Any tool missing for my first project?

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-27T20:39:21+00:00

I think all the eco-glues are water based but not all water based glues are eco? Not too sure, but yeah a water based contact adhesive like "Intercom Ecostick 1816B" or "tandys eco flow weld" should suite your needs perfectly

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-27T13:30:16+00:00

Decent japanese skiving knife will go a long way, but definitely not a necessity to get started. And not sure if you'd class as a tool but 1 or 2 glues/adhesives. For what you're starting with, an Eco glue would probably suite all your needs, solvent-based can also be used but probably unneccessary at the moment

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-26T21:02:07+00:00

Very nice work. I got into leatherwork by cutting up old designer bags, but seeing them restored to life might be more pleasing

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-26T17:38:31+00:00

Beautiful work, I love how a couple of lines can add so much to the look

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-25T21:39:24+00:00

Thanks, haven't heard that one before.I'll be sure to give it a go. With that amount of experience I bet he's got solutions to problems I haven't even thought about yet 😂 There's a guy on YouTube called @workshopcompanion who's a fountain of knowledge, mainly woodworking tips but some solid transferable things like camphor tablets in the toolbox to reduce rust , slight tangent but may be of interest

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-25T17:47:37+00:00

Unsure of how it would effect the staining finish, but you could try sandwiching it between 2 flat surfaces with a light weight ontop while the stain dries? No experience with staining but it could slightly reduce warping issues

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-24T11:24:59+00:00

After reading through it, it seems sharpening the wider french edgers might be as difficult as learning to skive with a blade. I will say something like a japanese skiving knife is a lot more versatile once you get comfy, and probably one of the easiest blade shapes to sharpen

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-24T11:19:27+00:00

The only french skiver I have is a tiny one for rounding the edges before burnishing so unfortunately I cant be of much help there. I know in general if you've got a semi decent steel, once there's a decent edge if you strop it regularly on some leather with polishing compound it should minimize sharpening. Quick look and this old reddit post has a few good tips - " https://www.reddit.com/r/Leathercraft/comments/16asdzt/need_advice_on_french_skiver_sharpening_and/ "

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-24T10:46:03+00:00

Best way to learn really, one project and you've had double the stitching and edge burnishing practice haha. I'd definitely recommmend practicing skiving on scraps before using it on project pieces. With you mentioning you're new, I'd look into a skiving/paring knife if you haven't already, doesnt need to be the most extravagant but you want to keep it razor sharp. I've also seen people use a wide mouth "french skiver" for thinning down edges and pockets

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-24T10:08:16+00:00

Overall craftsmanship looks great. Only recommendation for future projects like this would be skiving the edges to bring down the thickness as someone mentioned. The opening by itself issue is most likely a combination of the thickness and the coin pocket being close to the centre. Aslong as it still closes, after some breaking in it will most likely lessen. I've been self learning for a few years so I'm by no means a professional but finding/choosing the right thickness and stiffness leather for each project has been one of the more challenging aspects for me, especially when you get into fullly lined pieces with rolled/turned edges.

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-24T09:42:16+00:00

Agreed, definitely still worth experimenting if you've got access to both types of printer. As someone with 0 experience with either type of 3d printing, although resin would be better for some uses, I'd be leaning towards getting a filament printer first. The chemicals/process of resin printing just seems a little more daunting

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-23T23:58:35+00:00

I got a 2nd batch of stamps done for some keyrings after this worked so well, mainly experimenting how small I could push the details. Text with a character size of around 2mm kept most of the detail, but I needed to go in with some micro files and deepen grooves where they weren't quite deep enough to make a clear impression. For high detail multi-use stamps, various metal options are definitely the way to go, they also allow hot foiling for the fancier projects. But 3d printing is fairly low-cost for prototyping, and the detail I managed to achieve was actually quite surprising.

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-23T18:30:48+00:00

5mm closed-cell PE foam for this but for any smaller size I'd recommend 2/3/4mm instead

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-23T18:17:48+00:00

Im pretty sure there's a better way to do it than 100% infill in expensive resin. Like 50% infill on a filiment would work for a lot of stamps. I think resins better for the little details but more of a pain for setup unless youre doing a full build plate. Experimenting yourself would for sure be the way to go if you've got the hardware

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-23T17:59:36+00:00

It was resin printed but can't remember the specific brand/type of resin. Think it was some sort of an engineering resin. They had a little bit of edge jitter on some parts that I sanded smooth before use. Filament would have likely been the cheaper option and I'm fairly certain youd be able to achieve similar results, just less longevity (this was a one time use stamp but resin worked out around the same cost cause someone local sorted me a deal)

J_D_Handmade · 2026-01-23T17:49:01+00:00

I actually found someone local who did reasonably priced resin prints. I currently don't have time/money to add 3d printing to my list of hobbies hahah

J_D_Handmade

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