Ian

I read an arcticle about the top 10 industries which are expected to dissapear in the US. Leather and leather products was number 2. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-american-industries-that-will-be-destroyed-in-the-next-decade-185519670.html This will affect the leather craftsman in a big way. At present we have a couple of good options for American veg tanned leather and a few more for Mexican leather. These tanneries don't rely of the small craftsman who buys a half dozen sides a year - they wouldn't stay in business. Their principal customers are manufacturers of finished leather goods. As those industries disappear from our shores, the tanneries will have to rely on exporting their hides to Asia. So, like every other thing, it will be a matter of time before they are tanning all leather in Asia, and what we will be able to purchase will be imported Asian hides, if they even think it's worth while supplying such a small market vs factories that use thousands of sides a day.. American veg tanners have had a bit of an advantage in that veg tanning is a lot more time consuming than chrome tanning. The Asian industries look for fast production times. Much of the chrome tanned leather for auto upholstery and garments is tanned in Asia now and thousands of container loads of hides from American slaughterhouses are shipped over. Some are returned, once tanned, for dying and finishing here, but the majority are finished and used in Asia, and we import the finished products. American chrome tanners supply much of the high end American manufacturers, but once those are gone, will it be feasible for any of them to stay in business? Will it even be feasible for Mexican tanneries to stay in business? While some industry may return to the US, I doubt that leather tanning will be one. The cost of compliance with enviromental regs is too high. In Asia, there are few regs and the waste is just dumped into rivers and oceans. As our industry dissapears, it is not a simple matter to bring it back. The skills involved dissapear as well. Technitians who have developed their skills over a lifetime retire and are not replaced. You don't just train someonbe who can oversee a huge tannery operation overnight. I just can't figure out what Americans will be DOING in 20 years. Not everyone is cut out for work in a cubicle, pitching financial and medical services. All I can say is , thank God I'll probably be gone in 10 years and won't have to see what has become of everything that used to make us interesting and diverse.

I think he came up with the idea himself. Don't know how it's working out for him. It's like a sling, I guess

I finished this one for a guy. It's a bit rough for my taste, but tricky getting all the molded pieces to fit, and the stitching isn't the best . Also I had a heck of a time getting the dye even. I'm not really familiar with molding - tried dying before I molded and dying after I molded. It seems like the leather compresses differently and doesn't accept the dye the same in different areas. Is that normal?

Thanks guys

I am making a briefcase for a customer, similar to another one I did recently, except, the last one was chrome tanned, and I want to use russet harness leather for this one, since he wants a rustic, beefy look. Though I like HO russet, I'm going with W & C because they have a splitting service and I need 5/6 for the body and 3/4 for the gussets. So here's my questions: From the samples I have, W & C harness looks quite light in color. I'm wondering about the darkening of the exposed leather versus the covered parts, under flaps, etc. Should I cut my pieces and lay them out, exposed to the sun for a while to darken them up, so that later darkening will be less evident? The sample I have looks glazed, and I'd prefer a less finished look - any possibilities for dulling that down a bit? Finally. I don't want to paint the edges - just burnish and leave them natural. What would you suggest as an edge finish to keep the edges from roughing up over time. I use a Weaver power slicker for most things and that darkens light colored edges. Would bees wax and hand slicking be a better option. How would you handle that? Again, the look I'm going for it precise, but utility, if that makes sense. I'd be grateful for any input. Ian

Finished my first holster for a friend's 44 Ruger. 24 bullet loops. I was pretty nervous since I know nothing about making holsters and of course he couldn't leave the gun, so I was crossing my fingures that it would fit - it did, like a glove. He just picked it up and was pleased with the result. Now I'm thinking of getting a few blue guns and trying some molding

That is interesting. It looks like if you built a table to recess the machine, it would be easy to feed a side through. Does it come with a variety of spacers, or do they sell them seperately?

Thanks, again, Don. I saw the edge painter at Weaver's sale this year and was tempted to pick one up, but I always hate to get anything without a recommendation. I should have known someone on LW would have used one. Thanks much.

