Sewing, cutting and processing leather

If you want to take up leather craft as a hobby, you only need a few select tools. Whether you want to make leather sheaths for your knives or tool blades, sew high-quality belts or elegant bags and cases, you don't need a lot of space for this hobby and the tools you need are also limited. We will give you tips on how to put together a basic set of leather tools.

Table of contents:

Overview of tool groups
Work documents
Marking tools
Tools for leather cutting
Tools for leather sewing
Hole punching tools
Tools for edge processing

What tools do I need to process leather?

Basically, only a few tools are required for the individual work steps in leather processing. Here is a rough overview of the activities and tools:

Setting up the workstation: different bases for cutting, punching and stamping, punching and sharpening
Cutting leather to size: Cutter knife, leather knife, half moon, belt cutter
Gluing leather: Leather glue, contact adhesive, brush and hammer
Sewing leather: pricking iron, various awls and basting machines, thread, needles
Leather edge processing: leather plane or edge plane, leather polish, edge polisher, cloth
Leather care: Leather oil, leather care, leather milk, brushes and cloths

What materials do I need for leather processing?

To work with leather, you need three different working materials: one for cutting, one for punching and punching and one for sharpening and punching.

Fig.: Different jobs require different underlays

What can I cut leather on?

Apart from a table to work on, you need a cutting mat. The green mats with a centimetre grid are very suitable for cutting leather with cutters, scalpels and veneer knives. However, they offer too much resistance when cutting and sharpening with a half-moon knife. Thanks to the printed grid, you do not need an additional angle when cutting leather parts at right angles.

Can I also punch holes and die-cut on the cutting mat?

No. A cutting mat is too thin and is quickly damaged by the hard knocks and the punching irons. To protect the cutting edges of perforating or punching irons, you need a firmer base. A piece of wood, such as an old chopping board, is sufficient. Kitchen chopping boards made of soft plastic also work well.

Which base do I use for leather thinning and punching?

A polished stone slab, such as a granite slab, is helpful as a base when sharpening leather edges. A polished stone slab as a base prevents snagging and cutting into the cutting base during sharpening. The stone slab is also practical as a base if you want to punch leather, as it provides sufficient counter-pressure and absorbs the blows well.

Can I mark leather with a biro?

No. The ink of the biros penetrates deep into the leather and can cause stains on the opposite side of the leather after a while. You can mark the cut lines and seams more reliably and clearly with a round awl. A pointed compass is ideal for marking the distance between the seam and the edge of the leather or the distance between holes on belts. The points of the awl and compass must not be too sharp or scratchy. Only a depression should be pressed into the leather surface. If necessary, sharpen and polish the tips of the tools. You can draw directly onto the leather with a so-called silver pen. It is easily recognisable, does not penetrate deeply and can be removed afterwards with virtually no residue.

Which tools can I use to cut leather?

You can choose between various knives for cutting. The half-moon knife is traditionally used in leather processing. However, it takes a lot of experience and practice to use and sharpen them. Roller knives are often used, but their blades are very thin and flexible. They should therefore only be used to cut with very little pressure, otherwise the edges will be skewed. The Japanese leather knife is recommended. It is sharpened to the right on one side and can therefore be guided very precisely along the ruler. Its tip is slim, so you can also cut smaller radii well with it. If available, a scalpel or cutter knife will also work to start with.

Fig.: It makes sense to sharpen the leather knife on one side when cutting on the ruler

To be able to cut straight edges, you need a steel ruler. If you are planning to make belts, a ruler length of at least one metre is recommended. A belt cutter is very practical for cutting straps, belts and belts. Its stop or blade is set to the desired width - pulled along a straight edge, it then always cuts belts of the same width.

What do I need to sew leather?

If you want to sew two or more pieces of leather together, they are usually fixed with adhesive first. When using contact adhesive, such as Kövulfix adhesive, it is advisable to tap the bond with a hammer. The hammer should have a rounded edge so that it does not leave any visible dents in the leather. A leather hammer with a fin is practical for reaching narrow corners. A Japanese carpenter's hammer also works well, as it also has a rounded track.

It is certainly not worth buying a sewing machine for beginners. Sewing machines for leather must be very robust and are correspondingly expensive. However, you can sew leather perfectly well by hand.

The holes for sewing leather are usually marked beforehand and pre-punched with a prickling iron. The pricker determines both the stitch length and the inclination of the centreboard awl. Long straight seams are efficiently stitched with a wide pricking iron with at least six teeth, while pricking irons with only three or fewer teeth are used for tighter radii and corners. The pricking irons are struck with a soft-face hammer or rawhide hammer on a suitable base (see above).

