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These are photos of a couple I have done for Mares Leg Rifles The Shoulder Rig was for a really good client (I didn't want to make it) The bullet loop "strap" on the "off side" helps hold the weight of the rifle. Not shown in photos... A strap with a snap over the rifle for retention Leg strap to kep it from swinging while walking The Saddle Scabbard was for a client that rides in the northern AZ mountains often. He has seen and been stalked by mountain lions at times. He liked the Mares Leg because it was small and chambered in a large caliber (I think it was a .45 Long Colt?) and didn't want a rifle hanging on the saddle swell (front part under the horn) or one running under his leg. Hanging from the rear rigging ring on the saddle was ideal for how he wanted to carry it. Two buckle straps hold it on, one through the rigging ring and a lower strap around the rear cinch strap keeps it from swinging and bouncing on the horses side. (I didn't take photos of the back attachment straps 😐)

Good advice so far, and I will throw out a little more. Some based on being a vender (leather shows) and some as a person who visits a lot of antique fairs, shops, and some farmer's market/craft fairs. You have three things going on in one booth - teas/botanicals, crystals, and your leather work. You need separate signage for each. That signage should be readable from at least a 10 foot distance from the front of the booth. You have about the 3 seconds it takes for them to walk by to grab their attention and for them to decide if there is something they are interested in. Sometimes I look at a booth and immediately think - too unrelated and stirred together, not serious. Other times I see a booth with signs for Tupperware and used motorcycle parts and I'm like "That's a hell of a mix! I need to talk to these people, they gotta be fun!" No reason to assume in either scenario but I guess I do. In the later case I am probably leaving with a food storage item, a greasy crescent wrench, and new contacts that I didn't have on my radar screen walking in. Candy dish - wrapped and all that. The 1 pound tub of Red Vines? - I ain't touching that when it's had 27 hands in it already. Mix of chocolate (fun size and not those minute mini's), some kind of soft mints, and something like individual wrapped licorice. The whole world loves Tootsie rolls and again - midgies and not the little rabbit turd size. MY wife has put the "no hard candy rule" in for us, choking risk for kids. Have a garbage can or basket with a little sign by it available for wrappers. That little bit of time when they are opening and tossing the wrapper is an engageable moment. Here is something that became HUGE for us. A separate bowl with signage for sugar-free candy. Several years ago one of our fellow venders asked if we had sugar free, she is diabetic. I told her for sure we would next time. I am still amazed at the response. First show with sugar free a lady with a diabetic kid was all over us thanking us. At the Prescott leather show one guy thanked us and said a lot of the people in Navajo Nation are diabetic. Our booth is now his first stop! At the last several shows now we have expanded to about half regular and half sugar free, and often run out of the sugar free first. Take home stuff - business cards at a minimum. Maybe brochures. Brochures can be printed on your computer probably with a software template you've got pre-installed. After our first show I was looking at giveaway promo stuff besides business cards - pens and stuff like that. My friend suggested 6 inch rulers with my info on them. handy size to go in your pocket, you always need to measure stuff, etc. OK, I'll try some. Let's just say that 13,000 rulers later - it has been a good suggestion. Ditto for stickers. You don't have to give away expensive stuff, but have something that helps to keep people remembering you. Start small and grow. Bags - definitely. You can buy paper bags and a rubber stamp and stamp your logo, apply stickers, something to get started. One I got rolling - my promotional products guy again. I can buy good sized reusable shopping bags with my logo cheaper than most paper bags. Talking to people - some of this is from a seminar I was at eons ago. First and foremost - engage people with what you have to sell. You are there to sell not chat it up like you are in the checkout line at the grocery store. Don't comment on the weather first - you are not a meteorologist and they know if it is hot/cold/humid/raining/nice weather same as you. Don't ask how they are doing if you don't know them personally. Most people are going to say fine or OK and go on. If they stop, you are screwed. You are going to hear about their dental or medical issues, ingrate kids, crummy neighbor, or latest car repair. Start with what you have - We are a little family business. My daughter has beautiful crystals, my wife has some really good teas and botanicals, and I do handmade leather goods and am also the chauffer that lugs the heavy stuff guy. You don't have to be a used-car salesman, but let them know YOU made it and you can do more items than what they see there. I can go to some 'handmade" craft shows and see the exact same items in three or four booths. Unfortunately, that can be the mentality of your buyers that handmade means some village or cottage industry in another country. Not many people wake up and think "I'll go to the craft show because I need a new handmade belt or wallet". Probably more like "Honey, I know I've played a lot of golf this week, how about we do something together - maybe go to the craft show tomorrow and we can get lunch after". It is his get-out-of-jail-free card. Sales on site are nearly all impulse buys - but they plant the seed for the good orders with the right people. Feedback at and after the show - Once you are set up ask someone in show management for suggestions on your booth space for next time. They see it all, and they really want to see you succeed and come back. Same for other venders - ask what they think. Ask customers during the show. You might get the chatty one that you can ask what they think about the layout. For items you have laid out you can ask them what else they might be interested in besides what you've got, either a custom order or suggestion for next time. As the show winds down talk to other venders - maybe everyone had a bad /good/average day. If you like the experience want to try it more, ask them about other shows that might be a fit for what you sell. Debrief with the family on the way home. what could we do different, what worked and didn't.

Hey, Tilda! Welcome from northern Canada! Hopefully I'll get to see some of your collar designs.

