rdb

Welcome Kandi! Sounds like you're off to a good start. AND you get to see the new and improved Forum, with all the new wonders Johanna, Kate, and others are adding. It's always been great, but now it'll be even better..... I couldn't leave without asking you to POST YOUR PIX! We love Pix.

I hate when I sneak up on myself like that!

FYI: Opened LW in all my browsers. Safari, IE, Chrome, Opera, FF. All looked and felt the same. None seemed faster than the others. Good Job on the multibrowser standards. I did notice that before logging in, the color scheme was a brownish tone in all browsers. After being logged in, it turned to the blue scheme.

The new look caught me unaware. What a difference a few hours make! You must have worked your tail off getting this going safely. Congratulations, and I will do as you ask about everyone supporting each other.

Thanx Spider and Storm... That's my point Spider!. There are a few "masters" of watch straps here, and they occassionally post, but judging from the requests I get out selling, and the searches I've done, there is a much bigger market out there for this type than I thought. And it's a good project for the beginner to learn pattern making, hand sewing, and finish work, without breaking the bank with skins and tools. And to boot, if you get good, there might even be a little monetary reward.

Look up the vinegaroon threads in search. The vinegaroon black makes a beautiful matte black.

Old leather tears, just like paper. Take a thin edge somewhere on the hide, and try to tear. It won't take much if it's old, so don't rip the guys stuff in half...lol. I envy you going into the old shop. Hope there's some treasures there for you.

I have a new found respect for watch strap makers. I was asked by a customer to make one in a handmade style becoming quite popular. He asked that it look older, not brand new. No problem for me, cause I'm somewhat crude as it is...lol There really isn't all that much to them, but they do take more time than I thought. There are some tricky parts to shaping the strap from the watch. Starting at say, 22mm down to a billet size to fit the buckle. To much taper, and they look wrong. Not enough, and the billet squeezes too much through the buckle. The picture leaves a lot to be desired. Things stand out, like the holes aren't exactly in line. But in real life, it looks right fine. This was handstitched, double layer veg tan (3/4 oz? about 4mm thick altogether). 22mmm width at the timepiece end. The buckle strap is about 90mm long, including buckle. The billet strap is about 125mm long. At the buckle end, I skived it down so that I could fold it between the top and the back side. I used a saddletan oil mix for color. Snow Proof for finish. I noticed out on the intertubes, that similar straps have raw edges. I couldn't let that happen, so they are waxed and burnished. You may be VERY suprised at the prices on these things. $80-100 is not uncommon. After making one, I'm not...lol. As always, this isn't just about my stuff. Show us yours. Talk about how you go about measuring, and making.

I would just finish. it looks good, now. I have the fear that the deep bevels would just look like fat lines of dark, instead of a highlight effect. (I hope I made sense)

Everybody, cool your jets. 1. The only person I support in all this is Johanna. She's created this place, which has become essential to all of us. Whatever money, presents, freebies she can get, I say, You go girl!. n'uf said. 2. This is one of the only forums on the intertubes to allow vendors to participate. Guess what, That's GREAT. We get to see, hear, and talk with them. I say let them promote, feud, contribute. The more we see, the more we know. The more we know, the easier the decisions. Somebody mean mouths somebody else....use it to make your decisions....Vote with your pocketbook. 3. Cobra, Neels, Artisan, all produce something we need...good equipment at reasonable prices. Pick the one you like, or need. That's about as American as you can get. Who contributes to this forum, gets higher marks in my brain, but you have to add all the other factors in too. Sometimes you have to let go of the personal, and make business decisions. Disclaimer: I have a Toro 3000. My next one maybe from CobraSteve, or neelsaddlery. Spread the wealth, we have limited resources. Keep them all in mind. As leatherworkers, you should realize we may be heading for a new golden age. Stick together, we're all we have.

Thanx, Harvey, rickybobby, and cybertracy. I know now more than I did before this topic got started. Looks like I'll have some instant friends because of this Forum. Got to love this place. I have been looking at the outskirts, Riverside was depressing..sheesh so much foreclosures, but the good news seems to be my timing. This maybe the bottom, or close to it, so it's a buyers market for sure. Now, this week, I have to figure how good or bad, my market here in NC is. I will be talking to realtors. That will have a lot to do with what community I zoom in on in LA . Stay tuned. I've made these whim decisions before, some happened real quick, others faded. There's just no accounting for when I get "itchy feet". Damn us hippies....lol

There's all kinds of taste, Art. You made accordingly, so good job! That's what we're supposed to do You sure have been busy lately, good on you...

