Beginning Leatherworking Class

instructables classes
BEGINNING LEATHERWORKING CLASS

6 Lessons Beginner Level
Learn the the fundamental skills you need to start working with leather by making a simple, useful
wallet! In this class you’ll be introduced to a wide range of leatherworking techniques, tools and
materials and then shown how to apply them to a design. Working with beautiful pre-dyed chrome
tanned leather, we'll start from the basics and use our skills to create something you can use
everyday.
Our lessons will cover skills like cutting leather, punching holes, gouging, folding, riveting, and
snaps. We’ll also learn about the different types of leather, and how to shop for what you need.
By the end of this class you’ll have all the skills and tools you need to start creating your own
beautiful leatherwork. And if you want to keep building your skills by learning techniques like
sewing, gluing, and making leather patterns, you can move on to my free Intermediate
Leatherworking Class when you're done!
Enter an Instructables Contest!
If you've used the skills you've learned in this class to write a great instructable, try entering it in
one of our Contests like the Leather Contest for a chance to win some amazing prizes!
Class Author:
MikaelaHolmes
Mikaela is a costume and experimental fashion designer and artist, who has done her best to make playing dress-up into a
career. She has trained in both the costume and fashion design industries, and works with all kinds of materials and techniques
including leather, fabric, LEDs, fiber optics, sewing, painting, sculpture, laser cutting and 3D printing. She spends most of her
time figuring out how to fuse traditional design and leatherwork with simple wearable tech to create clothing and accessories that
turn her into a time traveling cyborg superhero!
She is a former Artist in Residence at the Autodesk Pier 9 workshop, and currently an in-house content creator for the
Instructables Design Studio.
Beginning Leatherworking Class: Page 1

Lessons
Lesson 1: Leather Tools and Supplies

This lesson is where you'll find links to all the tools and materials you
need for this class, as well as brief discussions of what each tool is
used for, and info about choosing leather and leather history.
Everything you need to get started!
Lesson 2: Simple Leather Wallet: Layout and Trace

Learn the best way to transfer patterns onto leather, then get your
hands dirty by tracing a simple wallet pattern using an awl.
Lesson 3: Cutting Leather

Cutting leather is one of the most important and fundamental leather
skills you need to master. We'll talk about a few different tools and
methods for cutting, then apply them by cutting out our wallet pattern.
Lesson 4: Gouging and Folding Leather

Learn techniques for folding leather using an adjustable V-gouge and
a mallet. Apply your skills by creating folded flaps in our wallet design.
Lesson 5: Leather Hardware: Rivets

Rivets are one of the simplest and most effective methods of leather
joinery. We'll learn about hole punching and rivet setting, and then use
rivets to assemble our wallet.
Lesson 6: Leather Hardware: Snaps

Learn how to add simple closures to leather projects using snaps. In
this lesson we'll talk about choosing the right snaps and how to set
them, then we'll finish our wallet by adding a snap.

LESSON 1: LEATHER TOOLS AND SUPPLIES
Here are all the tools you'll need for the specific kind of leatherwork we will be doing in this
class. I'll show you how to use a few more optional tools along the way as well, but there
are a few basics that you will definitely need to get started. You can buy your tools
individually, or you can also choose to buy a leatherworking tool kit. I'll talk more about
each tool and material specifically in a minute.
Essential Tools for this Class:
X-acto knife or Industrial knife

Shears or strong sharp scissors
Adjustable V-gouge
Manual punches, or rotary punch
Awl
Mallet (wooden, plastic or rawhide)
Quartz slab and poundo board or heavy wooden cutting board
Cutting mat (or other appropriate large cutting surface you don't mind damaging)
Line 20 snap setter
Rivet setter
Hammer
Wire cutters
Clear 18" x 2" ruler
Metal ruler
Pencils
Thin cardboard scraps
Sponges or rags

Scotch tape
A printer or access to a place to print the pattern file
Clamps or binder clips
Materials
Stiff 4-6 oz leather - at least a 12" square
Line 20 snaps
Small rapid rivets
Know Your Tools
Leatherworking requires some initial investment in tools, there's just no getting around it,
but you can still do quite a bit with a few essential tools. Here's some information about
each of the basic tools we'll be using.
X-Acto Knife - a cheap and easy to use leather cutting tool, great for details but not as
good for cutting very thick leather. Make sure you have a lot of extra blades.

Leather Shears - I prefer these semi-serrated Olfa shears for cutting leather. They always
stay sharp and are great for cutting out small patterns in thin to medium leather.
Cutting Wheel - a good way to cut long straight lines in leather when used with a metal
ruler and a cutting board, not an essential tool, but great for cutting straps.
Cutting Mat - a self healing cutting mat or another smooth, damageable, surface with
some give is essential for cutting leather.

Adjustable V-Gouge - carves variable depth grooves for creating clean folds in leather. A
very important tool, make sure you get one of these.

Mallets - for stamping, setting snaps, and using manual punches, you always want to use
a mallet, not a hammer. Leather mallets come in rawhide, wood or poly, and come in
different weights. A medium weight mallet is a good all around choice
Hammer - sometimes you do need a metal hammer for leatherwork though, folding, setting
rivets etc, it's a good idea to have one around.

Mini Anvil - as useful as it is adorable, a mini anvil gives you a stable hard surface when
you need one, helping you punch holes and set snaps and rivets in awkward places.
Quartz - a smooth solid base for stamping and punching. If you don't want to spend the
money to get one of these a salvaged paving stone, slab of hardwood or steel will work
too.
Poundoboard - a plastic slab like a cutting board that goes over your quartz slab so your
tools aren't deformed or dulled during punching and stamping

Rotary Punch - easily punches different sized holes in leather without having to use a
hammer and a punching surface, but can't punch more than a few inches in from an edge.
Manual Punches - individual punches that create holes when hit with a mallet on a
punching surface. Not as convenient to use as a rotary punch, but they can make holes in
hard to reach places and come in more sizes. Sets with interchangeable heads are the
most economical.

