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SirNanigans

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About SirNanigans

  • Rank
    Member
  • Birthday 12/01/1990

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Northwest Chicago Suburbs
  • Interests
    Medieval Crafts
    Bowmaking
    Videogames
    Computers
    Exercise

LW Info

  • Leatherwork Specialty
    None at the moment
  • Interested in learning about
    Profitable Leather Crafts
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  1. Others have mentioned the strap underneath idea, and I second that. I made similar pauldrons with hardened leather riveted together to pivot and it took me two days to do the math for the rivet placement and piece dimensions (if the pieces can slip past eachother they will look sloppy and uneven). As for the lining/smell, just line the straps and the plate that hold to your chest. Everything else won't touch the skin much. I actually lined mine with vehicle headliner fabric and pig suede (yes, more leather). The pig suede doesn't smell awful, buy has taken on 'human' odor. Then again, I wear mine shirtless so I don't sweat much. You may have a different experience if you are fully garbed.
  2. I am in the market for a flask, and I plan to make a custom leather wrap as well. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get any results from a search asking for "high quality, plain flasks". When researching flasks of good quality, everything I get is either engraved or otherwise decorated, or already has a leather wrap on it. Wasted money, me thinks. So, I am here asking anyone with experience making custom flask wraps if they know of a brand or model of high quality to use as a blank. Obviously it would be nice to have the lip on the top and bottom to make the wrap more seemless, but the most important thing is, of course, that it's robust and reliable. I don't plan to buy more than one flask, and I don't want to end up with something that's dented or cross-threaded right away because it's cheap. For this reason, I figured I would ask before I buy. Thanks a bunch for reading, and another bunch for responding! EDIT As I continue to search, I have discovered 'Top Shelf Flasks'. Of course the marketing says good things about them and even includes some real facts like 5mm thick 304 stainless construction. However, user reviews for flasks are scarce and everywhere I go, these flasks are priced between $1 and $5, even though the "suggested retail price" is $20. That pricing makes me feel like it's over-marketed junk... information is so scarce on this topic it's killin' me.
  3. Hmm... Camano, I think you might be right. The silicone idea is farfetched, in my opinion, although I am most excited to see how it works. Silicone rubber is very, very grippy in the form that I have it now, and I doubt that a medium like leather will change that. However, your prediction that adding a new surface is necessary gives me more confidence in the shellac idea. I will try applying shellac at several different pound cuts to see if the level of saturation changes anything, and then try waxing it with a paste wax that hardens a bit if it's not slick enough. My only concern with wax is that constant friction will erode the wax quickly, especially where my hand contacts the pad rather than the teflon feet. Hopefully shellac, silicone, wax, satin sheen, or some other applied surface will do the trick. Otherwise I am switching to black anodized steel, not as classy but very functional. Perhaps I could get a teflon surface for a mouse pad as well... that would be exciting to test out.
  4. Thanks for the tips. I know already that I will be using 7-9oz tooling leather, from a shoulder cut. It's what I have, and this is going to be a $10 or less project. I will certainly test those ideas. Perhaps to imitate the hot stuffed leather I can saturate some with the neatsfoot oil I have? Durability aside, maybe this will help me predict the results of the hot stuffed leather. As for the Mop and Glow, I bet I have that where I work, so that's an idea. A primary concern is the softness of the leather. Of course leather is much more firm than cloth, but it's not as firm as the hard plastic mouse pads made for this kind of slick feel. I currently use cloth, and I am trying to make a mouse pad that works like plastic but looks and feels (to the limits of our senses) like leather. So something I am really interested in achieving is a flexible surface that is hard and/or rough on a molecular level. This will create the feel of a flexible natural surface for the human hand, but provide a slick and hard surface for the Teflon feet to glide across. Its a tough problem to solve. I will start some trials with wax and finishes, but still await some ideas for harder materials like lacquer/shellac or rubbers that can be worked into or onto the surface without changing the appearance too much.
  5. I have decided to make a classy and high quality mouse pad to go with my new PC peripherals. The aesthetic is crucial, but functionality is the most important part. Aesthetically, I want it black and simple to match the simplicity of my keyboard. Functionally, I want it slick, and I mean slick like greased up ice. So my quandary is how make a lasting slick surface from leather that can be easily renewed as it wears but wears rather slow, and how to make it without an artificial glazed look. Any ideas? As far as I have brainstormed, I have come up with these ideas: -Wax, wax, wax. Just soak it through with the stuff. -Rub in some if my black silicone caulk, possibly thinned. -Rub in shellac prior to waxing As far as the silicone caulk idea goes, I know that silicone is used extensively in lubricants, but that its thick, pure form is too squishy and grips things. Perhaps the support of the leather and the microscopic thickness of the silicone surface will help negate that squishiness and allow the silicone to act as a lubricant rather than a grip. I chose the caulk over a lubricant spray because it's opaque black (helps enforce the color of the finish), it's going to cure and hopefully be more lasting, and it's free because I already have some. Any thoughts on this in particular? Thank you much for reading; +1 thanks for responding.
