If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to keep your workshop humming, maintaining your leatherworking skills is just as important as keeping your tools in tip-top shape. It’s a bit like sharpening your mind as well as your blade, because both need regular attention to stay at their best. Besides, brushing up on these skills can turn a daunting task into something you might actually enjoy, and you’ll find that even seasoned pros can benefit from a refresher or two.

The Walsall Leather Skills Centre is a community interest company (CIC) operating under a Service Level Agreement signed with the Worshipful Company of Saddlers in October 2023.  They have committed to delivering a range of general and specialist classes and workshops teaching the vocational skills and imparting the knowledge required to develop and maintain a skilled workforce for the UK’s saddlery trade and leathergoods manufacturing, whether factory, small business or craft.

The centre is a resource for the leatherworking community and any organisations that support the preservation and transmission of centuries old leather craft and manufacturing skills.  It occupies a spacious, well-resourced premises in Walsall within a short walk from the train and bus stations.  It is well equipped with a knife press, sewing and seaming machines, a skiving machine, a Fortuna splitter, compressor and a range of bench top equipment including staple guns.  There’s also a wide selection of tools, materials and leather and benches for eight, which is the maximum class size.

Having long been involved in leatherwork and the various offshoot skills required to complete some of the jobs that have come into the workshop, I decided to embark on some up-skilling days out and turned to the Walsall workshops to complete some of their courses.

Taking care of your tools is absolutely essential if you want your workshop to run smoothly; after all, nobody wants to be the bad workman blaming their tools! When your knives, edge shaves, slitting blades and awls aren’t at their best, even the simplest tasks can feel like you’re wrestling a bear. So, with my trusty toolbox packed and just a hint of nervous excitement, I headed off to Walsall, ready to tackle whatever challenges lay ahead and give my gear the TLC.

It’s a long time since I had been at school and I wasn’t much good at it then!   It turns out, I needn’t have worried because I really landed on my feet in Walsall. There were three of us booked for the course, but only two showed up. The other chap was a complete newcomer to leatherworking, though he brought along some fascinating tools, so we both settled in for a lively day that was hands-on and full of learning.

Our tutor Christer Dalberg is something of a legend, having started out at Cordwainers’ Capel Manor, after making the trek all the way from Sweden to learn the craft.  He then became a tutor and he’s now one of the mainstays at the Walsall workshop. He was both informative and engaging and, as luck would have it, we discovered we’d actually met a few years ago when he brought students to Ashfields to check out harness fitting and the carriage collection.

We kicked off with knife-sharpening techniques, experimenting with angles and figuring out just how much metal to shave off. Stropping your knife, which is polishing and refining the edge with leather or even string for those super fine angles on edge shaves, turned out to be crucial. We explored different sharpening stones, made our own strop and tested sharpness. Knowing which edge to sharpen and how to do it makes a world of difference.  When you get it just right, the blade glides through leather like butter and you can work with much more finesse. It’s a bit like magic!

We also looked at my fellow pupil’s skiving machine, which he had hauled in a massive suitcase. With a bit of teamwork and some research, we figured out its original purpose and how he could modify it for his own craft which is combining gorgeous Japanese fabrics with leather to create unique items inspired by Japanese culture. Who knew leatherwork could take you on such a global adventure?

Christer shared loads of handy tips and techniques, and I can honestly say they’ve made a huge difference for me. I left the workshop feeling inspired and eager to learn even more about leatherworking.

What’s great about these courses is that they welcome both beginners and experienced leatherworkers. It’s perfect for those juggling other jobs or, like me, self-employed folks who can’t take weeks off for training, but can squeeze in a day here or there to pick up specialty skills. You get just enough guidance to sharpen your craft without disrupting your routine.

The workshop’s central location in Walsall makes parking a breeze and there are plenty of car parks nearby. And, fingers crossed, if all goes well, the Museum of Leatherwork (currently closed) might soon be relocated just opposite the workshops, bringing the whole area together and making it even more of a hub for leathercraft enthusiasts.

Over the coming year there are some very interesting specialist course coming up being delivered by some of the best harness makers and saddlers in the country, combining the traditional and modern skills used to make your harness and saddlery as well as other interesting leatherwork.  If you ever find yourself in Walsall, it’s well worth a trip to soak up what is still the most populated area of workshops, including the leatherworking trade, in the UK.

For more information about the centre, courses and options please consult the excellent website – Home – WALSALL LEATHER Skills Centre