BIGGUNDOCTOR

My folks 81 Caddy, and a friends 84 F250 had factory 8-tracks in them. I had the folks get the dealer to swap it out for a cassette deck when they first brought the car home. I explained to them that the only place they could buy an 8-track was at the flea market.

Anyone else notice that there hasn't been any women posting on this subject?

Sno-Seal will make it water, and snow proof. It has a beeswax base, and will darken the leather, but it works excellent.

Inches here. Being a machinist I work in thousands of an inch. The shop I am working in now converts all of the metric prints to thousands, so we can make sense of them. You get used to working one way, and something different can be difficult to adapt to. I have had to pass on some cookbooks I found because they were metric. I have cups, tbs, tbls ,oz in my kitchen, not grams, ml, kg. Gold is in Troy oz. Gunpowder is measured in Grains. 7,000 grains to a pound. Land is in acres, and sections. Surveyors use rods, and chains.

Snow Seal will waterproof, and snowproof them. It darkens the leather some, but works great.

Nothing saying that you can't use something like silk to line with for either item. Washing will need to be addressed, maybe have the linings removable, so that they can be tossed in the washer.

They would be the same as the film SLR cases, so if you find a cheap case you can cut it apart for a pattern. A lot of folks like the nylon since it id pretty maintenance free, and light weight. A nice tooled case would be nice though. I would make one with an interchangeable front to fit the different length lenses, Al Stholman's book series on cases had some camera cases.

As to the mouse pad, all I use is a piece I had laying around, and tossed it on the desk. Probably around 4OZ or so. It is really soft, and flexible, but I would say any leather would work as long as the ball gets some traction. Doesn't matter much for the optical mice. For the sportsmen; rifle slings, shotgun shell pouches (trap shooters), Gaiters if they are around snakes, archery items, holsters, gun belts, gun cases/scabbards, fly fishing reel cases, fishing rod cases. camp stools- like Tandy sells, multi tool belt pouch, or Look through Tandy's website to get some ideas. Cell phone cases, tool pouches, playing card holders (2 rounds riveted together in the middle that you stick he cards into around the perimeter), case for a deck- or two of cards, CD case, belts, covers for MP3 players, sandals, or a gift certificate for one item that they would like you to make-their choice. One thing to do is be observant, and listen to what people say. Often times they will give you ideas for items that they would like , or could use. What hobbies to they have? What do they do for work? Do they play sports? All of these can offer clues for gifts.

it will be fine, after all, you are doing leather work, not blacksmithing.

Boys, girls, adults? Mouse pads wallets purses braided necklaces, bracelets barrettes checkbook covers Really depends on who you are making them for. Some folks don't use checks anymore.

What does the manual say to use? Cobra Steve should also be able to tell you. what you need.

I have a leather Kepi that I bought back in 1979. They used a Latigo ,I believe, for the bill, as when it gets hot the bill gets soft, and flops down. The only other thing I have had happen is the front area that touches the forehead has rotted over the years. That hat has seen many miles of hiking the back country, and many years on my head. I am thinking of making some more myself.

There is a series of Al Stohlman books on cases. I have them, and they have some good info in them. Mine came in a batch of gear I bought from someone who was liquidating their leather gear. It may be my background in machining, and fabrication, but I usually don't have a problem making the pattern. Figuring out the design is another story.

From the title I thought you were going to say that you finally moved out

The trick with a wood surface is to use the end grain, not cross grain. You can use a stump, a slice from a log, or laminate a bunch of chunks together. The punch has a far easier time separating the wood fibers than trying to sever them.

Turn your scraps into business cards. Make little thank you items for customers ; luggage tags, key fobs, etc.. Small items could be sold through consignment in a local store, if you don't want to handle them yourself. When I first read the thread I thought you were just a hobbyist, are you doing this as a profession? This is just a thought, as some others are doing this for various business dealings. Rent a storage unit, and use it as a shop space. Some units have power available, and 24 hr access. Does your complex have a rec room? Laundry room?, or some other space available to tenants? The only other option I have for sound control is hanging something on the walls to deaden the sound. Look for a local acoustics shop, or check with a music store. There are sound deadening panels available.

With the price of silver, most places send the old x-rays out to reclaim the silver. My scout troop moved 10 tons of X-rays for a company that was sending them out for reclamation.

Anyone tried doing this with a clicker providing the squeeze?

Get a sturdy dining room table, and use it for working on , as well a dining. Just toss a thick cover over it to protect the surface before using. Could even put a piece of plywood on top to make it a multi use work surface. Just stand it against the wall when you are done, or eat off of it too. Lay a piece of plywood on the bed for cutting, laying out, etc. Hang the leather in a closet instead of on shelves. You can hang a whole side in there. This will also keep the hide flat instead of curling. Do your dye wok on the stove top, and use the fan to vent the fumes. Do not do this if you has pilot lights on a gas stove top. Scrap leather has many uses. Testing dyes/rivets/stamps/etc, key fobs, buttons, ground up and used in sandal soles, donated to Scout groups or other community organizations, industrial uses like pads/washers, charred it can be used for pack case hardening, mosaics, leather puzzles, stacked for knife handles, and lots more.

