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GrampaJoel

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Posts posted by GrampaJoel

  1. Posted · Report reply

    How about just getting a screwdriver the right width and just punch a pattern you like. 
    It seems that thread is being used for the design,  so I would think that the punched spaces wouldn’t need to be very big.

    As a thought to myself shared. I don’t think going over the edge of the belt would be good for the thread life.

     It seems to me it would be a place to wear out and then the thread design would unravel.

    Joel

  4. Posted · Edited by GrampaJoel · Report reply

    It’s your second belt. Ok. It looks very usable.

    I say wear it with pride, and see what you like/don’t like about it.

    If you continue leather working you probably will make more. 

    I don’t care for the black thread against the natural.

    I would use a light colored thread. Like off white.

    But that’s just me.

    keep going and perfect your skills.

    Joel
     

     

  5. Posted · Report reply

    I don’t have an answer for you. Sorry.

    I have one of the numerous brands of this model pictured below. It has a heat digital reading windows. It also has a calibrated slide out table.
    I marked the table where my stamp hit when pressed,, and it helped get the slide out  table centered.
    Then it became the struggle of consistency getting the stamp centered in the part that did the pressing. Very frustrating.
    The machine ‘ Seemed’ really cool when I first got it. It does a nice job if precision isn’t needed over and over.
    However,, I seldom use it now. It was just to hard to get the temperature to be the same each time. And so on and so on.

    instead I use a item that is like a soldering iron. I have better luck squaring things up with it. 
    The press while very cool in idea,  is like all tools.
    Until they are mastered, they can be frustrating.

    Joel

     

    IMG_1251.jpeg

  6. Posted · Report reply

    What a neat idea!

    I am not familiar with the machine you are using. I had a cobra class 4  for years and it would sew just about anything. So I was spoiled.

    I would suggest, that If your machine won’t punch through the bison, or if it is to thick to go under the presser foot. I think thinning the leather would be the next step.

    Bison hide is pretty tough. It should hold well, even if thinned a bit. 

    Joel

  7. Posted · Report reply

    I don’t care so much about the prices.
    But the quality for the price is what caught my eye.

    here’s a photo from the site. $125.00 wallet reduced to $75.00.

    notice the three areas I have arrowed. Stained thread on front of the wallet.
    Splitting where the card slots meet the edge.

    Messed up sewing on inside at the card slot edges.

    I guess it expect more quality for $125.., or even marked down to $75.00.

    Joel

     

    ..IMG_1238.jpeg.22a592e0d62e4eb4cae166f463bdbf3e.jpeg

     

  8. Posted · Report reply

    My original posting was to the poor quality of the wallets.

    I know business. 36 years of it.

    I know costs to operate. Managed a business of almost a $500,000.00 a week in sales.

     I don’t see clicker cut wallet pieces.  I see poorly hand cut card slots.

    I see unfinished edges that don’t match. Edged, and  uneven and poorly burnished , if actually burnished.

    I see poor sewing. Etc., etc.

    I see poor quality hand made wallets bragging about being made in the USA, (As if that guaranteed the high quality of their products, )

    that they are selling  for outrageous prices.

    and I don’t understand it.

    I just don’t get it. I doubt I ever will.

    Joel

  9. Posted · Report reply

    32 minutes ago, Heartless said:

    i am definitely not impressed, at all..
    and I already know I am old...  and old school. If you are going to do something, do it right, or dont bother.

    Hate to say it, but far too many have no clue what real quality is anymore. They are so used to cheap, Chinese made goods that even half a$$ed stuff can impress if it carries the "Made in *your location here*" label 

    I live in the USA, and to a lot of folks here, "Made in the USA" is supposed to mean high quality... sorry, but what I saw on that website is not what I would call high quality. I think Sup hit the nail on the head.. blinded by the slick website.

    I guess this is my beef also. I ALWAYS felt I was getting quality, if an item was marked. Made in USA.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    3 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

    I have to agree with you about the quality and how much people will charge and what people will pay. Like you said and I feel the same.

    Over here I see even a lot less quality but the marketing seems to make the average consumer blind. Their website is where the quality really shows a skill set to be admired. Baffles me that we could make wallets like those in less than 1/4 of the time than the wallets we make and still not get the same $$$$:dunno:

    Yes the web site is VERY upscale.

    So is the picture of their store in Oregon.

    I truly wonder if I am seeking to produce way to much perfection in my work. 
    I can knock out wallets like that all day. And I would toss everyone into the junk bin.

    But I couldn’t with a clear  conscience  ask people to pay for them.

