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barehandcustoms

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Posts posted by barehandcustoms

  2. Posted · Edited by barehandcustoms · Report reply

    Keep in mind that usually a professional looking leather item takes a professional level of knowledge and skill. Atelier Pall was started back in 1950s and has a team of people assembling the items. You have people who sit around for several hours a day mastering their technique through repetition. Not to mention the room full of expensive machines that assist in the process. Also business's like them buy directly from tanneries and have access to a grade of leather product that you may not. I think it is safe to say their family members are not out on the floor assembling items but they probably invested million over the years in time and material to achieve their leather's personality.

    Glad to see people working with you to figure things out though. Just keep in mind that you don't create amazing products like that without having a passion for what you are doing.

    So when is it okay to give up leather craft? I guess when your heart is no longer in it. A lot of times I am not having fun in the shop but that is where I want to be anyways. Honestly, figuring out new designs can be a major headache and I hate making the same thing over and over again.

    Slow down and develop a love for your craft if you want to make professional looking products. I am still constantly learning better ways to do things after multiple years of being out in my shop every week.

  4. Posted · Report reply

    I think Eco-Flo is pretty much the king of the water based dyes right now. I agree the finished colors are amazing but then I realize I can scratch them off easily with my finger nail. Most of my products are built to be abused over time so I have to stay away from them. Ican usually get away with using them on journals and some pouches.

    I have tried several methods to lock the pigments in better and prevent the color from scratching off so easily but no luck yet. Which kind of sucks because the colors from water dyes are so vibrant compared to oil dye.

    I would recommend trying out a few gel stains. The gels stains tend to be a happy middle ground between oil and water dyes. They tend to be more vibrant than oil dyes and penetrate better then water dyes. Personally I stay away from water dyes and some gels when I am making sheaths or any kind of outdoor items.

  6. Posted · Edited by barehandcustoms · Report reply

    I buy those huge sponges from the hardware store and cut them into small sizes.I will reuse the same oil sponge numerous times to apply my finish until it gets discolored. I keep one next to each type of oil finish and they work great. I tried several other methods before settling into using a soft sponge. It is just what works best for me.

    Plus the oil will stay in the sponge for days so you aren't wasting oil.

    I have always dyed first and then applied oil afterwards. I generally let the leather dry out overnight after I wet mold and then dye the next day. A few hours after I have dyed a piece then I will apply a heavy coat of oil. I also apply one more thin coat before I ship an item.

    I always do the oil dye first because the oil finishes tends to prevent the oil dye from soaking deep into the leather. I expect the product to be oiled throughout its lifetime but I doubt it will ever get dye applied to it again. So I want the dye to penetrate as deep as possible when I apply it.

  7. Posted · Edited by barehandcustoms · Report reply

    Funny I stumbled upon this thread today. I was punching numbers last night on a new item to get my per unit cost and noticed something weird. The leather cost were coming out the same as it did for drum dyed Hermann Oak products. I ordered a double shoulder from Tandy over the weekend because I needed it ASAP. I did a SQ ft measurement on the piece I got and this average quality leather cost as much as freaking Hermann Oak from Springfield.

    I was shocked because not only was I paying more for less product and quality but I have a membership with Tandy. I don't have one with Springfield *yet*. I will say the double shoulder from Tandy was very clean and showed up after 2 days.

    I will just buy Hermann Oak from Springfield if its going to cost the same as imported leather from Tandy with a membership. I hadn't bought from them in a few months because I loaded up on leather awhile back. So the price change kind of caught me off guard. I also got that blue slip from Springfield on my last order stating that Tandy was changing the rules of the game on them. WTF Tandy

    I think Chief said it best...

    ""Too bad, without Tandy over the years, many people wouldn't have gotten into leather, me included. Oh well, enough ranting, they should just go ahead and move from Fort Worth to China and be done with it.""

  8. Posted · Report reply

    I switch between Weldwood and Fiebings Leather Cement from week to week. The Weldwood gives me a longer time period to work with the leather and Fiebings is easier to spread but dries very quick. I wonder if Fiebings Cement is just regular old Elmer's glue since they cost the same.

    If I had to pick one then it would be Weldwood. You just get so much more product and the end result is the same.

  9. Posted · Edited by barehandcustoms · Report reply

    There are a lot of niche tools out there for leather. They will usually collect dust in your shop but absolutely excel at the specific task they were created for. One thing not in the video that you will need are stitching punches. I would get a 4 prong and a 2 prong.

    He is most likely referring to tools strap cutters, stitching horse, various punches and numerous other tools.Eventually you will build up a wider variety of tools so don't get bogged down on the idea of missing one.

    As far as learning goes, I watched almost every video Ian had posted multiple times before I ordered my first tool. In my opinion he has some of the best how to videos you can watch. Those books might bore you to death but it wont hurt to read them. Videos and books are great but you have to get started if you really want to learn. Most of what I know came from getting out in the shop and messing up until I figured things out.

