K-Man

mliebs8: As gunfighter pointed out, if you adjust the presser foot tension and feed dog height, that will take a great amount of the impressions away/off the back. If you also take a dremel (or similar) and "knock down" the very pointed/sharp edges on the feed dog, you'll take some additional impression off. You can then dampen the leather and take a smooth-sided tool and rub out nearly all of the rest of the impression.

I've used a number of Neel's Saddlery machines, to include the Model 5. It's a cost effective and very adequate machine to use for your intended purpose. The Artisan 3000 would be a step above the Model 5. Edited to add: The last time I checked, the Model 5 machine could use up to 415 thread. The Artisan 3000 only goes up to 346. So it would appear to me that the Model 5 accepts/uses the heavier thread in comparison to the Artisan 3000.

My start was a bit unorthodox. My EX-wife decided to buy one of Tandy's multi-tool/kit boxes (the one's that have multiple tools and multiple kits in one box) as a Christmas gift. Subsequently I learned she had written a worthless check for the purchase. (That's why she's an EX.) Long story, short is I obviously had to make good on the check. And part of the deal at the time with the purchase was that there were 6 free classes included. So I figured since I was stuck with this box of tools and kits, I might as well take the classes. And the rest is history, as they say.....

Are the maker's initials, "V. E.?" I was recently contacted by a person from the same locale showing samples of his holster-making work.

Great job on all of your work. Especially like the saddlebag/holster set up. I agree that canting the holster towards the front would make the draw easier. Though the setup you have pictured would possibly work on set of saddlebags set/wrapped on the saddle horn....

It's a two-edged sword - you either don't have enough or you have too much. And like Johanna said, it really depends on what you're going to offer. It depends also on who you're going to offer it to. Do some research - check out what others have a lot of on their tables at the shows - is it selling? What are people asking for? If you have a fair number of folks asking for the same thing, then that should indicate to you that an in-stock inventory will sell. If you go the website route, it's essential if you want to make money, there's a number of ways to set it up. The "store" is actually a separate entity from the informational pages, yet it will appear to be seamless. Accepting payment through the website can be done by using/linking to a service like Paypal (or similar), accepting credit cards, accepting checks. There's a fee tied to each of those as well, so you need to consider that. There are a number of companies available that offer the credit card processing aspect and their fees vary greatly. A storefront operation can encompass a lot of things. You can have it set up where your manufacturing is done at the same location as the storefront. The "storefront" can be as simple as a couple of display cabinets or you can have it looking like Wal-Mart. There are so many things to take into consideration, it's really hard to try and cover them all in a single posting/response. So suffice it to say that you have to make it as convenient as possible for the customer. It's not easy doing that sometimes. Keep in mind that it takes a LOT of initiative, a LOT of flexibility, and some amount of common sense to run a business successfully. There are some folks who are too idealistic about it. They then get frustrated and end up failing at it. I heard a saying recently that I agree with - people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan.

I vote for laser engraving. I've used it on a number of different types of leather, a number of different designs, and you cannot beat it for providing clarity. Unless you're going to add laser engraving to your "options" available to a customer, I wouldn't even consider buying one. You can usually find one of the trophy/award shops in your local area who have one and most would welcome the opportunity to do something on leather. Just give them a warning about the smell and that there needs to be good ventilation. IMO it's much more efficient (time and money) to let someone else do it.

