NVLeatherWorx

We could hope for some change under the "New Management" but the change over took place long enough ago and there has still been no apparent shift in their way of doing business. I have long since written Tandy off as they lost their way long ago and are now too far gone to save. Besides, they don't have anything to offer me at my stage in this trade.

There are several examples of this smaller "minimalist" style wallet available online and within these forums; the primary thing is to give yourself the correct size of base to work with (basically add 1/4" to the measurements of an actual card as your starting point) and to ensure the proper thickness of leather. I use 4/5 oz for all of my backs and have had no issues with folding them; just make sure that you properly condition the leather after any working/stamping/carving and that you dampen the area that is to be folded (from the flesh side) prior to folding for final configuration. All of my wallet interiors are made from 2/3 oz. and I only use veg-tan for everything. If you need to add a snap closure to the item then there are a couple of ways to do that as well and there should be no risk of damage to any cards. I use either a hidden hardware method or the visual strap method, both have worked great for me so far and have had nobody complain about or report any issues from either of them. Good luck with your projects and keep us posted on your progress.

I agree with Ferg on this one; looks like you ended up purchasing a lot of very old leather there. If I see the first number of the year on those tags that you provided I see that it is a 9. Whether it was tanned in 91 or tanned in 99 you have a bunch of very old leather there that surely is full of issues and would ultimately be unusable. Leather can fall victim to the elements and when not conditioned properly or stored properly you can end up with a bunch of very dry leather that is most certainly going to crack and fall apart on you. From the looks of the natural looking hide I would say that it was not a very quality hide in the first place and the years of just sitting around were of no help either. I would not recommend that you attempt to sell it to anyone and I would not recommend that it be used to make anything out of either. However, if you do decide to make something out of it I would not be using to make anything that would be provided to anyone else; personal use items only and none that are of critical importance. At best it is all test leather/practice leather.

I would be willing to bet that the Single Bend (the first item) is mislabeled and is actually by the square foot as it is an 8 to 10 sft piece; if not, then it is most likely very suspect in its actual quality and/or appearance. The second item listed is much more pricey as it has been cut to a pre-determined size and it has been cut from the premium section of the hide so the quality is far superior when compared to a bend where there is much more stretch and wrinkles; much the same as the shoulder areas and neck/belly.

And for the future, the results would be better if a dye that was specifically formulated for use on leather is employed as it takes all of the inconsistencies and potential issues from lesser products into consideration. It does appear that the water was most likely very mineral rich but it also appears that the dry dye mix was not totally dissolved. What type of dye mix did you use? If the dye mix used is intended for use in the coloring of fabrics then that would explain a lot; it is intended for CLOTH fabric, not leathers.

You should never apply oils or conditioners to veg-tan prior to any tooling, period. It is true that it contains some oils naturally but not enough for the average craftsman to know; but those oils are different in their compounds and do not prevent your leather from accepting proper casing. The oils used for post working conditioning are totally different and WILL negatively impact the casing process, regardless of how sparingly it is applied. We have had these techniques in place for centuries and the conditioning compounds have been around damn near as long; some things are not meant to be tinkered with and there is good reason for that. Regarding the OP concern for the possibility of cracking or becoming more brittle throughout the carving process: if the leather is properly cased and then worked and allowed to properly dry when finished (which means to be allowed to dry naturally, no assistance from heaters, fans, etc.) then all should be okay. Make sure that once the leather is dried completely that you apply your conditioning oil (and it should be PURE Neatsfoot Oil, not one of the compounds as they DO contain chemicals that are actually not conditioners), repeating as necessary until the leather has reached the proper feel again and then do whatever other finishing you are going to do. Just make sure that every time you apply a conditioner, a stain, a dye, or a top coat sealer, that you let it dry for NO LESS than 8 hours before moving on to the next step. Age old techniques are still in use today because they have a proven track record of success and producing consistency.

Half inch is as big a difference as you want to go; I do mine at 3/8" difference (which to me is the opposite end of the equation, no closer).

Give Ohio Travel Bag a try; pretty much the same thing as those used on rolling travel cases.

The best and most reliable is Fiebing's leather dyes and stains. They are spirit based and colorfast and will give years of beautiful appearance. Water-based products just can't stand up to the rigors of daily use for fine leather goods.

And that is exactly how to do it; thank you Red Cent for the full tutorial on how to properly finish edges. It is nice to know that there is someone else (besides me) who does it the old school way, you know, with water and all, and then finishes it all of with plain old dye instead of these newfangled shortcut processes.