    P.S.

    Buy good tools now so you don't have to buy new ones later to replace the cheap stuff. If you plan on selling leather then you might as well invest now in good tools.

  10. Posted · Edited by barehandcustoms · Report reply

    1. Personally I would stay away from the starter kits. You learn a lot by having to design and cut out your own templates.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1pAMZQpYFA

    2. Tools you will need by Ian Atkinson *great guy to learn from*

    3. Buying Horween leather squares from Springfield Leather would be a good start when you are ready for that grade of material. By the time you are ready to start making actual branded products you will have a laundry list of leathers you prefer though.

    4. Buy some cheap goat leather or Economy grade leathers from various vendors. I would recommend trying several varieties as you start learning to get a feel for different leathers. For wallets I tend to cut out my designs using thick sketch paper first and then using it as a template on the leather.

    Hope that helps

  12. Posted · Edited by barehandcustoms · Report reply

    As long the item is in the same shape that I sent it then I always give full refunds even if I have to cover the shipping. It's just not worth the time of going back and worth with someone over specifics or combating false reviews of your product. Sometimes you have to eat a few dollars and move on. I used to get bitter about it when people got upset over things clearly in the description. Now a days I just offer full refunds if they aren't completely happy with a product.

    The last thing I want to do is sell someone a product they are not happy with. Even if they are being overly picky or didn't read the description. Just issue a refund a move on. Custom or personalized items are a whole different story though.....

    Just know those types of customers are very rare so don't be discouraged.

  14. Posted · Edited by barehandcustoms · Report reply

    At the end of the day....I don't feel anybody else can offer you the product exposure and ease of collection that Ebay/Paypal is currently offering small start ups. When it comes to Ecommerce in general someone is always going to take a % of your sales. It all comes down to what they are offering you in return.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    When I first started I went through 4 of those nice $20 *self healing* craft cutting mats with all the measurements and everything on it. I still have them but they are so cut up and warped that I can't use them because they scratch up my leather. Granted I was pushing the limits of what they were built to handle. I don't think I ever actually used the board measurements for anything.

    I briefly used a industrial hydroma mat that was loaned to me and was very impressed but had newbie sticker shock. Luckily my neighbor works on antique cars professionally and has a really nice shop. He had a few industrial grade hydroma boards and let me use one for a few days to try it out. I don't borrow tools but he kept offering so I finally took him up on it. The hydroma mat was just superb in everyway and would probably last forever. It was an industrial mat that was built like a tank and there was nothing fancy about it. The idea of spending $95 dollars for a 18x24 1/2' thick hydroma mat just seemed crazy at the time. Now I realize I could have bought the mat and came out ahead in the long run.

    So finally one day I just went to the store and bought one of those huge white poly cutting boards. It was a regular old cutting board and only cost me 8 dollars. So I figured I would use it for awhile and then throw it out. I drilled holes in the corners and screwed it to my table. This made for a flat and very stable cutting surface. I have been using that same board for cutting and punching out holes for almost 2 months now. Even the hole punching doesn't seem to really scar it up. I might have to flip it over in a few months though. Keep in mind I work on that mat almost every other day for several hours. I am still surprised how well it is standing up.

    So Questions:

    What is your preferred material for cutting and punching holes?

    Do you use different boards for each task? *cut on poly and punch holes on rubber*

    What are your thoughts on Hydroma Mats and are they worth the money in the long run?

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Over the last year I have rarely worked with the same leather from the same company. I have always tried new companies and new kinds of leather to get a feel for what was out there. I have found some I really liked and others that are so bad it is just sitting on my shop floor collecting dust.

    Lately I have been using 8 to 11oz Hermann Oak that is drum dyed and I just love the stuff. I won't turn this into a Hermann Oak praise thread but I just can't get over how much better it is than everything else I've worked with. It really got me questioning whether its worth the time and mess associated with dying everything myself. Plus my bench is covered by this ever growing abstract art piece I call "Spilled Fieblings".

    So a few questions...

    Do you prefer to use drum dyed leather?

    Do you feel it is worth the extra cost?

    What do you consider the draw backs of using drum dyed leather versus just doing it yourself?

  24. Posted · Edited by barehandcustoms · Report reply

    I am currently going through a roll on that and have been pretty impressed. I am used to heavy waxed thread so this stuff felt like it was going to break at first. I was worried it may not be tough enough for the pouches I use this thread on. I sewed up a piece of leather and gave it several hard yanks. The leather started to rip before the thread did.

    My only dislike is that it doesn't come with enough wax on it. The thread wants to loosen and back out until you get several holes ahead of it. This is easily fixed by just waxing it before sewing though.

    With that said I still prefer tiger thread but this is an excellent alternative.

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