There are many advantages to establishing yourself as a business. Most have been mentioned already. It does give you a higher degree of legitimacy and shows that you're serious about providing a quality product to a customer. Each state is different as to their requirements. In my locale, a biz license is required when you cross the $1000 gross sale amount in a year. If you're selling at $5 a pop, then you might be able to stay as a non-business entity for some time. On the flip side, if you're selling at $100 a pop, then odds are you're going to meet that threshhold in fairly short order. The fee for a biz license varies by county and city. For me, a city license is $50+, and the county license is $60+. I'm required to have both a county and city license since the business is located within city limits. I also have a state tax resale certificate, cost = $0. That brings great savings on the buying of supplies and tax exemption status. A separate bank account would be required for the business, as you don't want to mix the business with the personal checking. Check with your local bank - some have discounted rates/account plans if you have both your personal and business accounts in the same place. It sure makes it easier to transfer funds from one to another, too. In most instances, it just takes the click of your mouse button to accomplish. I pay the state sales tax I've collected on a quarterly basis - required by the state. I pay estimated federal tax, medicare, social security, etc., on a monthly basis - based on amount drawn as a salary. With respect to a biz phone - that could most easily be accomplished by adding a line/phone to your cell phone service (if you have one). Most of the providers have a program where you can add a line for approximately $10/month. That expense is eligible for tax write off. As Bruce pointed out, there are a number of things that become eligible for tax write-off as a business. My recommendation would be to take advantage of as much as that as you can. Most new businesses start out with just the very basic needs as a sole proprietorship - business license, tax resale certificate, biz checking account, and some business cards. It's normally a small amount of dollars expended to get established. I would suggest talking with an accountant and get some general info/guidance as to some things to consider from their perspective. Good luck to you.

Got room for another?

That's not as easy as it may seem, and there are different styles of patents. Have you done any research in how to obtain one?

Rayban: I'm not saying that at all. The issue is where a person takes another's product, clones it, and then calls it their own and peddles it that way. For example, if you want to take a holster and make one that looks exactly like one made by Milt Sparks and use it for yourself, I don't think Tony Kanaley would have a problem with that. You cross the line into the less than ethical arena when someone asks you about it and you claim it's your own design and you then sell one (or 100) to them. Custom holster making is an area that has a constant stress to develop an innovative and safe product. Oftentimes there is many hours spent in the development of those holsters. It's very aggravating to then see someone come along and take all that blood, sweat and tears (so to speak) and try to profit from it. IMO, if a person wants to sink to that level, then they're embarassing themselves and, in part, the industry.

Each of us I suspect have their own success stories to tell, and that is, in part, what offers encouragement to others in the leathercraft industry. IMO, the day a person stops willing to learn is the day they stop being a craftsman. And it's my perception that Johanna put this site/forum together to bring people, from all levels of the trade, together as a resource for folks to draw from and contribute to. I know I've learned quite a bit from the postings here and am pursuing other avenues of the leather trade as a result of that. Yes, I'm sure most people in the leathercraft trade, and on this forum, would feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to make something for a high profile company. I personally believe/hope that most in this trade operate from a higher level of ethics than some have portrayed, as sometimes ethics are glossed over (or hidden) in the pursuit of one's success. Versatility in being able to make a variety of high quality leather items is key to one's success as well. By pictures you've shown, it appears you have the ability to do that, and I would encourage you (and anyone else) to continue to coss over into the different areas. I wish you continued success.

IMO, you're right on a couple of points - most anything made today has been influenced by a predecessor to some extent; and there is plenty of business for folks to be a part of. Pure, blatant copies tend to put a bad taste in one's mouth though. I had it happen recently to me where someone made a clone of mine. In my instance, the guy actually bought one and then copied it. He tried to say it wasn't the same because he used a different dye color and gave a couple of other less than stellar excuses. The best I could do was expose him for what he was - a less than ethical business person. OzarkMountainGunleather: That being said, I don't recall anyone (user or moderator) say that you couldn't post about the holsters you have made or might make in the future. You appear to make a quality product, though you don't have much on your website yet.

Go2Tex: You might have missed the part about Milt Sparks having been in business for the last 20+ years. :0) I don't know of too many holster makers that can garner that amount in a short period of time.... Of course, I have read many a claim by holster makers that they're doing just that, but it doesn't take much to determine that they're bogus claims.

Always enjoy seeing stingray on a holster - gives it some extra bling.

