Glendon

That was one of the codes from the Tandy catalog. If you order a catalog with your first order, they give you a code for 10% off your next order. What was posted was an older one I believe.

Have to agree with everything said there. You don't strictly NEED the deluxe kit, but it is a great all in one starting point. And please take the suggestion we both posted about buying the scrap bag http://www.tandyleat...s/99500-02.aspx You will be very glad you did. As I said before, there are other better supliers like Springfield Leather Company after you know you'll be sticking around, but at first its easier to get everything from one place.

That was my situation too. Tandy in the state, but not quite easy to get to. If you're thinking about one of the little $10 kits from Tandy, I'd strongly suggest the Basic Leathercraft Kit http://www.tandyleat...s/55509-00.aspx for $35. When you buy the kit for $10, you're going to need the basic rivet setter for $5, and then you'll want the stamping tool set for $25 so you can put a design on it, then you'll need a mallet, then you'll want to finish the kit... It starts to add up quick. The basic starter kit the cheapest way to really try out leatherworking.

Best place to start would be http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com The ideal situation would be if they have a physical store close to you, where you can get basic supplies and free lessons. There are much better suppliers of leather, hardware, and tools if you really want to get into the craft, but they are still a great starting place. Second option would be one of the Tandy starter kits along with their free how-to videos. This is how I got started. The basic kit is $35, and the deluxe kit is about $60 depending on sales. The videos give you a good idea of other tools that would be handy as you start doing projects. If you want to start with horse and dog gear, you can get away with a pretty short list of specialty tools. Swivel knife and stamping set Drawing Compass Hole punch set OR rotary hole punch Snap / Rivet setter kit Leather dye of your choice Acrylic Resolene (the leather equivalent to acrylic wood finish basically) Pack of vegetable tan (veg tan) leather scrap for practice That's actually a fairly extensive list for a beginner, but will do pretty much everything you may want to do. Everything else you may need you can pick up easily, a good craft knife, sponges, cheap craft paint brushes, tracing paper, pencils, sewing needles, you get the idea. Your basic craft supplies. That would run right about $100 if you want to jump right in. There are a lot of specialty tools that make things easier or faster of course, but you would be able to do everything with that set.

I'll second the Ravenswood Leather. I've never bought any of their larger items, but I've gotten a few of their small items. I can vouch for their quality. I wish they were a bit more liberal with eyelets on their pouch strap holes, but that is personal preference, and I didn't think to make the custom request on those items.

This thread gave me a great idea that I think I'll have to try. This is what I came up with. Use the folding and wet forming technique to make two seamless leather rings. Make one slightly larger then the other, just enough to take into account the leather thickness of the first ring. Make the larger band flesh side in, and the smaller one flesh side out. Glue the bands flesh to flesh so that the ring is grain showing inside and out. Then stitch if desired,, bevel, stain, and burnish. Depending on what kind of stamping, stitching, and additions made, I could see these being very interesting. I'll have to play with this one and see if it works well.

I think Art caught the real point of why SL is so great to work with. Yes, every retailer makes shipping mistakes. When you're working in volume it happens. But the difference at Springfield is that they actually want to get you the supplies you want, and they're willing to work with you to do it. They don't just have a generic return policy. They do actually take the time to understand your needs and never try to move on to the next customer. Last Summer I called to ask about their new patent leather bundle that hadn't been put on the website yet. I asked if it would be possible to request one color in the bundle because I knew I had project coming up. Not only did they confirm that they had the color in stock and they would make sure it was included while I still got the bundle price, they pulled the specific leather off the shelf and went over the defects with me to make sure it would work for what I had in mind. Now I'm not one of their big customers who works with them every few weeks. I make a couple of orders a year and they're usually a couple hundred dollars each. That's what I call making an effort for your customers.

Hi all, I am looking for the best option to get a fairly large set of custom stamps made. Basically what I want made is a full set of the Japanese Hiragana alphabet. It would work out to somewhere around 50 stamps depending on if you did sound change marks as individual stamps or not. I've looked around quite extensively, including Japanese leatherwork websites and can not find them ready for sale. So I'm looking into custom work. Obviously because of the numbers involved, I want to get these made as cheaply as possible while still getting a decent quality set of tools. The most economical option seems to be to have the whole set photo engraved on a magnesium plate and then cut the stamps myself. Or ask the engraving company to do it. It looks like a couple of places will. Has anyone worked with wany companies doing an order this size? I've found a couple of options, www.leprevo.co.uk www.phillipsengraving.com and Infinity Stamps, which of course would be the most expensive option Obviously I don't mind spending a bit of money on this, a hundred or two, but I can't be dropping $60 a pop which is pretty much the bottom floor price on the laser engraved stamps.

Hi all, I am starting on a project for a friend, a wheelchair backpack. Right now I'm trying to decide what type of leather to use. This thing is going to get abused. I know it. Outside contently. Going though the rain with little to no protection. So I am thinking something like bridle, latigo, or maybe oil tan. I haven't seen any of those tanning's in person before so I'm not sure. I know of the three latigo is the more stretchy leather, but that's about it. Anyone have a suggestion? Besides just buying a cheap over priced plastic thing which was actually one of her doctor's suggestions.