Awls - poking and scratching tools for creating small holes and marking leather. I mostly
use them to punch sewing holes, or trace the outlines of patterns onto leather.
Rivets - simple two part metal fasteners used to join layers of leather together. Available in
different sizes and finished. Some varieties can simply be set with a hammer, others
require specialized setting tools.

Rivet Setter - tool use to set certain types of rivets, usually two metal parts used with a
mallet.
Snaps - Simple metal closures that are set into leather much like rivets. Snaps consist of 4
parts: the cap and the socket, and the post and the stud, and each pair it attached using a
specialized setting tool.

Snap Setter - tool used to set the halves of a snap together, usually two metal parts used
with a mallet.

What We're Making
In this class we'll be making a very simple project: a leather wallet assembled with rivets
and snaps. I'll give you a pattern for this project, but you will also have some creative
license to make your piece unique. You will be able to choose the color and finish of the
leather you use for your wallet, and the metal finish of the snaps and rivets.
We'll be constructing out design using a type of leather called chrome tanned leather.
Chrome tanning is a modern manufacturing process that produces fully finished leather
(we'll talk more about how this type of leather is created and used later in this lesson).
Chrome tanned is by far the most common type of leather, and working with it is a great
way to be introduced to leatherwork because you don't have to worry about dyeing and
sealing. Just choose a beautiful pre-finished piece of leather and use methods like cutting,
gouging, folding, and riveting, to create an amazing project. Once you've been introduced
to these skills, you'll be ready to tackle some even more advanced techniques.
This same pattern could easily be made using veg tanned leather if you wanted to tackle
some more advanced leatherworking techniques like tooling and dying, but I won't be
covering those techniques in this class. To learn more about working with veg tanned
leather, you can check out my DIY Millennium Falcon Purse, How to Be an Elf, and
Sculpted Leather Tech Cases Instructables.

Materials for Your Project
Hardware: one line 20 snap, and 6 small rapid rivets in the finish of your choice
Leather: a piece of stiff 5-7 oz leather at least 12" x 24".A cowhide like this thin latigo (in
the 5-7oz thickness) is a good choice.

Setting Up a Leather Workstation
Finding a good area to do your leatherwork will really help you have a productive creative
experience. Having a dedicated space that you don't have to set-up and clean-up every
time is ideal, but not always possible.
What you will definitely need is a sturdy, well lit surface with enough space to fit at least an
18" x 24" cutting mat. Butcher blocks, work benches, sturdy desks and even kitchen
countertops all work well, rickety tables will just be frustrating! In a pinch, the floor can
work as a base for cutting, punching and pounding... though your downstairs neighbors
may not approve ;)
Having a tool box to organize your leather tools is very helpful, and, if you're like me,
keeping your hardware in clear plastic divider cases is essential for your sanity. A different
compartment for every size and color of rivet!? Yes please!
You will be creating some leather and paper scraps as you go, so it's good to have a
garbage can nearby to help keep your space clean, but don't throw away too many of your
scraps! Leather is expensive and sometimes small scraps can really come in handy.

Some Leather History
Leather has been a part of human culture since pre-history. As a byproduct of hunting,
animal hides were most likely the first material used to protect our distant ancestors from
the elements as garments, footwear and shelter. Almost any animal hide can be turned into
leather, including even the skin of some fish! The most common animals used for leather
are usually large mammals, often the herbivores we are already hunting or raising for meat
like cows, sheep, deer, or buffalo.
Unfortunately, raw animal hides will just rot or harden if left untreated, so early craftsman
had to find a way to keep the hides soft and pliable by treating, or tanning, them with
natural chemicals from the environment. Interestingly enough, some of the best
compounds for tanning animal hides turned out to be other parts of the animals
themselves, such as fat, bone marrow, brain and urine!
Leather was important in both Egyptian and Roman culture where more advanced
methods of tanning using oils, minerals, and plant extracts had been discovered. There are
paintings in some Egyptian tombs that depict leather manufacturing, and intact pieces of
leather have been found buried with the pharaohs. In Rome, tanning was efficient and
widespread enough that that even the common people, not just the rich, could afford to buy
leather. In fact, a version of the high laced leather sandal worn by Roman senators is still
part of our modern fashion repertoire today!
Photo by Daderot (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

In Europe, from the 14th - 18th centuries tanning was a skilled craft controlled by guilds,
but working as a tanner was still a brutal, smelly job that required a lot of manual labor. In
the late 1700s, tanning began to develop into a more large scale manufacturing operation,
but it wasn't until the discovery of the chrome tanning method in 1858 that the industry
really changed.

Photo by Anonymous artist - http://www.digibib.tu-bs.de/?docid=00000286, Public Domain
Chrome tanning, which is a mineral tanning method that uses chrome salts as the main
tanning agent, reduced tanning time from 8 weeks to a few hours! This radical discovery
along with the development of new machinery for processing leather quickly put most small
independent tanneries out of business and turned tanning into big time manufacturing.
Old methods of tanning are preserved in places like Morocco where tanners still use things
like municipal waste water, lyme, and pigeon dung to tan hides, and extracts from plants
like henna, mint, indigo, and poppy to create beautiful bright dyes.
The tradition of of leatherwork in North America is to a large extent tied to the culture of the
American West. Leather was a vital material for pioneers, cattle-herders and Native

