NVLeatherWorx

Hermann Oak is a bit tighter, at least in my opinion, but it is what I would consider to be the best leather to work with, especially when it comes to doing belts. As far as a difference in weighting there shouldn't be any from one tannery to another. I would recommend H.O. over W&C based on their tanning formula alone; H.O. uses Oak tannins, oils, and barks to tan their product while W&C uses the same base formula ingredients as are used in South American tanneries which gives the leather a pinkish/reddish hue versus the beautiful russet color that you should be looking for. Not trying to sound like I am knocking W&C but the finest veg-tanned leathers have always been those that have been Oak tanned; this even applies to the European hides that are pit tanned. One step that is often missed by leatherworkers is the post tooling/stamping conditioning; don't forget to give the leather some of its suppleness back through the application of PURE NEATSFOOT OIL. Make sure that it is a pure formulation and not a compound or blend; this will help with any perceived "stiffness". Besides, a belt should be a bit tighter feeling as it is going to be stressed and strained over its lifespan and it will naturally relax over time anyway as do all veg-tan leather goods.

Amen to that! We are a unique breed of Artisan in today's world and there are not as many of us as there were when I started my journey over 40 years ago. Post us a pic once you have one done; it always gives others some insight as to how one can make it their own look by manipulating the basic pattern elements.

First, let me welcome you to the community and the wonderful world of leatherworking. Second, let me also add that not only is Electrathon very knowledgeable in what is happening in the Washington scene, he has also taught some classes in his area so you would be in good hands indeed by getting in touch with him. And, as Wild Bill46 said, there are plenty of us here that will do what we can to get you started down the road and on the right track to where you want to be. Again, welcome to the community, now sit back and enjoy the ride.

@indidana I too use 2oz. for my interior elements just like tboyce does but I do use 4oz. for all of my exteriors. I do this to ensure that the wallet has a very long and useful life for the client. In fact, I have contact with some of my very first customers (from when I was still in High School, and that has been awhile now) telling me that they have passed their wallet on to their children; one of them was made about 34 years ago. This is the beauty of handmade products that are made from real leather and not that stretchy, paper thin stuff that so many people are carrying in their pockets. If I recall this design properly, I believe that all you have to do is just leave out the coin pouch element and you should be fine. Have fun with this because this is a very nice design that tboyce put together and I have seen many of them having been made and put into use.

You can also try Springfield Leather (there in Missouri) or even The Hide House in Napa, CA. Plenty of options without having to go to the tannery as I am sure that you don't wish to be purchase a minimum of 10 sides in one weight to get going.

You should never dye/stain first; all carving & tooling/stamping must be done before anything else to ensure the fullest result from your tools.

Thanks for the update llucas and glad to hear that you got it to match.

But were your problems with their H.O. line or something else Red Cent? I have used their H.O. frequently, as they are very convenient for me, and have had no issues but if there is anyone else who has used the H.O. (don't need to review the other grades/materials) then please say so. That is what craftsman827 is looking for.

You are correct that with one coat of black dye that you get the gray look, but there is something else to consider here before thinking that your gray will stay gray. Once you condition it and/or seal it with a top coat you will find that it goes black and stays that way. If you really want to get a gray finish that is solid in nature and not just shaded, all you have to do is thin out your black until you get the right shade on your leather. Do this on scrap leather and even go as far as to condition it and/or seal it as you would normally to ensure that it gives you the end result that you are looking for. Any time that you use straight dyes without thinning them they will always finish out the actual color when you complete the process. Just the nature of how things are formulated to work together.

Same as those preachy you know what's that are all about saving the environment and maintaining water clarity in high mountain lakes by pushing to have legislation enacted that limits what you can drive, the size and type of motor that your boat can have, or even limiting your access to certain areas because the pollution has such a negative impact on the eco-system yet every damn one of them drives an SUV and their carbon footprint would make King Kong's footprint look like yours did on your birth certificate. Holier than thou bull$#&*er's they are. Do as I do but I am going to do as I damn well want. Soapbox rant over.

