NVLeatherWorx

Welcome aboard Duncan. Sounds like you have done some serious homework while lurking in the shadows and that is a very good thing. It also sounds like that lurking has helped you through some things that have made you want to continue down this path and that is even better. As @bikermutt07 has suggested start small and with batches to get the consistency down and you will find that as you move through the process it will be much easier to get a larger project done, on the first try, and taking on one-at-a-time items will just feel like another day. The smaller batch process gives you practice and allows you to make the adjustment from one piece to the next which also creates a collection of unique and one-of-kind items (neat little marketing trick there) when you enter the realm of selling to the public. We hope to see some great things from you as you continue down this road and you know by now that you have a large pool of minds to help you whenever you need it.

Hello Mutt, You have learned well young Grasshopper. And I know that you always will. You have also been a provider of some hard learned wisdom as a result of your learning and that is what these forums are all about.

Welcome aboard first of all. You want to work with shorter lengths for sure as it is much easier to handle the thread. I break my thread down into 3 equal lengths once I have my total pulled and it makes it easier to work with on so many levels. I typically use the calculation factor of the length to be stitched times 5 so that I can ensure that there is enough thread to cover the project (especially with belts as the leather is considerably thicker). When starting a new section of thread I do my overlap stitching the same as if I were ending the run on a back-stitch: 5 stitches; this ensures that the end of a run will be properly secured by the start of the new run. As a former saddle maker and having been hand-stitching since I started working with leather, I stick to the tried and true origin of the process to ensure that what I put out to a customer is the best that it can be. My threads of choice are always 1.0 for all main assembly lines (belt edges, wallets, etc.) and .08 for interior assembly areas so as to ensure that the stitches will hold over the years of use and wear; thinner threads and natural materials have a lower wear/fray threshold and can wear out faster on items that are typically everyday use. My preferred threads are of course Ritza 25 Tiger Thread but everyone has a different opinion of threads so you want to select your supplies based on your own personal experience with anything that you try/test out; don't hesitate to sample though as you might find something that works better for you. As mentioned here as well, your skills and knowledge will get better over time as you continue to make things and refine your stitching so don't hesitate to just grab some scrap leather once in awhile and practice with it to get there. I have been a leather craftsman for over 40 years and there is always something new to learn or a way to improve what you do and how you go about doing it. That is the beauty of this profession. Good luck and keep asking and learning.

Hey man, I used to overthink everything as well; constantly trying to over-perfect everything and you can thank my Engineering background for that. One day it hit me to just look at everything in a more straight forward approach and to do it as simple as possible so that I can speed up the process. Good thing I did because the alternative was a baseball bat upside the head and I am sure that would have left a mark or two. Now I just sit back, make a quick doodle on paper, grab some scrap and glue it together, and just go at it from a simple common sense approach; that has cut so much time off of my design process and it makes the process so much easier. Once I have a project completed I will spend more time on creating permanent templates for it if I like the look and it is something that I will do again for others. If I have a one-off design then I just file the rough drafts away just in case I get another odd request down the road. If the design is a unique one and I know that I will never do it again then I just find the circular file and put it all to bed. I only use the leather scrap for my forms because it is much easier to shape than wood because you already have the tools you need to do it and it can be quickly adapted to whatever form you need it to be in a much shorter time frame. Post some pics of what you come up with and you can always contact me direct if you want; I am one who has no issues with sharing my knowledge and experience with others because that is how we continue to get our craft out into the public eye and capture new people who want to learn this trade. Some look at it as just a Hobby and for many it is but this is also a Professional trade that has a history as long as humankind itself and it is the Professional Tradesman who is the guiding light for the new Craftsman.

