Tugadude

Depends on how far apart they need to be. For some, I will use a narrow straight edge and use it as a spacer. That results in perfect parallel lines. I have a variety of metal rulers that come in handy for just that, including one that is triangular and made of aluminum which is 1/4" wide. Comes in handy. Another thing I find very handy is a clear centering ruler. It has horizontal lines on it that help you to mark parallel lines. I use it a lot, and it is perfect for finding the middle of something.

I think it is also important to note the following: This was taken from the article I linked. My underlining. Supplementary notes Every Kickstarter project must be fully funded before its time expires or no money changes hands. A project on Kickstarter is counted as successful when the funding goal has been reached within the given time limit. Project creators have to be permanent U.S. residents to be eligible to start a Kickstarter project but projects can be backed from outside the United States.

It is absolutely a legitimate question. According to this article 39.3% of campaigns receive full backing. And as I indicated, many receive that many times over. And some fail, just like any endeavor. https://www.statista.com/statistics/235405/kickstarter-project-funding-success-rate/#:~:text=As of December 2021%2C the,gone into successfully launched projects.

Never be sorry for a lengthy post. It is full of good stuff. People aren't forced to read it all, but I'm happy I did. Maybe your goal should be to become the affordable option to Hermes?

Everybody has opinions and none should be discounted. The only thing I would say is I'd hope that people would do their research before taking a position. Kickstarter isn't for everyone, as I already mentioned I don't think it would be beneficial for many who regularly post here. But it would be for some. I looked up the details and this is what Kickstarter said about their fees: "How much does a Kickstarter cost? If a project is successfully funded, Kickstarter collects a 5% fee from the funds collected for creators. Stripe, our payments processor, will also collect a payment processing fee (roughly 3-5%)." I don't think 5% is unreasonable, given the exposure you receive on a thriving platform. And the fees for the payment processor seem commensurate with typical fees I would expect. You just have to build the 10% into your retail price is all. Please understand I'm not a shill for Kickstarter! I have no financial interest in whether they do well or fade away, none whatsoever. But I also think they need to be fairly represented. There are people who have had very successful campaigns and made lots of money, more than they expected. The one I mentioned was actually a company that introduced some custom playing cards. They made obscene amounts of money from their campaign. Even after Kickstarter taking their cut(s). So success is definitely possible. Again, is it for everyone? No, but what is? Edit: I went and looked up the specifics on the playing card offering and this was the result of the campaign: 4,094 backers pledged $477,229 to help bring this project to life.

I have some experience buying on Kickstarter, so maybe I can add some context here. First of all, the platform isn't for most of us. Even those who sell product here are still doing relatively small amounts of merchandise. And most probably have no desire to expand exponentially, hire employees, train them, etc. So there are probably a select few here that would even benefit from it. What the platform is for are the entrepreneurs who have no capital and don't want to borrow from a lender. Or take on investors. The customers who purchase on Kickstarter ARE your investors. Hence the name, they give your business a kickstart. Most of the projects on Kickstarter I've followed actually outperform. In other words, the seller expects to sell $20,000 worth of product for example and ends up selling in excess of that. On the high end I recall one project (not a leather product) that hoped to raise $50,000 USD and actually sold 5 to 6 times that amount. There have been a number of leather projects on Kickstarter and I'm sure many of them have spelled huge success for the sellers. But they probably were in the thousands of items purchased if not more. On the lower end, I just looked up a campaign (that's what they call them) from 2017. The seller's goal was to raise 500 pounds and they ended up raising 1,838 from 98 backers. So that means the wallets were probably around 18 pounds apiece. Here's a relatively modest campaign: $4,062 pledged of $2,000 goal 105 backers

She’ll love it. I really dig the quilted effect and you gave it some nice depth.

I don't think the length of the awl is the important thing. The width, shape, sharpness and polish is what you are looking for. The width needs to match up with your thread. Holes too big result in them being too visible after stitching. Holes too small make it difficult to saddle stitch, because the threads will bind. Use an awl long enough to penetrate the leather you are working with. 3/4" to 1" would be more than sufficient for chaps.

I think that's a wise way to go. If you fall in love with carving, then you'll probably want to invest in a better knife anyway, so don't bother with a new blade. When the time comes, folks here can recommend their favorite brands.

There's only so many ways a thread can penetrate a hole, trial and error should provide the answer.

I think one of the most impressive things is how consistent Danne's work is. Every project I've seen is just spot-on. From the edges to the stitching and everything else. In particular I really like the creases on the pockets. Little details like that add to my appreciation of your work.