It is a result from the waxes and oils that are used to make the Latigo and that is you won't find many who actually dye it as it really isn't very responsive to the process.

It is all located under their tooling leather category and it is on the second page.

There is a neat little trick to using the wool daubers that has been around since the days of Al Stohlman and it works great. Take a small wool dauber and light it on fire to burn off all of the loose fuzzy stuff. Once you have burned that off make sure that you remove any residue from the remaining dauber head (which will be much more compact than before) by wiping it with a cloth. Now you have a precision application tool that won't let the dye creep down the sides.

First of all, if Resolene is applied properly (and this holds true for ALL products) then there are no issues with it. Second of all, it responds the same way as the Eco-Flo acrylic (or other like items) does and does not have a wear-off risk, which is what I think NRK is asking about. Again, this all depends on whether or not it was properly applied and allowed to properly set/cure as instructions indicate. Regarding the Tandy intelligence factor? They are not in the business of truly knowing about the trade and the products used, they are just taught to sell their products and find fault with all of the others that are on the market. Kind of funny considering that when the Tandy brand first came to life their main product line of dyes, stains, and finishes was in fact the Fiebing's product line; now that they are a corporate monster and have their own (not really theirs because it is made by Fenice of Italy) "branded" product line everyone else is garbage. I have used Fiebing's since the late 70's and have yet to find any comparable replacement or competition for them. I invest my business dollars with the names that I know and trust and have done so since I first got the bug.

Caught a local "hobby crafter" using a laser to do his design work (florals, etc.) and then calling it hand-carved and tooled, big mistake around here. In my area we have very few leather workers and most of us have been doing it for a very long time and every one of us is a learned student of the old school ways which leather was meant to be worked in; technology only gives birth to the dark side of the force and the bulk of those who live by it are out for only one thing - PROFIT, PROFIT, PROFIT! There are technological advancements in every trade or market that have a place but when you find the "new generation" using it to create things and lying about what they really are and how they were made, it has gone too far. The leather crafting trade is an art and it is one that requires skill, knowledge, blood, sweat, and tears to master, then you can call yourself a leather craftsman and you can say that you made something by hand, not before then. There is no cutoff date as asked above; this trade is to be respected by all who enter into it or it will surely dye and become nothing more than another relic of a once proud class of craftsmen who had protected the trade. Making templates is one thing, go for it, but once you cross the line where you rely on the technology for everything, you are doing nothing more than perpetuating the continued declined of skill, knowledge, and true craftsmanship that is killing our Nation; isn't it bad enough that our children are not taught to be inspired anymore? It all starts with thinking like "what is the cutoff date?" and the like.

This question is asked over and over again and has numerous responses from several people. But, here is a list of other options. - Hermann Oak Tannery, St. Louis, MO: you need to order a run of 10 hides if you order direct - Springfield Leather, Springfield, MO: you can purchase backs, sides, double shoulders, etc. of Hermann Oak without the need to order 10 hides; if you are a licensed business then look into their wholesale program for a price break - The Hide House, Napa, CA: they are distributors of all leathers to the fashion and saddlery industries and have wide range of options, including Hermann Oak. They also have a wholesale program and no real minimum order threshold There are other suppliers out there but the quality of their leathers is less than the Hermann Oak or Wicket & Craig quality and their inventory is even more questionable. The biggest thing to consider is where your location is in relation to the location of the sources I have provided. I would also recommend that you do a search for what you are looking for here within these forums and you just might find even more suggestions from others.

One thing I have never understood is the desire to shortcut on the finish when you have some serious money invested in the beautiful leather that you are working with. I am a Professional at this trade and would never put the quality leather to the test of whether or not something that wasn't intended for it could be used. Only the finest dyes/stains and finishes find their way onto my leather products and if they were to stop producing their product, I would have to retire or take up another trade that would allow me to continue to be a professional and not a tinkerer.

Ran with Hatch.co for a few months and have say, it was not what they promote their system to be. I have closed my account with them as they are nowhere near the level of "expertise" and "uniqueness" that they claim. There were issues with my Maker Dashboard that were never corrected; their Maker Learning Center information promotes several options to help you market your products that actually no longer exist (got that from one of the founders), past couple weeks not even a single visit from anyone that they target or advertise to, and I also learned from a vast majority of those who are on Hatch.co that they have had little to no success so far but being as there are no fees associated with listing they are keeping the "Free Advertising". I have more important things to do than waste my time so I have moved on and left them in the dust. Besides, a large number of their Leather Goods Makers actually do some pretty shoddy work while trying to charge a price that you would associate with a designer fashion brand; the Hatch team is not as picky about the quality of work and craftsmanship as they would make you think. Maybe some day they will have it together but they have a long way to go right now.

