Michael Sheldon

Yup, folks just don't understand that there's not much economy of scale in the crafts business. It pretty much takes the same amount of time whether I make 1 or 100. I run into it pretty frequently. A few years ago I even had someone want quantities approaching 1000. He was rather disappointed when I told him the best I could offer him was 10% off. He was sure that by offering that kind of quantity he could get them at 10% of list.

I use the standard dremel drums, medium or fine depending on the leather I'm working on.

look around for a used benchtop model. You can get them for under $100 new, so used should be quite cheap. And it's small enough to stash in a corner somewhere when you don't need it. A scroll saw should work fine too.

Yup, when cutting soles, I just mark it out, then run it through the band saw

Not sure how you'd burn it off. But rust really isn't that big a deal. Many of my tools are not stainless, as long as I take care of them, the worst that happens is they get a nice patina. There is one other reason to chrome-plate though. Chrome is a hard metal, they may be using it to protect the cheap crap metal underneath. There's really no question in my mind that the Tandy craftool line is crap. Just looking closely at them shows that they are sloppy castings of multiple-generation copies. It only takes using one of the higher-end tools once to tell the difference. I still use a bunch of them, but I've been steadily replacing them as I can.

I use one with a sanding drum for shaping edges on smaller pieces. But personally I feel, it's too small, too fast, not powerful enough for burnishing.

I do several faires as an actor, not vendor, but I spend a bit of time with the vendors. Every faire has different rules. Contact the ones you are interested in, and ask them about rules for vending. Some are extremely strict, others have practically no rules at all. Some I attend will allow vendors with no costumes, ez-ups and cheap import crap with no bearing on the time period. One that I attend requires first that the vendor be juried by the other vendors, and that each and every item sold be approved, the items must be made by the business owner, and the business owner or an employee of the owner must actually run the booth. The vendors also must follow the same costume guidelines as the actors. The advantage to the less strict faires is that it's easier to get into for a small, new vendor. The advantage to the more strict faires is that you won't be competing with mass-produced import crap, and the most strict will limit how many vendors of a type are there, so you won't have another leather shop right next door to you. Of course, they're also much harder to get into, and have higher overhead costs (tent, garb, etc).

I'm pretty sure Weaver's machine would work well, but it's darned expensive. They sell the wood cylindrical slicker, and small bench-top drill presses are cheap. As for thinning it, water would probably work. But, It also thins out when warm. Here in AZ, I can't afford to keep the shop really cool in the summer, so I found out pretty quickly that when the inside temp is mid-80's, my gum trag is like water, which works quite well. In the winter, it's pretty much a thick gel unless I warm it.

yup, took me a couple years to figure it out, but you don't slick the edges while the gum trag is wet. It works best right after it dries. As for how I slick it, I've used a lot of things, and learned from it. Material-wise, you need some friction to heat up the trag so it melts a little. Plastic slickers are the worst. Currently I'm using one of the wood cylindrical slickers, chucked in a bench-top drill press with the speed set to an intermediate rate. Works very well, and pretty fast. I've used it for slicking down the backs of loose pieces too. I like to burnish it just a little afterward with a bone folder.

I'm with Johanna on this. The absolute best thing is to measure the belt they're wearing yourself. Second best thing if you're dealing "long distance" is to have them measure their belt from tongue to the hole they wear it in. Anything else IMO is guesswork.

All I can say about the quality is that not all ez-ups are equal. The really cheap ones are, well, really cheap. OTOH, I've seen, and helped vendors with some that seemed pretty darned rugged. In general, it seems the larger ones are much more sturdy. Some of these folks use theirs 20 or more weekends a year. One piece of advice, rig up something heavy you can tie to the bottoms of the legs in case of wind. a couple of one-gallon jugs per leg work nicely (you can transport them empty and fill the on site.) Modern vendor-type tents seem to be especially sensitive to wind, and the little stakes they give you are pretty worthless in anything stronger than a breeze.

Be sure to check with the faires you plan on vending at. Each has varying rules about what is appropriate. Some will allow ez-ups, some require that you cover up the metal and obvious synthetic parts, and a few outright prohibit them.