To get through very thick layers of leather and to widen the holes slightly when sewing, you will also need a centreboard awl. When sewing the seam ends, pierce with a round awl.

Fig.: Pricking irons ensure an even seam appearance

A classic saddler's seam is sewn with two needles at the same time. Please note that a so-called "leather needle" from the haberdashery department has a sharp three-edged point. The point of this needle would cut the thread or yarn when sewing. Saddler's needles with a rounded point are used for sewing leather by hand. This needle does not cut the thread when sewing and the risk of injury is also significantly lower.

In order to be able to use both hands for sewing, the leather parts are held in a so-called sewing clamp . This holds the parts together when sewing. Tip: Position the sewing clamp at a slight angle or tilted to the right to give you a better view of the seam. To get started, you can make your own or use a small vice.

We recommend waxed linen thread for a robust leather seam. The thread is already pulled through wax during production and is therefore stronger and less sensitive. However, this wax layer wears off during sewing, which is why you should rewax the thread with beeswax for longer seams. (When sewing with a sewing machine, the thread is not pulled through as often, which is why cotton thread or synthetic fibre can also be used for sewing leather). You can find detailed instructions for sewing leather or for the classic saddler's seam in our YouTube video.

How do I make belt holes and holes for rivets?

If you want to make leather belts or attach rivets, you need to punch holes in the leather. A good pair of hole punch pliers is sufficient for belts. However, if the holes are located further inside the piece of leather, you will need to use a punch. Because hole punches can reach all areas and are also very practical for cutting inside curves, we recommend a set of hole punches with many different diameters. Punching irons and pricking irons should only be used with a soft-face mallet on a suitable base.

Fig.: Punching irons are also suitable for cutting internal curves

What tools do I need to finish the edges of leather?

After cutting, the leather edges are usually finished. The cut edges on the top and bottom of the leather are first bevelled or rounded using an edge planer. The edge planer set with three different radii is practical for different leather thicknesses.

If several layers of leather have been sewn or riveted together, slight offsets between the layers should be removed with sandpaper before rounding the edges. You can also use it to round off and neaten external curves in the contour of the leather pieces.

Fig.: Leather edges are polished with a polishing stick and water

The edges can be polished using a polishing block or edge polisher and water. Polishing with tokonole is somewhat quicker. You can also use it to smooth the rough leather side (flesh side) in places. You can use a narrow rebate bone to smooth and polish narrow, less easily accessible areas.

Tool list

Compared to other craft hobbies, relatively few tools are needed to get started in leatherworking. Here is our suggestion of 18 tools for basic equipment as an overview:

The tools listed are very helpful and practical, some are absolutely essential for leatherworking. To begin with, however, you can replace some of them, such as the hammer or leather knife, with similar tools that you already have and then add the appropriate leather tools at a later stage.

FAQs Tools for sewing, cutting and processing leather

Which needle to use for sewing leather?

We recommend so-called saddler's needles with a rounded point. They are available in different sizes for different thread thicknesses. They are more stable than simple sewing needles. Normal sewing needles for fabric or textiles are pointed and get stuck in the leather or pierce the thread. Sog. Leather needles from the haberdashery department have a cutting point and cut the thread. Such leather needles are mainly intended for sewing on leather appliqués, for example on the elbow or knee.

What is the stitch length?

The stitch width or stitch length is the distance between the individual stitches when sewing or the distance between the teeth of the prickings. The stitch length is usually specified in stitches or teeth per inch (1 inch = 25.4 mm).

What is a sewing awl used for?

A sword awl and a round awl are usually used for sewing leather by hand. A so-called "sewing awl" is mainly used for repairing defective seams in leather or for coarse fabrics (burlap, tarpaulins). A sewing awl has a needle eye at the tip and a metal spool on the handle, on which the thread is wound for sewing. At the beginning of the seam, the awl is pierced and the thread is pulled far through, this serves as the bobbin thread. The sewing awl is then pulled back and inserted into the next hole. A thread loop is formed, through which the warp thread or bobbin thread is then pulled. The sewing awl is then pulled back again and the process is repeated over the entire length of the seam. The result is basically a seam that is comparable to that of a sewing machine.

To summarise:

Comparatively few tools are needed to get started in leatherworking. A complete set of basic leatherworking equipment can also be stowed away to save space, so that only a small investment and little space is required for this creative hobby. Our tip: start your first leather work with a small selection of high-quality tools from our shop and gradually add more quality tools that you actually need for your projects. Once you have mastered sewing leather, you can realise your own creations in leather and also repair old bags, knife sheaths or cases. In our workshops you can learn how to work leather under professional guidance.