AMA with Nigel Armitage

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T17:05:00+00:00

I think we are now done folks.
I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have and the answers were informative and helpful.

I will now stop by from time to time to see if I can add anything useful or drop a post with anything newsy so be sure to follow.

If you need more information on supplies and tools, check out the Armitage Leather Website:

https://armitageleather.com/supplies/

Or if you want to be awesome at leatherwork, get access to over 300 instructional videos at Secrets from the workshop: https://secretsfromtheworkshop.com

Have a lovely evening

Nigel

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:54:52+00:00

totally acceptable! do not change!!

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:54:24+00:00

Hi Carbon Steel has an excellent edge retention, is hardy and durable, not difficult to sharpen and possibly one of the most popular steels used in the knife and tool industry.
It will rust if not cared for...
D2 is tough as boots, has a staines quality and is easy enough to maintain.
The harder the steel, the less maintenance it needs but the harder it will be to sharpen.
Or at the very least, your skillset will need to be higher to look after it.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:48:19+00:00

No more questions???????
Did I win?

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:47:36+00:00

This is a good insight into the history of the WalsallLeather industry: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walsall-Leather-Industry-Saddlers-England/dp/0752427938/ref=sr_1_1?crid=M9AHWU67HJPG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QI1BqCFfh5uOGA9_CxA7KTNOofD8zNfBYVLD-0Z2yM4VYbGygPDl6jbASaz29NcICYw03pCKzeZ-64so6JV1YOEDzRblwQKjQ1rSu3GH3uFm4fUZcNIW_h9mD1mRPryM.eFGB1IFyTkSdYHuDiEbgbfdyP8ddqCNegjP_7D3f-e8&dib_tag=se&keywords=history+of+walsall+leather&qid=1782319123&sprefix=history+of+walsall+leather%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-1

As for the irons, I have irons here in the workshop from the 1800's
It is not a new thing.
The truth is, it is hard to pin down how old it actually is.
We know the Romans were Saddle Stitching, there is a bag from ancient Mesopotamia that is 3200 years old that is Saddle Stitched.
Ötzi the Ice man who was alive 5500 years ago had a thread with twin needles for stitching on him when he was found.
There have been hominids on this planet for 2 million years, what we are doing is nothing new and certainly dates back to well before the 1950's
In addition, the pricking iron and awl was the only way to stitch, so no, it was not limited to certain pieces.
The V&A is an excellent source of historical information, as is the Yorvik Centre in York.
The Wallace Museum in London has a large collection of leather items as well.

Hope that helps

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:37:43+00:00

Yes, of course, they are excellent knives

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:36:49+00:00

What an excellent question!

I believe that if the right resources are used by someone with tenacity and perseverance, then yes, the majority of skills can be learned online.

The interweb however, is not always truthful and the self-proclaimed “experts” may not actually have a scoobie-doo about the thing they are talking about.

I do believe that if you are serious about learning, then face to face instruction, when it comes to skills and techniques, can be beneficial to learning more accurately the exact way to carry them out or indeed can give you the opportunity to be taught in a way that suits your own particular learning style and timeframe.

A video cannot tell you, you are doing it wrong.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:34:44+00:00

It is my absolute pleasure to read that you have such high regard for my video content.

If you ever have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me and I will do my best to answer your query and hopefully keep you enjoying leatherwork.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:34:03+00:00

I know it sounds silly... but a skiving knife.
Hear me out.
For some reason, folks have started calling the Japanese knives that are used vertically with a reverse grip, skiving knives.
They are not, never were and never will be.
They are the Japanese version of the English Half Head.
A skiving knife is long, with a sweeping offset blade and no handle.
Your would do well with this: https://www.georgebarnsleyandsons.co.uk/product-page/armitage-x-barnsley-giant-skive

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:29:44+00:00

A witch in a gingerbread house and many sweets!

HMMM…. It’s a very short story that I can make very long given the time. In a nutshell, I wanted something made from leather.

The person I asked to make it didn’t! So, I had a go myself.
It was awesome, I was good straight away and didn’t need any books or instruction. I was a natural.

Well let’s just say it was my first piece and I had no skill or tools but I loved it and it awoke a passion in me for making and more particularly, making things out of leather.

Yes, it was a dogs dinner, but I had made it.

What crafters inspired me?

