bluesman1951

LOL Very funny !!!!! I was going to ask if I could be included in the will . Bill

No reason to be unhappy looks just fine to me . I once knew a wood craftsman who spent two years learning to sand before he thought of building something on his own . Day after day in that shop just sanding ,now he can write his own ticket name any price and get it . My guess is it would take a year or more to get anything off his bench these days . You are on your way so for now enjoy the work each piece is just a step on the ladder . Each piece will be better than the last one so have confidence and look down the road to piece number 10 . I enjoyed seeing this very much ,thanks for showing it to me . If you like the blues go to You Tube and type in the search bar : Keb Mo ,Better Man turn it up loud and enjoy ! Great words to live by ,helps me when I work . I need a dozen new bags all new ideas so I spent the day making patterns marking holes and thinking construction details in my head . Tough thing deciding you need a dozen new projects all in the 100.00 range .Make the patterns start cutting a bunch leather and believe from the first cut all will sell no doubt . I like wht you do and hope to see more .

Nice job . Welcome to the site ! Look forward to seeing more of your work . Bill

Gallup New Mexico is the hub of art work for the southwest ,foreign people come there to steal ideas on a massive level. Some will buy the items they wish to copy others just take pictures . No matter where you are in the world or what you have done there is simply nothing to compare idea theft with as in Gallup . Besides being the heart of the Navajo reservation it is a selling place for perhaps 10,000 artist from reservations across the south west .People have been killed over disputes regarding copying of some ones work . Fact is generally there is nothing new under the sun .

Try Sunwest Silver Albuquerque New Mexico . www.shipwreckbeads.com www.silverking.com Gl Miller studio in Albuquerque New Mexico they will make your design from a drawing . This is the heart of design here so shoot me a PM and Ill help more if I can .

That put a burr under my saddle as well . Not sure how to take it . We are all in business some large some small . I make a ton of bags lots of folks on here doing shows be nice to maybe hook up with them and see if they would carry my stuff . Does that make me bad thinking this ? No idea . What if I posted all my pictures like that ? Would some one be offended ?I can tell you this for sure not many would make what I am making and sell it at my prices . So we are all in this together why not lift each other up instead of making friction . One thing did cross my mind was "Gee Thanks For The Ideas " LOL !!!!!! I can make any bag I have 10 different ways each costing more than the others . I sell everything I make nearly as fast as I make it so really what does it matter ? If one of my ideas feeds your kids or helps with the bottom line then God Bless you ,someone else's ideas helped me get there any way . I am old !!!!! maybe I do this another 5 years and then it gets too dangerous to work with sharp tools or the diabetes takes my eye sight .Point is it just dont matter ,I have my time food and shelter and a adult beverage from time to time and the rest is just annoying crap. Lifes little details . Never going to stop this in a million years . Worse comes to worse we take our own idea and go to a third world country set up shop and start cranking stuff out . Cant beat them join them . There is a difference between a business and a hobby ,never expect to be payed for a hobby ,but if its a business then act that way treat it like a business smartest toughest guy wins . So what are you going to do with a huge pile of money on the last day ,aint going with you and more time is not for sale .

Wow how would we in the lower states know that ? I imagine in most cases you would be betting your life on the performance of the equipment and repairs. Serious business so my advice is to be fair and check out what your competition charges and what the cost of new stuff costs . All the expenses up there are huge so one must stay afloat and wages must make that possible. The yellow pad rules all things business and like it or not the bottom line is always the bottom line . Hard to work if you dont have a roof over your head .

No if ands or butts about it load up a trailer and go get your money or a free motorcycle thats it . With me its cash in hand ,I hand you the seat you hand me the money period . Foolish way to do business! Better Business Bureau is pissing into the wind waste of time . Who the hell calls their business such a ridiculous name any way. If this was me I be there is person to collect and no is not a option for them . This garbge when people treat you like this . The only option here is extensive hospitalisation or payment period ! They should be glad they arent dealing with me . I would get payed !!!!!