Americans alike, who often lived far from a source of manufactured cloth, but close to an
abundant supply of animal hides. The leatherwork of these cultures developed a distinct
aesthetic which was often a synthesis of native and colonial artistic traditions.
Today 80-85% of leather is chrome tanned in large industrialized manufacturing facilities,

but there are still smaller tanneries producing veg tanned leather as well.
Leather is used for a wide variety of purposes in the modern world, and has played an
important role in the fashion statements of many diverse cultural movements. From bikers
and punks, to cowboys and socialites, many demographics can claim leather as an integral
part of their sartorial identities.
There is still a thriving community of hobby leatherworkers in America, and more and more
contemporary designers and craftsman are experimenting with leatherwork and developing
new techniques and aesthetics. Leather also takes very well to laser cutting, which has
resulted in a lot of very complex and interesting designs. Researching some of the
possibilities will get you even more excited about learning to work with leather! You can
also follow me on Pinterest where I am constantly collecting new leather inspiration. And a
quick search for handmade leatherwork on Etsy will bring up a myriad of great independent
designers.
If you want to delve further into the fascinating world of leather history, this is a good
resource:
Why Leather - Edited by Susanna Harris & André J. Veldmeijer

Shopping for Leather
As I've already mentioned, we'll be using chrome tanned leather in this class. Before you
go leather shopping, it helps to know little more about what distinguishes chrome tanned
leather from other types of leather, and how to choose the right kind for any given project.
While you can certainly pick out leather for your projects by look and feel alone, knowing
how to ask for what you want with a few specifics makes you a more effective online
shopper, and gives you some instant leatherworking cred with leather shop owners...
which can make a huge difference, believe me :) I'll give you some basic information about
leather types in the next section that will help you navigate the leather shopping
experience.
Basic Leather Classifications
There are three basic things you need to think about when you are shopping for leather:
What kind of leather it is, how thick it is, and how big it is. Understanding how leather
is divided into these categories will help you know what to look for.
Leather Types
Chrome Tanned leatherhas already been dyed and finished during manufacturing. It is
tanned using chemicals like chromium sulphate which shorten the tanning process and
make it possible to create leather with more diverse colors and finishes. Chrome tanned
leather does not take additional carving, stamping tooling or dyeing the way veg tanned
leather does, and it will not be deformed by water in the same way. Chrome tanned leather
is used to create most of the leather products you see, especially garments, handbags and
furniture. We will only be working with chrome tanned leather, or pre dyed veg tanned
leather, in this class.
Veg Tanned leather has not been dyed or finished in the tanning process and can be
tooled, stamped, carved, moulded and dyed. Veg tanned leather is tanned using natural
tannins that are found in organic matter, and is usually a light beige or flesh tone, the
natural color of the leather (though you can find some veg tanned hides that have been
pre-dyed). Veg tanned leather is mostly used for hand leathercraft like leather carving,
armor, saddlery, shoemaking and bookbinding, and it usually requires dyeing and sealing
to create a finished piece. We won't be using veg tanned leather in this class, but you
could easily make the same design using veg tanned leather and some additional finishing
techniques.

Rawhide is an animal hide that has been de-haired and cured, but not tanned. Rawhide is
a stiff, semi translucent material that needs to be soaked in water in order to become
flexible. Once it dries, it becomes rigid and holds its shape. It is used to make drum heads,
water containers, moccasin soles and parts of saddles. Rawhide is a very specialized
material and we won't be using it in this class.

Leather Weight
The thickness of a leather hide is measured in ounces (oz). 1 oz equals .4mm, or 1/64
inch. Most of the leather we will be dealing with in this class will be between 4-8 oz.
Knowing the weight you are looking for is useful when shopping for leather. There are
gauges you can buy that are designed specifically to measure leather weight, but they are
unnecessarily expensive. Alternately, you can use calipers or a ruler for a slightly less
accurate measurement. I like to refer to a visual guide, especially when shopping online.
I've included one here that you can print out:
Download
http://staging.instructables.com/ORIG/F97/040Q/J4IPU8MN/F97040QJ4IPU8MN.pdf
…
Hide Size and Part

Hides are divided into sections which are sometimes sold individually. A hide is usually
divided in one of the following ways. Different parts of a hide can be better for different
projects. For example, if you wanted to use the raw shaped edge of the leather for a rustic
look, a Belly section would be better than a Bend.

One problem that you will encounter as a hobby leatherworker is that leather, especially
chrome tanned leather, is mostly sold by the hide or half hide, which is quite large when
you're talking about a cow (other hides, like lamb and pig are a lot smaller). The majority of
leather suppliers, like Tandy and Hide House, won't cut smaller pieces. This can make
buying leather very expensive, and limit the variety of colors and weights you can use in
one project. There are a few ways to work around this:
Find a leather supplier that will cut you smaller pieces of hides. Mercifully, my
local leather store, S.H. Frank in San Francisco will happily sell me whatever size
piece of leather I need, and I'm sure some others will too. If you find any good local
resources for leather in your area, please send me a message and I will add your store
to the leather suppliers list!
Work with a friend. If you know other people who want to learn leatherwork, go
shopping together, buy a few different hides and split them between you. Or even
become your own small-time leather dealer!
Raid scrap bins. A lot of leather stores have bins of remnants that will work for small
projects. (Tandy's remnant bins are usually not worth buying from, but Hide House has
a pretty good scrap collection).
Use salvaged leather. Thrift store handbags, coats, belts and other accessories can
be a great source of chrome tanned leather scraps. Re-use centers like Scrap in San
Francisco and Materials for the Arts in New York also sometimes have leather, and
home and auto upholsterers may have scraps they are willing to part with.
Check fabric stores. A lot of fabric stores (like Fabric Outlet and Discount Fabric in
SF) carry some leather in smaller sizes, though it is often thin garment weight, which
we aren't using in this class.

Common Types of Chrome Tanned Leather
Since we'll be working with chrome tanned leather and there are so many different kinds, it
will be useful for you to know a little more about some of the most common varieties.

