Havamal

That is a real eye catcher with the green!... I have to ask, what kind of gun was it for such a small holster?

Nice job on the knotwork! very crisp with the red on black... Thanks for posting, I have been attempting to do some knotwork myself but I have not been able to get it that defined... confirms that it is possible and that I have a lot more practice a head of me!

Thanks John, I'll have to give that a try!

Now there is some awesome marketing!!

Welcome aboard! I'm a Newbie as well... I also got the same starter kit. This forum is packed full of great information and the members are always willing to help with thier knowledge.

I figured I would throw in my 2 cents on this one. My wife is an artist with a unique canvas, she paints on the surface of feathers. Needless to say, when she started doing these 20 years ago there was not similar artwork to compare it to for pricing. She is constantly told she needs to charge more for her work, but we have found that in order to keep sales flowing, the price has to be adjusted to what the market you are selling in will bare. Her art work is sold globally so this makes things a little trickier! When the economy was good she had pieces sell for $2,000 + with the condition of the economy now they sell for $300 - $500 depending on what it is. I see a lot of artists that refuse to adjust their pricing to the economy and the current market… their sales drop because people are not willing to spend the $. We found that it is better to sell 10 pieces of art for $300 rather than 1 for $2,000. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that there is no better marketing than word of mouth, if you sell 10 pieces that is 10 people showing off what they got for a great deal and generates more interest and in turn more sales. When the economy improves the price will go up, people will be willing to pay more and the product is still in demand due to the 10 pieces sold. If there were only 1 sold at $2,000 then the market value & demand would drop due to lack of product awareness. Keeping a presence in the market is key; now there are people out there painting feathers all over the place and if she did not keep her product relevant in the market there would not be orders and her reputation & demand would diminish. I guess what I am trying to say is that price is relevant to the market… using the calculation of materials + value of time + enough markup to make it worth your while; should be your starting point that you do not go below. Then adjust upward based on the economy & demand. This is my wife’s website if you want to see her work www.featherlady.net

Welcome aboard! Look forward to seeing some of your work

Wow... that is a wonderfull piece ... your friends are lucky people!

Welcome aboard! You'll find a wealth of great info here and the people are eager to help when ever they can!

Great Stuff! Thanks for posting Chief!

mlapaglia ~ Great idea!... I should have thought of that... (but then again if I had all the answers I would not be able to call myself a Newbie ) Thanks!

Thanks for the input everyone! I have been using Tandy's version of the lil wizard but like I said it does not cut deep enough. I have been going over the cuts with the swivel knife like you said Tree Reaper. I like the idea of the metal version... might have to try that. The border blade is a good idea too, but the only down side is that the width is not adjustable.

Ok… newbie here! I wanted to put some border cuts on a project about 1/8th of an inch from the outer edge. I did a bit of research and found Tandy’s Border Tool… but it does not do a very good job. The blade does not seem to come far enough through the tool to make an adequate cut… they are nice and straight, but just not deep enough, more of a scratch. I’m getting better cuts using a metal ruler as a guide. I thought about sanding down the tool so that the blade protruded farther, but I thought I would make this post and see what the pro’s recommend! So… what methods do you recommend for doing these kinds of border cuts? Thanks in advance for your input!!

Wish I could stumble upon a deal like that!

Welcome aboard! Your right about this site being a wealth of information. I'm new at working with leather and know nothing about saddles, but there are many others on here that I'm sure will be of assistance!

Bob... that notebook is superb! I can understand why you feel the way you do about modifications!!!

Welcome aboard! I'm new at leather work myself.. You'll find this forum a great place for info and the people here are top notch when it comes to input! Look forward to seeing some of your work

Nope, but I am going to try get by there next time I head up that way.

I have to admit having a Tandy just down the road is handy! The only problem is that I tend to spend to much when I go in there and I am usually in there once a week or so

I'm just south of the Roy Y, now you have to go a ways past 224th to start getting "out of town". I'm just starting out working with leather. Mostly I have just been getting the feel of the tools etc... on scrap. I made one check book cover thus far and I am thinking of starting a wallet soon. Tooling scrap is one thing, but I found that it is better for me to do actual projects (no matter how bad they turn out ) that way I can get a better feel of what works and what does not. Here is a link to the check book if your interested. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=44089&hl=

Welcome aboard! I am new to leather myself... you will find this forum a wealth of information and the people very friendly and always willing to help! Look forward to seeing some of your future work.

Don, I moved here in 2000... it has grown so much that it is time to move again. The house I bought was in an area that was nothing but small ranchettes, lots of fields and horses... now it is all track homes built 5 feet apart. Time to find a place off the beaten path again.

Very nice work! Thanks for sharing it.

Great articles! Thanks for sharing them!

I met a guy a couple of weeks ago that had a similar problem with a helmet he was doing... he ended up puting the helmet on a bowling ball and punching it.... not sure how he kept it from rolling, but I imagine it was interesting!