You are overthinking this process by quite a bit. I have made several horizontal cases over the years and the larger the phones get the more interesting the design process gets. I only use spring steel belt clips (the same ones that you use for concealable holsters because they are shorter) and they work just fine. I have also done some with a belt loop in the center and they have done just fine. Each end of the phone will be away from the body and there is nothing you can do to change that, the amount of space is based on the size of the phone but that is how it is. If the customer has a concern about how their phone will sit on their hip then you may want to suggest going to a vertical style because that is the only way you can get the phone body closer to their body. Regarding the phone flopping around or getting caught on things, that is going to happen no matter what type of case a person has and that is the responsibility of the phone owner to be aware of, if they opt to wear their phone wherever they go or whatever they do and their is a risk of damage or other negative results that is their fault if something happens to it and not yours. You are being asked to design and make them a case to fit their phone and to be worn the way they want to wear it, just make the design and get their input on it and anything after that is on them. With the size of the current phones today I always make sure that my customer understands that I make the product requested to the specifications requested and I also advise them of any potential risks that could present themselves during its use, I do this to make sure that they understand that any damage to their phone that results from their not doing their own due diligence in safeguarding it when risk is present is on them and that I am in no way liable for any of it. The simplest way to design such a case is to have the dimensions of the phone available and create a form for it, I use scrap pieces of leather and glue them together in layers until I have the phone thickness, I then shape the rest of the form to the size and I have my template. I lay my form out on some heavy cardstock and start marking off where all of my fold points and stitching points are going to be so that I can design the rest of the body around that. Every measurement of the form/phone needs to be taken into consideration all around to ensure that you get the right layout but it is really pretty easy once you start tinkering with it. For the flaps I either use snaps (at customer request) or I use small button magnets that I hide in the leather (I use thinner leather with a thin lining to do this) and they work just fine. Besides, this is the same way those garbage commercially produced phone cases work so why can't I add that to a better product? I will try and dig up some examples of some I have made and see if I can get them posted but I would like to suggest that when you search the internet for ideas or to see examples of others works, don't just do a random search, go to places like Etsy or some of those other online marketplaces for handmade items and search, that way are getting to see examples of what you are trying to work out versus finding all of those crap vendors who have it all imported in for retail purposes.

You should skive the area that will be the entire buckle fold area. In other words, if your buckle tine is punched through the fold at 1-1/2" then you should skive 3" so that the entire section where you mount your snaps (or whatever you are using to hold the buckle end together), your keeper, and the buckle is the thickness of the original strap. I personally never follow the rule of skive half the thickness as I have never found it necessary, I skive maybe 1/3 the thickness so as to ensure that I am maintaining some strength and durability for the buckle end.

I prefer what are called Hollow Ground as they have less thickness to them and the concave sections reduce the drag through the leather.

It is a haircell pig leather. It may be veg-tan but it is split for sure. The side of the skin being shown to us is the flesh side so it would accept dye either way as is almost suede like on that side when split.

I have been using the Tandy Ergo knife barrels for quite some time and find that they are actually quite comfortable to use. I have found that the knife blades are pretty much interchangeable so you should not have any issues with that. Anytime you buy a new knife or blade you want to strop the living you know what out of it because they do not have a great edge out of the box. Your budget is exactly what they sell for here in the U.S. but you may be able to find something on Amazon as well or do some searches for some leather working groups on your side of the pond and see what they have to say; local resources are more likely to have some hidden little secrets that they are willing to share. Welcome to the trade.

I have also used a scalpel for some cuts and have found that the blades do indeed flex as @battlemunky has suggested so I only use the scalpel for my detail work when doing Filigree backgrounds. My standard cutting knife of choice is a #2 X-acto knife as it is a beefy blade and very sturdy. I have recently started using the Z-blades that they make and they are very sharp; can get a cut through 9 to 10 oz. leather on the first run smooth as can be. It also sounds like you may also be tipping your knife slightly so that can exaggerate the amount of undercut that you end up with but those do work themselves out once you get into the edge finishing process.

I am also in the relatively the same boat as Yin and SaddleBags: 1) I never reduce unless I am looking to lighten the shade and then I only use the Dye Reducer as it is specifically formulated to work with these dyes. You can use other alcohol based products but the results may be different. Cleaning hands, I just wear Nitrile gloves and discard when they need to be changed out. 2) I too do not spray as this often requires multiple applications to get the proper coverage and dye penetration depth that you need for long-term success. And that is most likely due to the thinning in the first place. I just stick with the good ole dauber or a sponge for larger items. 3) I oil before hand and afterwards. First oil will help the dye to absorb better and the final oil brings back some of the conditioning that is lost while the dye dries. 4) I always let a dye job, regardless of what application number it is, no less than 8 hours, 12 is preferred.

Nailed it!