Where to Shop
Now that you know what you're looking for, where do you go? There are many online
resources for buying leather and leather tools, and depending on where you live, you may
even have a local leather supplier in your area. There are a surprising 108 Tandy Leather
stores located across North America, and quite a few local independent stores as well.
Leather
Napa Hide House - Large leather retailer with a great selection of hides sourced entirely
from animals that are already being raised for meat or agriculture
Tandy Leather
The Leather Guy - large selection of both veg tanned and chrome tanned hides as well as
hardware
Springfield Leather
Buffalo Leather Store - Good source for bison and goat leather
Waterhouse Leather
S.H. Frank - eccentric and slightly disorganized leather warehouse in San Francisco. Large
selction of mostly chrome tanned leather, and they will cut hides to size for you.
Leather Tools
Tandy Leather - a good all around supplier of leather, tools and hardware, dye etc., though
their hardware is often limited to a very western aesthetic. They are very knowledgeable
about leathercraft, ship quickly and have locations all over the US. If you are committed to
leatherworking, investing in their discount membership programs is a good deal.
Weaver Leather Supply - high quality and high price
Springfield Leather - all around collection of hides, tools and hardware
Hardware
Buckle Guy - good online selection of buckles, rivets, grommets, clasps and other
hardware
The Leather Guy
Tandy Leather
Springfield Leather

Let's Get to Work!
Now that you have some basic information about tools and types of leather, go ahead and
buy everything you need so we can get started learning how to cut leather and working on
our project, making a leather wallet!

LESSON 2: SIMPLE LEATHER WALLET: LAYOUT AND TRACE
Now it's time to get our hands dirty, and work with some of this leather we've been talking
about. We're going to be applying the skills we learn by making a simple no-sew leather
wallet. Constructing this wallet will show you just how easy it can be to create simple
leather projects. For this design, I have chosen a stiff 4 oz latigo leather in a warm brown.
This is a good leather for this project because it holds its structure but isn't too thick.
In this lesson I'll show you how to transfer a paper pattern onto leather. Before we get
started, assemble the tools and materials you need on your work surface and get
comfortable. Print out your wallet pattern on paper and cut it out with scissors. Make sure
when you print out the pattern, you have it scaled to 100% so it will be the right size. Also,
If you can, print it on cardstock or thick paper, this will make it easier to trace the pattern
onto leather.
In this lesson I'll be using:

Leather for the wallet
Scrap leather for testing
Wallet pattern printed and cut out
Scotch tape
Metal ruler
Awl
Download
http://staging.instructables.com/ORIG/FZA/9T0U/IVO36V2Y/FZA9T0UIVO36V2Y.pdf
…

The Design
The wallet we'll be making is a simple but practical design. It is made entirely from one
piece of leather with a bill compartment formed by two folded flaps, and two card slots that
are just slits cut in the leather. The whole thing is held together by only 6 rivets, making it
ridiculously easy to construct. I've also added a flap that snaps the wallet shut to help all
my various cards stay where they belong.
A simple design like this is really defined by the leather and hardware you choose. The
more attractive your leather, the nicer your project will look, so choose something you like
:)

The Two Sides of Leather
Before we start transferring our pattern to leather, we have to make sure we're marking on
the correct side of the leather. Most leather, except suede, has two distinct sides, the grain
side and the flesh side.
The grain side is the smoother, shinier and generally nicer looking side. This is the top of
the leather, almost always used as the visible side or outside of a leather project. It is the
side I'm touching with my left hand in the photo above.
In contrast, the flesh side is usually fuzzier, rougher and less finished looking. Sometimes
on leather that is dyed or finished a certain way, the flesh side may even be a very different
color than the grain side. The flesh side is almost always used as the underside or inside
of a leather project, as it is usually less attractive. On a lot of leather, the flesh side is also
softer than the grain side, making it better as the inside of wearable pieces where it will be
touching your skin.
I'm folding the leather over to reveal the flesh side with my right hand in the photo above.
If you sew, you know that you usually cut and mark fabric from the reverse side, but when
you're working with leather, you often mark on the grain side. This is mostly because you
mark by making a scratch on the surface of the leather, and you can see this type of mark
better on the grain side. It's also best to cut leather from the grain side to get the cleanest
cut, and this means you need to make visible guide-lines on the side you're cutting.

Transfer the Pattern Onto Leather
Now let's trace our wallet pattern onto leather. This is almost always the first step in
creating any leather project from a pattern.
First lay your leather out on a flat surface with the grain side facing up. If you have a large
piece of leather, you might want to weigh it down with something to keep it from shifting
around. Place the pattern piece on your leather, somewhere close to the edge so you are
making the most efficient use of your material.

You don't want to pin down your pattern piece here as you would with a sewing pattern on
fabric. Any hole you make in leather will remain visible forever after, so pins are not a good
idea. (Also, it's very difficult to stick pins into leather). As an alternative, I usually use a few
small pieces of scotch tape to hold my pattern pieces down. Just two on a pattern piece is
usually enough to hold it in place as you trace.
The tape will leave marks on the leather, so only stick it in areas that won't be part of
another pattern piece. If you've cut your pattern out of cardstock or oak tag, you can
sometimes get away without using tape and just holding your pattern piece in place, but I
still think a little tape is a good idea.

Now take your awl and trace around the edge of your pattern piece while holding it down
with your other hand. You don't need to press down too hard with the awl, just hard enough
to make a visible mark on your leather. Having your pattern in thicker paper comes in
handy here too because your awl has a firm edge to follow. When you have traced all the
external lines, use the tip of your awl to mark the center of the rivet and snap holes marked
with black circles on the pattern, and the black internal cut lines for the card slots. Don't
mark the fold lines that are shown in red, we will mark those later.

Now, remove the pattern from your leather, checking that you haven't missed any lines. To
get perfectly straight lines on straight edges, I also sometimes just mark the corners, and
then trace the lines with a ruler after removing the pattern.

Here's a video to show you exactly how to do all this:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/161555805?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0

What We Learned
In this lesson we took the first step in creating a leather design from a paper pattern. When
you are constructing more complex projects with multiple pattern pieces, this can be a
much more time consuming process. Transferring a pattern correctly will help ensure that
the rest of your project comes together smoothly.
Next we'll learn about leather cutting techniques, and follow the guidelines we've traced to
cut out our wallet pattern!

