mikesc

My "assumption" was because you mentioned "wholesale", which only businesses are involved in..Hobbyists are not normally concerned about price, only businesses ( those of us who pay business taxes , and who declare our income to the IRS or the equivalent tax authorities etc ) "sell"..Anyone else "selling" what they make, is, in reality, simply undercutting the legit tax paying businesses that exist..There is a difference between "leatherworkers" ( those of us who work with leather ) and hobbyists..kinda like if when you worked "declared" ( officially ) in construction, someone next door is working "undeclared" ( unofficially ) and asks to know how much to charge , or how to calculate prices.. Inches are inches, square feet are square feet..the mathematics to calculate square footage or square inches , whether leather or lumber or concrete or drywall or cinder-block etc..what difference could there be, (it's like a pint of oil or a pint of milk, they are both the same volume , both pints ) ?

Only if you are doing it wrong ;) The cost of "the labour" in many luxury leather items ( Vuitton or Hermès for example, and there are many many more in the "luxury", or "specialist leather" items "niche" ) is waaaaaaaaaay less than the final price, which many are willing to pay, and do pay.. Many of us here are running profitable businesses, being paid very well for "our labour" and our knowledge, imagination, expertise and talents..

You measure the leather that you use to make the wallet..if you are measuring in inches, then you measure precisely the length and the width of each piece of leather that you used..( "minimalist" can mean many things ) ..You multiply the width by the length, do it for each piece..That gives you the number of square inches per piece..add them all up..Gives you the total number of square inches used.. A square foot is 12" x 12" = 144 sq inches.. So..you divide 144 by the total number of square inches that you used.. Tells you how many wallets you can make per square foot.. If you are paying $10 per square foot..you divide $10 by the number of wallets per square foot. Remember that not every square inch of every square foot is usable..nor is ever square inch of very hide..or piece of leather, but you are still paying for that "scrap"..so cost it in.. ( Surprised that anyone who is selling ( or doing this for a living / business ) is asking, this is really basic stuff..) Then you have to add all other overheads, light, heat , thread, wear and tear on equipment, wages, insurance etc etc .. edited..FredK types faster than I do.. ;) I forgot taxes ( both the taxes that you have to charge your customers , and the taxes that you'll pay on your earnings or business profits ) ..and any business taxes etc depending on where you are ..

Your question makes no sense..( and not because of the typo ( we all make them :)) on "much" )

A 31-39 is this model http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/images0-99/31-39.jpg The machine in your photo has a similar body, but not the same foot..it is a 31- something.. This page will help you to identify what it is http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-1-99.html Note what it says about a 31-39.. HTH

Ummm....not a leather machine, not at all.. You may have missed what the website here is called ? Leatherworker.net.. You said "Leather Inspirational Guide", But this kind of machine would have trouble with sewing / embroidering anything over a small amount of 1 mm lambskin..

Is n't "zero" the one where the house wins ?..I should know, having lived in Cannes and other parts of the Côte d'Azur where they have casinos, and even here in Brittany I'm only 4 kms from another, but have never set foot in one anywhere..Idea just does not appeal at all..

The font style is probably one of the "Circus" types.. The "bump" at the waist would be what a signwriters brush would make as a decorative flourish by rotating the brush, and the same way would be used to make the "split serifs"..Lettering styles used in circuses and carnivals, and occasionally ( if the signwriter was talented ) on shop front work and lettering on glass..Back when I was signwriting I've done loads of variations on this sort of lettering, did a lot of circus trucks and trailers and fairground attractions, airbrushed the animals and the figures and then added these type of letters.. If you do have to hand letter them you'll need to use signwriters brushes ( long bristles ending in a chisel tip ), not pinstriping brushes..If they are going on belts, I presume the letters are between an inch and an inch and a half high ? and all caps ? If so, to outline the letters you'd want a "lark" brush ( signwriters brushes are named after the bird feathers that are / were used to make the ferule , that naming tradition still holds even for the modern ones with metal ferules )..Small birds, small brush size, big birds , big brush size.. If you are able to find an acceptable font, and can print it out ( adjusted for kerning ) onto tracing ( or thin paper ) you could transfer the outlines onto the belts by casing them a little and going over the tracing paper with a biro with no ink ( helps to restrain the colours inside the lines if there is a groove in the leather for the paint to "butt" up against, although you probably know this anyway :)..If ( big if ) you are anywhere near a "sign shop" that does vinyl lettering , they might know what the font is, and / or could make you a trace of exactly what you need ( and to size ) on their plotter..With a trace and a biro outline, you should be able to do all the lettering on a belt in an hour or so each one, could be worse, they could have asked for a painted design or picture illustration inside each letter..like painting miniatures ;)..or they could have asked for a "drop shadow" to the bottom/right side of each letter..That is real fun :) Examples of some "circus style" fonts ( you'll see why I think it is a "circus style" ) on some of these pages .. https://creativemarket.com/blog/circus-fonts and https://www.1001fonts.com/circus-fonts.html If you search "circus fonts" and go through a few websites you may find something close enough.. HTH.. Civilisation snuck up on you eh..

