Cyberthrasher

Another very good point. I think I've sold a total of 3 things locally - 2 of which were to a close friend. The internet is what allows us to find the market.

Just stumbled on this while looking for something else. I use sharpies a lot for touch ups on my edges, or when people want belt holes blackened in. I find it actually blends well with the black Pro Oil dye. I was actually just looking to see if someone had used the gold or silver sharpies with success before since I got a request for gold on a guitar strap.

I'm lucky enough to have found my market on a Blues Forum that I was already an avid participator in. I'd say 90% of my sales come from those guys. I do get a lot of inquiries from some of the members there who don't realize how much a strap costs and can't afford it. That's one thing that has led me to push for "budget" models that are still cool enough to leave my shop, but that the older guys on a fixed income can still afford. Some of the other ones just need an argument for their wives, such as "why buy a $1000 guitar and trust a $20 piece of fabric to keep it off the ground?" The key is definitely to find your market. I wouldn't expect to be able to sell high end custom guitar straps to anybody with a guitar. I had to find a market full of people who understand (and fiend for) the value of a custom made piece of music gear.

I can't add anymore to that.

Looking GREAT!!

After about a year and a half, I still haven't made a profit But, I know my problem. I make sure I have enough stock on hand to get the orders done as they come in, as well as making sure I have the tools to do what I need. I chalk it up to the fact that I'm still in the "startup" phase of building supplies and stuff. I think now I'm getting to the point where I may be able to start saying it's profitable.

oh yeah, and don't over-saturate it from the back. I usually use a spray bottle and just "spritz" it as needed, but there are times that I get a little overzealous and as I'm working the top gets too wet. Water gets sucked through from the bottom to the top, so after a few minutes you may notice the top getting wetter and wetter. If you start seeing dark spots on the top, just wrap it up and let it even out for a while before getting back to work. If you don't you'll start getting squishy and soft tooling.

I usually use my airbrush or a regular old fashioned brush. If I have a large area I can cover with one color or if I'm block dying, the old paper towel or rag works well too. The only time I ever use sponges is when I do my edging and I use those foam brushes from the art store. Those do get hard on me, but ONLY when I leave them sitting out. Doesn't take much to get them softened back up again and ready to go. Other than that, I also use the moist sponge to apply Resolene with no problems. If it helps, I go to the dollar store and get a 10 pack of sponges that seem to work perfectly. There's another crafter in the Southern states that I know and he uses the exact same sponges for dying all the time with no problems.

That's a very important one indeed. For stuff that can't fit in a zipper bag, I wrap in plastic wrap and then put it in a large garbage bag (belts, guitar straps) in the fridge until I'm ready to come back to it. I actually wrap it up in several sections so I only have to unwrap the portion I'm working on, which leaves a consistent moisture content throughout the rest of my piece until I get it finished up.

HAHA!! I'm sitting on almost a year for mine!! Ammo, I never did mention how good of a job you did on this one. I get sidetracked a lot since I'm on the forum while working. So, Great Job!!

I'll let you know how they look if I get them.

Give yourself a quarter inch for folding if you need a measurement, but that's all going to depend on the weight of the leather anyway. Just make the top flap a little longer, fold it, then trim to size

Foam N' More is where I ordered mine at the recommendation of David Theobold. I got a half sheet of the regular neoprene which was $41.60 shipped. This is the one they recommend for motorcycle seats on their site as well.

yeah, I'll probably end up with the english points for certain since that's my favorite end to use. But, I also have some of Black River Laser's strap end templates I use for a lot of stuff and they're not bad at all. With those handy, I'll probably just get the punches in the sizes I feel I'll use most often for now, leaving the odd-ball sizes to the templates.

Cool! . I may have to round up a couple sets of them soon. But, on a related note, if I were making 100 belts a day, I'd probably have the money/justification to spend more then $7 on a strap punch

Heavy as in repetitive, or heavy as in 8 oz and up?

That helps a lot Chris. I just checked out their website too. I really wish some of these older shops would catch up on the times with their websites, but I do like what I see there in terms of their service and selection.

That's what I'm shooting for when streamlining things. I'm actually thinking that soon I may be able to bump up to the $40 mark without skyrocketing my total prices. But, tooling is tooling and when it comes down to it, there's not a lot of streamlining you can do there after a certain point. So, I just have to keep working on streamlining the other steps.

How much does that A grade run? I like my B grade, but you never know

Luckily the only time I've ever had to put up with Tandy leather is when it came in my kit the first time I picked up the tools

A couple off the top of my head would be Springfield Leather - they'll supply you with sides, precut blanks, or custom cut pieces. Wickett and Craig is about the same price and good quality. Springfield supplies Hermann Oak as well as some imports, between them and W&C, that's the two primary US Tanneries. I've also purchased from Zack White and I've heard good things about Maverick Leather, but I don't know where they get their leathers at all.

Yeah, I look kind of crazy going to the the thrift store looking like I do and picking through the purses and belts like an old lady on Black Friday. What can I say? Purses are $1.50 and usually have good hardware and sometimes good lining leather. Belts are 50 cents and either come with buckles and keepers, or lace, or sometimes even conchos and other decorative hardware . I usually buy up half the rack in one shot.

most of my buckles come from 50 cent belts I pillage from the thrift stores. Might be worth a shot to save some cash. You can also get good lace that way by finding the braided belts and pulling them apart

For now, I charge $20 per hour, which usually adds up to the "market value" of the item. As I increase my speed, I increase my hourly rate, but charge the same so it balances out but leaves me with a higher "wage". I haven't done the math because I'm still in the startup cost phase of business (need this supply and that supply). I'd say I pay myself on average about $10 p/h right now because I usually transfer half of my payment to a personal account and leave the rest in a "business" account. Honestly though, lately I've been trying to get out of that habit and just leave it all in the business account until I need a little extra that they day job isn't covering.

All the sides differ though. Yes, a cheap HO is going to be better than the expensive stuff elsewhere. But, the cheap HO isn't without it's downsides too. So far I've purchased two "craftsman" grade HO sides from Springfield. One had a beautiful grain and nappy back (percentage wise, not all of it) where the other one has a grain side with something to be desired and a fairly solid flesh side - minus a few soft spots in the belly region. But, the "B" grade they sell is always good on either side. I should add that the one with the stringy flesh side had a grain like the "B" and tools beautifully - just needs a little TLC on the flesh. Yeah, I've been a victim of economics a few times and had to cheap out. Regardless, it's all good leather and just better suited for different things. It got me by until I had the cash in my accounts to refresh my good stock.