LESSON 3: CUTTING LEATHER
Cutting is one of the most important skills in leatherwork. Getting a good clean cut-edge on
your leather makes a huge difference to the look of your project, especially if you are
leaving your edges raw like we are here. There are quite a few different leather cutting
methods, and which one you choose mostly depends on what kind of leather you're
working with, and what shape your pattern is.
Your own comfort and skill level is also a major factor here. As a leatherworker with a
background in sewing, I tend to use scissors when I can because I am the most
comfortable with them as a cutting tool, but you might be more comfortable using an x-acto
knife. A lot of professional leatherworkers use a round knife, which can be a useful tool, but
it is also a giant scary blade that is extremely intimidating!... So I won't be teaching that
one yet.
In this lesson I'll show you a few different ways to cut leather, you can choose the ones
that work for you, and then we'll cut out the wallet.

Leather with your traced wallet pattern
Metal ruler
Cutting mat
Awl
Leather shears or sharp scissors
X-acto knife
Cutting wheel

Cutting Leather With Scissors
I'm going to show you my three favorite methods for cutting leather. Some work better for
different situations, and some are just a matter of personal preference. Whatever you do, I
suggest trying each of these tools on scrap leather first before you use them to cut out the
wallet pattern.
Scissors or Leather Shears: with thinner, more pliable leather, I think a good sharp pair
of scissors can often be the best tool for cutting out patterns, especially shapes with curved
lines. Since leather of the same weight can vary in stiffness and texture, there is no hard-
and-fast rule for when leather becomes too thick to cut effectively with scissors. The best
way to find out is to test, but in general, leather above 9 or 10 oz will be too thick.
A few things to keep in mind when using scissors on leather:
Try to mostly cut against a flat surface, don't cut up in the air (unless you are cutting very
small details).
Keep your scissors at a right angle to your leather and cutting surface, this helps you
create a cut edge that is squared off, not beveled.
To create clean lines, cut with long slow strokes, not short choppy ones.
Practice first on scraps so you don't ruin your project.

Cutting With X-Acto, Utility or Craft Knives
I find these types of knives to be the most versatile (and cheap) leather cutting tool. They
work great for straight lines, and pretty good on curves too, with a bit of practice.
A few things to keep in mind:
Cut on top of a cutting mat or other appropriate surface. Cutting surfaces need to be flat,
smooth and somewhat soft so your blade doesn't get dulled or broken too easily.
Hold your leather steady with one hand while pulling your knife smoothly along your
marked pattern lines with the other.
Try to keep your blade held at right angles to your cutting surface.
Press down hard enough to cut all the way through in one pass to get the cleanest lines.
You can always go back and cut a second time if you have to, but this sometimes
creates a jagged edge.
Move the leather around between cuts to get the best cutting angle on each line. Your
arm can only effectively cut straight lines at certain angles, and it's usually easier to
move the leather than to move your whole body to give your arm the best leverage.

To cut straight lines, you can use a metal ruler as a guide for your knife. Hold the ruler
down firmly with your other hand as you cut.
Cut with a sharp blade. A sharp blade makes a HUGE difference. Change them often,
they're cheap.
Always be safe! Keep your free hand out of the path of your x-acto blade and work
slowly and consciously. These knives may be small, but they are extremely sharp and
can be a very dangerous tool if you aren't being careful. Keep all your fingers!

Here's how I use both ruler-aided cutting and free-hand cutting on different parts of a
pattern piece:

Cutting With a Cutting Wheel
Cutting wheels are basically like pizza cutters for leather. They have a sharp retractable
wheel blade and come in different sizes. When used correctly, they create beautiful clean
edges along straight lines, but they can be a bit tricky to master. I mostly use them for
cutting straps.
A few things to keep in mind when using a cutting wheel:

Cut on top of a cutting mat or other appropriate surface. As with knives, cutting surfaces
need to be flat, smooth and somewhat soft so your blade doesn't get dulled or broken too
easily.
Use a long metal, or very thick plastic ruler as a guide. Your ruler should be at least as
long as the line you need to cut. Hold your ruler down with your free hand and run your
cutting wheel directly along the edge of the ruler, pushing away from you.
Press down firmly so you cut all the way through the leather.
Make your cut in one long stroke if possible, starting and stopping makes jagged edges
more likely.
Always be safe! Keep your free hand out of the path of your cutting wheel blade and
work slowly and consciously. Cutting wheels can be very dangerous if you aren't being
careful. Keep all your fingers!

Cut Out the Wallet Pattern
To cut out your wallet pattern, choose one of the cutting methods I've demonstrated, and
cut the leather along the lines you've marked with the awl. I used an x-acto knife and a
metal ruler to cut all the straight lines, then rounded the corners with scissors. Skip cutting
the two internal card slot cuts for now, we'll cut those in the next lesson.

You could also use scissors to cut the whole thing. I wouldn't recommend a cutting wheel
for this project because a shape like this is too small, with too many angles, to cut with a
cutting wheel without making mistakes.

What We Learned
So now you've practiced a few of the best techniques for cutting leather. Making clean cuts
takes practice, so keep trying if you aren't getting it right away. Remember a sharp blade
makes a huge difference. So keep your tools sharp or change blades often. There is a lot
of good advice about tool care and sharpening (all given through beautiful hand drawings)
in the book Leathercraft Tools.
In the next lesson we'll keep constructing our wallet as we learn how to fold leather.
How's Your Project Going?
If you have any problems cutting out your wallet, feel free to ask questions in the
discussion section below.

LESSON 4: GOUGING AND FOLDING LEATHER
When you're working with leather, you sometimes need to create a fold or crease as part of
a pattern. You might need to fold over a strap to create a loop, fold pattern pieces to fit
together along seam lines, create folds to add volume to a bag or pocket, etc. Folding
leather is not as simple as folding paper or cloth because leather is thicker and harder to
crease, but with the right tools and techniques it's not that hard.
I'll show you how to use the adjustable V-gouge in the next step and then we'll use it to
gouge and fold our wallet.

