Leather Weight Explained: Ounces, Millimeters and Irons
An ounce of leather is a thickness, not a weight. How ounces, millimeters and irons line up, why every hide is sold as a range, and how to check one.
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Burnishing Tools Compared
Leather burnishing tools in the order you pick them up: beveler, sandpaper, wood and plastic slickers, canvas, bone, glass, drill bits and a bench machine.
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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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Choosing a Work Surface and Cutting Mat for Leather
Mat, poly board, rubber or stone: what belongs under leather when you cut, punch and set hardware, how high the bench should stand, and where none of it helps.
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Thimbles and Palm Guards for Hand Stitching
Thimbles, sewing palms, finger cots, tape and pliers for hand stitching leather: which part of the hand each one protects, and what it costs you in feel.
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Sharpening a Skiving Knife
Sharpening a skiving knife in working order: read the bevel, flatten the back, climb the grits to a burr, strop with care, then prove it on scrap leather.
