BDAZ

There seem to be two completely different approaches purchasing leather on this forum. The hobby craft approach, where costs, time and profit is unimportant compared to the quality of the final product. I have seen really beautiful, artistically hand tooled products, on consignment, in leather shops where they may sit for years but the price is prohibitive. Then there is the business approach where costs and time are a compromise to produce quality products at an affordable price. When I started I assumed I would be producing mostly hand tooled custom products but I was wrong and my current demand is for high quality hand made items at affordable prices, not cheap, but affordable. I have also discovered that both my wholesale and my end user customers couldn't tell the difference between Herman Oak and a good piece of Tandy leather once decorated, dyed and stitched. If I were getting $200--$300 for a belt or strap, I would definitely be using one of the top leather producers. Of course there are the leather artists and they are in a separate category and price is no object for the fine items they produce. My current project is using drum dyed leather from RJ. I just finished cutting my current order which used 3 sides and my leather costs are around 25% of the wholesale price. Hardware, time,. consumables and other overheads are another 35%. The balance is margin which is just acceptable as a manufacturer. If I used more expensive leather my margins would fall and if I raised my wholesale costs, my orders would drop. Economics 101. In my opinion, if you are not making at least 40% markup as a manufacturer, including reasonable costs ($25 an hour minimum) for time, it's a hobby. Nothing wrong with a hobby, but that's not what I do so I will continue to buy the best quality leather I can afford to keep my margins intact, invest in the most cost effective production methods and use the good stuff for gifts, and custom work. I am so busy with my day to day orders, I haven't picked up a swivel knife in months and Christmas is coming! So it's different strokes... Quality is in the eye of the beholder or the customer. Cya! Bob

The Critter sprayer arrived and it's excellent. I tested it with 50/50 mix of Feibings and denatured alcohol and it worked like a champ! It looks bullet proof and since it uses standard mason jars, inexpensive to use. It comes with a 1 pint jar but I cut the stem down and replaced the jar with 1/2 pint jars which will be perfect for storing various dyes and finishes. They cost around $.75 each at Wally World and are the perfect size. THis shoul dmake quick work out of dying leather and more convenient than the Prevail compressed air sprayers. As for dying the whole side, I think that I'll decorate, then dye then glue and stitch. Cya! Bob

Nice Case..Nice phone. A technique I use with Feibings Oil dye is to paint liquid latex on the stamp area as a resist. Use a couple of coats and then spray with impunity. Once dry, peel off the latex and you have almost virgin leather. The latex will darken the leather just slightly but much more effective than the resists typically used. Cya! Bob

For making cases I will cut slightly large, decorate and then glue top to bottom, trim then stitch, Cya! Bob

Another minor point (no pun intended) I'd taper the end so it fits into the metal tip better. Looks a bit like a fat person in a too small pair of jeans. I make black belts all the time for my SO and she likes them 1" or less. I don't stitch or use a finer thread very close to the edge. Cya! Bob

Why not just use a ball ended tool or a Stitching Groover. The stitching will cover the lines made by either method and the groover will give a more professional look. Cya! Bob

I use automotive spray adhesive designed for upholstery and head liners and it works like a champ! Never had any failures including various linings including synthetics. Cya! Bob

??? Good Luck! Bob

The two are inseparable. When you have a hobby business with an Etsy shop or two making a few wallets and belts, the bottom line isn't very important. I am under pressure to deliver my products to a wholesaler who in turn, will sell to the end user or possible another dealer. I need to keep my costs under control so the end user price will be competitive and the finish as to be consistent to match the photographs in the catalogs. To that end I purchase leather from various sources including Tandy and use the minimum cost/quality I can get away with that will keep my customer happy. Sometimes that's $12 -$15 a square foot and sometimes $5-$6. My experience with Tandy is that I can usually get a quality side for a decent price IF I sort through a lot of leather in the store. I have also had no problem producing consistency from the sides I select. I also buy mail order from other sources at higher prices and have been generally pleased with the quality, though it's not significantly better than the better sides I get locally. I have only had to return 1 side due to quality issues. I have never experienced " one issue or another when using the leather (Tandy) or coloring it" but maybe you have in which case I would suggest learning how to select your own sides. Quite clearly Herman Oak is generally a better quality leather at a price. Cya! Bob

What you didn't mention was the prices of these sides...$49 for 8-9 oz and 39 for 3-4 oz... My rep at my local Tandy always takes really good care of me. Cya! Bob

Sometimes saving money can be really expensive! Go with another 3200... Cya! Bob

I do use vinagaroon often and always have jars brewing in the sun BUT for commercial work I found that any savings in dye costs are blown out by nutralizing, finishing costs. extra steps, more oil required, color changes over time, and never getting the finish I get with one or two coats of Feibings Oil dye. I use vinagaroon for utilitarian p[projects but for production I find either drum dyed or spray dyed makes more sense. One interesting side, I was asked to dye a banjo head and the vinagaroon had absolutely no effect. I was testing on scraps and eventually, after a couple of days the scrap turned black. I even soaked in strong tea to add tannins but it only turned a chocolate brown. Cya! Bob

