Leather Working
At its most basic level, “Leatherworking” is the art of turning leather into usable goods. Leatherworking is an overall term used to describe a variety of skills that crafters utilize to manipulate tanned leather into a finished product. At its very core, crafting leather can be done with a sharp blade for cutting the leather pieces to size, an awl or sharp pointed tool to poke stitching holes, a stitching needle and thread for bringing those pieces together.
People have been tanning animal hides for tens of thousands of years. Leather has been used for a wide range of needs including shelter, clothing, various accessories and artistic expression. Leather working as a craft has not changed all that much over time. The speed at which we can accomplish certain tasks due to advances in technology has increased, but the actual art of leathercrafting, not so much.
Today, advances in science and chemistry have given us a much better understanding of the tanning process along with better dyes, paints, adhesives, thinners, cleaners, deglazers, paints, conditioners, oils, etc… There are certain tools such as the “Bone Folder” that have essentially remained the same for thousands of years. Yet, other tools such as the bell skiver machine, have become very advanced and made the leatherworking process much more efficient.
Some tools, such as an airbrush have also aided leatherworkers in their craft when a gradient or ombre technique is required in the dyeing process. Laser technology was just invented in 1960. Today, machines use focused lasers to cut and emboss logos and other artistic designs onto nearly any medium, including leather.
Leatherworking as a craft, embodies a wide variety of skill sets. Depending on the item being made, certain skills and techniques may be more useful than others. Making a strong leather belt requires a great deal of edge work and punching holes for the buckle to attach.
Making beautiful designs in the leather on a saddle requires a steady hand and a great deal of concentration for the “Tooling” process. Making a bag or a jacket with a lighter weight chrome tanned leather requires skills in tailoring and sewing. While the skill sets required to make each of those items are similar, the type and thickness of the chosen material has an effect on the skills and techniques that are employed to make them.