JLSleather

Does the maker stamp guy charge by the letter? You can't get it absolutely right ... that's the only rule. JLS Leather gets calls, they want to talk to JL (who doesn't exist). Apparently, that looked to someone like JL's Leather (?).

Wow ... thought I'd pipe in and see if I could help. These boys covered that so well (with pictures, even #&%#%) maybe I'll just shut up

It's pathetic, really ... now that I think about it I seem to do pretty well when someone tells me I can't ... YEARS ago, I was in a car accident, ugly. Despite doctor's "suggestion", I started lifting weights again, and decided I needed a lifting belt. So I talked with a guy who did leather work about a simple 4" wide belt with a roller buckle. Guy says $40 and 3 days (like I said, a while back). So I came back in a few days to hear how good he is with leather, how he should be charging more, how nobody can do what he does.... everything except here's your belt. After a couple of weeks and a couple more visits, and still no belt, I thought how hard can it be ... just do it myself. Had he not been so thoroughly obnoxious, I probably would have just hired someone else and been done with it. Me 'n' a buddy split the cost of a chunk of 9/10, a strap cutter, some chicago screws. Went back for enough tools to "carve" my first name and a simple oak leaf, a couple of bottles of dye, a quart of Neatsfoot compound that somebody told me I would need (did they not get the ONE BELT thing?). Left the store, a week later I had straps 4 inches wide, wondering what I should taper them down to 3" with. Guy sees me scratching my head and offered to trim it if I mark where I want it. That done, he says I can use some tools, including a tooling slab (ya need a slab for that??). Idea was to use 2 pieces of 9/10 sewed grain sides out, so he sold me some thread and loaned me an awl (hey, I was a fitness guy, not a leather guy ). Shortened, I got the belt done and it really did look good. Guys at the gym quickly spoke for the rest of the leather, and that belt pushed alot of "iron" for a number of years. Early 90's, the girlfriend disappeared and so did my belt (I really miss that belt). 2010, thousands of leathercraft items later, I have a new belt ... from Sears or something. But making my "own" belt is still on my todo list ...

Who carries a chrome tanned leather with no finish? Something in a 2/3 oz or as heavy as 6/7 oz, in a natural, which I could dye as needed? Don't care if they're calling it chap leather, bag leather, upholstery sides, whatever.

Particularly if you're in a rush, but anyway ... stick to what Bob P. wrote. It's very close to what I've done and has always left good results.

I'm not even an "artsy" person, but that's gorgeous!

New to the site, maybe, but she gets around a computer and a piece of cow just fine

Standard clothing accessory belts use line 16 snaps. Screws are unnecessary. Much more cost, and you still have to punch holes. I've seen guys who decided that line 16 snaps weren't heavy enough. Usually the same guy that thinks you need 2 layers of 8/9 oz leather stitched together. These are both possible if you are wanting a weight-lifting belt, or carrying a pair of .44 magnums, or you want to be able to use your belt to pull your truck out of the ditch. Need a #2 and a #6 punch for the snaps. Slot for the buckle are generally a 3/4" bag punch, and the holes for size will be determned by the buckle tongue, #3 give or take (some prefer oval holes for adjustment holes). TOTAL thickness 7 to maybe 10 oz (to keep wide belts from looking too thin), line 16 "segma" snaps. Incidentally, I'm sure the "groove" in your original belt question is embossed, possibly in the same press that die cut the form. If you don't have a press or an embosser, you could cut parallel lines and bevel the groove (or background) but that's a pretty good bit of time.

Too bad we don't know somebody who could centralize 'em, stick 'em all in one spot. DOH... did I say that out loud?

So Johnny DID draw first blood, then. I didn't SEND this today, I RECEIVED this today.

Got this in the mail today ... is this "first blood"? Yes, I got his permission to post a pic, not sure my camera did it any justice ... THANKS, Johnny!

Appreciate you both. I had forgotten all about the blue stuff. I stuck a piece of REALLY low tack frisket on a piece of scrap, and if you put it at an angle in the light and see where the frisket was. Rubber cement usually works, but discolored that last piece a bit. Well, I'll keep trying ...

I actually used address labels for a while. Now, some of the guys are laughing (and the gals are saying I'm cute, but have no class ). But that little bit of stupidity got people talking... You know, ... what's with the bald guy with the goofy stickers ...? What guy? That Jeff guy with JLS Leather .... Then of course, they can't wait to tell their friends how stupid that is ... not a long-term stupid, like that guy who made MILLIONS with "Got milk?" One other little thing ... my wife is from New Zealand. I'm constantly "getting it wrong" and telling them she's from New Guinea, or Newfoundland, ... and let them know that my materials are domestic ... only the girl is imported. Point is, anything that will get them talking about you (if the quality follows). May be some little cost involved, like when your 2-year-old tells you he wants to go for a "rod inna cah"... For any others reading the topic, it's better if your card, your makers mark (if applicable), your web banner, your yellow page ad(s), all match from the start ...

