Daggrim

I think you have a zero-g urinal which was left behind by ancient astronauts. You might laugh, but never underestimate some people's gullibility. Much more has been extrapolated from much less. Dag

I use Paypal for my online sales...easy to figure out how to xfer funds, and you can xfer money to and from people who don't have a Paypal account. For shows I use my banks merchant services credit card processing service. I use the dial up method...laborious but cheap. I need to punch in 52 numbers into my cell phone to complete a transaction. Getting it right the first time is hard when there are customers all around. But it's within my budget. Also, the service is "seasonal", so I can hibernate it in my off season. $30 / month vs $5 / month. Never had any problem with either method in 3 years. Daggrim

Hey folks, I've gotten great support from you regarding my 29k. She's up and running, and making turnshoes, but I have one wierd prob. The tension discs seem to get really tight as I'm sewing, then ping, the thread snaps. I loosen it up to where the tension feels okay, then six inches later, the thread is way too loose. I've used steel wool and polished the discs, and I've polished the spring shaft, and oiled anything that looks like it uses oil. Any suggestions? Daggrim

Oops, sorry about the above wacky post. But, as I was going to say... Dude! The Edison! Whatta website, whatta place. I know you're not from around here, but I just gotta say, "Ufda". In Minnesota, that's quite an emotional response. I've made a few steampunkish things over the years, before it was a genre, so that's why I like it. It's like we have the same flavor. But, I'm already tied up with what I'm currently doing, and so I'm kinda glad there's no steampunk community around here. It'd be just way too much to do. Dag

The steampunk designs make me weep with longing. I want to do that! Especially the helmets, and gasmasks. I make the Medieval helmets, but love the Sci Fi aspect, too. But it must take months to find enough brass pieces and hardware to make just one piece. Never been to a steampunk convention. Are there any in Minnesota? Daggrim

Hey Spider, Sorry, the link to photobucket didn't work. So, it sounds like you do a lot of hand work while it's drying over a basic shape? I've always been so impressed by the masks people make, but have been so busy with my own things, that there was no room left in my head to learn anything new. Now the season is slowing down, and I have more headroom. Dag

The mask is nice and menacing. But, I've never made one, and I'm wondering how you mold them? Do you always use a master mold, or can these masks be free-handed? If you use molds, what are they made from? You use found objects as molds? I'm sure that there's lots of info about this on this forum, but I'm at work...limited time...and I'm just looking for a quickie answer would satisfy my initial curiosity. I mold my leather, as seen in my avatar, but I've never done such sculptural work. Daggrim

I'd be glad to help someone with advice about doing something similar to what I do, even specific advice about how to duplicate my item, but I wouldn't share the patterns. It took me many hours of concentrated work to get these helmets to look good, and to go together without much fuss (minimizing the Fuss Factor is a major portion of any successful design). I gathered all my info from the internet, and thru experimentation, and talking with other crafts people, and I'd just draw the line somewhere. Dag

I'm with you, William. I mostly prefer the plainer, less decorative look. I'll work for many hours, and go thru many design variations trying to get the shape and the proportion that seems right to me. I don't even know how to tool anything, but that's by choice, as it gets projects done quicker, and keeps the cost down. I guess that I'm just a Functionoid. I think that there are proportions and balances that look right, because they are in tune with some kind of natural proportional sense that we have locked up in our biological make up. Like the 3 to 5 ratio of the Parthenon. So, I just keep tweaking until it satisfies me. Aeronautical engineers have a rule of thumb, that if it looks right, it probably is right. And when it looks right, it makes me feel better than an ice cold beer. Daggrim

For what I do, no. The natural ones are pretty rough, and I think people like the shiny new look if they're going to spend a couple hundred bucks. Altho, I do plan to build a couple helmets from my scrappier looking leather pieces, and not polish them, so they have that nice battle worn mercenary look. Daggrim

I would recommend becoming a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC). The main advantage of this is that it limits your potential liability in case you are sued. It limits your liability to the assets of your business, and whatever liability ins. you have for the business. It separates your business entity from your personal self, and so none of your personal assets (home, car,investments) can be considered in a lawsuit against your business. So, if Joe Green shoves his gun into a holster you made, but neglects to remove his trigger finger, he can only sue your business (mine's worth probably three thousand in equipment and supplies, and bank assets). That makes the crafters spouse very happy! It'd be hard on the marriage if the house was lost because of the husbands hobby...er...business. Daggrim

