barehandcustoms

Got tired of constantly sharpening the blades that comes with it. Also the factory blades are thicker and hard to pull through thick leather unless recently sharpened. I started using regular box razor blades and they seem to work much better. They are thinner and glide through thick leather like butter plus you just replace it with a fresh blade when needed. Been doing this for awhile and never had them slip out or anything.....Surely I'm not the only one doing this?

http://www.exoticleather.biz/wholesale/ I can't vouch for their wholesale side of things but probably worth sending them an email about the wholesale price of toad hides.

http://springfieldleather.com/search?keywords=toad Just about every color out there of toad at average cost http://toadshop.com/48-cane-toad-skin.html Cheap but only one color

The videos below should help you get started. There is also a ton of information floating around this forum. Tools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1pAMZQpYFA More Tools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTfMRaVyCd4 Types of Leather https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6p_5b9t35w Hand Stitching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0EL7K2NhYs Hardware https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TERaPXYZSQ

You'll probably do better just searching for "Pig Leather" Some stuff below...hope that helps http://www.ebay.com/usr/youngfalcon4421?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 Search his store for Wild Boar Hides - Suede https://www.brettunsvillage.com/leather/smallhides/ Couple types of Suede as well - Red, Tan and Brown https://www.etsy.com/listing/512835088/oxblood-leather-hide-heavy-weight-pig?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=pigskin leather hide&ref=sr_gallery_11 Furries seems to have some actual hides for sale

http://store.rojeleather.com/shark/ Also you can pick up smaller pieces of shark on Ebay http://www.glacierwear.com/beaver-tails.html Beaver Tails - Also found all over Ebay

They are called English Girth Buckles. Only place I can find that exact one is at the link below. Good luck getting them ordered http://www.domvet.com/pharmvet/buckle.html Stainless steel lost wax with roller No. 19151 1"

Very nice Can I order more teeth if I beat them all to hell overtime?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Nickel-Plated-Steel-Double-Tongue-Roller-Buckle-/121575168020?var=&hash=item1c4e71d814:m:mxqTnmOojpYY67R9xOqtwWA Not sure what quality you are looking for but this will get you going without a huge minimum order.

Probably not the answer you wanted but this link answers all those questions. http://guides.wsj.com/small-business/starting-a-business/how-to-trademark-a-company-name/ Short answer: As long as you have a very unique company name then it can take a few hours plus the filing fee *$275 to $300* to submit the form. Make sure your name isn't taken then fill out the form to trademark it. Pretty easy stuff Wait around two to six months to find out whether it was accepted or not. ** People will still use your name, ideas and logos....It generally isn't profitable to go after them either. Unless there is a lot of money involved it will be a net loss to police people using your ideas even after you trademark.

First off, do everything in light coats and take your time. People are prone to apply too much at one time or not wait long enough between coats. Dark Leather - I use warm water and wipe the leather down a few times to clean it then leave it at room temperature to dry out. Once the leather has some moisture in it then I use several light coats of Neatsfoot oil until the piece feels supple to the touch again. Do one side at a time so gravity works in your favor. I generally wait about 15 minutes between each coat of oil to let it soak into the leather. Lighter colors or natural leather - I use warm water and wipe the leather down with a soft rag to clean it then let it dry out naturally at room temperature. DO NOT use Neatsfoot oil on lighter leather to rejuvenate it since this will darken the leather. Use a good saddle soap or surface conditioner instead. What I do is lightly wipe the surface down again with a wet rag to get the surface moist. I let the water soak in for a few minutes then apply light coats of saddle soap or conditioner to the leather. Wet then wait then oil then wait...rinse and repeat until you're happy with the results. One side at a time.....