That's why I say I think it's one color ... the outside is just applied heavier. Easy to do if you airbrush the "body" of the piece, then run a dauber down the edges with the same shade. Probably irrelevant if you don't have access to it right now, but the Fiebing's dark brown has this slight reddish tint, which is more obvious the more you thin it. Certainly could be the British Tan, or even the mahogony, as they can look much alike if you apply them ... and don't let me get started on that but the finish applied can change the ball game, too. ... a tint, which if I remember is added to balance the yellow/green tint from the leather itself and the tanning chemicals.

Fiebing's dark brown will do that. The photo attached was dyed with it [only]. Nothing else done with it except a coat of Tan-Kote. Lots of "colors" just by varying the application. If it helps, the outside of the design was matted, the inside of the leaves are ribbed, and the outside of the leaves is smooth shaded (probably best for comparing your smooth surface). For what it's worth ...

Ya just kaint leave nuthin layin around. WR posted those rose patterns last month, and I like that one. Kaint 'member if I resized it or not ...

Anybody found a RELIABLE way to stick a stencil/mask without residue? I've used spray adhesive, "low tack" frisket film, and rubber cement all with SOME success, but nothing I'd want to trust with a pricey project. Hoping someone has found something that works all the time. With a broad design, or lettering, I don't mind holding up stencil material, or usiing weight, but you try holding all those rose petals in place ... AND the airbrush .... That last almost got to be a handbag was only a couple sq. feet of cow, so we'll call that an inexpensive LESSON ...

I'll do that ... thanks!

NICE ... by the time they're 13 they'll be here embarrassing us

Now I gotta buy a horse??????????? LOVE the colors, sue-weeeet.

No, they aren't. Belly leather is too "stretchy", doesn't carve or hold the design well. It generally dyes just fine, so it CAN be used, but not for tooled items. Be fine for small cases that don't take much/any stress (NOT for belts/billet straps). Often enough, the belly is the part I use to test how a particular color is going to look on THAT hide ... The best carving leather you want a "back" or a "bend". I usually buy the side just for the reason above.

Yeah, that's what I thought, too. I'll offer to sell them NEW bags with a painting. Recommend dyes or paints for that?

I like the oak tooling leather shown, good clean "natural" color and that's a good price if the leather is good. But, in the end, I've seen pretty pictures other places and then received crap. So, I've been just paying the extra and buying it where I can SEE it. I'll go ahead and be the jerk who says it out loud. Apparently, everybody loves Tandy, and to alot of people Tandy=leather goods. Not sure why. At one time, they had some stuff that I used fairly frequently. But seeing what they have now - at their store down the street, on Ebay, around here - I'm SO not impressed. You'll be able to tell when I'm getting ready to put a cheezy tin chunk of junk with some shiny plating on a perfectly good piece of leather... it'll be really cold that day. And no, sending a free "doodle page" with it will not make up for it. Really?!?! ... $60 for a purse "kit" (as in it makes ONE) with holes punched so big I can park my truck there??? NOTE that the picture of that is nice, too. Their pictures are wonderful, and their catalogs are nice - both priinted and online. But I suppose mine would be too if I had someone else paying for it. You always see other leather companies talking about how they "carry the entire Tandy line" of stuff. Who knows, maybe I'll order something from them anyway. My point is, it's best to see it for yourself. At the least, talk to someone you know who has ordered there (AND been satisfied). If you're going to go with a name, that name should be someone you know. "Customer service" is useless to me. I have a small shop and not much room to stock rolls and rolls of leather ... and I don't have time to wait for the hide to show up, wait while I send it back, wait for the "customer service" replacement to show up. Oh, I'm sure this won't be popular, but one more thing ... I don't particularly understand the "B" or "C" grade hide. When the "A" grade is $1.00 more per foot, it looks like you're saving money. But every time you buy a side, you're talking about a diffference of $20-25 for the top of the line. Not worth $20 to me to have any problems.

Suddenly, I have a rush on the gals wanting me to "paint" on their handbags. No carving, just paint. So I need a recommendation (yes, I searched ... this entire section). I can paint, that's not a problem. On the new ones, I'll use the same Fiebing's spirit as always, but some of the others will have already been sealed, so I guess I'm going to use the acrylic (much as I love that idea). Acrylics hold up to you gals? What I need to know is which acrylics we like and a sealer. They'll be sprayed, if that matters. Ladies?

Had my experience with this ... and THEN started printing out the "warning". Made a painting for this girl ... lake scene in the mountains, fall colors in the trees, reflected in the lake. Nice, even from my worst critic (me). I carved it in 5 oz leather (18x24) and set it a couple inches deep in a beveled, cove-cut oak frame. TOLD her to her face ... not in direct sunlight. A year later I saw it ... on a display easel in front of the window (uggggghhhhh). Apparently the frame had been broken, so she did this instead. Fiebing's spirit dye had faded to basically nothing. Told her I'd repaint it, but the leather itself had darkened considerably. I offered to make her a new one, with the understanding that she won't do that again. But, since the thing was originally ordered for her as a gift she didn't want to replace it. Ordinarily, I probably wouldn't be quite that outgoing, but this is a girl who is always paying me (just called yesterday to say her boyfriend needs a new belt).