I need supplies for entry-level leatherworking. Difficulty : cat toys.
August 17, 2013 1:03 PM Subscribe
I want to learn how to make cat toys for Captain Tightpants. I've got the design, I know exactly what I want to make... but I lack supplies and some knowledge.
Our cat is a beast who has run through what I expected was a year's worth of cat toys in a couple of months. Dismembered, disemboweled stuffed mice are collected on a regular basis and every time he's sad to see his most recent favorite disappear. These things need to be made of sturdier stuff! Leather seems like the best answer.
I assume I'll want a non-chemically-tanned leather (something vegetable-tanned, maybe?) to avoid potentially harmful effects as a result of him licking and biting it. What else? A big needle? What do you use for thread? Rawhide? Will normal house scissors be sufficient to cut the bits?
Basically I know exactly what I want to make. Thus ends my knowledge of how to make a leather cat toy. What do I need?
Our cat is a beast who has run through what I expected was a year's worth of cat toys in a couple of months. Dismembered, disemboweled stuffed mice are collected on a regular basis and every time he's sad to see his most recent favorite disappear. These things need to be made of sturdier stuff! Leather seems like the best answer.
I assume I'll want a non-chemically-tanned leather (something vegetable-tanned, maybe?) to avoid potentially harmful effects as a result of him licking and biting it. What else? A big needle? What do you use for thread? Rawhide? Will normal house scissors be sufficient to cut the bits?
Basically I know exactly what I want to make. Thus ends my knowledge of how to make a leather cat toy. What do I need?
Unless you plan to punch large holes along the seams so you can lace this together, I'd suggest a waxed linen thread meant for leatherworking.
There are special needles for sewing leather. They're not just larger than average; they have triangular points, with 3 sharp edges that slice a hole in the leather. Pushing a round-pointed needle meant for fabric through leather is really difficult.
Can't advise you on leather toxicity.
posted by jon1270 at 1:32 PM on August 17, 2013
There are special needles for sewing leather. They're not just larger than average; they have triangular points, with 3 sharp edges that slice a hole in the leather. Pushing a round-pointed needle meant for fabric through leather is really difficult.
Can't advise you on leather toxicity.
posted by jon1270 at 1:32 PM on August 17, 2013
You want one of these punches and some waxed thread if you're using thicker leather.
posted by mareli at 1:33 PM on August 17, 2013
posted by mareli at 1:33 PM on August 17, 2013
Even with waxed linen thread and a leather needle, you'll still need an awl to punch stitch holes through the leather if it's the thickness of a belt. Thinner, fabric-weight leathers can be sewn on machine or by hand with just a standard leather needle, but I'm not sure if they're vegetable-tanned. If you have a leather supply shop in your town (in PDX we have Oregon Leather Company), they can advise you on all these issues and will either carry the tools you need or can point you to a vendor that does. (My leatherworking instructor advised Tandy Leather for entry-level tools.)
Finally, that is the best cat picture ever. I'm in love! :3
posted by homodachi at 2:57 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Finally, that is the best cat picture ever. I'm in love! :3
posted by homodachi at 2:57 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Tandy Leather and a hole punch like the one mareli linked to or even better, one of these http://www.amazon.com/Vktech-Stainless-Steel1-Diamond-Leather/dp/B00CBRVKOK which come in various widths for cutting different hole sizes. the smaller the holes, the more tightly your thread will be locked in place. also a simple leather craft book should help a lot. you can buy waxed thread or just buy linen thread and pull it through the edge of a block of beeswax to wax it yourself. the wax keeps the thread from slipping back as you sew and it also helps to lock the threads in place. you'll need two needles for sewing and you need to sew with both needles in opposite directions (here's where the diagrams in any $8.00 Dover leathercraft book will come in handy). basically if you were to sew with one thread through each hole you would have a dotted line of empty spaces between every other stitch leaving your stitching fairly weak. by using two needles, one for the front and one from the back, then as each needle passes though a hole it leaves a stitch on its respective side and gives you a double strength seam. the wax is important here as it locks the threads together inside each hole. you don't need to push both through at the same time, you can start a row of ten or twenty with one thread and then catch-up and do the rest with the other.
you'll also need a ruler, a cutting board, and slim handled utility knife with plenty of sharp extra blades. making paper mock-ups will also save you a lot of head aches and false starts.
a good leather for you might be shoe-sole leather as it's really tough and thick. i'd check though and confirm about toxicity. no leather is meant to be chewed on unless its rawhide for chew toys. you could potentially even use rawhide but you'd need to wet it before sewing and flex it to soften it.
if your town has a library i suggest going there and checking out what kind of leather craft books they have. seriously, the simple diagrams in most books will be endlessly informative.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 4:26 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
you'll also need a ruler, a cutting board, and slim handled utility knife with plenty of sharp extra blades. making paper mock-ups will also save you a lot of head aches and false starts.
a good leather for you might be shoe-sole leather as it's really tough and thick. i'd check though and confirm about toxicity. no leather is meant to be chewed on unless its rawhide for chew toys. you could potentially even use rawhide but you'd need to wet it before sewing and flex it to soften it.
if your town has a library i suggest going there and checking out what kind of leather craft books they have. seriously, the simple diagrams in most books will be endlessly informative.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 4:26 PM on August 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
What a great photo of your cat.
Here are some leather tools from Noc Bay Trading Company. You can also find a wide variety of leathers at Crazy Crow Trading Post. You would want to call or email with a place like Crazy Crow about the buckskin they sell for making clothing. Since they are selling buckskin for people, including children, to wear, they should be able to tell you about the tanning process used on their various hides and if there are any chemicals or anything in the tanning process for their leathers that would make it unsafe for a cat to chew on.
You might also consider something like the braintan (i.e. not chemically tanned) buckskin that you could get from a place like Occoquan Paleotechnics. This is a small business, so you can contact the owner about getting some buckskin pieces that you could use to make cat toys and for advice on tools. (Full disclosure, I am acquainted with the owner of this business, as he used to work in my workplace; we are not friends, just acquaintances.)
posted by gudrun at 8:59 AM on August 18, 2013
Here are some leather tools from Noc Bay Trading Company. You can also find a wide variety of leathers at Crazy Crow Trading Post. You would want to call or email with a place like Crazy Crow about the buckskin they sell for making clothing. Since they are selling buckskin for people, including children, to wear, they should be able to tell you about the tanning process used on their various hides and if there are any chemicals or anything in the tanning process for their leathers that would make it unsafe for a cat to chew on.
You might also consider something like the braintan (i.e. not chemically tanned) buckskin that you could get from a place like Occoquan Paleotechnics. This is a small business, so you can contact the owner about getting some buckskin pieces that you could use to make cat toys and for advice on tools. (Full disclosure, I am acquainted with the owner of this business, as he used to work in my workplace; we are not friends, just acquaintances.)
posted by gudrun at 8:59 AM on August 18, 2013
On the extremely lo-fi side of cat toy making, you can take two strips of denim from old jeans, then tie them together in a knot so that "tails" flare out from it. Our cat probably wouldn't rank it the #1 cat toy, but she does find it compelling enough to chase when it's tossed.
posted by ignignokt at 9:17 PM on August 19, 2013
posted by ignignokt at 9:17 PM on August 19, 2013
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