Sturme

https://leatherwranglers.com they have great swivel knives

is there any update for this? i would be interested in trying to get one.

are you opposed to having them cut any leather?

instead of using wire, try some really thick weedeater plastic.

take a look at this

you need to make an account to add pictures i believe. and also making an account helps us talk to you. its free. someone on here can take care of you when we see what needs done to fix your wallet.

pm me your email address please

pm me your email address please pm me your email address please

I opted for my tippmann over a powered swing machine for numerous reason. it is quieter than a powered machine, can easily sew over 3/4 of an inch of leather ( i have personally sewn a 1 inch piece for a custom holster, long story on that. i sewed 5 stitches before i got nervous and stopped then drilled the rest of the holes on that part and hand stitched). portability, control ( i control how fast or slow i want with no real limits), price wasn't not a real issue as by the time i was done at tippmann i had spent right at 2200.00 us for it all. overall i am happy with my hand crank machine and its a nice retro look in my shop. another reason is i am only a couple hours from tippmann. so i was able to go pick it up and even seen them testing out my machine and actually got to take a trial run with my tippmann before they boxed it all up and they even helped my load it and the cobbler bench i bought or it. they were polite and treated my very well while i was there. I like that they treated my like i was a person up there taking the time to answer the few questions i had, showing me around the place a little bit. my only real complaint about my tippmann is that on some light leather projects will tear them up. but that is my fault. i have it set to sew holsters and thick leather projects, and i do not want to take the time to set it up for lighter leather that i can hand sew easily. eventually i will get a sailrite to do my light leather projects and garment leather.

these look good, but to me ( and this is just my opinion) the leather around the trigger looks a little too open. to easy for something unwanted to get into that area.

Congrats, i love my boss. I took a week and tinkered with it tweaking the settings. the only issue i had was the spool of tread would get tangled. it was fixed by bending a coat hanger into a hook over the thread and running the thread through it before running it through the tippmann. Also practice winding your bobbins. it is the one thing that will mess you up if its not wound right. Hope you enjoy it.

sorry, i misread the question. totally spaced veg tan. i would say veg tan is safe. its been used against skin for a long time. as for finish? i would just leave it bare. just slick it down a bit if needed

i would avoid prolonged contact with chrome tanned leather

i started using tracing film that i had picked up a roll from tandy, works pretty well.

My best advise for you it to practice till you get good, that covers pattern making, carving leather, gluing and stitching. slowly building up your equipment to cover the projects your doing. even practice repairing leather items, 2nd hand stores like goodwill are good placed for products to repair. as for selling items start small at farmers markets, craft shows. eventually get a website and hit it a bit online. the short answer to this is simple, if your building a company its done in baby steps starting with actually knowing your products your making and selling. leather work is not something you just pick up and run with. there is a lot to learn. if you make good quality products they will sell themselves. prime example is the pinwheel coin purses i make, i carry one all the time and have even sold the one i am carrying ( on numerous occasions, the customer wanted it that bad) so focus on quality not quantity. and by the way look into a class on small business cause from the questions your asking you have no idea whats involved (in business and leather) and if your looking for a full time gig? maybe 1 percent and all leatherworkers ever make it a real full time job. its an old trade and a dying art. too many people today will just spend a few bucks at walmart for a plastic belt verses a 30 dollar or more leather belt that is designed to last a lifetime. as for a niche product, that is a marketing project you need to do in your area. I will say that quality will sell itself, and get you return customers. it could be as simple as stitching a belt to help prevent stretching ( but without practice in the trade you would never know that. so when a potential customer asks you cant give a realistic answer which in turn looks bad on your company). Also when starting any business its done in baby steps and built up from there. remember matchstick houses will fall down in the slightest breeze.