Allergies can strike anywhere. I know a couple of folks who play Irish (wooden) flutes that developed allergies to the wood the flutes are made of. For the sound of things, it's not so much leather that you're allergic to as a specific tanning/treatment. Ditch the hide that's causing you issues, and go back to what you were using before. Hopefully you won't have any issues.

PM me your address, I'll throw a handful in an envelope. I use a lot of conchos, but I have to use aftermarket screws due to the thickness of the pieces I'm working with. I probably throw a few dozen screws a year in the trash. I know I've got a container with 20 or so around.

I've been thinking of doing one with a conquistador braid.

I just recently started using airbrushes. For just laying down dye on a piece, I use a cheap ($30) badger single-action external mix brush. I use the dye straight up, no mixing.

Been a long time since the police could get away with using something like that. When I went to the academy they were pretty much history, and we were warned strongly that even carrying one could be career ending if we ever ended up being questioned on "use of force". Not saying there aren't a few officers out there who might have them, but frankly, they're either not entirely on the side of law, or they're taking foolish risks.

I've used the hand-setting tools, frankly, getting consistently good results from them is not easy. If you're doing a lot of these, it will be worth every penny to get a hand press and the appropriate dies. You'll be shocked at how easy it is to get professional looking results with one. For rivets, I only use tubular rivets and a "rex riveter". Depending on the placement, I may or may not use rivet caps with the appropriate die. They are far superior to the jiffy rivets in strength, durability and looks.

Really? 'cause I can't find anything that will handle heavy leather for less than twice the price...

I've used a handful of techniques and materials over time. Lately, I'm using one of the "exotic" wood spindle-type slickers in a small drill press, with gum trag. The one thing I will say, is just skip the nylon slickers. The problem with them is that they are too smooth, and don't generate as much friction as wood or bone. I had a nylon spindle up until a couple months ago, identical in shape and size to the wood one I use now, and the difference is night and day.

the ones I have are the same size as Line 24 Snaps. They work perfectly in my hand press with Line 24 setting dies

Another interesting bit I've learned, and it's true on both crafts and in retail. The less a customer pays, the more they demand. I first learned this in the printing industry. The guy who comes in and haggles you for every penny down to your rock-bottom price for a few hundred prints, will go over each and every one with a magnifying glass and make you re-do ever one that has even the slightest imagined flaw until you find you've lost significant money on the job. On the other hand, the guy that comes in for a few thousand prints and doesn't even *ask* for a discount will take the job without more than a couple random checks. He trusts you to do your job properly and knows you need to pay your expenses. If a customer tries to haggle you down, stand firm. If they say they will walk away, let them. The customer is *not* always right, and customers who do not value your work as much as you do will cost you in the long run.

Agreed. For most "working" leather, I prefer lacquer or wax finishes. But for jewelry, I use acrylic. I prefer spray for these, but that's a personal preference.

My shop calculations: Materials cost x 2 plus Standard labor charge $35/hour plus Artistic Labor charge $50/hour Standard labor charge=assembly, stitching, stamping, dying, etc Artistic labor charge= fancy carving, painting, etc Logic: First, I always double materials costs. There's waste/loss, cost of shipping/gas to get them, then just the cost of having the stuff hanging around until you need it. Trust me, this will *just* cover your actual costs. As far as the labor charge, some might think it high, better craftsman might think it low. The trick is to honestly asses what your time is worth. Keeping in mind that this must cover taxes etc. Also keeping in mind that it's rare to be able to bill 8 hours of labor in an 8 hour day averaged over time. Don't think of it as like you were being paid by an employer, your employer charges/accounts for a lot more than what they actually give you. The labor charges are also where you make back the cost of equipment and facilities. The hard part is often estimating the time needed for a job ahead of time. This comes with experience.

I use Tandy for odds and ends, mostly conchos. My primary materials however, I get elsewhere. My biggest gripe with Tandy is quality. The quality of their goods is not up to other suppliers, and even at business pricing, they're usually more expensive as well. As for the craftool stamps? After having acquired some custom stamps, and a few of the Hidecrafter high-end stamps, I'll never buy another craftool again. Quite frankly, the quality is garbage. It's really too bad, because I like my local Tandy store manager, he's a great guy.