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JLSleather

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Posts posted by JLSleather

  2. Posted · Report reply

    Keep in mind, people largely don't care HOW you got the item the way you did. You might find the occasional munkey (yeah, deliberate) wiling to pay $100 for a 'guitar strap', which is nothing more than a colored piece of leather stitched around the edges. MOST people are a little smarter than that, I think. Long speeches about how you "hand-sewed" it or "hand-painted" are meaningless if it looks and performs like a $39 off the shelfy.

    So, how many hours it takes it irrelevant. Cyber doesn't like that some would "undervalue" other's work. Probably some truth to that. Sometimes I get people saying "I could do that myself", and I reply "Yes, yes you can" -- before leaving.

    The reverse is also true, though. IF you already had the materials out on the bench, it would take like minutes to dye that strap, and then a few minutes to glue and line it, and then a few more minutes to stitch the edge. Not including dry time, there's a whoppin half hour to the mailbox. BUT, hand stitch it and you are no longer talking about a few minutes. BUT, the strap is not then WORTH MORE. It's still a solid color strap with stitched edges. If the leather is the same quality, and the stitching is well done, sems like these two should cost the same.

    All of that to say this ... I think lots of people remember that old tv commercial ...'If you can't TELL the difference, then why PAY the difference". So perhaps the question is - what can you do that the next guy can't (or wont).

    Where in MN? Just around the corner from me?

  8. Posted · Report reply

    I design in a few programs (dependin'). Once it's a 'deal', I put it in Quicken, which creates an invoice, a 'start' date, a "tentative done" and a "actual done". Then a note in the Outlook calendar ,which comes up first thing in the morning. DUE date on the calendar, and any details i need are on the invoice.

    That works well for about a 6-7 week cycle. Then I'll have like a whole day where I'm standing in the kitchen, cup in one hand, sugar spoon in the other, at the coffee pot counter, thinkiing .. "Okay, what was I gonna do in here again?"...

    :rolleyes2:

  9. Posted · Report reply

    TXAG how many of your clothes are handmade / hand sewn.....they used every piece of machine they could find to make them quicker to keep cost down so they could actually sell them ...

    I make a lot of stuff and i call it handmade because everything about it is done by hand except for the sewing and i tell them i sew on a machine. Now if people want to pay three / four of five times the price i'd hand sew it but in my world it's not going to happen. Their not going to pay 250.00 for something they can buy for 50.00 .

    Everybody saying the same thing, just different words. It MAKES ME MONEY. Machines are used for SPEED to be PRICE COMPETITIVE. Always somebody with a 'spin'.

    Tina's pic is what I was talking about.. NOT the same thing.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    I picked up some chrome leather last week at a Tandy. Not bad stuff, not bad money. Sold by the skin ,and the gal workin there said they're ALL going to that. Leather not sold by the foot any more, but by the PIECE, whether that's a side, shoulder, whatever. Everything.

    This is neither good or bad to me, just putting out that info.

  12. Posted · Edited by JLSleather · Report reply

    There's always a thread about airbrushing somewehre around here. I personally use a siphon feed dual action airbrush. Can't rememebr exactly why at the moment :) Use what you are comfortable with.

    Here's the thing... it does depend on what you want to do with it. I have several brushes, with different size tips. I 'paint' wallets with Fiebings with the wallet in one hand and the brush in the other, smallest tip and needle (see the bird in the avatar). When I go to do a portfolio or photo album, that little 1" (ish) spray will drive you NUTS, and you'll be there forever (ish). I set the small one aside and grab the next one, which is the same except for the tip size. Simple enough. I sometimes think about switching to a gravity fed brush, but likely will just end up usiing both.

    If all you want to do is color a piece of leather and put that "halo" around the edges, an aerosol can from Walmart might be fine (plus, it gives the 7 year old something to do). But you'll find it's more about talent and tenacity than tooling. Don't think so? Check out this site full of art, all of it done with an inexpensive SINGLE action airbrush. Wow.

    http://www.lizardco.com/murals62.1.html

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Yeah, most don't know the difference, and some of the ones who know don't care. I'm with you .. saddle stitched is better where stress and strain is involved. If you're making flat goods - wallets, notebooks, etc - run 'em through the machine for the speed, whatever.

    I actually saw one guys' 'marketing pitch' that machine sewed was better because the stitches are more even and consistent. HUH?