You do the main dye/stain first then dry brush over the top of it to get the "shading" effect that you see here.

Well now, looks like you have taken the high road here and put yourself in the Superiority seat now. There is a time and a place for every battle but being able to choose when, and where, is the more important thing here. I too believe that she was just trying to spawn a conversation that she hoped would get into the "knocking her way of life" (albeit extremely shortend due to her selected lifestyle choices) which would ultimately cause you the most damage. Being the bigger person without beating your chest (in public) is the way to go. Keep us posted if you ever get a response out of her though, I would like to see where she goes with it from your reply.

The Deglazer will basically remove just about everything. With the fact that the dye job needs to be a bit darker anyway that should be of no issue at this point. Too bad that he didn't get it that leather has a habit of absorbing the dyes differently, even from the same piece of leather. Just make sure that you follow the directions very carefully so as not to do more than you intended to.

They aren't the only one that does it. I have had items shipped via UPS from the Sacramento area to be delivered to me outside of the Reno, NV area (I am just East of Reno by about 45 miles) and it went to LA first, then Las Vegas, on to Salt Lake City and finally arrived in Reno. We are about 2 1/2 hours from Sacramento. I have had stuff shipped from the Seattle area via FedEx go to Texas before eventually coming back up through California and then to me also. Makes you wonder if someone screwed up or they just that bad of a logistics chain.

Checked it out with the manufacturer and they give it a thumbs up for use on leather. However, I don't know how well it holds over the long-term but if the intention is to only use it to secure leather together that is intended to be stitched you should be fine. Never used this product specifically but I can give their gasket products high grades for sure; leaders in the industry if you ask me.

That would depend on who you ordered them from and who is doing the shipping. I know that sounds kind of off but I have had the same question of late regarding some of my orders. Recently had one that included several of the same item (a total of 9); 6 shipped from the business where I ordered them; 2 shipped from a supplier in Kentucky; the last one shipped directly from the manufacturer. I was only billed one time and only paid one shipping price but it didn't help that I had to wait for a span of 10 days for one order to arrive just because of staggered shipping that was literally all over the place. By the way, it was also three different shipping carriers as well. How does that work out?

And, as 25b has said, to protect myself from having to face any additional interruptions in service to my clients (as if there aren't enough already) I too do not accept any orders for anything that incorporates the legal logo, trademark, image, or any reference to any organization or entity that is commonly known to the public (NASCAR, NFL, MLB, Disney, Marvel, etc.) or known to be a legally registered company that has any obvious IP elements attached to them. It isn't worth my having to sit in Court and defend myself, knowing full well that I will lose, just to make that neat wallet with the Incredible Hulk's fist or that cute little journal cover for a client's daughter who wants the characters from Frozen (or anything else along that line). They have gone through the trouble of creating it, designing the concept, marketing the identity, and everything else that goes with it, let them keep it.

And don't forget to apply your contact cement to both pieces and allow it to get tacky before putting them together; and above all, let it dry for a bit before doing anything else to it so that you can be sure that the leather won't peal apart while setting your stitching holes.

And that trouble can come from the sale of ANY amount of a product that infringes upon the intellectual property of another without their permission; even one single item sale fits this violation.

