Leatherworking tools, sewing, & rivets?

[Chicken]

I'm a total n00b to leatherworking, I admit it. I have an embarrassment of leather scrap now, but I need tools to work it. So... recommendations?

Basically, what do I need to starting sewing and riveting leather? The leather is 8oz and is all ~1/8" thick - will a 1/4" post on a rivet be long enough, or else what should it be? What's the difference between rivet types, speed and otherwise?

Also, the place I bought the leather from sells three different rotary punches - one for $40, one for $32, and one for $6. What am I looking for in a punch, and what about the $6 version is likely to be so bad that I don't want to save all that money, if anything?

Yeah, so, like I said - clueless. Help me, oh knowledgeable folks!

[BigBadger]

The rotary punch? With the wheel with different size leather stamps? That you press together with your hand like a pair of pliers?



Total crap. It will punish you. It will cause you pain. It will barely work.
It will cause you to rant about leather tools on a bulletin board to someone you don't know.

I think it was meant for use by people who "professionally" need to punch no more than 3 holes in leather a year.

Get the set of single hole steel punches, a rubber mat, and a 5 lb hammer.

This is what I recommend, but the ones on the site you linked look cheap.

[Winfang]

Dremel I hear works really good

[William MacGregor]

I have a pair of the cheap rotary punches and it works ok for light leather only

and I use the steel punches that BigBadger recommends for all my heavy leather

[Sir Julian Lunnan]

I get my rivets at the leather factory. there are meny types, but the best for puting leather together is "Double cap rivets". You can get them in Nichel, Gilted (brass plated), or Solid Brass. I personaly like the solid brass because they keep there look longer. The Double cap are better because there is that much more stell around the post end. However the reg, rivets can be removed easyer. With a drill or a pair of plyers.

They have a punch tool made for laceing leather It looks like a Very small triden. When you use it, The tool should make 4 or so hole in the shape of a diamond. They make diferent sizes depending on how big the lace is going to be. There are also diferent punches for side lacing.

Well sorry to blab on, hope that helps.

[Calarn the Black]

Figure out the diameter of the rivets, then use a drill bit of that size...works great. Otherwise, if you don't have access to a drill, use a punch...the hammer neccessary kind, not the rotary...Badger is right, they suck *.
As for rivets, depends on what type. If you use double caps, you only need a hammer and a hard surface. If you're using the copper rivets (rivet with a washer to secure it, ask someone to describe it better...), you need a seting tool, or to be really good with a hammer. If you're using the copper ones, having a bolt cutter to cut down some of the rivet shaft will make rounding them down easier.
PM me if something I wrote didn't make sense.

[Thorondor]

I use a dremel. I THINK it's a 3/8" drill bit. Works pretty well for my greaves and bootlaces to lace them up. Just need to be close to power to RUN the * thing. You can use a leather punch anywhere, so that's the bonus of getting them.

~?~

[Chicken]

Thanks for all the advice! One last thing (for the moment...) - any advice on what size of rivet to use? It's all mostly 1/8" thick, though parts seem to be edging closer to 3/16... .

[Beorn Tordensjold]

When you put the rivet through, the top of the post should ideally BARELY prodrude above the leather, for the cap to be placed on.

I'd get a selection of sizes, you'll probably end up using just about all, except very rarely the extra long ones. I have purchased one package of 100 about four years ago, and I still have a bunch left.

One minor note... don't use a hammer for your drive punches, it'll ruin them eventually. Use a mallet.

[BigBadger]

The nickel cap and post rivets are ok, but the more expensive copper rivets are nearly failure proof. They are also heavier, so I use both.

I use the copper rivets on the pieces of the armor which take more stress and support more weight, like the shoulders.

[Sir Cairbre]

There are good rotary punches and bad rotary punches. I have 2 good and I am destroyed several bad. The good ones are of sturdy construction and you can buy them at a real hardware store like the kind grandpa runs. The cheap ones come in plastic packages and are found at PatCatans, Joann Fabrics, and walymart. The two good ones I have came from a hole in the wall store in Pittsburgh and my great grandfather off the boat from germany (it says made in Deutland on it and it is that deep steel brown not rust color). The rotary puch should not be your only tool though, every so often you run into a situation where you need to get a hole deep into the material, in which case if you want it done right get a set punch set. They are slower and sometimes expensive but they will server just as well. Or you can do what Wi|\|fang says and drimel or drill it.

[Chicken]

Thanks again for all the advice - I hope to have at least something to show for it come Spring Wars... but we'll see how long it takes me to actually get ahold of stuff

[Calarn the Black]

One last bit of advice, Chicken...take your time.

[Chicken]

One last bit of advice, Chicken...take your time.

Yeah, that's the best lesson I ever learned about weapon smithing. I figured it'd go double with this, since I don't really know what I'm doing .

[megs]

1-800-632-9620
Grand Rapids Leather Factory
I work there. I'm off on Tuesday & Thursday but my manager Earl would be able to help you. otherwise, i'd be happy to sell you stuff (not cheap-break the first time you use it stuff, but not expensive-you have to swear off events for the next three years)

there is a Tandy (tandyleather.com) in Hales Corner (Milwaukee area)
(Leather Factory owns Tandy) and there is an ASC (Authorized Sales Center) in Baraboo

[Kyrian]

Check out this site:

http://www.houseofthewolf.com/

and click on the "Gallery" button. Scroll all the way down and click on the "Shovel Greave Tutorial".

He caters primarily to the SCA but he does some amazing work especially in tooling leather...

Kyrian