Leather starter kits are pretty crap to be honest. I remember buying one many years ago and apart from a scratch awl which i still use, I don't think any part of it was used beyond the first couple of projects I made, neither of which were up to much.
That is not to say the tools are what makes the end product. It is mostly skill and experience. You could give me a stanley knife and a measuring square, a fork to mark out stitching, a nail to punch, couple of normal stitching needles and some thread and i could make it look decent but you will get significantly better results with experience AND half decent tools.
Leatherwork is really just marking out, cutting accurately, glue ups, creating stitch holes either with pricking irons, diamond chisels or marking out and using a diamond awl amongst other techniques. You also need to bevel edges, sand them and burnish.
In no particular order, I would say you want the bare minimum of:
A scratch awl or something to mark out your lines that need cutting
A metal rule
A cutting mat, preferably with measuring markings on it which will make your life much easier (Axminster do good ones)
A decent knife. You could use a stanley knife or similar stiff but precise pointed edges. I like using the Swann Morton pencil type scalpel. This allows very very precise cutting which might not be necessary if you make rougher goods but for handmade smaller quality items, you will achieve a better finish and need less sanding with precise cuts.
Without question you should buy John James saddlers harness needles. They are cheap and will last for ages and will prevent you from constantly stabbing yourself with sewing needles.
You also cannot really generate proper edges without an edge beveller. These will allow you to remove veneers of leather from the edges at different angles to create a radius each side and then use increasing grits of sandpaper to neaten, reduce fuzz and present a surface which will burnish well. They come in different sizes which are suited to different weights (thickness) of leathers. Get a No 2 initially which will give you some degree of flexibility.
For burnishing, you can use water and a cotton cloth or as Snake says, a piece of hardwood. I personally use the wooden handle of an awl and for the gum, I use tokonole but you could use water or beeswax or make your own out of water and some pva glue. Edges are the result of preparation. You can use machinery if you want but it will not get you edges anywhere close to what is achieved with elbow grease and smoother and smoother grits of sandpaper. You want those edges to pop and be like glass.
Glue is subjective. I use Intercom 1816B which is water based and very versatile. Lasts yonks. Lots of solvent type glues though as well which I personally dislike but they all work.
Stitching again is subjective. You will learn to saddle stitch with two needles and cast to ensure a properly bedded down stitch patten. Generally speaking, the more stitches per inch and the finer the thread, the better quality the stitching looks but there are trades offs in terms of strength. Gapping of around 3mm between the prongs of a stiching chisel or punch is about the sweet spot and with thread around 0.8mm will give you a finish similar to the pictures I will post below which will show stitching and edges you can achieve with moderate practice and care and attention to detail. This will be very strong.
Things like a maul for hitting chisels is something I feel people spend an unnecessary amount of money on. I personally use a 4lb hand held sledge hammer which I use on its side. Larger surface area to hit with and the weight means you do not need to hit too hard. I have used that for many years without injury or accident.
Diamond chisels are probably the best thing to start with. You can get cheapo Ebay jobbies for like a tenner. Or you can spend £150 on a single chisel. Buy the cheap ones and spend some time with wet n dry paper refining the edges so they slide through leather properly. They tend to come a little rough but can be cleaned up nicely.
I reckon you can get set up for easily less than £100. Or you could spend tons. Over time you will add stuff which is not necessarily vital but makes life easier to achieve certain things. I have a leather splitter which was expensive but is awesome for certain things. I have some really nice items by CS Osborne and some other old makers. They are much better quality and last longer but they all do the same thing. I have some other chineseium stuff which has helped me make some great stuff but it is far less pleasing to use. Think of it as being similar to reloading ammunition with Lee products versus using Forster kit. You kinda get to the same destination but the journey can be more or less pleasing.
You will make wallets and stuff like that pretty easily and then you can do hand cut items to creates more intricate designs. It can be good fun and is fairly easy to pick up. Some items to help you see what you end up with the info I put above.
elsfineleather.co.za