If you are concerned about the cover being so stiff it won't close and remain closed, the answer is to cut a v-groove into the leather where you want it to bend. That can be one place, or any number of lines where you want to encourage it to bend/fold more easily. https://www.springfieldleather.com/Gouge-Adjustable-V-Metal-SLC

Do you like the size of the case? If so, you could cut the innards out and just make a leather outer shell. The thing about elastic is that it will obviously break down over time. Some lasts a long time, but sometimes not so much. I'd probably risk it. If you do end up using a zipper, there are some very nice ones available with polished teeth. I would invest in the best if this is something you want to be an heirloom quality piece.

Great work and an even greater story. Good on you!

Wouldn’t lead be easy to saw, being so malleable? Big pieces can be cut with hand tools.

Some really good suggestions here. After I finally understood what is supposed to be happening with the threads it made a world of difference. Before, I used to have a nice line of stitching and then one dropped stitch or "klunker" I call it, where it does the opposite of what it is supposed to do. I began pulling the first thread down and towards me, freeing up the upper portion of the hole. After that, no more issues, none. So I recommend people take a good hard look at the way the threads behave as they pass through the leather. It matters.

I've done a number of watch bands and I have to say they can be difficult. To me, the issue is there is so much work in such a relatively small article that there is nowhere to hide poor execution. Every stitch better be spot-on or it stands out like a sore thumb. So they are challenging to say the least. The other think I've noticed is that it seems to be more difficult to maintain a straight and even line of stitching on heavily textured leather. That is especially noticeable when you use a contrasting color thread. But I have to say there is a feeling of accomplishment when you put it all together.

That's a great story. So when the person (hopefully) is released to the public again they have a means of income. Talk about a win-win.

Actually there are legal (in the U.S.) restrictions in how you can represent products containing leather. For example, someone brought up reconstituted leather. Here's what the rules say you can and cannot do: Ground, pulverized, shredded, reconstituted, or bonded leather. A material in an industry product that contains ground, pulverized, shredded, reconstituted, or bonded leather and thus is not wholly the hide of an animal should not be represented, directly or by implication, as being leather. This provision does not preclude an accurate representation as to the ground, pulverized, shredded, reconstituted, or bonded leather content of the material. However, if the material appears to be leather, it should be accompanied by either: (1) An adequate disclosure as described by paragraph (a) of this section; or (2) If the terms “ground leather,” “pulverized leather,” “shredded leather,” “reconstituted leather,” or “bonded leather” are used, a disclosure of the percentage of leather fibers and the percentage of non-leather substances contained in the material. For example: An industry product made of a composition material consisting of 60% shredded leather fibers may be described as: Bonded Leather Containing 60% Leather Fibers and 40% Non-leather Substances. You can read more at the following link: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/part-24 Here is a pretty good explanation of the available types of leather. This is handy for reference. You can use it to point out when folks misrepresent what they are offering. https://www.libertyleathergoods.com/types-of-leather/

Well I think it is outstanding. So many skills come together…impressive.

Chuck, I'm interested in how you made the brass top. Not that I'll ever make one, just curious. I love the look and the fact the teflon is repurposed from a cutting board is outstanding.

great looking maul!

This is just one of the reasons this is a great community!

A lot to chew on here. Lots of interesting comments and suggestions. Although I haven't sold my leather goods, I've been involved in sales for the last 36 years on both the distributor and manufacturer level. Setting prices is and has been a source of frustration the entire time. There will always be bottom feeders, and you must resist the temptation to engage with them and their short-sighted strategies. What I've found to be helpful is educating the consumer. There used to be a retailer in my city that actually used the phrase "an educated consumer is our best customer" in their advertising. I agree wholeheartedly and therefore it is partially my job to educate. The consumer will also learn from other sources and good old "trial-and-error" experience. And the old cliché, “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” is absolutely true. So differentiate. Explain why yours is better than theirs. But make sure it actually is! Nothing is worse than finding out the competition is better than you thought, and so you have to do your own homework. Some obvious things to focus on would be: 1. Your skill and dedication to quality, double-checking each and every item before offering it for sale. 2. Warranty. Standing behind your product and legitimate issues that arise during usage. This is obviously fraught with risk and there are limits. Or should be! 3. Better materials. Again, make sure they are before claiming they are. But if you use a demonstrably better quality of leather, then it comes at a price. 4. Ability to customize. Some mass merchants also customize, but they certainly have greater restrictions and/or limitations. It is up to you to decide how much to pursue bespoke products or if to do so at all. 5. Handling. Does the competitor acknowledge orders? Or are customers left to wonder whether the order was received or not? Do they follow-up with estimated delivery dates? Do they inform you that the item has shipped? If not, then those might be ways you can differentiate yourself and your company. Being available to answer questions about the product might be another way. That's a balancing act though. More time on the computer is less on the bench. Those are some of the things that immediately come to mind. There's other ways to differentiate such as delivery options. Some manufacturers have very little in the way of options. Perhaps that is something that can help you persuade customers to side with you, especially when combined with your other advantages.

Very nice! And you managed to combine three of my favorite things.