billybopp

I think that a video series on profitably making leather goods would be awesome! For now, I'm a hobbyist, and mostly make gifts for friends and family. I've sold a few items and had a few commissions, which is rewarding but not really profitable. That said, I can see a time in the future where I may use leather goods as a supplemental income after I retire. At that point, profitability will be much more important. So yes! Please!! - Bill

@mikerock - While there's no real substitute for a good old paper book, this book is available for free at the moment on Tandy's leathercraftlibrary.com - but who knows how long that will last. Get 'em while you can! - Bill

Perhaps surprisingly, it IS rocket science! WD40 was originally developed for Convair in the 1950s for the Atlas missiles to protect from rust and corrosion while they were stored for use. https://www.wd40company.com/our-company/our-history/ - Bill

You're probably really doing better than the numbers show. When you lose weight by working out, you're replacing fat with muscle which is more dense. I'd bet your waist size went down a bit. Congrats to you and all the others here that are making the effort! - Bill

LOL. I love it! And that's a great story about the golf cart too! THANKS! Funny you should mention this ...I was just thinking before I saw your post, even ... Maybe you can call yourself a craftsman when somebody other than family or friends say something about your work and its fine craftsmanship. - Bill

That's a very clever idea! I like it! - Bill

Most buyers probably cannot tell the difference between hand sewn and machine sewn, nor do they care! BUT some people have a discerning eye and CAN tell at a glance how an item was sewn, and they are willing to pay for that difference, whether because they just like the look or because they believe that hand sewn is just better. The same thing applies to clothing, for that matter. Most of us are perfectly fine with off-the-rack suits, whether that be Wal-Mart at the low end or Hart Schaffner Marx or Armani at the high end. Others want (or sometimes need) a tailored suit that is machine sewn and are perfectly fine with that. The rare few can tell the difference between machine sewn and hand sewn tailoring, and are willing to pay for it, either because they want the HIGHEST quality or they want to impress others with that discerning eye to know the difference. It's all in what the customer wants, and is willing to pay for. - Bill

Let me begin with stating that I do not have ANY buddies that produce videos on the internet. I've never met anybody that does videos online, as far as I know anyway. So do NOT put words into my mouth (or should that be on my screen). I won't disagree that there is a lot of information out there that is repeated, but that information can be presented in many different ways. I'm glad of that. Not everybody learns in the same way. The way that one person presents it may not click with one viewer, and yet with another presenter it totally makes sense. Some people need a step by step presentation, others can easily make the leap from one point to another without everything in between being shown. What is obvious to one person may not be to another. For that matter, video isn't a great way to learn for some people, and books may work better for them. For the same reason that one video might work for one learner and not another, the same is true with books. But at least the videos are mostly free, whereas libraries are sadly lacking in leather working books - so they are generally not free. And yes! Somebody that has never made a holster before MIGHT need to be shown that they need to trace around the gun, and how to do that. For example, do you do a direct trace around the gun with the pen straight up and down? Or do you need to add in a seam allowance and make that trace line 1/4" out from the actual gun itself. If you had never made a pattern, you would not know.

I do know. Springfield leather has python and several other skins... Both print and "real". And you are still first rate dick. You COULD have approached people's confusion by saying something like. "I could have been more clear with my question" . But you did not. Instead you decided to insult anybody that asked. Your disdain for video or anybody (other than Hank) who tries to make one.... Or for that matter anybody that looks at one is very well known by anybody that has been here for any length of time. So you decided to express that,once again, and use that as an insult. I have seen you repeatedly shut down anybody else's opinion, whether right or not because it does not fit within your incredibly narrow mindset. Not cool. If anybody else finds my language or opinion here insulting, I apologize to you but I had to speak my mind. It has been brewing for a while now. If any mod feels my commentary inappropriate, feel free to remove it. JLS. You are a dick.

You're SUCH a DICK.

Well darn. I'm 1500 miles too far away to drop by. Especially if you throw in a few pounds of steaks and burgers with that hide!