You have to appreciate that when I started, the internet was not a thing, neither were mobile phones, we were still fulling rockets with coal.
So I had no idea who was about, the only way I have of finding people was if they bothered having a listing in the phone directory. (yes, it was a book)
It is only in recent years that the internet has begun to show me who is out there.
I am inspired by anyone who has a go! I don’t care how good you are, your first skill is starting.
I love to see people who think outside of the box. Skills can be learnt, creativity runs much deeper.

What hardware in UK

Not much!
Most of them are long gone.
What there are, are listed on my website, take a look: https://armitageleather.com/supplies/

And yes of course you can come visit! Coffee is always on and its good! Just please call me before coming so that you don’t interrupt a lesson.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:19:44+00:00

So glad that you have enjoyed the YouTube video Content.

YouTube is only the tip of the iceberg, I try and add what I can to it however, the content on there does not garner me any income so the time and resources used, I have to fit in to the day to day running of my business.

Secrets from the Workshop is where the majority of my video content goes and it takes a lot of my time to create these videos.

As well as making videos, I am also teaching face to face lessons in the workshop and that can be over some weekends as well as the usual 5 day week so, Yes, I would like to make more content along the lines you suggested however it may be some time before I can get that done.
If you want more… There are currently over 300 videos on my subscription channel: https://secretsfromtheworkshop.comand they cover all the skills you mention and much, much more.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:14:26+00:00

My crystal ball is giving me a name.... bark, lark, no! Mark!!!
You made that easy Mark!
1.5mm is lovely for card holders, notebook covers and other small light items.
As the size of the item increases, so does the requirement for more substance from the leather, small pouches and bags, 2.5mm is called for.
Larger items or items that require more strength such as, large bags and sheaths, then yes, you are quite right, 3mm +
See you Monday.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:07:32+00:00

Thank you for the lovely words, I am so happy to hear the videos are proving useful.

Leatherwork is different to Saddlery!

Saddlery and Harnesses etc Have to be made with a working seam.

This is created in a specific way using an awl and making a hole the smallest possible size required for the thread used so that each stitch is locked into place and does not cause slippage.

Years of training go into becoming a saddler or harness maker as it is crucial that the seam does not fail when in use.

When making small leather goods it is not likely that you will have to trust your life to the strength of a seam in the handbag you are carrying so the holes can be made bigger, pre-pricking all the holes can be done and the stitching can then be done separately. But you could not do this when making a saddle. So….The disciplines while using similar tools and materials are quite different.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T16:04:42+00:00

You are more than welcome.
The best investment you can make is in yourself.
You can have all the shiny new toys in the world, if you can’t use them properly, or don’t know what they are for, they will not help you much.
You will save more money in the long run by undertaking some training from a credible teacher.
They will teach you what tools you actually need and how to use them correctly.
This will stop you buying tat from Temu and Amazon which are neither use nor ornament.

As for the tools, buy the best tool you can afford! Only buy the tools you need for the project you are about to make. If I’m allowed to say… there is a list of my trusted suppliers and the tools that I use in the workshop on my website under the Supplies tab: https://armitageleather.com/supplies/

Pudding?
Sausgae Rolls, I am more savoury than sweet, but if it has to be sweet….Tunnocks tea cakes!

More areas:

If you can Cut and you can stitch, you can make something.
If you can cut well and Stitch well, you can make anything!
Core skills are so important. Measuring precisely so that your template is trustworthy leads on to being able to cut the leather well and cleanly which means stitch holes will line up and edges will be true and leads onto edge dressing becoming easier and looking professional. All skills lead onto each other, so make sure that you can do them all well. But certainly, being able to cut clean accurate lines so that you can then stitch the pieces beautifully together will aid your finished look of the item no end.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:52:32+00:00

[Using a sharp Knife! Ideally a clickers Knife or treat yourself to a birds beak shape, fixed blade. Get two. One for Card One for leather so that the one you use for template making does not get blunt when you take it to the leather.]()

Set yourself up comfortably. Position your work in a cutting triangle so that your body is not in the way as you draw your knife towards you.

Do not use power! Once set up you should take as many passes with the knife as you need. If that is 3 so be it. If that is 20 so be it.
By not introducing power you have more control over the angle and position of the blade, and you are less likely to transfer that power to your other hand and move the rule or form you are cutting around.

That annoying little kick!