The wallet pattern you cut in the last lesson
Adjustable v-gouge
Mallet
Awl
Cardboard scraps
Binder clips
Cutting mat
Ruler
Sturdy surface to pound on
Sponge and cup of water

Gouging
The tool we are going to use to make grooves that enable folding is called an adjustable V-
gouge. The V-gouge is like a wood carving tool, it carves a V shaped trench in leather at
different depths depending on how you adjust it. Turning the wheel at the base of the metal
shaft changes the depth of the cut by moving the blade.
You need to adjust the depth of your cut based on thickness of your leather so you don't
cut too deeply and make your leather weak. It is usually a good idea to test the gouge on a
scrap of your leather before you use it on an actual pattern piece. If your gouge cuts all the
way through, or even creates a visible ridge on the opposite side of the leather, as you can

see below, you've probably cut too deep. It is also a good idea to always gouge on top of a
cutting mat, because you can easily cut through or over-cut and damage the surface
underneath.
If you can, it is best to make your groove by pushing the gouge along the leather in one
smooth motion. This will always be easier if the blade of your your gouge is sharp.
However, sometimes the texture of the leather makes it difficult to cut smoothly, especially
when you are gouging on the flesh side of the leather as you do most often. In this case,
you sometimes need to create your cut by working the gouge along the leather in short
choppy "sawing" motions, and even going back over the line a few times until you've made
a deep enough groove. Hold your leather down firmly with your other hand as you gouge,
and flip your leather around if you need to to get better leverage on different areas.
When you are using your gouge to create a fold, you almost always gouge on the flesh side of leather so you
won't see the gouge, and also because leaving the grain side intact will help the leather maintain structural
integrity.

Folding
Once you've gouged a deep enough groove into your leather, you will be able to feel it fold
more easily along the gouged line.

Now you need to help define a permanent crease along this line by pounding the fold with
a mallet. Using a mallet to crease leather is basically the leatherworking equivalent of
using an iron to press fabric during sewing. To prevent the mallet from making marks in
your leather as you pound, take some scrap pieces of stiff cardboard or leather and place
them over the fold. Pound hard on top of the cardboard until you have formed a good
crease in the leather.

Gouge and Fold the Wallet
We are going to use this gouging and folding technique to fold up the internal flaps of the
wallet that will contain the card slots.
First you need to mark where you are going to fold. I have marked the fold line in red on
the pattern, and as you can see it runs along the bottom of the gap between the two flaps.
Turn the leather wallet piece over so the flesh side of the leather is facing up, and use a
ruler and an awl to mark where the fold line will be.
Make sure you've tested your V-gouge on a scrap of the same leather before you gouge
the lines on your actual wallet. Remember, you want to gouge deep enough so you can
feel the leather fold fairly easily, but not so deep that you come close to breaking through

the grain side of the leather. When you think you've gotten the hang of using this tool,
gouge along the lines you marked on the flesh side.
Because this leather is a bit stiff, and I noticed that the dye tended to crack a little when
folded, I decided to help the folding process by applying a little water. Take a sponge and
dampen both sides of the leather along the gouge lines.
Now place a piece of cardboard over the folded up flaps and pound the fold with your
mallet, until you have created a crisp clean crease.

If you have a moment to leave your wallet sitting before moving to the next step, you can
help solidify the fold by clamping it between two pieces of cardboard with binder clips.
Leaving the wallet clamped like this until it dries in a few hours will make the folds lay extra
flat, but it isn't absolutely necessary.

What We Learned
I hope this lesson has shown you that gouging and folding are important skills in
leatherwork and can be used to create some really interesting shapes and details. Later in
this class we'll use these skills again to add a pleat to a pocket. I've also seen some great
bag and small accessory designs that use almost origami-like techniques to create pieces
that can be assembled with very little sewing or hardware. Designs like this Leather Clutch
Bag by RouterMan and my Leather Beer and Wine Carrier are good examples of how you
can use folding to create functionality in a leather design.
In the next lesson we'll learn how to assemble our folded wallet using rivets.
How's Your Project Going?
If you have any problems as you construct your wallet, feel free to ask questions in the
discussion section below.

LESSON 5: LEATHER HARDWARE: RIVETS
Now that we've learned how to cut and fold leather, we're going to learn how to attach
pieces of leather to each other by one of the simplest methods: riveting. Riveting requires
hole punching, so we'll also take a look at a few different tools for punching holes. Then
we'll put all these skills together to assemble our wallet!

Your wallet pattern cut out in leather
Rapid rivets and rivet setter
Rotary punch and manual punches
X-acto knife
Mallet
Hammer
Clear ruler
Wire cutters
Quartz slab and poundo board or other punching surface
Punching Holes With Rotary and Manual Punches
In order to attach rivets, snaps and other hardware to leather, first you need to punch
holes. Punching holes in strategic places can also be helpful when you need to cut out
slots or other complex internal shapes. There are a few different tools for hole punching
that are better for different applications.
The Rotary Punch is the easiest to use and most convenient tool for punching holes. It
has a rotating head with different punching blades to create holes of various sizes. To
punch a hole, you just squeeze down on the handles until you press the punch through the
leather. Rotary punches are great for punching holes in straps and other easily accessible
areas, but they can only punch a hole about 1 1/2"-2" from the edge of a piece of leather

