Leathercraft Glossary: 14 Terms Explained
The words that show up in leathercraft specs, reviews and how-to guides, explained without jargon.
- Burnishing
- Rubbing an edge with friction and a slicking agent until smooth and glossy.
- Related: Best Burnishing Tools for Leather Edges →
- Casing
- Dampening veg-tan leather to the right moisture level for tooling and stamping.
- Chrome-tanned leather
- Leather tanned with chromium salts, soft and water-resistant, but not suited to tooling.
- Related: Best Chrome Tan Leather for Bags, Garments, and Soft Goods →
- Edge beveler
- A tool that rounds the sharp corner of a leather edge before burnishing.
- Full grain
- The top layer of the hide with the natural surface intact, the strongest and most durable grade.
- Leather weight (oz)
- Thickness measured in ounces. One ounce is about 1/64 inch or 0.4 mm.
- Pricking iron
- A pronged tool that marks or pre-punches evenly spaced stitch holes.
- Related: Best Pricking Irons for Clean, Slanted Saddle Stitches →
- Round knife
- A crescent-shaped blade for cutting straight lines and curves in leather.
- Related: Best Round Knives and Head Knives for Leatherwork →
- Saddle stitch
- Hand stitching with two needles on one thread, stronger than a machine lockstitch.
- Related: Best Leather Needles for Hand Stitching and Saddle Stitch →
- Skiving
- Thinning leather at edges or folds to reduce bulk.
- Related: Best Leather Skiving Knives for Thin, Even Edges →
- Stitching chisel
- A tool that punches through leather to create stitch holes.
- Related: Best Stitching Chisels for Hand-Sewn Leather Projects →
- Stitching pony
- A clamp that holds leather upright so both hands are free for saddle stitching.
- Related: Best Stitching Ponies and Clamps for Leatherwork →
- Vegetable-tanned leather
- Leather tanned with plant tannins. It can be tooled, stamped, moulded and burnished.
- Related: Best Veg Tan Leather for Tooling, Carving, and Home Leathercraft →
- Waxed thread
- Polyester or linen thread coated in wax for strength and grip in hand stitching.
- Related: Best Waxed Thread for Leather Stitching →