Leathercraft Journal
Long-form workshop notes on the parts of leatherwork that need thinking through before the knife moves. 26 articles, free to read, no account needed.
26 articles
Storing Leather Properly: Humidity, Light, Rolls and Records
Leather that has been stored badly is expensive material turned into scrap. Simple storage discipline protects both the hide and your ability to find the right piece when you need it.
6 August 2026 · 10 min read
Hand Stitching Versus Machine: Strength, Speed and Honest Economics
The saddle stitch is genuinely stronger than a lockstitch, and that fact is genuinely irrelevant to many products. Here is how to decide which seam belongs on which item.
5 August 2026 · 10 min read
Adhesives for Leatherwork: What Holds, What Slips, What Ruins Grain
Glue in leatherwork is an assembly aid, not a structural bond — except when it is. Knowing which adhesive to reach for and how to prepare the surface saves whole projects.
4 August 2026 · 10 min read
Setting Rivets and Snaps Without Ruining the Panel
Hardware failures are almost never the hardware's fault. Post length, hole size, anvil choice and a controlled strike decide whether a rivet holds for decades or spins loose in a week.
3 August 2026 · 10 min read
Burnishing Edges That Last: Friction, Moisture and Patience
A glassy edge is not a coating, it is compressed fibre. Understand what burnishing actually does to the leather and your edges stop fraying after three months of pocket wear.
2 August 2026 · 10 min read
Awl or Chisel: Two Ways to Make a Stitching Hole
Diamond chisels punch straight through; a diamond awl pierces at an angle behind a pricking iron. The choice changes your spacing, your thread length and the look of the finished seam.
28 July 2026 · 9 min read
How Much Thread Does a Saddle Stitch Really Need?
The arithmetic behind thread length, why the classic 'seam times three' rule fails on thick leather, and how to cut once without running short mid-seam.
28 July 2026 · 7 min read
Choosing Thread: Linen, Polyester and the Numbers on the Spool
Thread size, fibre and wax all change how a seam looks and how long it lasts. A plain guide to reading spool numbers and matching thread to hole size.
25 July 2026 · 9 min read
Skiving: Controlling Thickness Where Layers Meet
Folded edges, overlapping seams and turned linings all fail the same way — too much bulk. Skiving is how you get thickness under control before it becomes a problem.
22 July 2026 · 8 min read
Estimating Hide Consumption Without Wasting Half a Side
Nesting, grain direction, belly waste and the real reason your 12 square foot order only yielded 8 usable feet.
21 July 2026 · 8 min read
Wallet Pattern Fundamentals: Allowances, Card Slots and Stack Height
A wallet fails on millimetres. Here is how card slot geometry, turn allowance and cumulative thickness decide whether your pattern works before you cut anything.
19 July 2026 · 9 min read
Vegetable, Chrome and Everything Between: Understanding Tannage
Tannage determines whether leather can be tooled, moulded, burnished or dyed. A practical explanation of what each type does at the bench.
16 July 2026 · 9 min read
Leather Thickness: Making Sense of Ounces, Irons and Millimetres
Why the same leather is 6 oz in one catalogue and 2.4 mm in another, and how to choose weight for the piece you are actually making.
14 July 2026 · 7 min read
Cutting Straps That Stay Straight
Long straight cuts are harder than they look. Blade choice, hide direction, and a strap cutter used properly are what separate a straight belt from a banana.
13 July 2026 · 8 min read
Antiquing and Resist: Getting Depth Into Tooled Leather
Antique gel sinks into tooled depressions and wipes off raised areas — but only if the resist is right. A step-by-step method with the failure modes explained.
10 July 2026 · 9 min read
Wet Moulding: Shaping Leather Around a Form
Casing, forming and drying vegetable tanned leather into a permanent three-dimensional shape — the process, the water temperatures, and how much shrinkage to expect.
7 July 2026 · 9 min read
Stitch Hole Spacing: Choosing a Pitch That Suits the Piece
SPI, millimetre pitch, corner planning and why an even hole count decides whether your seam ends cleanly.
7 July 2026 · 7 min read
Pricing Handmade Leather Goods Without Guessing
Material cost, waste, hardware, consumables and a real hourly rate. A transparent method for arriving at a price you can defend and survive on.
4 July 2026 · 9 min read
Building a Starter Toolkit That Actually Gets Used
What to buy first, what to buy later, and what to never buy. A practical progression from first cut to finished small goods without wasting money.
1 July 2026 · 8 min read
Dyeing Leather Evenly: Dose, Application and Patience
How much dye a panel actually absorbs, why streaks form, and a repeatable process for consistent colour across a whole project.
30 June 2026 · 8 min read
Edge Finishing: Burnishing, Painting and Knowing Which to Use
A slick burnished edge and a crisp painted edge solve different problems. Here is how to choose, and how to execute each one properly.
23 June 2026 · 8 min read
Belt Length and Sizing: The Numbers Behind a Belt That Fits
Waist size is not belt size. Buckle allowance, hole spacing, fold length and taper, explained for makers who take commissions.
16 June 2026 · 7 min read
Estimating Hardware: Rivets, Snaps and the Cost of Running Out
How to count fasteners properly, choose post lengths for your stack thickness, and build a buffer that survives setting failures.
9 June 2026 · 7 min read
A Realistic Leather Care Schedule for Everyday Pieces
How often to condition, what climate does to leather, and why over-conditioning damages more pieces than neglect.
2 June 2026 · 7 min read
Scaling Patterns Accurately Without Ruining the Proportions
Why enlarging a pattern by 20 per cent does not enlarge the capacity by 20 per cent, and which dimensions must never scale.
26 May 2026 · 8 min read
Reducing Leather Waste: Nesting, Offcuts and Honest Yield
Where the offcuts really come from, how to raise nesting efficiency by ten points, and what to do with the scrap you cannot avoid.
19 May 2026 · 7 min read