(or a little more if the leather is flexible enough to gather). Also they are not great for
punching through very thick leather because you can only apply so much force by
squeezing the tool with your hand.
Like most tools, rotary punches only work well if they are sharp, so keep yours sharp or
buy replacement blades when they get dull. If your punch isn't making a clean cut all the
way through your leather, swiveling the leather around while clamping down on the punch
will sometimes help it cut through.
Manual Punches are a more versatile, if slightly less convenient way to punch holes. They
allow you to punch in hard to reach places far from leather edges, and they can punch
through very tough leather. The set I have has a single shaft that comes with
interchangeable heads of different sizes.
To punch a hole with a manual punch, place your leather over your poundo board or other
soft punching surface. Hold your punch straight up and down on top of your leather where
you want to punch a hole, then hit it with a mallet. One strike with the mallet should be
plenty to punch through, though with thicker leather you sometimes need to strike again.
Never punch directly on top of a hard surface like your metal anvil or quartz. This will dull
your punches very quickly. It is also not a good idea to hit a metal tool with a metal
hammer or mallet. This will eventually distort the top end of the tool making it harder to
use.
You can find punches in different shapes, like ovals for attaching buckles, or even
decorative shapes like stars. Punches like this can be useful and fun for creating cut-out
filigree patterns.
Rivets
Rivets are one of my favorite leatherworking tools because they are just so easy to use,
and I love the way they look. Rivets let you attach two or more pieces of leather together
when they are set through holes in the leather. They come in a variety of finishes so you
can choose rivets that intentionally stand out against your leather or rivets that blend in.
There are a few different kinds, but I'm just going to show you the easiest for now.
Rapid Rivets:
In my opinion, these are the best kind of rivets because, as the name implies, they are
quick and easy to set. Rapid rivets have two parts, an end with a stem that looks like a tiny
mushroom, and an end with just a cap and no stem. They are also often called double cap
rivets because of the cap on both sides (though some variations have one end that is
hollow or decorative in some way).

To attach these rivets, punch a hole the size of the rivet stem, or slightly larger, insert the
stem into the hole from one side, and then snap the cap onto the end of the stem from the
other side.
The correct way to set the rivets is by nesting the bottom cap in the correct sized divot in
the rivet setting base, and then using a mallet to pound down on the top cap with a rivet
setting shaft that has a concave end. This will keep the caps of the rivets slightly rounded
rather than hammering them flat.

If you don't have the rivet setter, however, or you would rather have flat-topped rivets, you
can just set them on a hard, flat surface with a hammer. The back of the rivet setting base,
or your quartz slab works well for this. Using a hammer does make it a bit easier to
accidentally crush or mark-up the top of a rivet, but if you try to hit straight-on it will usually
work fine.

As you can see, these rivets come with different sized caps, but they also have different
length stems. The size of the cap is mostly aesthetic, though it is good to use larger caps
for more heavy duty projects. The length of the stem, however, is important!
If the stem is too long, the rivet won't set right, and if the stem is too short, you won't be
able set it at all. You don't want the stem to extend more than 1/8" beyond the leather. If it
does stick out farther than this and you don't have another rivet option, you can use a pair
of nippers to cut off the very end of the stem. The rivet should still set correctly, but you
should test one on a scrap of leather first.

Removing Rivets

It is inevitable that, at some point, you will set a rivet and then slap yourself on the
forehead as you realize that you put it in the wrong place or forgot to add the ring to the
loop you're closing, or some other apparent catastrophe!
If this happens, don't panic, there are ways to remove rivets or snaps.
I like to use a pair of small wire nippers to cut off a rivet. Start by cutting the stem of the
rivet between the layers of leather, this way you will be less likely to damage the visible
grain side of the leather. Try not to cut into the leather itself.
Once you've squeezed the stem a little, the top of the cap will usually pop off, and then you
can remove the base of the cap and pull the whole thing out. Your leather may look a bit
messy underneath, but that will be covered up by another rivet.
You can basically do the same thing with snaps, but it is a bit trickier since they are made
of a harder and thicker metal.

Cut Card Slots in the Wallet
Before we use rivets to assemble the wallet, we need to cut the two card slots in the flaps.
We didn't do this before because these card slots are going to have a hole punched at
each end, and I wanted to teach you about hole punching first. The holes make the cuts in
the leather less likely to tear, help cards fit more easily into the slots, and also make the
openings easier to cut.
Use a punch to create a small hole at both ends of each slot you marked with the awl.

Then use a metal ruler and x-acto to cut between the holes. Be careful not to overcut,
holding your knife at closer to a 90 angle when you reach the end of the cut helps prevent
this.

Rivet the Wallet
Now we are going to punch holes and rivet together the two folded flaps of the wallet.
First, take one flap and fold it, lining it up so the outside edges of the leather are perfectly
even and the fold is laying flat. Holding the two layers in place with the flap facing up, use
a rotary hole punch to punch a hole through both layers at one of the rivet positions you
marked from the pattern.
Making holes this way, by punching both layers at once, ensures that your holes will be
perfectly aligned. Now stick a rivet stud through this hole to help keep the leather aligned
correctly as you punch the two other holes. Repeat on the second flap.
Stick rivet studs through all the holes, then add the rivet caps.

Use your rivet setter and mallet, or hammer, to set the rivets.

You're Almost Done!
See how easy it is to assemble something with rivets?! Whether you have a rivet setter or
just a hammer and a flat surface, rivets are a fast and secure way to make connections
between pieces of leather. Rivets aren't always the right way to put something together,
but when they are, they're amazingly convenient. Using rivets with different looks can also
really add style to a design, and it's not unusual to use them purely for decoration.
In the next lesson we'll move on to another kind of hardware, and finish assembling the
wallet by adding a snap closure.

LESSON 6: LEATHER HARDWARE: SNAPS
Now we're going to learn about one of the simplest types of leather closures: snaps. Snaps
are a great way to fasten things because they are relatively small and unobtrusive, and
quite secure for their size. They are also pretty easy to set with the right setting tools.
I'll show you how they work and how to set them properly, and then we'll use one to put the
finishing touch on our wallet.

