Practical, workshop-tested leathercraft guides written from the bench.
Clear processes, real-world experience, and tools that hold up over time.
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Beginner’s Leathercraft Starter Checklist — Free Download
A free printable leathercraft starter checklist for UK makers — available in a quick-reference version and a full guide with notes, tips, and leather guidance. No fluff, no American suppliers.
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Choosing a Pricking Iron – What Actually Matters
A workshop-tested guide to choosing a pricking iron — covering spacing, tooth count, handle height, and the preparation steps that make the biggest difference to a consistent stitch line.
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Choosing Leather Thread – Linen, Polyester, and What Holds
A practical guide to choosing leather thread — covering linen vs polyester, matching thread size to your iron spacing, and why the thread you use matters as much as how you stitch.
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The Stitching Pony – Why It Matters and How to Choose One
A practical guide to the stitching pony — what it does, how to choose between a bench pony and a saddler’s clam, and what makes one genuinely useful rather than quietly frustrating.
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Leather Adhesives – Choosing the Right Glue for the Job
A practical guide to choosing between leather cement and contact adhesive — covering surface preparation, application method, pressing, and the most common mistakes that cause glue to fail.
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Renia Aquilim — The Complete Guide for Leathercraft
A complete guide to Renia Aquilim water-based adhesives for leathercraft — covering all four products, which to choose, how to use them, and what to know about storage.
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The Traditional Approach to Hand Stitching Leather
A practical guide to traditional hand stitching leather, covering leather selection, thickness, stitch spacing and the foundations that make clean, durable work possible. Written from a workshop perspective for those who want to understand the craft properly before focusing on speed.
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Complete Guide to Traditional Saddle Stitching
A practical guide to traditional saddle stitching in leathercraft. Learn the tools, preparation, stitch technique and finishing methods used for strong, hand-crafted seams, with reference to gold-standard visual demonstrations.
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Complete Guide to Leather Edge Finishing (Vegetable-Tanned Leather)
A workshop-tested, step-by-step method for finishing vegetable-tanned leather edges using sanding progression, Tokonole, and Gum Tragacanth.
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Tokonole vs Gum Tragacanth – Which Should You Use?
A practical comparison of Tokonole and Gum Tragacanth for leather edge finishing — what each does, when to use which, and why the difference matters less than most people think.
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Turning Your Arbor Press into a Multi-Tool: How I Use the Hideout Craft Adapter Set
Turn a standard arbor press into a far more versatile leatherworking tool with the Hideout Craft Adapter Set. This guide explains how the system works in real workshop use — from die cutting and flat pressing to rivet setters, logo stamps, and threaded letter stamp systems using M8, M5, and 1/4″ UNC tooling.