If I could add a couple of pennies worth of info here. I have two Artisan 3000's and one of the 618's. I use the 618 for the lighter weight stuff. I use 207 thread on the top and 138 on the bobbin - runs like a champ with no issues/hangups. I use one of the 3000's for the next step up in material. I use 277 on the top and 207 on the bobbin. No issues there either. I use the second 3000 for the next step up from there in material. I use 346 on the top and 277 on the bobbin. Yep, you guessed it, no issues there either. With the variance of work/material thickness that I do, it's much more efficient to run the three machines as I do. That way I'm not having to stop and change out needles, thread, bobbins, and make any adjustments on tension. In addition, if one of the 3000's were to malfunction in some way, I would not have a work stoppage. I would simply move that work to the other machine while the first one was being fixed. (I learned to do that a long time ago when I was down for a week waiting for machinery critical to the biz I had at the time to be fixed.) I've had one of the 3000's for over 2 years, the second one for nearly 2 years, and the 618 for about a year and a half. Have only had one minor issue with one of the bobbin adjustment screws. I've made a significant number of product with those three machines and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone considering such a purchase. I've had other sewing machines prior to these that while they did acceptable work, the Artisan's took it to the next level. If you're serious about wanting to make a quality product, whether it be for resale or as a gift to a family member, then IMO it's a no-brainer in purchasing the proper machinery to do so. If you're limited on funds (as most of us are), then as mentioned above, and if at all possible, purchase a machine that will allow you to expand with the type/style of item you make/want to make. In other words, the 618 is going to limit you in what you can sew. The 3000 will give you greater opportunity. Hope this information helps, and good luck in your search.

Sorry, it was sold to Azmal.

I'll take the following, if you'll split them up: Jul/Aug 1999 Jan/Feb 2000 Sep/Oct 2000 Jan/Feb 2002 If you won't split them up, then I'll take the 1999 year and the 2000 year. Send me an email at leathercraft at hotmail dot com with info to get payment to you. Thanks.

Actually, while the belt clip pictured is one of the more notorious for not holding the holster/gun securely, there are metal belt clips available that literally take two hands to get the holster off the belt in the traditional way. They surely won't come off/fail in a jerk/grab situation. The down side to most metal clips is that they tend to be the "one size fits all" application. Oftentimes this lends to allowing the holster to slide around on or "rock" on the belt. You need to match up and properly fit either the metal clip or belt loop to the size of belt, i.e., 1.5" clip for 1.5" belt. YMMV.

Actually you can lose in a lot of ways by using any trademarks, well known or not. I've seen a number of posts here where folks have clearly crossed the line. A foolish risk in my opinion. I know of one instance where a guy made a purse, put a trademarked logo on it, and sold it to the lady for ~$65. Ended up costing him nearly $3500 by the time the company had kicked him out of the door of the courtroom.

Azmal: Email and pm sent. Let me know.

Dink: It looks just like the one shown on Tippmann's website here: http://www.tippmannindustrial.com/product_...034e3f415eb48fd.

I've got one and have had it for quite some time. Haven't touched it. Have some of the embossing wheels as well - basketweave, creasers, and a couple of others I think. You can have the whole shebang for $550 + actual shipping if you (or anyone else) wants it. Send me an email : leathercraft (at) (hotmail) (dot) (com) if you're interested.

welder: I've got some scrap Hermann Oak that doesn't make the grade for what I make. I usually sell it to the local Tandy Leather Factory for their scrap bin. I'd be happy to send some of that to you. Give me a shout if you're interested and we can work out the details. My email address is leathercraft (at) (hotmail) (dot) (com), or send me a pm here on the forum.

I'd suggest doing some comparison shopping of the items you're making/selling and see what the market bears. If your pricing is out of wack with what you find, then you're going to have to be prepared to answer the question of, "Why?" Not saying that you're not justified in the price point you set for an item, just be prepared. The market share shrinks as the price goes up.