Your riveted wallet from the last lesson
Line 20 snaps and Line 20 snap setter
Rotary and manual punches
X-acto knife
Mallet
Hammer
Clear ruler
Quartz slab and poundo or other punching surface
Sponge and a cup of water

Setting Snaps
Snaps make great closures on bags or pockets, attachments points on straps, etc. There
are a few different sizes and types of snaps that are set in different ways and good for use
on different types of projects.
Line 20 and 24 snaps are the most common in leatherwork. They have the same structure
and are set in the same way, but line 24 snaps are bigger and more heavy duty than line
20 snaps. I use line 20 snaps for most of my leather projects. I think they are a good size
for medium to heavy weight leather.
Line 20 and 24 snaps have 4 parts: The cap and the socket, and the post and the stud.
You set the cap and the socket together on one piece of leather and the post and the stud
together on another, and then the socket and the stud snap and unsnap to each other
create the closure.

To set line 20 or 24 snaps, first punch two corresponding holes in your top and bottom
leather pieces. The holes should be the size of the snap post. Sometimes, to be sure I get
the snaps aligned correctly, I will set one side and then use it to get the exact placement
for the other side before I punch a second hole (you'll see what I mean when we assemble
the wallet).
To set the cap side in your top leather piece, slip the cap into the hole from the grain side.
Then slip the socket down over the stem of the cap from the flesh side.

Take your setting base and place it under your leather so the cap sits in the appropriately
sized divot. Use your line 20 snap setting tool to set the snap by hammering it together
with a mallet. Tap lightly with the mallet at first so the snap aligns properly, then pound
harder to secure it. When your snap is set right it shouldn't spin around in its hole.

To set the post side, stick the post through your bottom piece of leather from the flesh side,
and slip the stud down over the post from the grain side.
You don't need to use the divots on the snap setting base here because the post is flat on

the back. Just place your leather over any very hard flat surface. The other side of the snap
setting base works well. Again, use the snap setting tool and mallet to set the stud onto the
post. Now you have a complete snap pair.
Snap the two sides of your snap together to test if they connect and hold well.
Though line 20 snaps are all the same diameter (about 7/16"), they come with posts of
different lengths that are good for different weights of leather. If your snap post sticks out
more than 1/8" beyond the leather, the snap won't set properly, so choose a post length
that is right for your leather: 3/16" for 5-7 oz leather, and 5/16" for 8-10 oz leather.

Troubleshooting Snaps
When the posts of your of your snaps are a bit too long and they won't attach right when
you try to set them. A good trick is to make a leather "washer" by cutting a small circle of
leather and punching a hole it it. You can slip this over the post of the snap before you set
it, and it will make your leather the right thickness for the snap!

Make a Center Fold in the Wallet
Before we put a snap on the wallet, we need to define a center crease where the whole
thing folds over on itself. This crease will develop naturally over time from the pressure of
the wallet being folded and used, but we want to establish it in the right place so we know
exactly where to put the snap.
For this fold, we aren't going to use the V gouge because we don't want to weaken the
leather at this point of repeated motion, or make an unsightly mark. Instead, fold the wallet
closed so it's lined up just right. Press down on the center fold with your fingers to define
where the crease goes.
Now take your sponge and dampen the leather along this line, inside and out. Fold the
wallet again, cover the fold with cardboard, and pound to create a crease with your mallet.

Add a Snap to the Wallet
Finally, to finish our wallet we are going to add a snap closure on the front flap.
Punch a hole near the end of the flap, 5/8" in from the edge, and 1" down from the top.
Stick a snap cap in from the outside, then nest it in a divot on the snap setting base, add
the snap socket, and set the snap with your setting tool and mallet.
Fold the flap over onto the wallet, lining it up exactly where it should sit and press down
hard on the snap with your fingers. When you open the flap, you should be able to see the
faint impression of a circle on the leather beneath, this is where the bottom half of your
snap should go.

Now punch a hole in the center of that circle, and set the post and stud half of the snap in
this hole, using the flat side of your snap setting base. You will need to slip the base inside
the flap of the wallet so you are pounding directly on the metal of the base not the leather
of the flap. Otherwise you would damage the leather.

You're Done!
And there's your finished wallet! Cards should fit easily in the slots and the space behind
the flaps will hold a full length stack of paper bills.
Now that you've seen how to assemble this basic design, I'm sure you can imagine a lot of
variations you could create fairly easily, and how you could apply the skills you've learned
to create different kinds of projects. If you've made a wallet or something else using the
skills we've covered in this class, please feel free to share a photo your project here!
The best way to internalize any skill is to keep practicing it, so I highly recommend finding
another project to work on soon. An easy way to do this is to move on to my Intermediate
Leatherworking Class where you'll learn how to create patterns for basic leather
accessories and then practice punching, gluing, sewing attaching buckles, clasps, and
more as you complete your own custom leather designs!
Instructables also full of great leatherworking projects that will give you even more
inspiration, so I've assembled a collection of projects that I think your newly acquired skills
will make you well prepared for. They are arranged at the bottom of this page page in order
from extremely easy to quite challenging.
I really hope you've enjoyed this class! feel free to ask questions in the discussion section.
Please share photos of your projects here, and if you keep creating with leather or any
material, I encourage you to publish your projects as Instructables and enter them in
Instructables contests! I can't wait to see what you create!

Beginning Leatherworking Class

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BEGINNING LEATHERWORKING CLASS

Beginning Leatherworking Class: Page 1

Lesson 1: Leather Tools and Supplies

Lesson 2: Simple Leather Wallet: Layout and Trace

Lesson 3: Cutting Leather

Lesson 4: Gouging and Folding Leather

Lesson 5: Leather Hardware: Rivets

Lesson 6: Leather Hardware: Snaps

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X-acto knife or Industrial knife

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Know Your Tools

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Photo by Daderot (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

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Today 80-85% of leather is chrome tanned in large industrialized manufacturing facilities,

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Basic Leather Classifications

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Hide Size and Part

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A few things to keep in mind when using a cutting wheel:

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How's Your Project Going?

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