I know of people who do use the wood products on leather but they are not formulated for it and can cause damage and issues down the road. May not be easy to get products specifically for leather but at least you know that they are intended to be used on it whereas the "unconventional" methods that you reference are not. As a professional craftsman I have no interest in trying non-leather formulations on my goods. Good luck with your search.

The biggest issue when using patterns, whether templates or design drawings, is when a person claims that the artistic elements that they have carved/tooled as their own work. I still use several of the original Al Stohlman designs that I started with back in the late 70's as they are still quite popular among those who enjoy true art in leather, but every time I do list one of these works I give full credit to Al, or whomever's pattern that I have used, as it is THEIR design, I only put it to leather as a tribute to their artistic skill. Another issue is that ever so frequent question that pops up, including here within our community of leatherworkers, for patterns to copy a specific namebrand product or item; there are enough fakes out there already so I just don't understand why there is a need to add another name to the list of those who have already stolen the concept/idea of another. However, using the idea that field notes cover/case is violating some trademark or intellectual property rights is extremely absurd and I would suggest that the "leatherworker" who gave you flap over it is himself one of those who copies everything he can from others and puts his name on it with no "tip of the hat" to the original artist.

Most of us just design our own but there are plenty of options available in the Patterns & Templates section of this Forum. Just go to the Patterns & Templates section and run a search for what you are looking for. Have fun.

Do a search here in this section and you will find a few options.

I do most of my sales through online sources but I also do some select Craft Fair events in my area. By select I meant that they are specifically geared to handmade only items and that they are well established within the community and have a huge following of customers. I also do some specialized shows that have huge attraction and get great results. I do not do the flea market thing as, you put it so well, they will steal the eyes out of your head and that type of "customer" is only there looking for the cheapest deal in town. I actually look at flea markets in the same light as I do eBay; it is an outlet for garbage, nothing more, and that is what the patrons are looking for. You would be able to make more on you stuff if you sold it garage sale style, but I don't recommend that either. Do some research into what events happen in your area and look into how long Craft Fair organizers have been holding their events; look for feedback from former participants and visitors/customers as well. Most of these groups have some form of a Social Media presence so you should be able to find something in your area and also check for any websites that promote such things in your area. While doing all of this you also need to nail down your product line, options, and pricing so that once you have a direction to go you can get there without too much delay. When doing your pricing you need to make sure that you cover your materials, labor, overhead, and profit in order to truly see any benefit from it. This means that those belts that you have been selling will now most likely be listed for a bit more but if you are going to BE in business, you need to BE a business. The time for "hobby interest" is over if this is the direction that you want to go. Good luck with your endeavors and make sure that your research includes getting answers to any questions that you may have from the organizers and other organizations. You can also look into the local Churches in your area as they are always holding some sort of Craft Event throughout the year and they are typically open to everyone to be a vendor.

As has already been stated: give this idiot his money back and end all communications with him, people like this are around every corner and the more that you try and make it right by them the more noise they make because they think that they have a patsy on their hands. People like this wake up every morning hating the miserable life that they enjoy and just all of us to join them in their misery, ain't worth it to try and keep the $80.00 on the books. Costs less in the long run because you can cut him out before he does any real damage to your business. It is also the main reason why I don't use eBay for any business; that place crawls with garbage like this guy.

The Wickett & Craig leather of late has had less than satisfactory reviews from some of the finest craftsmen in the industry so you may want to evaluate other sources. I, and many others, use Hermann Oak from St. Louis, MO and have been for several years. You can purchase large amounts from them direct or you can get your leather from other sources. The Hide House in Napa, CA is a large distributor to the designer market and they carry Hermann Oak as well as some other veg-tan leathers and their prices are very good. You can also get leather, at a wholesale rate, from Springfield Leather in Springfield, MO. The direction to take should be based on how much you will be purchasing at a time and your location could also play a factor in this. There are plenty of options to consider, just run a Google search for wholesale leather suppliers and see what you can find. Do some research into each one you consider and even give them a call or drop them an email with any questions that you may have. Make sure that your supplier is one who can keep you supplied with some good leather and a good price. And, yes, Tandy is not the best route to go as their leather quality has suffered dramatically and is not looking as if it will be improving anytime soon. Good luck with your search and your business. I operate a business as well and am always monitoring the supply chain sources.