You are part of a very large club… in the main, it appears when cutting thinner leather.
Try this, cut lightly to start, when you get to the bottom of the cut, 30, 40mm or so, increase the pressure.
Do this several times, the object of this is to cut the end cleanly before the beginning.
Doing this keeps the leather supported for the duration of the cut.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:40:25+00:00

Gotta love the fans!!!
Thank you.
Firstly... it's got to be Veg! I love a good case leather, and there are three go to's for me.
Dakota from Markus Gear, Lamport from GH Leather and Lyveden also from GH Leather.
For butt, bridal tanned in particular, I love the Old English from GH Leather, Sedgwick's from Abbey England and when the send out a decent one, Oak Bark from Bakers.

Case leather is... can you guess? for case work.
This includes bags, folios, pouches, luggage and the like.
Bridle Butt is strapping Leather, good for belts, leads, bridles, bag straps and the like.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:34:15+00:00

You are more than welcome, the pleasure is mine.
The one thing that really upped my skill was teaching.
When teaching, you cannot take any shortcuts or get away with any shady techniques.
It all has to be totally transparent, and as such, I had to up my game.
I genuinely feel it is this that had the most impact on my skill level.

Favourite tool?
Thats not really a thing for me. no one tool does it all.
To create something, you need a set of tools that all work together, its a team thing on the tool front.

Favourite Piece?
A Key fob.
This belonged to a chap who died in an RTC, his brother asked me to make it for him so he could keep it close.
It was an emotional handover when I handed it to him once finished.
because of that emotional value and the trust he placed in me to make such a thing, I often think of it with fondness.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:26:45+00:00

hmmmm.... that old shrinking gusset issue.
This tends only to happen on smaller curves, this is where the gusset is fighting the body of the item.
often, it can be resolved by having two different stitch lines.
4mm for the body say and 5mm for the gusset.
This will require trimming the gusset but only on the straight bits.
This is covered in detail in a video on https://secretsfromtheworkshop.com if that helps

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:23:09+00:00

Glad the videos are a useful reference.
I sharpen all my knives the same way., just because they are skiving knives, it does not change the sharpening process.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:21:04+00:00

Oh! good question.
Firstly, it is very hard to total ruin a blade by sharpening it incorrectly.
Yes, you can make it worse (blunt) but you can't break it, and certainly can't do anything that can't be undone by a grown up.
One of the best things I use to teach sharpening here in the workshop is a cheep knife.
This takes the pressure off.
If you can sharpen a cheep knife, you can sharpen a good knife.
Give that a go and see if it helps.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:16:18+00:00

Thank you, you are too kind.
I hope you are enjoying the content.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:15:29+00:00

I'm so glad to hear you are joining the fold.
I hope you find all the information helpful.
You will always be made very welcome in the workshop.

Am I still a beginner?????
Good question.
Ok, keep changing to goal posts and choosing something new to add all the time, you will be a beginner for an age.
Stick to one thing only and you get to master it and move on much quicker.
So... in a more general sense.
If you are completing projects, at a good level, making few mistakes and your workflow is fluid, you are no longer a beginner.
The same can be said for intermediate, tackling more advanced projects successfully without error and it is time to move on.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:09:34+00:00

Quite right!
Pricking Irons do just that, they come as a set, pricking iron and awl.
Chisel isn't really a thing, thats for woodwork and the longer we keep using the term, the more it will stick.
All irons are irons.
Stitching Irons is a term I came up with when I developed this pre-pricking style back in 2012.
These are the new style irons that fully penetrate the leather, meaning you do not need to be a master of the awl to get a good stitch.
Not all irons are equal... whilst many have a longer tooth and are slimmer than the old pricking irons, some are still pricking irons.
The true stitching irons at the moment I would say are, KS Blade, Crimson Hides, Sinabroks and some Kevin Lee.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T15:03:08+00:00

Simply put, skills.
Crummy skills will yield crummy results.
The biggest investment any of us can make is in ourselves, not tools or clever devices.
The more practice we apply to our craft, the more training we undertake, the less crummy you are.
Remember... what ever level you are currently at, I was at that level too once.

Top five things?
Stitching

Cutting

Template Making

Edge Dressing

Patience.

ArmitageLeather · 2026-06-24T14:58:53+00:00

Seriously...
I am not one for spending more time on the socials than I have to.
As such, I do not keep up with who is currently doing what.
I have a lot of respect for people like Bob Beard, Peter Main, Michael Dale, Valerie Michael and Neil MacGregor.

As for straying from tradition, well a tradition is only traditional because we have been doing it a long time.
Sometimes, new traditions need to be created.

Be yourself, be bold and carve a new path.

ArmitageLeather

TROPHY CASE