Sorry I have not .True value has a great paint colour matching computer ,if by chance you could take a holster with the thread and drag it under the eye of the computer and see what name it is giving the colour then you have a place to start . I would check with "Texas Threads " and see if they can help . I can look for you here once you have the colour name . Sorry thats the best I can do .

The answer is 100's of different kinds of bags . I just finished a order for 200,of these bags for one customer and am working on a order for 500 for another customer .Bear in mind this was not all at once this money its 500.00 orders over time . Wish I could spend that kind of money all at once LOL .

This was not all at once. I make small leather pouches and fringed bags . My customers are wholesalers in Gallup new Mexico . Each one has many stores that they sell to on a global basis . The Japanese buyers are the biggest buyers of these kind of goods . Also I am in the heart of native America and they buy lots of bags . The galleries in Santa Fe also buy this kind of work . Most of the orders are between 500 and 1,000 when I buy leather . If you are interested look on Goggle for : Running Bear Trading Post , Silver Dust Trading Company , Al -Zuni Trading Company , City Electric Shoe Shop ,all from Gallup New Mexico . In Albuquerque look at Palms Trading Company . These are just a few wholesalers in this part of the world ,gives you a idea of the scale of things here .

Consider placing the pocket thing on the inside stitched to a liner so the stitching dont show from the outside . The next thing I can see is the relationship between the size of thread and the holes made for sewing somehow something is just not correct there. Possibilities leather dont have enough density , thread too small, holes too big . You can solve this with a French seam and show off with two lines of stitching on the out side . The more you show of stitching the cleaner and straighter it must be . With leather of this kind your choice is smaller holes closer together and double stitch it by hand or machine sew it . I have not found a better way . You risk the whole project by attaching the pocket to the out side because if its not perfectly straight it will stand out for sure . Simple is best always . I shoot for clean simple functional and marketable . Consider if you are doing one at a time the pocket is no big deal ,lets say this year you will make 1,000 of these now the time spent with the pocket becomes significant on that many units . Lets say you were machine sewing these with nothing in the way just three passes with the machine turn it right side out and attach a pre made handle . Now your time other than cutting has been significantly reduced from start to finished product . Contract sewing is also a consideration. I like your project ,size is good ,could not see your handle . All in all its a great bag Questions on my mind If I saw it in public would I take a picture of it ? Keep on truckin some times you just need to let things marinate in your mind until you see it clearly . bluesman1951

I have bought some where near 25,000 dollars worth of deer hide from The Hide House in California over the last year . Its always roulette at 500.00 dollars a hand when you order . You state your request clearly large hides ,good both sides ,thick hides no paper thin garbage and thats it . Every time they come the more you spend the worse the quality of the hides . I have a good reputation here and my customers expect quality stuff with out exception . These crap hides make me look bad and delay the completion of my projects . This last batch of hides they sent is total GARBAGE I am screwed and out 500.00 on this order . I have sent them a ugly letter venting my displeasure and have yet to hear back . My question is just how much money do you have to spend before you get good treatment ? Some one has too eat the crap just is not going to be me ! I tell them I have 500.00 to spend send me what I want ,never even dicker about the price just send me what I want and use the 500.00 till its gone . The shipping of these garbage hides is in my opinion is the equivalent of putting a old shoe on a plate and serving it in a fine restaurant to a long time loyal customer . How is sending these Garbage hides not a insult ? What would you do ? Frankly I am looking for another supplier . Having some nit wit in a warehouse half way across the country spend my money and shop for me seems to be a exercise in extreme stupidity . What the he.. what does it take to get some good service these days ,no amount of money seems to matter . bluesman1951