How much are you selling these holsters for? You may be well below the market level. I would expect that they are above the retail prices for mass produced holsters. It does sound like he may be flipping these. This may, or may not, be a problem. It depends on how he is representing them. If they are in fact for a "well known" person I would like to know, so that I could say that So and So has bought some of my work, and get an autographed picture to prove it. That could lead to more sales, and possibly a better price for you. Don't sell yourself short, you are probably worth more than you think. Part of the problem is that for many of us we charge what we think is fair, because we know how the item is made. We think it is easy to do, while most of the customers would have no clue as to where to even start a project like this, People hire craftsmen like us to do things that they cannot, or do not, want to do themselves. When I had my machine shop we charged what we thought was a fair price. Later on when I was working for the Jelly Belly Candy Co. as a mechanic, I found out I was never charging enough. For me, machined, and welded items are easy to make. Example, the purchasing agent asked me if I could have made an item that they just bought. I looked at it, and it was just a small 5" square plate of 5/8" thick aluminum with some very basic machining done to it. I told him that I would have had a hard time telling him $100, and it would have been more like $50-$60 ea. I figured it would only take around 30 minutes to make. He told me that they just paid $300 ea for 20 of them, and that was less than the factory wanted. Me = $1,000-$2,000 Other shop $6,000 --- who do you want to be for the same amount of work? They have since gone to a different style of printer, or I would have looked into making some of those for them at that price. As noted before about pricing. I read in one of my gunsmithing books on how to set a price. The older smith told the younger one to never give a set price. Example; For installing screw in choke tubes in a standard fixed choke barrel. You watch the customer, and start by saying something like , that was $50 for the install. No reaction. Installed choke tube of your choice $20. Still no reaction. Installed new front sight bead $10. No reaction. Touching up the blueing $10. A reaction is seen. Stop, and add it up. Each person has a different perceived value of your work. The gunsmith I worked for lost some business because he didn't charge enough. A guy who owns a $10,000 Perazzi , or $70, 000 + Holland and Holland, as opposed to the owner of an $80 bolt action Mossberg , is expecting things to cost MORE than less. It is perceived value. How often do you see Ferrari owners at the local Jiffy Lube? Oil is oil, it really doesn't matter who is putting it in the engine. The only difference is that Jiffy Lube won't give you a glass of champagne , and pump you ego while you wait.

I have one homemade wooden case that came with some tools I bought years ago. Basic square box with a hinged lid. In the top of the box is a sectioned tray that can be lifted out to get to the stamping tools below. Each one has its own hole to go into. I like the single holes, as it helped me notice any missing tools at the end of an event. The only problem that I have with them is not all tools have the same diameter handles. Some tools would flop around in holes for larger stamps, while bigger stamps won't fit into the smaller holes. I didn't make the case, but I may have looked at something that was adjustable to hold the tools in, and allowing for changing tools from time to time. If I get a chance this weekend I will post some pictures.

Another option is to watch Craigslist, etc. I found an Adler patcher, and the seller also had a Stitchmaster 441 for sale. I have seen a few industrial Singers, Consews, Jukis, etc lately on my local CL. A lot of shops have,or are closing up. The prices have ranged from $125, $300, $600, $1,500.

I guess it would depend on the traveling that you will be doing. Are you flying, driving, etc? Are you going to events, or vacationing? Does it need to be lockable? How much protection will it need to give the tools? I had a bunch of tools set up in a large aluminum suitcase for the cub scout day camps. It had plenty of room for the tools, boards, 26 mallets, etc. I am at a point where I will just be setting up a stationary area to do my work. If I need to go somewhere I have a couple of cases that came with some used tools I picked up.

Sounds like they are going the way of the LP, cassette, and the CD. New technology making them less attractive. Looks like the MP3 players are killing the CD which killed of the Cassette, which killed off the LP, etc.................. I was given a day planner at the last place I worked, and hated it. I usually left it on my desk. It was a pain for me to drag that thing around everywhere. I can see where a smart phone type device would be so much more desirable. The only advantage the day planner has is no batteries to go dead. If you really want one, go to a thrift store, and see if they have one that you can part out.

We have a monthly event in the 18b Arts District of Las Vegas. It is called First Friday, and it is basically a huge block party where you will see Goths, cross dressers, steampunks, rockers, and many other types of people walking around. Why do I like it so much down there? The main reason is although you have this huge crowd of different people they are all getting along. No fights, no yelling, just a fun night out listening to live bands, dancing, and checking out some cool art. I don't have an earring, or a tattoo, but I won't stop anyone from getting either of them. I do find some piercings attractive on women, and if a tattoo sleeve is done right it looks great, especially on a cute rockabilly chick In many cultures body adornment is considered the norm, be it tattooing, piercings, scarification, etc. At one time tiny feet were prized in China, so they bound women's feet to make them small. Is any of this different than what we do with plastic surgery today? It is just another form of body modification. The only real difference is that most of the plastic surgery is done on women, and after checking out some of the local gentleman's clubs I would have to say that most enhancements were not that well done. That's just my opinion. In the end we are all individuals, and that is how it should be. I don't want to live where everyone is the same. I like having some diversity. A lot of people think that I am on the fringe with my interests, and activities, but I could care less. I do what I like. At one time my long hair would have caused a stir, now it just compliments my Halloween costume. If we look beyond the exterior facade we will find that we are more alike than different.