Yep, Ian, that's what everyone tells me. If I had my way, I'ld be back up in Ma...but the wife says no more winters for her. Kustom, it may be sooner than you think...lol Steve, I've already google earthed you. You guys will probably be the first to see me, if the move happens.

thanx guys! Jordan, I didn't know all those areas, so, I'll have some research to do...thanx

Thanx King'sX, and Madmaxx. I'll check out the southerly places, as you suggested. I do plan to make some trips, but, I have a brudder in law, already there, so that's half the acclimation adjustment. The prices outside LA aren't too bad, but then the TRAFFIC to LA!. Inside of LA, I'm not sure. We thought getting a liveable warehouse type situation might be good. We could have our workshop, and a live there too, then go out to the different venues to sell, and work up a little reputation. But finding a spot to live is the least problem. Mostly I was concerned with the venues, like craft malls or fairs, etc. What's the competition like there? Are there 12 leatherworkers at every event, or just one , etc... Who are the most accessible leather suppliers? Just hoping someone might share their experiences there. Preciate the replies so far. Everything helps PS: I wouldn't miss anything to do with Gene Autry, you can betcha bottom dollar....Why did he wear the double holster rig, with only one sidearm????

The wife and I are considering another big adventure, a possible move to the La area. So, of course I want to know the leatherwork scene. What are the possible sales sites, fairs, etc. I heard Venice Beach has only a few slots that go in a lottery on tuesday nights, so that doesn't sounf like a permanent type venue for sales. Are there some good places to sell out from your shop or residence? I could ask a hundred questions, but you get the idea, I hope... Thanx ahead of time!!!

Welcome, Somawas. Leather has a long history with the nautical. They go well together. If you are in that kind of place you may be able to look up some sailmakers shops, and get some sewing machines and tools at a fair price. Don't forget oar wraps as a simple project too.

I don't claim to be an SEO expert either, but there are a couple of things I have learned....(and have not applied to my own website either, John...lol). I have, however applied it to many of my past sites, and worked extremely well. It used to be keywords were THE thing to do, but the Google's searchbot algorithims (sp?),have been redesigned to not count them so much. They do, however want to find CONTENT. Can't stress that enough!!!! First: CONTENT No matter what keywords, method, etc, if there isn't a lot of content, the search bots, just don't care. Not only the content, but ever changing content. Bots don't like static sites. Keep adding stuff, and the bots make like bears to honey. LW comes right up there within searches, because of the vast, and everchanging content. Second: SPREAD THE WEALTH AROUND. Like UKRAy does. He's got blogs, sites, ebay...everything relates to the other. See one, get the other. SteveB impresses me...His is up there, with his social network sites, youtube, flickr...you name it, but it works. Do a search for handcrafted leather, and quickly his sites come up. I always like these kinds of topics. It doesn't matter how they got started, but soon valuable info appears! Everyone can jump in, and add their observations...pretty soon, there's a ton to learn from. Hope this one continues, or branches out...

I get chain for biker boot straps/vest extenders/dog collars, etc from them. Call them for a real catalog, and ask them about what you want too...the online one stinks.

Ohio Travel Bag

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

I have mentioned this once before in the past, but now, it's finally really open. If you live near here, please visit, take some pix, and share with us. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/...s_leather_mills In the 70's I was very familiar with all these places. people I knew worked there. They were on every corner, and my supply of leather was unlimited, and very very inexpensive compared to Tandy, and even the Seigels, and Bermans in Southie. Something happened in this country, that I wish would come back. At one time the North Shore of Boston was THE Premier Leather Capitol of the World. It's shifted to other countries now, and what remains, seems to be out there in the Wild and Wooly West (You guys are lucky!). I had it once, but can't find it now, but if anyone finds the link to the Studs Terkel Documentary let us know too!

Welcome mdraft1! I haven't seen all that much fishin' stuff here, so I'm kinda excited to see some of your work. I used to do a little fly tying back when, and I've thought about giving a go at a wallet, so....that just goes to show, newbie's and oldies learn from each other here.... Kick back and read as much as you can. This place rocks.

I use Skype almost everyday, to keep in touch with family and friends. Suprisingly, though, very few of my customers even know about it. If you don't care about the video part, you can use that bluetooth set for voice calls. I pay $6-7 a month for the paid Skype subscription. It allows me to call anywhere in the world free, after the fee, otherwise, the free part is just for within the US borders With the Google's new voice operations, I may have to reassess. I don't know all that much about their new services, but from what I read, They just might put Skype out of business. We'll see. Another one I have tried is OoVoo. I liked it, especially the multiple video conferencing part (Skype does,'t have that yet). But I didn't convert to it because not enough people are on it. But if you have regular conferencing between a regular group, it would be ideal.

Glad it was a good resource TwinOaks. I hope there's something like it near you. Let us know... Thanx John, I've seen that link before (Thanx to you). Yep, a rigorous learning curve. Taking notes faithfully. Power vs speed ratios, and all that. I'm geeky enough to like the learning. Thanx for the offer, I may pick your brain soon...