How Tos

When I teach students how to make leather goods, I teach techniques and skills to help their leather projects last. Whether that is picking the most effective way to glue or selecting the right part of the leather, every little bit counts. Even if you get these right, your pieces will still age and wear […]

Today is a short article, but a question I always get in class: “Is contact cement the same as rubber cement?” In short, no. Both are the predominant adhesives used in making leather goods, and each has its distinct use. An easy way to remember the two is “forever on contact, flexible with rubber.” Contact […]

Using gum tragacanth to burnish makes getting smooth, consistent leather edges easy. People use different edge-finishing products like CMC, Tokonole, Magic Edge, etc. I like it because it is readily available, simple, and gives nice-looking, fast results. In online discussions, people will abbreviate it to ‘gum trac,’ they are the same thing.  If you need […]

Chèvre leather is one of my favorite kinds of leather because it is so easy to use, and it looks great. It is a very distinctive hide that stands out when you see it. Many high-end handbags, as well as beloved home projects, use chèvre. In a similar way to cow and horse hides, different […]

Today’s post highlights the work and life of Hamish Lamley, the founder and sole craftsman behind the unique works of Pictavia Leather. I recently stumbled upon an article that shared his story, including the history, motivation, and circumstances that led him to create truly unique leather goods.  If you’ve been following our blog for a […]

I’ve posted a few times on saddle stitching for leather and, if you’re like me, it’s interesting to see all of the subtle variations on the technique. One leatherworking tradition can do things one way while another will do something slightly different or even the complete opposite. I love learning about the differences because it […]

One of my favorite parts about working on Fine Leatherworking business is reading the stories, tips and questions that we get from our readers. Together, we have so much collective leatherworking knowledge and wisdom, and it excites me to see us all learning and developing our skills together! To start this post, I just wanted […]

In our last post, I talked a little bit about how creating a prototype for your next leatherworking project can save you time and lend more confidence to the final design. Having a vague notion of how you will build something before actually building it is an easy way to make time-consuming and expensive mistakes […]

I often get reader questions about getting stuck in the middle of project. Something like, ‘I created an edge by gluing these three layers together and now it looks too thick.’ Or ‘I’m almost done with my bag but I’m not sure how to install the feet.’ I also have gotten to this point many […]

In one of our recent live courses, a participant asked me what apron I used for leatherworking. I use the same apron that I’ve had for years,  which was a gift from my wood-carving teacher in Japan. It’s a simple kitchen apron and I really hadn’t given much thought to it. I work in a […]