It depends on the size of the items you're making. You wouldn't use the same stamp on a belt that you would on a saddle or a small belt makers mark on a saddle. That being said, if you're doing a lot of 1" belts then I would probably get a 3/4" stamp to start with. If you're doing 1-1/2" belts and your holsters have the space then a 1" stamp might be right for you.

I haven't done masks before, but thinking about it I would probably either use a sealer or actually line the inside with a soft skin. Something cheap, but soft that would be comfortable and could take brunt of the sweat and skin oils. This probably wouldn't be a problem with a ceremonial mask or something that is pretty open with fine carving, but I would definitely line a mask someone planned to ware for long periods of time or is going to be active in like dance. A cheap lining suede or lining cowhide with a soft hand would do it.

Have you checked the Ohio Travel Bag catalog? That picture looks like it would be something from their company. .

I have similar concerns. Not because the smell bothers me, but because I live in an apartment and don't want to disturb neighbors. You can get products such as Eco-Flo from Tandy and similar products from other leather suppliers. Water based dyes and adhesives are becoming much more common and easier to find. Many of the old hands don't like them as well as the more traditional oil based products, but they do get the job done.

I'm with Kayak45 on this one. Add ALL of your dies and other tools to your bid. Printers and other industries call that a set-up cost. I'd also add to that set-up cost your time figuring out that first buckle. I'd charge your standard retail time rate for that. THEN you can quote them a reasonable price for the wholesale lot.

I've been getting the same response from searching Google. It warns there is a threat on the W&C site. Does anyone have a relationship with them that could give a call and see if they have been in touch with their web host?

Thanks so much everyone. Not as clear cut as I was hoping for, but still very helpful. This should get me on the right track until I can get a feel for my own stitching.

Ya I kind of figured that was the point of the thing. What I'm working on is replicating this bag. Not perfectly, but the general style. It's a Japanese school bag that is popular in some circles. Maybe what I will do is use some more common handle fittings and simulate that extension across the top with some of the stiffener I plan to use in the rest of the bag.

Hi everyone. I am getting started in sewing leather, and sewing in general. I have a basic question that I just can't seem to find an answer to. Simply put, with a given length that needs to be sewn, how much thread do I need. There has to be a simple rule that you can use to put in the length to be sewn, stitches per inch, and maybe a rough thread size and get a good estimate of thread needed. But no one seems to have this information online. How do you figure this out please?

Hi James, Rather than answer each of your questions, I am going to point you to two very good books on leather bag making. Your local liberary should have both of them. The Leather Handbook by Valerie Michael & Making Leather Handbags The question of leather type and thickness really depends on the project and personal preference. Bags can be anywhere from 2-3 oz leather for flowing puddle like fabric purses up to 6-7 oz leather for a typical western style bag. For a messanger bag I'm thinking in the 4-5 oz range, but it depends on if you want a bag that is kind of stiff and will stand up on its own or something more flowing. As for type, that is a bit easier. You would be looking for something called bag or chap leather. That's a bit thicker and stiffer than the garment lather used for clothing but not as stiff as the stuff used for furniture or horse tack. The two books above git into all of this. When you've done some reading and have an idea of a rough range of the leather you want, you can call either your local Tandy store or my personal favorite Springfield Leather springfieldleather.com. Explain to them what you want to make and they will set you up with a nice cut of leather.

Has anyone seen anything like this handle hardware for sale? I'm not worried about the latch, but the bar hardware that supports the handle on this bag. Anyone know a name for this or seen it before? I'm not sure if it's typical or not. Thanks in advance

How about a basic plastic quick release buckle? http://springfieldleather.com/store/product/17183/Buckle%2CSide-Squeeze-Contr%2C1%22/ Not the most ascetically pleasing thing in the world, but in my experience most little hands are good with them. Plus they're cheap enough that if you use snaps at the buckle end, they can be replaced as needed.

What do you mean by hold up? Are they wearing out from use? Stretching when you tool them? Or are they getting damaged from stamping? If your issue is one of the last two problems, then a heaver leather may not be the right fix.

There are larger stamps. Most of them are alphabet sets, but there are others. Some may be custom stamps the craftsman had made, or done freehand with a swivel knife or other tools. There are many places online that will do custom stamps. Do a little searching around the forum and you'll find them. As for rolling a pattern onto a belt, yes there are tools that do that. The technique is called embossing. There are hand embossing wheels as well as machines that do it.

I don't know anything about retail packaging personally. but the question got me curious so I did a little googling around. Something like these merchandise bags would probably do the trick. You can get a case of 1000 for anywhere from $15 to $40 depending on size and material. You could print up some stickers with a basic logo pretty cheap to slap on the bags and I'd say you can call it done.

Have you tried walking the edge of a beveler stamp? Would take some practice likely, but you could probably get the shapes you want.