  6. Thanks for the advice guys. Sturme, my only disagreement is more of a difference in perspective, and that's that I am just trying to refund myself and get some cash in my pocket right now, because I am only weeks away from owing money that I do not have. Otherwise, I completely understand your advice, and as a perfectionist, I will undoubtedly be concerned for the quality of my products. If I choose to continue making leather crafts after I run out of these supplied, then I will certainly be following your advice. Dwight, that sounds like good advice, too. Perhaps the best way to make my money quickly and efficiently is to simply sell it before I make it. Not literally, of course, but making a product and searching for the right consumer might take longer than finding any consumer and then making their product. Thanks again. Think I might try a whirl at something new. Although it would risk ruining my materials if I screw up, I do hate making the same thing twice, and some gauntlets are calling my name...
  7. First of all, Hello! I am new to this community, and have joined because I may be taking up leatherworking as a profitable hobby. Recently, I have created a renaissance faire costume - also my first leatherworking project. Although I made some rookie mistakes with measurements, order of operations, etc., I found that the process of working leather came naturally and that by the end of the months long project I was able to produce some simple greaves (tooled, dyed, finished, riveted) in under 2 hours, looking just as nice as the rest of the armor. The project encompassed everything from cutting, tooling, hardening, dying, and finishing 9oz leather; to hand stitching through it as well as through suede to line the armor and conceal padding (was meant to be worn on bare skin... gotta have that padding). So the armor ran me about $300 - $350, and a recent occupational switch to part time has rendered me dirt poor and in need of cash, but with some extra spare time, so I turn my gaze to the heaping pile of leftover materials that has accumulated. I have... 9oz Tooling Shoulder (~10sqft) Softy Pig Suede (~4sqft) Rabbit Furs (3.5 furs) Dark Brown Antique Dye Blockout Satin Finish Weatherproofing Compound Etc... ...and I need to make things out of it to get my money back. So I have found this awesome looking community and I ask it this: In the interest of making money, what kind of projects should I consider making from my leftovers? I am putting profitability above all else, but in the event of a preference being necessary, I prefer to make old-school items. No, not 1980's old-school, more like 1380's old-school. I have made bows, bullroarers, didgeridoos, etc. Heck, I even boiled my own hide glue to attach the rawhide to my bow, so I am certainly a fan of cool stuff the way it used to be made. Fantasy gear is definitely an option, and so is quality gear that is used all the time, like wallets and watchbands. I sadly know nothing of gun/knife sheaths, which I have read is profitable. ...anyway, thanks a lot for reading! Bonus thanks for responding, and expect to see pictures of my materials and armor when my phone is repaired!
  8. Hello, strange new community of artisans and hobbyists! I've been brought to your community through some hours of searching for profitable crafting ventures to embark upon with my leftover materials from a recent renaissance faire costume. Of course, being the purist that I am (perhaps a bit of a perfectionist as well), I just had to make sure that the armor for my costume was actually armor, and not... well, a costume; this has left me with quite the expensive pile of 9oz tooling leather, pigskin suede, rabbit furs, waxed thread, rivets, blockout, dye, finish, weatherproofing, etc. So here I am, trying to fill in my spare time making my money back. Currently I need to make about $300 to match expenses, and I only have about 20% of my materials left over. Short of selling the actual armor peices I made (could probably make $300 on them alone, if only I had a will to sell them), I can only think to make some common leathercraft items out of my premium materials and sell them for a pretty penny. I, of course, understand that this means a quality production and not just quality materials, and, of course, I understand that my armor was indeed the very first leathercraft project I have ever attempted. That said, I feel I did a good job, and that my experience in other crafts combined with my innate perfectionism will allow me to make a fine product worth a sale. I do, of course, have one problem... I have no idea what to make. Of all the bows, bullroarers, slings, digeridoos (geez, never realized how big a hippy I am), electronic gadgets (that's better), flash games, websites, and etc. that I have made in my life, I have never once tried to make money on any of it. So it suffices to say that I am a level 0 newbie at selling things or business in general. And there enlies the reason for this blog... I will be posting images of my materials and past projects to begin with, and perhaps keeping my new projects logged here as a receptacle for criticism and advice. Enjoy!
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