Bonjour Mary Hann..Bienvenue :) ..Mike ( Irlandais ) ..Côtes d'Amor..Bretagne.. ( Brittany en Anglais )

To ID the font, try https://www.whatfontis.com/ HTH

It is also available here , has been since May 2016 https://archive.org/details/LeCuirCompositionsDecoratives In various formats..including pdf.. Two versions ..Hi-Res and Low-res are in the same zip file pdf..size of the zip file is 408 MB the Hi-Res is readable..but a bit blurry on some pages..appears to be the same scan as DebHop's.. ps..If you like that Art Nouveau style..you should look up "Alfons ( Alphonse) Mucha"..major exhibition of his work ATM in Paris.. and also Aubrey Beardsley..( much of Beardsley's work is NSFW )..

Antiques Roadshow was originally British..Arthur Negus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Negus The ships are too old to be from the time of Nelson..and have the red cross on the sails..the image is the same as the most common images of the Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria..of the 1st voyage of Christopher Columbus.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus Images of the Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria.. https://lite.qwant.com/?q=Nina%20pinta%20santa%20maria&t=images

Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria ?

Put it in a room where there is enough space to put more sewing machines..why ? Because you'll be getting more..just look at dikman's "sig" for proof :-)

Worked very well, and the blue "accents" are a nice touch, a jay feather might be overkill, ..or not...

I'd imagine the cost of hire of one of those would hurt ( IME they do run expensive, even at half a day hire rates ), and you have to be insured to use one if the base or the elevator part is anywhere public.. re the 220 or 380 3 phase..you can "trick" 220 mono into running as 3 phase with a capacitor ( to "rotate" a phase by 90 degrees ) ..and by wiring as "star" ..normal 380 3 phase would be wired as "triangle"..any pro electrician should be able to re-rig your machine to do it, the part which is already set to be 220 mono can be left as is ( but run off a 220 mono "spur" before the "star", or via separate 220 mono feed. Sure it has been discussed here before how to do this 380 to 3 phase to 220 fake 3 phase..think that I was involved in one such discussion with also Northmount ( Tom ) and some others a few years back. I've rigged a lot of my 380 3 phase stuff ( compressors, sewing machines etc ) to run on 220 mono this way .. or..you could use a frequency variator..or variable frequency drive ( VFD ) search for 3 phase to mono frequency variator strictly speaking it ought to be a 220 mono phase to 380 3 phase converter but you'll get relevant results with either search string.

Search "Tuareg leather masks" ( be warned, most of the images that google has for it on page one are badly done and ugly as crap ) or ( for more about "Tuareg" ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuareg_people Scroll down the page to see the image of a "Tuareg"..remind you of your Grandfathers wall ? :-)

Yes..you can "back fill" to help hold the shape..the "cheap and cheerful" way is to back fill" with sawdust mixed with the same wood glue( make a thick paste and fill all relief areas from the back until level )..if you are making lots of the same thing you make a mold ,"neg", of the shape you want to back fill, then you cast the shape and include it behind the leather prior to "smooshing"..some people use plaster to make the shapes, but you could use polyester resin ( it is lighter than plaster ) or even "papier maché, which is lighter again..You can make your "neg" molds from plaster, or silicone rubber, ( can be used very many times ) or just plasticine or sculptors clay ( can be used a few times if repaired between each time by placing it over a "pos" shape..When making molds in anything other than silicone ( or even latex if you are not allergic ) watch out for "undercuts" which make de-molding a PITA. Oh..and if you do use a mold..spray it lightly with cooking oil to make it easier to take the leather off, else it will stick, you are using glue after all and the flesh side of even chrome tan plus glue will stick to plaster..you can also wax the plaster a little first..as in rub with a white candle and heat with a hair drier to make the wax even..only a little wax will do ya, just want to make the "form" non absorbent.