Thanks for the feedback. I did some testing today on some smaller samples and using Feibings Black oil I dyed one piece, dried then cased and stamped it. I cased and dyed then dried, cased again and stamped the second and the third I cased, then stamped, dried and dyed. There was no discernible difference in the color and finish in the unstamped areas. The dyed then stamped parts had some issues with the letter stamp which broke through the dyed area and left a little of the underlying leather visible in the deepest areas. The point is I feel like I can dye the cut pieces and get a consistent color and finish and don't need to do the whole side. Luckily my products are black and not various shades of brown. My goal was to avoid dying an assembled product to avoid dying the thread. It seems that the best method will be to case, stamp and then dye so my plan to spray the whole side is not worth while. I may spray, stamp and then give the stamped area a very light over spray prior to stitching. I have not had any issues with the solvent flashing off using the air powered sprays to date. My compressor is only 5CFM at 40PSI so it won't work with an HVLP sprayer. The Critter sprayer is well within the capabilities of the compressor. As for die cutting, I have too many variations to make it worth while having clicker dies made. My typical order quantity is 10 of each models per order. Cya! Bob

"The Cowboy CB2500 has feed dogs to move the material, against a fixed, or roller pressor foot. This may leave visible tooth marks in the bottom layer of leather. These marks can usually be rubbed out with a smoothing tool, or hammered out by laying the back layer on a smooth hard surface, covering the top with a 10-12 oz piece of hard veg-tan leather, and tapping along the stitch line with a mallet or hammer. If this sounds like too much work, you may want to consider buying one of our triple feed machines, with a smooth feed dog and walking feet." I would go for a walking foot machine... Cya! Bob

I don't need to saturate the leather. It just needs to be a consistent black which I am getting on products sprayed post assembly. I can't imagine it will cost $5 a square foot in dye? I am selling wholesale so I don't have a lot of margin to play with. any savings goes straight to the bottom line. Cya! Bob

I have been purchasing drum dyed sides for consistence on bulk orders but I want to save some $$ and so some larger scale dying myself. I have had good success with small compressed air sprayers on finished projects but want to dye a whole side prior to cutting using Feibings oil dye. I am considering: http://www.amazon.com/Critter-Spray-Products-22032-Siphon/dp/B00006FRPJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1416956407&sr=1-1&keywords=critter+spray Any comments or suggestions? Thanks! Bob

I have just been commissioned to make a chess table with a standard board centered on a 36" square top. Did you dye the "white" squares or leave them natural. Any tips or other suggestions. Not sure what weight leather I am going to use as I have to wrap the edges. Thanks! Bob

I simply use a piece of granite on my 2 ton press. I hve some smaller plates for larger cutom stamps but for regular 2D and 3D work I use the Tandy Mules foot. The ram on the 2 ton is much bigger than the one ton. Cya! Bob

Much better than I thought it would. After covering grain side printing with Resolene, it's pretty impervious. It seems permanent on suede as well. Cya! Bob

I recently had a request for a custom "makers Stamp" for an Item I am working on. I used a technique that I often use for transferring patterns from the computer to either grain or flesh side. In this case I needed to print on the suede lining. The process is utter simplicity, Print the text or graphic on a standard piece of copy paper, either with a laser printer or copier. Reverse the image so it prints backwards. I trim the print then tape it over the leather on a cutting board. Next, using a swab, I saturate the paper with acetone, then burnish lightly with a bone creaser. This may not be news to anyone but I haven't seen any references to the process. I have always used to to trace cutting lines, but this time I tested it for fastness with oil dyes, various finishes and neatsfoot oil and it doesn't run or blur. This test is printed on a scrap piece of pigskin suede. YMMV Cya! Bob

Welcome. Can't ask for a better climate for leather working! Really interesting items on your web site. I guess you are in NE Tucson, I'm in NW. Cya! Bob

Invest in a 2 Ton arbor press. Heavy but it has a lot of working room and easy to eyeball type face stamps. Buy two sets of each so if you have double letters you can keep them aligned. Cya! Bob

You could let it settle and filter it again, then add more vinegar and steel wool.. I usually have 5 or 6 bottles perking and each is a different color, from black to tea like. Cya! Bob

I have not had to do this pattern but when I have a complex stitch pattern I lay it out on Photoshop using 1-2 pixels for line width. I reverse the image if I am going for the grain side or keep it as is for the flesh side. If the design is symetrical, like this it doesn't matter.Then I simply print out the pattern with a laser printer. I align the pattern, toner side down and hold it in place with masking tape. I then use a dauber and wet the back of the paper with acetone then applying pressure with a bone creaser and carefully remove the paper and you will have a perfect pattern on the leather. Then I will use a groover over the lines if they are on the grain side and I'm ready to stitch. Cya! Bob

I decant oil into a smaller bottler and keep a Tandy wool dauber in the bottle which I reuse until it becomes too discolored. I only oil after tooling and wet forming and the item is completely dry, assisted by the Arizona sun. My workshop is cooled to 85F and the oil penetrates well at that temperature. In the sun, a black item can reach 140F and the oil is distributed quickly. I re-oil once more before waxing and shipping. I don't oil between production stages to save time. Cya! Bob