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I would just decide what it is I wanted to make, then buy the specifics to do that. So many people buy kits, and never use 1/3 of what they buy, ( ie. buying tooling and stamping tools, when you really wanted to make leather bike chaps, or braid out a mexican style belt.)

Welcome Patty! Sounds like you'll fit right in fine. Hope you have a great time...and there is the requisite "Show us Pictures!.

That, my friend, is a frikkin beauty!

i wish, but not that easy. this is garment leather. If I could control the heat on the soldering iron idea, that might work, but I'm not sure Someone on this board must know how to do these sorts of things. We'll all have to wait patiently

Mr Dixon is a memeber here. Pm him, I'm sure he'll be able to answer. Make sure you fill us in, too.

Bumping cause I need an edumacation Thanx Timd, I've seen them, not sure i want branding, rather set like a hot atamp emboss

made me laugh...that's a good thing nowadays... rare earth = high tech ceramic coated in metal...they break easy, and are bulkier, but magnetically stronger. They can pinch your fingers to the point of pain.

I need to be able to stamp Made in the USA, Genuine leather, etc into garment type leathers. I've looked on ebay, and saw some hot stamp machines. Some were around $350 used and refurbished. I've also seen some "soldering iron" type stamps that you can attach small logo size things to for a hot stamp. I just don't even know what I need. Do I need two tools to do this, or is there a tool that will do both lettering, and a small logo? What are your suggestions. Will these tools also do gold leaf type stamping?...Dunno nothing bout this stuff, but I need it. All suggestions will be more than I know already...lol

That's just TERRIFIC!!!! Congratulations! I don't know if NC has something similar, but now you made me want to go and look...

I don't know why, but this question fascinates me. Firstly, If I can put money into my paypal account, I should be able to write a check to purchase things too, or use a debit/credit card. With all the great suppliers here advertising on this forum, I have not seen a paypal button on their sites. The reasons are numerable, from the extra expenses cost paid to paypal, or to just technologoical inexpertise of the website builder. Why anyone would not be willing to take monies by any ways possible still astounds me. But, that seems to be the way it is. In order to accept payment over the internet, the established method for physical stores is just credit card numbers. There are actually many ways to be paid over the internet, paypal, gunpal, whatever. Only the Virtual stores like Amazon, Ebay, or similars offer the alternative methods. Physical stores seem to rely only on CC's. It actually costs you more to use paypal, etc. So my advice would be to call the advertisers on LW, and give the CC number for purchases.

A Zack White's Appreciation thread...I'm in! Good leathers, fair prices, and honest service, sheesh, what more do you want?

Welcome, Mike! Chatham County here. You've come to the right place, pull up a chair, and settle in.

Can't speak to the watch strap, but the pouches look like just natural horsehide, to me. Just years of patina, I suppose. Horse was a standard leather for military application for most of our history.

All I know is that I hope all our New Zealand members are okay today!!!!

Never knew anyone on this board that didn't try and help someone with a problem, and there are thousands here! There is a competitive edge between professionals, and rightly so. Not everything is going to get shared. Leatherwork is not a dying art. It takes long naps, and wakes up strong. Patternmaking/Custom design is too hard and tends to be a lot of original thinking, so no, a pattern, or trademark type super secret construction method, may not get spread around willingly. But there are standards that everyone recognizes, and are perfectly willing to tell you the ins and outs...carving, stamping, lining up basketweaves, how to do binding, etc. In different fields, like bikes, saddles, or holsters, it's hard to get picked out of the crowd by a customer. You have to have something special to stand out....so, maybe that little something doesn't get shared. A person has to try and make a little money at things first, before they give it away.

The hooks pulling on the flesh are waaaay out there...cool

Thanx, Doc, and Spider. Nothing too special, but they were true to the originals, at least. I wonder if they were a HD bag back then? I don't remember ever seeing one like it, but who knows...

Took a five minute break, and was looking through my pictures. I don't think I posted these before. Guy bought an old HD Sprint (125cc, I think...google if want). Everyone collects them, but they are not rare...millions were made. He was lucky enough to get a picture the original owner had of when it was fairly just new. Cool. But it had a set of bags on it, and he wanted me to duplicate them. So I did. It was fairly thin leather, and looked a bit floppy. So, I made these, and danged if they didn't come out looking just like the originals, except I couldn't make out what the original conchoes were. The customer paid up, and ran right out to go home and throw them on, thanking me all the way out...lol.

Welcome back! At least you kept at it...looking good!

This would be your Masterpiece Kevin!