immiketoo

Welcome back Gramps! Love the avatar!

I will elaborate a bit on mine. I bought the kit because I knew NOTHING about leatherwork. If I could start over, I might consider NOT getting the kit, especially if I had done a bit of research first. The kits contain a bunch of projects, some of which are less useful than others. All of them have excellent instructions to teach the basic process, but all of it is geared toward Tandy products. This is fine if you'd like to make kit type items, or for learning how various items are constructed. I found very quickly that I did not like the finished product as it looked generic. I also quickly outgrew the tools supplied with the kit. They are functional, but as with any skill, good tools are more comfortable, easier to use and produce better results. Pro grade carving stamps are a perfect example of this. The Tandy kit was 80 dollars USC, and of all the things that came in the kit, there are exactly three of them that I still use. The 104 backgrounder, the swivel knife for my beader blade only and the briar brown hi-liter. Other than those tools, I have purchased replacements for everything else. Truly, 80 dollars is a drop in the bucket of the money I have spent on quality tools, but I still say that it was a good place to start.

That's really slick. I like it and I want to make one, but I have NO idea how all the stuff at the business end attaches together!

I would expect a saddle is a pretty complicated thing compared to smaller projects, and I would want some hands on instruction before I started making one. Tack and pouches are another matter, and there are tons of resources here or on the web on how to make those items. Most people would probably say a saddle class is in order, but someone had to make the first saddle years ago and improve on the design from there. You could try and learn as you go, but saddle makers have perfected the trade and I'd think it would be money well spent to learn a trade from a master. As for where to buy stuff, theres all kinds of people who are willing to take your money and send you stuff! If you aren't finding anything local, I suggest you start poking the buttons at the top of the page. Springfield Leather Company, Tandy and others will send stuff all over if you're willing to pay the shipping. There's also ebay and a for sale section here on this forum. To get started, I bought a deluxe Tandy starter kit and it helped me learn what I liked and didn't like in a hurry. That might be a good place to start for you as well. Welcome! Mike

Welcome to the forum and for coming out of the shadows! I like your gauntlets. Making them had to be fun.

Steve, I finish latigo just like I finish veg tan leather. It takes a bit more elbow grease but it comes out nice and shiny and smooth.

For your dye question, you might want to look at Angelus dyes. They have a lot more colors than Fiebings and I think they have a dark green. Or, you could learn to mix the dyes to get the color you want. I have had to do that to get oranges and other colors that aren't readily available.

That's really a nice piece of work. I love the creativity and the craftsmanship! How did you seal it with bee's wax?

Ray, nobody intends to create an unpleasant experience for people, but sometimes things are misunderstood, taken out of context or sometimes, deliberate. This community of leather people has been more supportive and friendly than my own family is at times and I hate when there is conflict among our members. Fortunately, this situation was diffused and we are all back in the saddle! I hope to be able to have 40 years of experience one day and that our community will continue to grow.

Welcome to the forum! A lot of people are concerned about wallet bulk, so your question is valid. Maybe Kevin King could step in here and help?

Ed, I agree with you completely. The leather community is awesome. I am sorry for your loss, and I hope you can get back to normal soon and that you get caught up. I can't imagine you won't get the time you need from anyone who has placed an order!

I just bought a 2 lb hammer from him today! Can't wait to hammer something!

Nice work! How did you create that? Pattern? Scratch? Lets see it on!

Wishful, you are correct! What I REALLY like is estate sales. The stuff seems to be better quality, but the crowds are insane around here. Can't wait til summer

Hey Owen, welcome to the forum. I'm certain you will pick up a lot of knowledge from the forum members!

Welcome to the forum SOB. Lets see some pics of your work!

Haley, it sounds like you need to spend some time working the leather to learn what works for you. There are NO hard fast rules in leather, minus a few obvious ones. You should check our Bobby Park's (Hidepounder) tutorial on edge finishing. Here's the rub (Pun intended) To create the edge you desire in the time frame you desire, you will need to either eliminate steps in your process, automate steps in your process or make it so efficient that you stay profitable. I don't know where you came up with 20 minutes, but the only way to gain speed and efficiency is to practice. A lot. A tip to cut time considerably in the process is to buy pre-dyed leather, possibly bridle or latigo leather. Both of these have oils and waxes in them that make them weather resistant. Of course, they are more expensive, but as a business, you need to calculate your time into the equation. Two hours of waiting for dye to dry is time that could be spent elsewhere in the process. Good luck, and welcome to LW.net Mike Oh yeah. Skiving sucks. Again, its a time-in-grade thing. Also, the better quality leather you use, the better off you will be when it comes to skiving.

Me either. Kinda pisses me off... Nice find OP!

You talking about a beader blade?

Badass!

Dude, why are you shouting? Masks are beautiful!

Franco, what you are asking is a monumental task in my opinion. I have made lesson plans for hour long blocks and it takes multiple hours of work to complete the material needed for a small class. Making six hours worth of material is something you will have to tackle on your own I'm afraid. If you are a leatherworker by trade, you should have the ability to prepare something based on YOUR experience since you will be teaching the class. My suggestion is to break up the topics you want to cover into blocks of instruction, plan the time you will need for lecture, demonstration and student practice.

Thats a cool belt. Can't wait to see it done!

Truthfully, I think those lack the artistry of a hand tooled piece. Clean lines can be obtained through the use of traditional methods, but it takes a LOT more time than just stamping them. I'm sure Anvil does it as a time/cost saving measure as that takes seconds to do as opposed to hours to carve.

Dear Lord, that thing's huge! Sorry I'm not able to help.