In my opinion any time you pay for a table you are just paying a pimp cuts into your bottom line . Wholesale has a key word in it "WHOLE[" that means all at once one place and you are done . The key to this is getting the profit and your principle back in one stroke. Unless you enjoy dealing with customers and looky loo's all day thats another kind of pain all together . Wholesale means you walk in show the stuff add it up get a check be pleasant get another order and be on your way total time maybe 10 minutes . 6 or 7 customers like that and thats all it takes nothing but wholesalers no one piece at a time stuff ,everything is by the dozen expensive stuff you hold the line at 500.00 sales . What ever denomination of money you think in is the denomination you will make . If you think hundreds then thats what you get ,If you think 500.00 then thats what you get . Your job is to raise the price so high the buyer laughs ,his job is to counter with a offer so low you cry then if you dont get to fighting you meet in the middle . What ever you think something is worth add a little to it and dont even think of coming down till you pitched it a dozen times then take a reality check and adjust . Never leave money on the table ever thats for fools and amateurs. You bought the hide did the work now get payed for it ! Say what you mean and mean what you say . Never fold with out a fight . bluesman1951quote name=cowboy bowhunter' timestamp='1346360226' post='262405] When you first started how did you start selling your stuff and getting your name out there. It seems hard to get going. Not knowing where to start selling.

Looks like you have thought this through . I spend countless hours at my desk and chaos is the order of the day . Never able to tell where one project ends and another begins . Right now I am working on 500 small pouches so I have things going in all stages . Drawing ,cutting ,making holes ,finished stuff . Its sun rise to sunset for me with a nap now and then . Thanks for replying and please know I wish many hours of pleasant leather working in your shop . Take a small piece of your tooling leather and leave it in the sun for a day and see what you think . Sometimes that darkening is nice with just a lustre for a top coat. Its not that it changes colour that matters its that unless its layed flat in the light it changes unevenly and sometimes thats a problem . Good luck with your work space !

Ramblings from a old man : The radio on the table will suffer from the vibrations of pounding on the table . The tool holders will also jump around . I suggest a tool roll .You dont get to show off your tools but its efficient. I would make a wall hanging for the paper towels . Light will indeed affect your hides if its uniform darking it dont matter ,I have put mine out in the sun and got some nice effects with colour changes from the light. Nice to see a comfortable chair thats going to make working long hours pleasant. You will refine this more and more as time goes on ,all the advice given here is by those who have travelled this road before and are short cutting your journey . Fact working leather makes very fine dust gets in small places (IE the radio ) so a safer resting place is advised . My desk is a mess because I am making hundreds of things all the time so there is work in all stages its a assembly line kind of thing . So I envy your efforts and wish maybe I took more time on neatness ,but the only thing that really matters is done projects no wasted material and a payday . Thanks for the peak into your shop . Its nice you took the time to share . Good Luck !

Welcome to the site. Why not combine the knife and razor blades in the form of a good knife . Asking questions is a good thing getting good answers is a better thing . I like your work and see you have good taste . You are asking yourself now how does he know that ? First you chose a thick leather for this project that says you care next thats some better than average hardware on your project and that tells be you arent going to settle for okay or getting by . So from that I conclude your work and its quality matter to you greatly . My compliments ! Look forward to seeing more

You have good taste they make some fine bags . So does Sky top trading company . One to look at is www.twistedfringe.com You tube videos Dunhill traditional double Forget the machine for a bit get a good stitching horse made or bought and start there . Make a couple of saddle bags to learn some techniques and later you use them to carry your finished work around to sell. Take a look at Picasso labs making a case on you tube that will get your juices flowing Perfect patterns make perfect products . got any more questions ask away . bluesman1951

Iam sure you have done a goggle search on this so I wont suggest that . I do have a human Goggle person who is a oldtime cowboy who uses machines old as cavemen ,I will phone him later and ask about this 34-6 machine . Then I,ll do some more research and get back to you .

I have been using RL Cox hide and Fur in Albuquerque for 25 years .Mike and Ellen are the owners . Their phone number is 505 2424980 open 8:00am to 5:00pm m-f . Great source for leather and furs .Mike ships all over and may have the answer you need . They are cheaper than tandy by 50% on most things . bluesman1951

Hi ! Very well done the saddle .Many hours of time well spent . Nice to see you have company in the shop . My compliments on a job well done . Cant wait to see more of your work . bluesman1951