Leathercraft Glossary: 20 Terms Explained
The words that show up in leathercraft specs, reviews and how-to guides, explained without jargon. Open any term for the full explanation and what to look for when buying.
- Antiquing gel
- A thick dye or stain rubbed into tooled or stamped leather and then wiped back to darken recesses and highlight detail.
- Read more about antiquing gel
- Burnishing
- Rubbing a leather edge with friction, and often water or a slicking agent, until the fibers compress into a smooth, glossy finish.
- Read more about burnishingRelated: Best Burnishing Tools for Leather Edges
- Casing
- Dampening vegetable-tanned leather to the right moisture level so it becomes soft enough to tool, stamp, or mold cleanly.
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- Chicago screws
- Two-piece threaded post and screw fasteners used to join layers of leather without stitching, and easy to remove later.
- Read more about chicago screws
- Chrome-tanned leather
- Leather tanned with chromium salts in hours rather than weeks, resulting in a soft, stretchy, water-resistant hide unsuited to tooling.
- Read more about chrome-tanned leatherRelated: Best Chrome Tan Leather for Bags, Garments, and Soft Goods
- Edge beveler
- A hand tool that shaves off the sharp square corner of a cut leather edge, rounding it before burnishing or edge painting.
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- Edge creaser
- A heated or hand-pressed tool that presses a decorative line into leather near an edge, often paired with burnishing.
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- Full grain
- The uppermost layer of a hide with its natural surface and grain pattern left intact, the strongest and most durable leather grade.
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- Leather sealer
- A liquid topcoat, such as Resolene, applied after dyeing to protect color and add a light sheen or water resistance.
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- Leather weight (oz)
- The thickness of leather measured in ounces, where each ounce equals about 1/64 inch or roughly 0.4 mm of thickness.
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- Pricking iron
- A pronged, hammer-struck tool that marks or partially pierces evenly spaced holes as a guide for hand stitching leather.
- Read more about pricking ironRelated: Best Pricking Irons for Clean, Slanted Saddle Stitches
- Round knife
- A crescent-shaped blade, sharpened along its curved edge, used for cutting straight lines, curves, and complex shapes in leather.
- Read more about round knifeRelated: Best Round Knives and Head Knives for Leatherwork
- Saddle stitch
- Hand stitching done with two needles and one waxed thread pulled through each hole, producing a seam stronger than a machine lockstitch.
- Read more about saddle stitchRelated: Best Leather Needles for Hand Stitching and Saddle Stitch
- Skiving
- Thinning down an area of leather, usually at an edge or fold, to reduce bulk before gluing, stitching, or turning a seam.
- Read more about skivingRelated: Best Leather Skiving Knives for Thin, Even Edges
- Stitching chisel
- A pronged punching tool that drives all the way through leather in one strike, cutting the holes a saddle stitch is sewn through.
- Read more about stitching chiselRelated: Best Stitching Chisels for Hand-Sewn Leather Projects
- Stitching groover
- A hand tool that cuts a shallow channel along a leather edge so a row of stitches sits slightly recessed and protected.
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- Stitching pony
- A clamp, often shaped like an upright wooden vise, that holds a leather piece steady so both hands are free to saddle stitch.
- Read more about stitching ponyRelated: Best Stitching Ponies and Clamps for Leatherwork
- Vegetable-tanned leather
- Leather tanned with plant-based tannins instead of chemicals, prized for its firmness, natural color, and ability to be tooled or stamped.
- Read more about vegetable-tanned leatherRelated: Best Veg Tan Leather for Tooling, Carving, and Home Leathercraft
- Waxed thread
- Polyester or linen thread coated in wax for extra strength, grip, and water resistance in hand stitched leather work.
- Read more about waxed threadRelated: Best Waxed Thread for Leather Stitching
- Wet molding
- Shaping dampened vegetable-tanned leather over or into a form so it dries permanently holding that new, rigid shape.
- Read more about wet molding