    BUT, not all 'handmade' is better. I mean, if I need a belt, and have to choose between a beat-down, poorly cut, badly tooled, blotchy dye piece of crap somebody destroyed with their own hands, then give me the cheap crap from Walmart that I'll have to replace in a few months. The hand made crap is NOT worth more than the mass produced crap.

    IF you can get a machine that does what the "handmade" does, faster and/or for less money, then do it. If you make hundreds of wallets (for example) then by all means get a die to cut them out. Makes sense. But the stichers you see around here are NOT makig the same thing as a saddle stitch.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    Well, yeah, two thicknesses of the 4 oz should be "about" as thick as the 8 oz. It wasn't. And the 7/8 oz was pretty close (light 1/8"), which was fine. And the 4 oz was a little under, but useable. Not sure why seemed like the 6/7 was noticeably light. Twice. FIgure 6/7 should be about .100, give 'er take .007. It aint -- more like .09 (which is a 5/6, no?). So, the 6/7 was pretty "6-ish" (twice) and teh 7/8 was "8-ish", so a bit of a gap there.

    Any rate, it's useable leather. Just now I need to buy ANOTHER side to do the projects I need done. I'll use these others, just not for this. I'm just thinking if this is going to be a trend, then I could be doing something more constructive than "cowhide roullette".

    Then, I made a point for a good while of NOT buying multiple sides (at a time) from HO, but if that's what I end up with anyway, then I might well do that and save some time...

  18. Posted · Edited by JLSleather · Report reply

    Nobody else notices a DISTINCT difference in thickness of the leather at SLC? I ordered a 6/7 side but when it got here I was surprised at how thin in was (HO "B" grade). They took it back, and even paid the return shipping. Sent me a 7/8 hide instead, which worked for what I was workng on, and in fact wasn't a bad piece of leather. I ordered a piece of 4/5, and thought it was a "tad" thin, but useable. So today I got another piece of 6/7 which is MUCH thinner than the 7/8 I had left over, and NOT MUCH thicker than the 4/5 left over. All of it supposed to be HO "B" hides (and in all fairness, it tools and dyes fine - just a WEIRD thickness difference with the 6/7 - more than once).

    Oh, yeah .. if you give this leather to a chubby girl, along with some lining leather a bit heavier than you were gonna use to account for the thinner veggie leather, she MIGHT make ona these ...

  21. Posted · Edited by JLSleather · Report reply

    Yeah, been there. I have purchased some worth while stuff at Tandy (I actually like their Royal Meadow tooling leather - bit of a different tannage, just a tad more supple and very bleached color). On teh other hand, I've called Springfield more than once to chew someone. Last time I called for an order the wife put in. I was pretty much fuming, and calmed a bit before I would even call. Lady was polite, so I explained that while I'd like to have that "one place" to get stuff, I dont have time for a 'crap shoot' and returning orders (customers like it when you stick to the time line). Whoever that gal was cleaned it up pretty well (she should be in PR full time), so we'll see how it goes. Leather coming from them again on Thursday, but only one side.

    Man,wouldn't it be nice to just have ONE place where you could tell 'em what ya need, and actually get what you asked for. Doesn't seem to be limited to leather though ... I was spending $10k a month at Menard's for a while til they 'stuck it to me'. Now if I go there it's to flirt with that cashier ...

  22. Posted · Report reply

    - Tandy is NOT Tandy. They are The Leather Factory started by daddy Thompson and Ron Morgan who are now retired

    Oddly, I got better service from the Leather Factory BEFORE it was Tandy (TLF). There's one a little over an hour from here that I first purchased from in '85. Never a bad order, never needed to return ANYthing. Tell 'em what I want, and in a couple of days there it is. Call me if they don't have it (which was rare). Give me the choice of a credit or a refund.

    Now, I don't buy much there, and when I do, I go pick it out. Just don't have time for returning orders and waiting for replacements, etc....

    Yep, things aint what they usedta be ...

  24. Posted · Report reply

    There are as many holster styles as there are ideas ... the customer make a selection that is more likely to meet his/her requirements.

    I hope this helps.

    This is positively refreshing. Simple question, followed by a detailed, but on topic, answer filled with relevant information. Irks me sometimes when you see a guy with a question, some ass tells him use the search function (seriously, if you aren't going to answer, then why reply?). Or, you ask what time it is, only to get a long winded speech about the 'invention' of time zones and the Roman calender ... often (I suspect) by a guy who really has no idea what time it is.

    So, just one guy popping on to say THANKS for some actual USEABLE information.

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