't have the time to put in, which is why I went the content creation route and get paid by KZbin and affiliates. With that said if you're doing it as a hobby, you'll end up with a stack of leather products. May as well sell them to upgrade tools, buy leather, etc.

[@lenklauck8268]

Great tips sir!

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Thank you, brother!

[@21gramsleathergoods21]

You rule.

[@BlackFlagLeatherGoods]

Thank you brother! Happy to see you on here!

[@OkechukwuOtuonye-gj8rg]

Can you please come and sell Leather

[@grarglejobber7941]

What would you say is the main reason for your sorrow?

[@jamesondenhartog8109]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@grarglejobber7941]

@@jamesondenhartog8109 no really, not trying to be a dick. I just want to hear your answer

[@arveruud6803]

Why are your filming so dark, that i can't see what you are doing?