Marking Leather: Scratch Awl, Pen or Chalk
Every mark on leather is a bet on whether it will come off or be covered. Scratch awl, stylus, silver pen, chalk and soapstone, and which side each belongs on.
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Waxing Thread Before You Stitch
Beeswax, paraffin, rosin mixes and pre-waxed thread compared for hand stitching leather, with the method makers use and the places extra wax causes trouble.
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Rounding Corners Cleanly
Corner punches, strap end punches, washers and a sharp knife all round a leather corner. Here is what each tool does well, where it fails, and what to buy.
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Gluing Leather: When Contact Cement Helps and When to Skip It
Contact cement, water-based glue, rubber cement or tape: what each one does on leather, where glue earns its place, and where a hand stitch does the work.
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Cutting Straight Lines in Thick Leather
Straight edge, utility knife, round knife, rotary cutter or strap cutter: what each tool does on a straight line through thick leather, and where it fails.
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Cutting a Clean Circle in Leather
A circle is the shape leather shows up worst. Choosing punch, knife or circle cutter, marking a centre with no hole, light passes, and finishing the edge.