You can burnish and bevel the edges but it can be a chore due to the thickness of 4oz leather. A Dremel with a small edge burnishing attachment works great for thin leather but a hand burnisher will work just fine. It also helps to gently secure the leather between two pieces of wood so it doesn't constantly bend back or wobble on you. Just make sure you put something between the leather and the wood so it doesn't scratch anything up. I don't use the hand edge bevelers on really thin leather. I found it much easier to just get some sand paper and lightly rub the edges off before burnishing.I also do not apply any kind of finish to that style of leather since that can cause permanent discoloration and usually isn't necessary. The treatment process to achieve that kind of look crams the leather full of all kinds of wax and oils. I might do a very light coat to prevent moisture problems during shipping but that is all. Plus stone oil leather is meant to fade into an antiqued look overtime so oiling it isn't a good idea. Hope that helps!

I ran into the same issue with them near the end of last year. It took a few weeks to get my order and I have been shy about ordering from them ever since. I can ship something over seas quicker than that so this appears to be a sluggish online order fulfillment process. Granted the leather was great and they are one of the few people who accept Paypal. Most people don't mind waiting for *good* product as long as they are prepared for it. I will still buy from them again but it sounds like they are understaffed and overwhelmed.

How long did it take you to make your first sale online? Within the first week of going online I had sold several items and got a few custom orders. You just have to put yourself out there and if you do good work the people will buy it. Keep in mind that Etsy doesn't work for everyone including myself. I started out by listing my items on multiple market places. I went several months managing the multiple store fronts before I finally pulled my Etsy account. I had sold over 40 items on Ebay and not a single item was sold on my Etsy account. Exact same items with the exact same prices. Nothing against Etsy but I just couldn't sell my product there for some reason. So I wouldn't gauge success by how much you sell on Etsy. It is a hit or miss for most people.....try another market place. How'd you market your website to make that first sale? I didn't advertise at all so I guess I was lucky. Business just seemed to slowly roll in as I listed more items for sale. More work rolled in as customers reviewed my products and verified everything for future customers. Honestly I wouldn't pay to advertise unless you have enough product on hand to justify it. What if you get a swarm of customers? Let's say 150 people come to you tonight and want a wallet....Could you even handle that volume of customers? If not then you just pissed off around 130 of them and potentially ruined your business. Go slow man....let it grow at it's own pace. What was your marketing budget? I spent maybe $4 on a pay per click campaign.

What type of goods would you sell? very durable outdoor leather products...sheaths, backpacks and various pouches How much are they priced? Reasonable but above average How many people would work for you? Just me doing the leather and maybe someone handling the back end. Packaging, Shipping, Billing etc etc Like DoubleC said......"I think I'd make a terrible boss because I would want people to care as much as I do." Where would your goods be made? Wherever I can setup a leather shop. What company would it be similar too? Hopefully like no other company... Would you own a store? where? all over the world? No store, just me and my shop selling online from where ever I am currently at in the world.

I also fit into the no business plan model for starters. I stumbled into leather when I thought the sheath I wanted cost way too much. I set out to make my own sheath and found out the hard way exactly why high quality leather sheaths cost so much. I sell sheaths now that cost more than the sheath I originally wanted. Funny how things work out....... Did they take out a loan, get a government grant? Absolutely not..... Do not build your business on debt unless you are a successful business owner and already know how to start up a business then rapidly grow it. I would strongly suggest you grow slow and organically until you are in the position to really capitalize on a small business loan. You shouldn't consider taking on debt to grow your business until you have a customer base and need to scale up to meet their demand. You need to reinvest that profit into your business to grow it...not to pay off debt Sell through the newspaper? locally? I cut my teeth on local custom jobs but have moved to almost strictly online sales. How much money did you start with. I started with maybe $200 worth of tools in a storage shed behind my house. I cleaned it out and built a basic work bench. I kept reinvesting a majority of the profits back into my business until I had enough to build my actual leather shop several months ago. As much as I love my new shop and all the new fancy machines.....I would not appreciate it if I had not froze my ass off in that storage shed for a year making leather. Also would like to hear of any things that you would consider beginner mistakes that you encountered. Buy good tools that will last *an expensive tool doesn't equal a good tool* Don't under value your products Wait until you have the money to buy things....don't grow on debt Breakthroughs in your business plan or in your thinking. Don't constantly compare your product and price to competitors. What works for them most likely won't work for you. Worry about making the best leather product you can and getting the most you can get for it. Don't be a stubborn know it all. I actually talk to my competitors and ask them questions about when they were at my stage in the game. It sounds absurd but some of the best advice I have got came directly from my competitors. You will learn the most at your bench when you are actually working. It's great to come on here and ask questions when you are stumped but nothing beats getting your ass out in the shop and putting in work. Follow up with your customers a few weeks after the sale and ask for feedback on your product. Customers can be brutally honest and that is exactly what you need in the beginning to iron out problems.