    I would even have a hard time giving them away, knowing how poorly they would be made.
     

    Joel

     

  12. Posted · Report reply

    The question of ‘How much to charge?’ , has been pondered here and asked here over the years.

    Awhile ago a crafter asked that question here.
    I answered as honestly as possible in my opinion.

    However, my answer wasn’t well received by the ‘Original Poster’.


    Ok.

    So since then, I been questioning myself in regards to the ‘quality of goods to price ratio’ that I would charge, and what IS, real quality.

    I have spent months perusing many, many leather goods web sites. searching for answers to my questions.
    This morning I happened upon this website claiming USA hand made leather goods. https://www.tannergoods.com

    I looked around the site and at the items listed for sale. Their quality of build and prices.

    NOW, I don’t mean this as a hit or disrespect to the site or their goods for sale.
    I’ll explain shortly.

    But in my opinion, I have better quality items in my Opp’s ,,,junk pile.

    Hence my questioning of my thoughts about, what is real quality and it’s price ratio.

    Well, apparently people do buy merchandise of this quality for the posted prices from the website.

    I obviously don’t understand why,

    maybe unfinished edges,,are the new style.
    Perhaps pieces haphazardly cut away from their cut lines,, are in style.
    Perhaps edges not glued completely,,are now in style.
    Perhaps machine sewing using the wrong size needle to thread ration with fuzzy unfinished ends are now in style.

    perhaps,,,, I’m just no longer in style,,,expecting quality for dollars spent.
    perhaps my perceptions of quality and it’s ratio to dollars spent  are no longer in style.
    I am getting pretty old after all.

    Soooo. 

    Please take a look at the link I posted above. Enlarge the pictures of the items for sale. Tell me. Am I way out of style?

    I will except all replies with honest consideration.

    and once again. I mean no disrespect to the website or its maker(s). 
    I am just seeking some answers.

    thanks 

    Joel

     

     

     

     

     

  23. Posted · Report reply

    18 hours ago, mikesherman said:

    So here are the pics of the sunflower wallet in it's final form (unfinished, sad story to follow.)

    mid_fin(2).thumb.JPG.b3f3bed27c80594b571efe614c823235.JPGmid_fin(1).thumb.JPG.2ffe108328ec3c4dfad380abcdabf3d0.JPG

    mid_fin(4).thumb.JPG.c6e556a5cd90b323c11d363507cfc2d0.JPGmid_fin(3).thumb.JPG.5c248f2087bc8613caa8ea17eb72c6b4.JPG

    Sadly, this is as far as I will go with this design, as it has some fatal flaws. No sense in throwing more time and materials at it...

    First off, the horizontal lazy pockets are super awkward and create a huge amount of bulk in the wallet. They also cause the cards to stack up in a way that I can only image will actually damage the cards. No bueno.

    Second, the outer stitch line for the pocket nearest the wrap around closure would project straight thru the tooling area. Lining the wallet would solve this problem, as the wallet at that end could be stitched to the lining; but, lining increases the bulk of the wallet. I'm trying to avoid bulking up wallets with extra unnecessary material. I could also reduce the tooling area, but I really like the idea of being able to cover the entire shell with contiguous tooling. Not a deal breaker though, so if I can work out the pockets problem I'll revisit this issue.

    I also learned that however carefully I cut, it never seems to be quite precise enough. I'll have to learn to leave some ease at the edges and trim everything down later, but this approach introduces some other challenges that I'll have to work out...namely, how to place stitch lines, hardware and tooling windows accurately if I don't actually know where the edges of the project are?

    Regardless, I learned a lot from this experience, and I still enjoyed cutting up some leather and trying to turn it into something beautiful. Thank you to everyone for taking a look. If anyone has some ideas as to how I might work out these problems, I'm all ears!

    Thanks much - Mike

     

     

    I would suggest that you might save your wallet by pulling the pockets and re-doing them. Forgive my finger drawing. But maybe it will help.

    you might try using a thin leather, and instead of four pieces of leather, use just two.
    Folding them in half will give you the pockets.

    using a double sided tape on the folded pocket on the snap area/side would close the long side. Then all you would need to stitch would be the ends, and the wallet would be usable.

     

    EACA42D9-6352-40FA-BAE8-2C8BF4B901CB.jpeg

  25. Posted · Report reply

    The only problem I have ever had with Herman oak was when I bought tannery run. I know they say tannery run is the standard, but there is a choice, or select grading also.

    but even then tannery run was better quality than what I had purchased from Tandy. 

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