WScott

Good advice for Goods japan b/c you are in UK But, if in Can or USA I would agree with others that say get a Tandy kit to start and see if you even like leather work before you blow your wad on more expensive tools. JMHO

Just a thought here, but don't you have to worry about magnets and credit cards I'd be worried about someone getting their card info corrupted when they tuck it in with their cash I nuked a few magnetic hotel keys last weekend with my phone...oops

I'd like to see the back side....I am thinking it is a "bonded leather" which is just really fancy plastic and the nice face surface is separating from the back I have never had leather do that after conditioning it, but maybe someone has???

Maybe have a chat with that gentleman and get the inside scoop....he may have some great suggestions for you God Luck!

Wow Awesome work and such color!!

This is a super cool thread Great idea for such a nice old case. I like how you are going through your thought and idea process on here. Gonna follow along

Lovely set of well crafted tools

Slightly on topic, this is a good watch if you have a spare 10 min. My favorite shoes

Cool

Great post, like what you say about debt aversion and financing yourself. This would be an interesting thread to hear from those who had troubles, what happened and how they reacted to survive...or not.

Just wait until the tool fetish kicks in, then you and your wallet are toast!

Nothing better than making stuff for the kids Great job, I bet she loves it forever

....and they just keep getting better! Liked the zombie, but love this one! Your stitching and colors and design and imagination and skills. WOW

Nice looking set up What do you use your band saw for?

Are these like what you are making??

I do hope some of what I wrote was helpful. Take everything with a grain of salt and try different ways yourself. There are so many ways to "skin the cat" and there is no one way to do stuff, but some ways work better. I read, watch videos and search postings and take what I like then try it out and test before doing a project. Do your research and then test to see if you can make it work in your hands. Here is another leatherworker thread on the steps of making something and a good discussion follows http://leatherworker...=15#entry310681 No problem for the video Here is one on edging. I like these guys because they have such a great sense of humor and know what they are talking about RM, I would glue oversized lining to my pre-edged leather project, let glue dry, cut the lining back with a super sharp knife, do my stitching and then burnish the edges with gum trag or saddle soap and a hand burnisher from Tandy (the wooden one) to give a nice rounded and smooth edge that blends the top leather and the back lining into one.

The neatsfoot oil is classically used to re-soften the leather after casing and tooling. Typically you soak the leather (case it) do all your tooling and then oil it. Basically it puts the oils back into the leather that the water took out when you cased it. You can dye before or after oil, especially if you use a solvent based dye. This is a good point to do a test try on a scrap piece of the same leather from your project. Just see how that leather takes up the dye with oil and without and which way looks and feels better to you. For lining, you can glue it to the back and then stitch it...again some projects need to be dyed before stitching ( my preference) and some you can dye after stitching. Don't forget to run an edger to bevel the edges , usually done before dying and then burnish the daylights out of them with a little gum trag. I hope some of this helps. When in doubt, test it out...that is what scrap is for! Springfield leather has some good videos on dying leather Cheers and good luck Scott

Looks great!!! I hoping for you that it catches on and they want a dozen more

Gum trag and friction burnishing by hand or machine can make a nice edge on Horween leather

Awesome contrasts, great looking wallet!!

Those are really nice!!

Looks great!

That is my secret leather supply store!!!! Absolutely love that place.... fun getting lost in the huge warehouse racks of leather. Phillip is the Aussie who runs it, such a great guy. I have been there two Saturdays in a row buying some of the Horween leather he has in stock at the moment. I will have to do a Roo hunt now, don't know why I didn't think he would have kangaroo

Good rant, hope it feels better to get it off your chest! All industries have the fight with the New World Economy...it is the new reality. Hopefully substance, service and quality come back into popularity rather than cheap, immediate and flashy. Learn from the business mistakes of your past....what is different now than from when you had to close down? What will you do to survive the monthly bills? Is there a market close by for your products? Can you afford the risk, loans and stress? Staying in a small "lean and mean" workshop, marketing through the internet and shipping to customers might be a better idea than a bricks and mortar store with a lease. Certainly in a regrowth phase lean and mean lets your business build before you get ahead of yourself debt wise. Money stress makes people take on foolish and risky clients, projects, cases etc. I run my own business for a living in healthcare,the same principals apply. JMHO I wish you well, Scott