That looks like a cool hobby. Some pals and I made up a small rocket stove and used it to forge a bit of aluminum. Looks like you have managed a lot more heat than that. Have you heard of the 'lost wax method' of casting? Ten or fifteen years ago, a youtuber copied it with the 'lost PLA method', allowing him to 3d print blanks, and cast complex shapes. Too much infrastructure needed to do anything like that in my teeny shop, but I hope to see more about yours!

Got a 'money clipper' template from Tandy, and tried a few versions of it. The hardware is a bit boring, but I haven't seen much different. Please feel free to share any criticisms, or especially suggestions for improving. Coarse language and abusive adverbs welcome, but please stick to gentle adjectives.

Beautiful work. Not the sling I usually see. Are they for a specific type of use? Beautiful work. Not the sling I usually see. Are they for a specific type of use? The hunting ones I've seen are all joined at 2 points.

Yeah, I had a pal ask me to make a bullet sleeve for the stock of his bear gun. I told him no thanks. Prefer to make wallets for now. If someone loses their money it isn't as devastating as a bear-gun being 'wrong' somehow.

I recently got a saddle into the shop for cleaning, inspection, and repairs along with a breastplate. I let the owner know about any the issues they don't know about. When it came to the breastplate I explained the bottom strap was severly cracked and should be replaced. They asked if I could just patch it and move on. I explaind that if one part of a strip is bad the rest is on it's way out. The cost to replace the whole piece and patching it would wind up being the same but with the patch there's a chance the old leather will fail. They agreed with the repair.

Finished up these Leather Single Point Slings for a couple of good friends. They wanted these for their ARs. The old girl is sewing really nice.

But the shoe polish fixed everything. Her responses to the comments tell the story.

You have a sewing machine, make cool cloth bags with your logo on them, they are eco-friendly, "sustainable", and blah blah blah LOL.

And artificial intelligence is learning from these people, don't our grandkids have a great future to look forward to? She actually replied to one person that she had been doing this for years. I love watching you tube it s a big part of my tv time. but darn you can get led into some bad info real easy if you dont have a good understanding of the subject. I've seen it here, people sign on the forum, lurk a while,ask a few questions, read a few threads and all of sudden they are putting out videos like they have been making bespoke watchamacallits for years lol. Saddles, some parts are repairable, some just arent and some saddles arent worth it to repair at all. Safety gear I won't touch at all. If it's worn out but so much of a cherished thing you can't get rid of it, then hang it in your den and polish it every day or something, but buy a new one to take its place. Bottom line the way i see it is fixing old stuff can get people hurt, so you have to think for them sometimes and say things they don't want to hear, because they won't accept the reality for whatever reason. A few bucks in your pocket for a quick repair isn't worth the risk to your customer or your livelihood, so there are some things you shouldn't even attempt, and your knowledge in the craft should lead you in that direction if need be.

This is horrifying to watch. I was cringing the whole time. The patch work is dubious, but it might work as a temporary measure, but most saddles are so heavily treated with soap/oil/grease/conditioner etc, that I can never get any glue to stick properly. The girth job... Plenty of stitches across the strap, and I guess it is just out of pure ignorance that she doesn't lift the flap all the way up and reattach some new ones at the webbing. I first made my own girth straps, but I was never really satisfied with them. I buy mine ready made now. They come from England according to my supplier, They have the right feel to them :-) Brgds Jonas

This thread contains a wealth of information about selling and setting up at events. I like the U shape table idea or if there is not room, then one table but lengthwise (not like a counter that you stand behind). Also bring lots of water+ food + snacks for yourselves, buying stuff is costly. Bring lots of change. Have fun Brgds Jonas

Thanks Bruce. Aging brain cells :(( I bought a nice set of strap end punches from him, handled, not hammered.

Don Voss - Cuba, NM Yes dlvtoys is his EBay name

CDK I have one of those. The burnisher on the front of it is what I was referencing. It's a DC motor with an on and off switch. Not variable like the rest of the machine is. I bought mine used and I think I paid $6500 for it with a new painting attachment (yeah I really needed it at the time!). New I think they're like 15k or more? I don't know....Anyway.... I use it sometimes. What I did find useful on the Galli and the Randall Burnisher (made from sewing machine motor) was the slick plastic they faced the little table/shelf with. It might be Teflon, I don't know. Low friction to be sure and seems to aid the fluid movement of the burnish process.

I've purchased tools from Don...... (not Gonzales) near Dulce, NM. Does anyone know his last name or contact info? DLVtoys? Thanks, Mike

Please write up a little set of instructions and start a new thread in https://leatherworker.net/forum/forum/33-computer-help/ Name the thread something related to your brand of phone and directions for posting directly. It may be helpful for other brands and users too. Then I can clean up this thread and get it back on topic. Thanks for your help.

Cat picture purely out of curiosity if it will post a photo direct from camera since links and direct from Google Drive won't.

It also seems to only allow me to take a picture directly from the camera, add from my Google drive, or link to an image. The link box doesn't tell me what the error is, it just turns red.

I'm using Chrome on my Galaxy S24.

@Cumberland HighpowerDid not know about the Galli Burnishing wheels and did a search and came across this beast: https://youtu.be/-hXaNNV9wGo?si=_7ke0kzdVgUQQ9iv Fascinating what machines are out there. I'm actually considering making/building a horizontal burnisher for doing the edges on larger items such as bags and briefcases. I saw such machines being used in some of the videos that I saw on utube and my interest was piqued. I have 2x 750W servo motors that came off sewing machines on hand and considering using 1 of these as I could control the speed with a pedal. Thoughts? @LomaeArts I like your thought process, many ways to accomplish what you are going for.

Exactly, do what method is appropriate for the task at hand and do it correctly else it is a failure.