The glue is PVA ( polyvinyl acetate )..or "wood glue"..or the sort of glue that you use in school..proportions are 10% to 15% in water..and then "play"..air dry , or you can accelerate the drying by using a hair dryer, but not too hot, and move it around, don't make "hot spots".( they'll crack )..Works best on thin veg tan, will also work on thin chrome tan, just not quite so well as on the thin veg tan..France has been full of this stuff for the last 50 years or so, ( mainly making "Tuareg heads", put a cheap face mask onto a"board, , put leather soaked in PVA solution over it, "smoosh", "squish", "pinch", "stretch" the leather around to make a "Tuareg" headdress effect..dry.. Voila!!... The countries on the other side of the "Med" from here made loads of "tourist souvenirs" based on this method..and it became a "craft technique "here..you can use the "technique" to make "deaths head" book covers or bags, or "whatever"..and you can mold over any object...The solution is "milky" but dries clear, but a little "shiny".. Knock yourselves out..:-)..only limit is your imagination..works on scrap pieces too, so you can build sculptures, pictures, flowers, masks, even armour*, whatever. * if armour is made this way as opposed to "Cuir bouilli".., don't get it wet, unless you also varnished it or waterproofed it in some other way..PVA when "set" is waterproof, but the leather treated this way is only "waterproof" ( actually it will be at best "water resistant" ) if it is totally saturated in the solution..

It is extremely simple to make and to do... Do you buy "striped paint"..?

They are all "seeders"..look for that word, without the final "s". the ones in the first image are different sizes of "seeder" the flower centre is a big "seeder" surrounded by small "seeders"

Will pm you later in the day ( Thursday ) Mutt , after some sleep , thanks :) it is nearly 04.00 am here. :-)

Jealous..that is all :)

Making Vinegaroon is a way to make a solution of ferric acetate, which then reacts with the tannins in veg tan leather. pdf about it here http://europa.org.au/files/vinegaroon.pdf and source ( mentioned in the pdf ) with much more about the chemistry of it , and a few other things that may be of interest. http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4336 HTH :) Btw..If you do anything with the "walnut recipe", and have access to a walnut tree, you can use the leaves of the tree ( not the nuts ) to make a very nice "wine"..or you can put a couple of good sized handfulls of the leaves into a spirit such as vodka, close the container with a cork, leave for at least 3 years to macerate and let the flavours develop..and then enjoy..leave 5 years is even better. It will take on a tawny brown colour eventually, it will be delicious. :) less than 3 years is "OK" , but 3 or more is better.Oops , nearly forgot , you'll need to pour it through a strainer / filter to get the leaf residue out before drinking.

As someone who has taught art and design and associated subjects at university level..and also at secondary and even 'lil' kids level..( and who has made their professional living as an artist , sculptor, designer for the last four and half decades, the teaching was parallel with that a few times , with some short breaks to do other things*, a couple of times )...I'm disappointed reading this thread.. Don't teach what you don't know yourself expertly..you'll risk ( certainly ) doing it badly ( you won't have the experience to know what you are talking about ) and thus maybe putting someone off the subject, maybe for life. You wouldn't teach piano if you could only play guitar..I hope :) Teaching what one is not expert in is hardly ethical and IMO , not honest, an other example would be teaching sword fighting, when you have only experience as a boxer..so many people have been put off art by teachers who were not themselves really any good at "art" and had no experience in many of the "artistic disciplines" that they were supposed to be teaching..Even young kids need their teacher to be an expert at what they are supposedly teaching, other wise the ones who need help are faced with someone who does not know the answers, and the ones who are good and have talent will feel / know that the teacher is a fake, and the risk then is that they think that the subject ( art or leatherwork ) is not important ( in the eyes of those who are "teaching" it , if someone who cannot do it is allowed to teach it. Funny ( as in "funny tragic" ) how this happens so much in art teaching..and IT teaching, the "unqualified / inexperienced in the subject " "teachers", teaching specialised aspects of the subject, and thinking it is OK to be a page or an instruction sheet ahead of the ones that they are teaching. Teaching is supposed to be about teaching ( anyone, kids or adults ) what you know about very well and have lots of experience in doing..not what you downloaded some instructions from the web about something that you do not know how to do and do not have a lot of experience in. *including, but not limited to, military service, twice...some of us are older than the others, and have done many things besides / along side our main professions, often just for "why not" ..read Heinlein to understand why.."A human being should be able to..."