This is not really closer, but a different angle. If I remember right, the 'keeper loops' are 3/8" and loop through holes in the front of the bag, sewn in at the center. The straps are 1" wide and the tabs are cut from the ends of the straps and sewn on about half-way around. Straps didn't really need to go all the way around, but I liked the look. The gussets are 3/8" purple-heart wood (if I had known how hard that stuff was I would've chosen something else! They were really hard to shape with hand tools only!). - Bill

This is just held by friction, and is working well after a couple of years use. - Bill

If you're making your pattern on paper, just mark a line where you want our stitches to run before fully marking out the pockets then press your stitching chisel or pricking iron along the line. It's then pretty easy to see just where you can mark out your pockets. If it's somebody else's design, you can do the same and just adjust the size. - Bill

I'd stock up enough to keep going until I left CA. - Bill

Probably the best way to avoid that odd stitch length going over a card-slot tab is to cheat a little in the design stage! Make the card slot tabs a little bigger, or smaller, so that your chisels straddle the edge top and bottom. In most cases it will be a very small adjustment, but will get your stitch length spot-on. You can do the same for the over all size as well. Pre-planning makes assembly easy-peasy. Or at least easier-peasier. - Bill

Leather does tend to wrinkle when you bend it in two directions as in a U shaped gusset. Some leathers are more cooperative than others. Skiving can help, but if the curve is tight a relief cut (V-shaped cut) is a very effective method. Without some special measures, the stitch length will change in the curve. If you maintain the stitch length on the outside the inside will become shorter, or if you maintain the inside length will become longer. Most choose a shorter inside stitch, and for some projects that's perfectly acceptable. There is a workaround that allows both inside and outside to stay the same, but it takes a little work and a little thinking. You'll mark a consistent stitch length on both outside piece and on the side panel. They'll match up as normal on the straight part, but when you come to the curve there will be more holes on the outside than the inside. You'll use a few double stitches on the inside to make up the difference. Use an awl to make your holes at an angle and hit your inside marks when they get out of line - first making your angle a little forward and then a little backward to make a double-stitch when things get too far out of line. I can't think of a better way to describe it - but that's what you do! - Bill

You may want to check out stitching chisel reviews by @Dangerous Beans (Nigel Armitage)'s youtube channel. There is a LOT of good information there and a LOT of chisel reviews. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8urn9l3pybW5LztUa6zbOA -Bill

By golly THAT'S customer service! LOL

Yes they did! Amongst other changes. - Bill

In certain circles, this Santa already has a bad reputation. In a good way, of course. Love the video!! Oh, I certainly agree about the luxury market and whole-heartedly support it. But there's luxury, and then there's excess, followed at some distance by extreme excess. I'm pretty sure that a bag that expensive ventures into extreme excess. - Bill

some people have more dollars than sense. - Bill

90% isopropyl works fine for me. The amount to dilute depends on the end-color you are looking for, so kind of impossible to say just how much. I'd start with 50/50 and go from there trying out on scraps of the same leather you will be dying. - Bill

Once you find your own personal style of tooling - or even if you like tooling, it can be worth upgrading tools. The nice thing about having a collection of lesser tools, too, is that the ones that don't fit your style STILL get occasional use, and you'll have them for those rare times! As for swivel knives, as long as the body fits your hand and operates smoothly, they're pretty much all fine. The blade is the part that makes a difference, and as long as that gets sharp and doesn't need excessive sharpening that's good to go too. -Bill

Tandy tools went from being good to bottom of the barrel for many years. Now, in the face of some of the crap coming at us out of China, they're not looking so bad again, particularly for the price. Tandy's pro line are good for the price. Many of the regular Tandy craftools are perfectly serviceable and great to learn with. Some are fine to continue with! The quality of some tools is more critical than others. For example basketweave and geometric tools need to be aligned just right, so better quality tools are a must for those. others need to make very crisp impressions, so quality is more important there. Bevelers, and some others aren't so critical and less expensive tools work well from the get-go. Additionally, the tools you choose will depend on your personal tooling style. But you can't really know YOUR style until you've done some work. My suggestion is to start with inexpensive tools until you know which ones you use all the time, and then slowly replace those with better. The exception being those above geometrics, etc. where inexpensive tools will just lead to frustration. - Bill