The first thing is to determine whether or not you are in it for business or just a little extra cash from a Hobby. I am one who has an established business and have been so since the late 1980's when you didn't have all of this Social Media stuff or an Internet on which to get your name out there on. We did it the old fashioned way by setting up shop at every little craft fair, area Fair, or any other place that would have us and we met our clients face to face. Things have changed much since then but your pricing still needs to reflect your intentions. The method outlined below is what I use to establish the base price for an item which is what I classify as Standard; it is a plain Jane version of an item with no stamping, personalization or any other decorative elements on it, just plain and clean looking and standard as hand-stitched. All additional customization is based on the amount of labor that goes into adding any specific element (or combinations of elements) and charged out at my hourly rate; changing from stitched edges to laced edges also has an upcharge to cover for the additional labor and materials. I use a method by which I calculate out all of my raw materials (leather, etc.) and hardware costs then add an additional 25% to that to cover the costs of incidentals such as dyes, finishes, conditioners and even stitching threads (as they do not cost a lot; leather lace is figured as a raw material only). I then round that combined number up to the whole dollar and multiply it by 3 to get what I consider to be an adequate profit on the materials alone (think about how much a kit from Tandy would cost you versus how much it costs you to cut that same item out from your own sides; your cost from a side would be around a third of what that kit costs you and that would be if you bought for the cheapest you can get it for). Once I have my materials and profit figured out I then multiply that number by 3 to get my starting base price which I then add another 20% to (to cover the costs associated with listings, advertising, processing fees, sales tax, etc.) to find my final sale price. I always round my final price up to the whole dollar. The only additional charge any of my customers will see is the cost of shipping for that item when they order it from one of my online outlets. Having factored in the sales tax (which I do at the highest rate within my State) I cover the actual sales tax amount that would be due when sold within my State without having to track every individual penny that is associated with the taxes issues. However, everyone has their own way of doing it which is based on their goals, level of operations, venues/outlets for their products, and, most important of all, their market and what it will bear for pricing. I have nailed my method down to what I do as it gives me plenty of opportunity to attract customers that can be caught off guard by high priced items while giving me a consistent profit that goes back into the business to keep it operating while giving me a pricing level that is acceptable within my market (and the online world as we all know can be nothing more than a "who has the cheapest price" combat zone). My pricing is not cheap but it isn't overbloated either; I have been a professional maker for over 40 years but the current economic conditions dictate that we need to be prepared to give a little if we want to make anything at all; just don't give away the farm is all. I would suggest that you do some searches among the online retail outlets for items similar to your product and compare the quality of the work you see from others (and their pricing) against your quality of work and pricing and see where it leads you. Often times you will find numerous examples of lesser quality work that is just priced out of the realm of where it should be based on that quality and if you find that this is the norm for your product line then you can at least sell yours for no less than the lower quality works are going for. Always make sure you sell you, your skills, and the quality of your materials and expertise before you just try to match whatever else you see out there and you should be fine. Good luck with your quest and please feel free to contact me privately if you have any questions.

H.O. only purchased either direct from tannery, or through Springfield Leather in MO or Hide House in CA (when I don't need a huge order). In ALL cases it is far cheaper from all of them for the higher quality leather than anything Tandy will push out (remember, they attempted to carry H.O. in the 8/9 oz. weight this past year and their best pricing was WAY above anywhere else for that same side; that is why they have discontinued to carry it). The most important thing to consider here is how much you intend to purchase on any order and where you are located; don't need to pay more for shipping than is necessary. And both Springfield and Hide House will give you wholesale pricing as long as you meet their requirements of being a business operation.

And there is also the process of doing Filigree work as well which is along the same line (and the original name for the technique of removing areas of the leather and placing some other material as the new eye catcher).

Do you mean something like this? Did this one over a year ago.

And you can even mix both versions of their spirit dyes, regular or oil, with their Antique paste line to get even more hues and colors. Just can't mix ANY water based products with any of the spirit based products. But, as stated earlier, mix away and have fun with it.

There are times when a piece slips through that just doesn't hold up as well as the rest and you may have caught that one. It happens everywhere unfortunately. HO is a very high quality leather but it is after all still the skin of an animal and no matter what you do to it there are some things that just can't be factored into the process. I stand by HO and their product because it has had very few issues over my years in working with leather. Another thing to consider is the grade of leather being used. Every brand has the range of economy to Premium and the lower grades are at risk for more issues; I know several leather workers that are using some of the finest brand leathers but at their lower grades so as to save a buck or two, it ends up showing in the waste and issues that they experience. Make sure when you are getting your leather that you know for a fact that the grade/quality that you have asked for is what you end up receiving; saves some surprises in the long run. Good luck with your endeavors and may this year be a prosperous one.