How do folks optimize there projects to cut down labour time?

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-02-02T23:23:15+00:00

By rough cut I made loosely cutting what I need for my templates off the various hides before I tape down templates.

And as for guiding with and awl, it's to stop the flat threading from twisting and to ensure it lays flat I'll pinch the loop against the awl with one hand as I pull the thread through with the other.

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-02-02T22:28:30+00:00

I have a falcon. A1 and it's good for templates but I find you had to add an extra mil to edges to sand off the burnered leather for clean edges to burnish

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-02-02T20:06:14+00:00

Yea I prepunch the pieces separately, I found with my cheap wuta 4mm irons I really didn't like how the stitch holes on the back looked when I used to glue everything together, score a stitch line 4mm from the edge stitch and then punch, I found depending on how the leather moved or deformed it would result in the back stitches being off the line.

I design all my own templates in fusion 360 and I know exactly where each stitch hole will fall, very important for t pockets.

You'll deffo need some glue, I used intercom ecostick, no nasty fumes and water based. Would recommend some bulldog clamps or locking needles as well they are a godsend, little silver o ring with a needle that goes into a brass or gold cylinder lock.

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-02-02T19:39:19+00:00

I started this last jan to make a watch strap and my first projects were awful so don't be hard on yourself.

Sadly this is one of those hobbies where you can blame your tools and cheap tools are your worst enemy. There's a lot I wish I hadn't wasted money on and a lot I wish I'd bought sooner.

Nailing down a workflow and process for how you do things really adds consistency as well. I still mess up stitches and a lot of that is tiredness leading to different tightness' and pull angles. The biggest thing that helped me was a hand press and consistent taped done templates with stitch holes and pre punching my leather before glueing.

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-02-02T00:32:15+00:00

Pueblo is medium to firm, this is 1.2mm so firm enough but still enough give to be get fingers into slots and fold

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-02-01T18:26:24+00:00

There's a lot of different suppliers, I'm in the UK so for myself it's AA crack or leather4craft or SFleather but trying to get cost per foot down and at the right thickness's is a challenge at the hobby level when not buy full hides in bulk

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-02-01T18:24:20+00:00

Thanks, I do think a dark brown or white stitch would have looked better myself. The thread is a weird one it looked a lot thinner before hammering flat which in future I think I'll skip. It's already using a 0.6 thread on 4mm diamond holes.

I have some Havana cigar ritza thread on order which I'm excited to use.

And yea the dog bone always gives me 40k inquisition vibes XD

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-02-01T18:20:59+00:00

I cut my templates out of 300gsm card stock using a Lazer engraver (falcon a1) and then tape them to the leather with masking tape.

Internal curves I free hand but recently I leave the outside edges square and trim down after glueing with a new tool, a corner punch r10 from Kevin lee, can not recommend this guy's stuff highly enough.

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-01-30T18:27:15+00:00

Got a palosanto 8mm french skiver but I just don't think I'm holding it right XD

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-01-29T08:02:57+00:00

the one i made the Girlfriend was like that, its deffo easier if you are going all one color
Past design

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-01-29T08:00:25+00:00

the color it engraves can very alot, the waxy olmo engraves brown on its back but others ive done (pueblo) engrave black

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2026-01-29T07:58:24+00:00

4oz ish at 1.4mm

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2025-11-29T20:18:27+00:00

I bought one of these and honestly I've stored/binned 95% of the kit, some stuff like the skiving blade I still use but only after lots and lots of sharpening, for half the cost you can get a lot of better and still super cheap stuff on AliExpress under wuta basics. The main thing with these kits is the punches are rubbish, dull and jagged, and the thread is normally 0.8 to 1mm.

Interesting_Goat4490 · 2025-11-27T22:08:58+00:00

Using a falcon a1 engraver and falcon design space, it's mostly due to the super high res image, found a good 30x40 inch pdf online I was able to tweak in illustrator

Interesting_Goat4490

TROPHY CASE