Wow, great website! Thanks much. Daggrim

I need to restock my polished cattle horns. I put them on leather Viking helmets, so I need them in sets. I've purchased in the past from Boone Trading, and been pleased, but the prices have risen up to $15 for one small horn. Crazy Crow won't make sets. So, any sources out there for horns 6-8" long? Thanks, Doug Leatherhelms

I also use $10-$12 an hour for calculating time/materials cost, altho none of that ever goes into my pocket. I'm going to increase my rates, but I'm just getting past the beginning stage. I sell from my website, but do the majority of my business at Renaissance Faires. I have worked my pricing calculations over 4 years' experience. At the end of a weekend, I can figure out the cost of my time and materials on the items I sold. It usually comes out very close to what my other expenses are...merchant fee, gas, food, camping. So, I get my selling price by tripleing the cost of time and materials. So, about a third of my take is profit. Of course, once I make my expenses for the weekend, then two thirds of my take will be profit. My prices are on the low to medium side. But my reputation is growing, and so will my prices, next season. Anyway, this little shorthand way of figuring my prices is working well for me. It's not what the fiscally savy use, but then , mos tof them don't do craftwork, either. In the beginning, y'gotta do what the market will bear. Daggrim

Never mind...found longer rivets at Weaver's. Too bad their minimum order is 1,000...and the caps are sold separately. As we say in Minnesota...ufda! Dag

I use Tandy's double cap rapid rivets to pound my helmets together. I'm gradually using thicker leather, and I'm finding that their large rivets, at 1/2 inch, are sometimes not long enough. Are there any other rapid rivets out there that are longer? Daggrim

Okay, that worked. But here's one I missed. Some shots are a rented building, one is my tent. No detailed pics, but you can see how I strive for a rich, unified look. Dag

I'm going to try to include some pictures of my various booth setups. Not sure if I have this figured out, so . Dag

Back on the subject of credit cards. I'm a fairly small operation...weekend renfaires, maybe 8 weekends/year, but I consider the ability to process cards as essential. I plan to grow, so getting this in at the beginning was a good idea. Why go thru all the work of making product, making displays, getting juried in, driving, camping, and setting up, if you turn away sales? I've seen neighboring merchants loose out on hundred of dollars. Is it a hassle setting it up? Just a little, but well worth it. In 4 years now, I've had zero problems with the account I have with Wells Fargo. BIGGIE: Crafters can get a Seasonal Account, where you can put the card processing ability into suspended animation until you use it again. So, I deactivate it for six months during my off season. Regular monthly fee is $30. Inactive fee is $5. Saves me $150. Daggrim

Luke, I went to a lighter, smoother thread, and loosened up the shuttle spring. Looked at the manual again, and saw things in there I'd never noticed. Adjusted the stitch length, and the foot pressure. Also, someone came over and gave me enough moral support to go thru this one more time. Gave it a good lube. Basic stuff, but it was wierd...suddenly I understood everything in the manual. I guess it just wasn't the right time before. But, stay tuned, it ain't over till it's over. Meaning I havent made a set of turnshoes on it yet. So, don't go away. Thanks for your offer of help. Doug

Oops, I meant that my Singer is a 29K, not a 59K. A 29K58. Sorry. Dag

Okay, I posted recently about my Singer 59K, and since then I've gotten it sewing again. Thanks for all the help I was given! But, #69 thread was recommended, and I am not sure where to shop online. The local fabric store didn't have anything like that. I could do a google, but I'd rather get recommendations. Also...a biggie...where can I get parts for a Singer 59K? Like extra bobbins! Doug (Daggrim)

Another angle on this. I consign some of my work to a leather shop at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, to someone I know and trust. She takes 30%. No problem. It'd cost me more than that to pay the vendors fee, set up a tent, and drive up there every weekend for 7 weeks. If I can consign, I don't really loose out on any money. I make out and she makes out. Either way costs me almost exactly the same. The disadvantage is that my few things get somewhat lost among all her things. However, I only consign to this one show. Doug

Oh, different heights. I use anything for height changes. The boxes or tubs I haul stuff in, sitting on a table, and covered with a cloth. A small bookshelf set on top of a table. A wine rack. A board suspended by ropes. I even display a couple of my helmets on the top of coat racks, or pole lamps, suitably modified. Thrift stores, my friend...thrift stores. Dag