I get asked every time I am out at some event or show and the answer is always, "no". I don't explain anything as they don't care what you have invested in it, they only want it for less. I also get some responses about how they could get the same thing at Walmart or somewhere else cheaper and that is when I explain to them that they "can't because I don't wholesale to those places and they don't have a supplier that makes what I make and how I do it." That just makes their day and then they stand there for awhile contemplating that fact and that they got called out on it. Even with all of that I still have about an 85% sale rate so I guess the truth is not a bad thing, even when it is hard for most to swallow.

Give this one a try. http://makesupply-leather.com/

Amen brother! Let us shout it from the rooftops!!!

Very much the same idea behind what the German Polizei use today, it is a short rubber billy-club styled device that is spring loaded and when it goes to town on you it is staying the night. More modern is the sap gloves; a full leather glove that has a large band of shot built-in along the primary knuckle line. These things are effective (have used them when deployed in those less than desirable locations of the planet) because you never know what you are going to run into. Don't know where you would find any patterns though but you I am sure that you can find them out there somewhere.

I thank you very much, this is what these forums are supposed to be all about and yet we tend to collect those low-skilled, non-thinkers, who feel that they are capable of competing with us. This is the perfect candidate for a Darwin Award.

And now that you have called out Dave from Saddleback you need to understand that he was once operating here in the U.S.A. (his homeland) and decided to take his operation south of the border to save some serious cash (which he now banks even more of). The leathers are all sourced from local tanners where is based now and their quality is not as great as they are made out to be. I have personally spent time with a Saddleback bag and the smell of the leather was repulsive at best. The quality of the stitching is nothing to go crazy over as it is machine stitched and I have seen these bags fail as a result of that. There is nothing that is great about a Saddleback product nor does anything about their products make them the authority of quality, process, technique, or even a top-notch price example; they simply charge more for lesser quality work than they used to be in the beginning and in turn the people who actually do all of the work are given a meager salary at best to give their life to the brand. There are plenty of self proclaimed Masters out there who can baffle you with bullshit all day long and just because you have a great looking product doesn't mean that you have a great product; a great product is one that has been carefully designed and methodically produced to give the user years of useful service and that all requires expertise, training, and humility. You made a comment earlier that you don't pay for expertise but you pay for results. Well, let me lay this out clearly: quality results only come from expertise and true knowledge of your trade and there is no way around that one; this applies to every trade out there and to think otherwise shows a serious lack of humility which is a necessity when you are trying to learn and improve your craft. I have seen many people offer you guidance and assistance with the questions that you pose here and yet every time you drag out a thread by creating argument points or contentious disagreement with the answers. Here is the reality that we all must face: if we want to play with the big dogs then we need to become a big dog and establish our place with the rest, only you control that so give that some hard thought. To make it a bit easier to understand for you I will use your comment on how you don't pay for expertise but you do for results and I will equate that your Etsy shop. You are new to Etsy so the fact that you don't have any sales yet is not something that I am going to go after because the sales on Etsy don't just happen because you are there, you have to wait for them. I will however comment on the quality of the workmanship that you have posted with your 3 listings and when it comes to results I have to say that they are NOT of a quality that is being sought out. You may be a person of skill in your homeland and there may be people who look to you for the skills that you have because they have no idea how to do it themselves but your skills, expertise, and the results of them are not of the level that your global marketplace are looking for. The majority of consumers, whether of leather goods or other items, look for quality results in their products and the expertise behind those results because once you start comparing the "value" priced item against the more expensive item (leaving Saddleback out of this equation as the quality is not as good as it is touted to be) you need to be looking at the expertise level. I have made wallets, belts, purses, and other items back in the early 1980's that are still being used today by their owners and that is because I put my skill, knowledge, and expertise into every piece I make and I gained those items through education, practice, asking for guidance, and asking for critiques and reviews; all of this to become better at what I do and all of it required some humility because you don't always get that glowing response. This is the way of the world and if you wish to compete in it and with those of us who are in it, and here, this is what you have to start working towards. You can better serve yourself by absorbing the guidance and help that has been so graciously offered by the many people within these forums or change direction and quit asking questions that you don't really want to hear an answer on because it doesn't fit within your wheelhouse. Your situation where you are is different than every one of ours and ours are all different from each other as well and we understand and accept that; you need to spend your time focusing on your market before you can visit other markets and if your area can not support your intended desire to grow a business then you need to get yourself up to standards and results that will allow you to compete elsewhere. No intention to beat you down here because that is not how we as helpful resources should be operating but sometimes the truth must be made known and it often is painful to accept. Just keep working on your results to achieve what you are looking for and don't worry about what the "other guy" is doing, you be you and find your niche in this trade and let them have theirs. Good luck and keep practicing towards fine finished products.