Not much information to go on but I will give my 2 cents. You have to be careful when getting into deals like that. You can really burn yourself out on low profit margins. I would figure up what it cost per unit to make 10, 20, 50 and 100 including labor, cost of goods, overhead, and profit. Find a good price point amongst those numbers and figure out if its worth the risk of ordering bulk supplies. Decide if you can profit enough at the wholesale level to even more forward. Absolutely do not sell yourself short just to do business with someone. I would try to double or triple my wholesale cost per unit and sell it to the store at that price. Granted you want the store to profit but don't let them do it at your loss. Some products just cannot handle the extra cost of a middle man.

1. Lastly and I know im being a pain, but for the firefighter guys in the group, are copper rivets a defacto for the FD stuff or just more ornamental over brass plated rivets? It is hard to beat a good ole copper rivet when you want something that will last a lifetime. Double cap rivets will not hold up during prolonged hard use and Chicago screws will loosen overtime unless you glue the threads. 2. Side note, I can't find a good answer about cuts of leather without finding a novel about leather and its origins. For the work in question I cant figure out what the better cut of leather for my purposes would be. Camano Ridge nailed it regarding this question. 3. Am I missing out on the difference between the two? Are there pros and cons to buying black vs natural? The work in question besides dog collars would be helmet bands, F/F Shields, glove keeps, and maybe one day I'll get the stones to make my own pair of suspenders. I switched to drum dyed leather several months ago. It is amazing how much time you save by not having to dye your own leather. Most factories can do a vastly superior job of dying leather than someone can in their shop. Generally the factory dye will penetrate completely through the leather which hardens it a bit and helps to hide scratches. Depending on the product and how many colors you sell....I would suggest switching over to factory drum dyed black leather. Try a side or a shoulder of drum dyed black Hermann Oak and see if you like it. Links below http://springfieldleather.com/34306/Side%2CHermannOak%2CBlack%2C8-10oz/ http://springfieldleather.com/34774/Shoulder%2CSingle%2CHO%2CBlk%2C8-11oz/

Sorry, did not see the Europe part of your post. http://www.directplasticsonline.co.uk/ Company has several styles of rod and block you can purchase. http://www.directplasticsonline.co.uk/PolyurethaneRod - Poly Rod only goes up to 62mm though http://www.polyurethanemanufacturers.co.uk/rods-tubes-blocks-and-sheets.html - Might be worth calling them if you still haven't found what you want.

http://www.ebay.com/usr/dc_leather?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 Guy carries a lot of horse leather. http://springfieldleather.com/502/Horween/ You could always try Horween leather if you don't mind the extra cost. Probably overkill for what you are looking for though.

http://www.antelopebeads.com/5mm-and-10mm-metal-clasps-s/3011.htm Should find what you are looking for here. https://www.etsy.com/market/30mm_clasp Several more here If you still don't see what you want. Search for 30mm magnetic clasp.

http://www.universalurethane.com/sheet-rods-tubes.html

SLC has always provided me with good leather and excellent customer service. I order the same leather from them all the time and only had to call once in the past. They corrected the issue and I continued doing business with them.

http://www.sunbeltfashion.net/Internal-Purse-Frames.html Item : Internal Frames SFPF-IF05 16" Based out of California......Made in China Or... http://www.sewthankful.com/16inchTubularFrame.html Based out of New Mexico and possibly American made.