From the looks of your card slots in the image you are already using a very low weight leather so there isn't much skiving that could be done to that without the risk of damage. When I make wallets with the stacked pockets like that and the request is for anything more than 3 pockets per side I have created T-slot templates that have the bottom (hidden section) offset from one another. In other words, one T-slot base will be to the left most side of the component and the next one will be to the right most side of the component; I then continue on until the final cover pocket. Either way, you are still going to have some thickness but it is minimized by being spread out instead of just down the center line where all you pocket bottoms line up. Another option is to use a lining leather for that many pockets as it is much thinner than the rest.

I am hoping that you were being sarcastic about this. Saddleback Leather is not design and process guru that some think they are, just as there is no validity to the statement that just because it is on the Internet or Facebook or whatever your favorite online distraction is that it must be true. There are just as many ways to finish your leather edges as there are to do anything else with leather so it is up to YOU to figure out what works best for you and then stick with it. I, for example, have been working with leather for over 40 years and was taught the method of simply wetting the edges and then hand burnishing and it works just as it should, as long as you do it properly. I also have a mini bench motor that I have setup as a burnishing station just to fiddle with and I use the same technique of wetting the edges and then run it on my burnishing machine. The results are exactly the same as when I hand burnish but it takes more time to accomplish this way than by hand because you have to lessen the pressure applied so that you don't over heat the leather and scorch it. A craftsman needs to figure out their place in this market, educate themselves for that place, tailor their skills and expertise to meet the needs of that place, and then stick with it. Only look to change something if it isn't working at all and then make sure that what you do replace it with works as you want it to.

There is no value to you taking on work that is based on the length of stitching that you are expected to do and being limited to a "standard" when it comes to what is considered acceptable to charge for your work. Who is someone else to determine what your time, skills, and machine use is to cost? The answer to that question is, you, you only; there is no government or industry formula that can work that out because they don't know what your experience is or what goes into doing what you do so you are either in the leather working business to make money, pay your bills, and grow your business you are just in it to fill your time and get walked on by others who are just using you to do the work that they do not want to learn or invest in themselves. I would never take on a job where someone else will dictate to me what an acceptable charge/cost is on any aspect of the work I do as I am the one with the skills and know-how that you are looking for so why the hell would I let you tell me how much you will pay?

If you are using an Antique then you can go with doing the color detail work first (whether using dye or acrylic paints) but you should always add a resist (even if using acrylics) to ensure that there is no unwanted penetration from the Antique. Once you have your coloring all done, including the Antique, you can seal it with whatever your top coat of choice is. If you are using dyes as your main coloring then you want to dye all of the leather first and once it is dry you can do all of the color detail work and then seal it once dried. Dyes will penetrate resists and you will ruin the entire project.

Depends on where in the World you are located. If you are in the U.S. then your best source will probably be Ohio Travel Bag.

As most have said, apply dye, let dry completely, buff heavily, and then seal. It does help a bit to dampen your leather as well. When doing belts or collars I always leave the back side the natural color (that is if you are working with veg-tan) as it will darken by itself over time and when dealing with animals I don't want anything to be at risk of causing an allergic reaction on them. Another thing that I have done for many years is to apply my first dye application and let it dry, buff it, apply a second (to make sure that I get good, deep color) and let it dry, then buff. From here just move on to my standard finishing and done.

"Patience comes to those who wait" - Probably one of the most "duh" moments in the writers life was when they penned that little tidbit of wisdom. Patience is something that we can all learn to be better at in this trade regardless of how long you have been doing it. Of course, we also know that patience is a virtue but I am not one who is very virtuous. On the conditioner, you can also apply it a bit thicker for the initial application and then use a standard blow dryer on a medium heat setting to "melt" it into the leather; still let it sit for a bit before you buff it out though and, if need be, you can apply another coating as normal to give it that rich look. I have found that my end finish looks almost identical to what a Resolene finish would give you, not overly shiny but it has a nice "glow" to it.