Thanks Don. I was thinking of going with the Weaver too. I could kick myself - I passed on one someone was selling for $800 a couple of months back, almost new, because I didn't have the spare cash at the moment. Another couple of questions, if you don't mind; I'm assuming you have to re-adust when switching from, say, 10oz to 12oz, but how does it handle the vatiation in thickness from one end of the side to the other? How do you handle re-sharpening the blades? Shapening a round blade is beyond my expertise. Do you send them out to be re-sharpened? On an off topic, have you ever heard how good the strap edge painter that Weaver sells is (The one with the 2 round foam pads)? I need to edge a boatload of leashes and they need to be done perfectly.

I am looking to purchase a strap cutting machine. The two options I'm looking at are Weaver's hand crank cutter and the Cobra power strap cutter. They are priced similarly at about $2,000. It won't be in constant use - just a few sides at a time. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has had experience with either machine. How easy it it to set up, can one person feed the leather through, etc. Thanks much Ian

Very nice - I like what you used for closures. As a big cheerleader for Waterhouse Leather, I wanted to mention that they carry 5/6 oz milled veg tan (they have it in black). It's super nice - big clean sides, and costs less than most veg tan, and the thumbling makes it soft too. Congrats on an awesome job!

Yes, the reality is a sobering thing. I'm remembering the days when hundreds of small owner-operated businesses flourished - shoe and clothing stores, hardware stores, pet shops......I look around my town, and there's barely even a privately owned restaurant - everything is a national chain. I travel a lot, and from California to New York, every shopping mall has identical stores. I used to love hanging out at the feed store, until a Tractor Supply moved in down the road and that store closed. It's nice having a huge variety of products, but we sure have lost a lot in terms of human interaction. Opening a full time business will mean lots of hot dogs and beans. But I'm still not 100% convinced that it's not a possibility........... I bought an Adler flat bed machine from a guy who used to have a small awning business. One day he was offerred a contract sewing job making some kind of filters for manufacuring. He ended up with 7 employees and was grossing a million and a half a year before the imports floored him. But, stories like that always give some hope that putting yourself out there will result in the 'big break'. It keeps me going anyway.

Thanks Ray....very cool message. Spent half the day polishing the bike, finished a gun belt and am feeling a lot better about the whole thing. In six years I'll be joining the Social Security crowd and I can be the old hippy I always wanted to be.

Thanks for the very good advice. I'm lucky that I have a job that pays me well in addition to the leather business and foolishly thought I'd quit that to do the leather business full time again. The thing with part time is that I'm in the shop every day on the weekend and at night, so everything else is put aside. It becomes more of a chore than why I got into leather in the first place - because it's so much d**n fun. So there is a big attraction to working 5 days full time in the shop. Just unrealistic. I'm thinking I'll spend a few bucks to insulate and sheetrock the 2 car garage, install heat, etc. So I'll be adding value to the house as well. I guess all the other frustrations go along with the business. Oh, Double C the machine I'd been using is an Aerostich pnuematic. I used to cuss about it all the time, but what a joy to be sewing with that one again today. I don't think you'll ever regret buy a machine. You'll be amazed at all the different things you'll be making once you get it.

I suggest you try Waterhouse Leather - they have some beautiful bag leathers

This is a rambling Sunday morning rant just getting things off my chest and wondering out loud. I'm sitting here wondering about the feasibility of the leather business. I've been tackling it from various angles for about 15 years now, trying to make it pay as a full time business. I generally get 2-3 custom orders a week (ranging from gun belts to motorcycle seats and bags, chaps, etc) plus small stuff like repairs, sewing club patches, etc. I'll tell you, more than half the time there is little profit in it. I've gone at it from the angle of selling only ready made products, belts etc, but that only covers the expense of a space at a trade show, travel, etc. At one time I had a regular store front business and am considering re-opening, learning from the business mistakes of the past, but I'm leary of investing the 40 grand or so it would take to rent and stock a small store in this time when small businesses are almost a thing of the past. But, the couple of years I was open were the most enjoyable of my life - meeting such a variety of people and the huge scope of the orders I got were a real learning experience. Do I try again, putting more into promotion, re-developing a customer base, etc? I don't know. Every time I see a rack of Chinese made belts marked 'genuine leather' but are actually 99% plastic, I want to punch something. But this is what we compete against. Are there enough people left who will pay 4 times the price for a hand made item, when every store is loaded with cheap fakes? Where is the Federal Trade Commision when it comes to this outright fraud? When you can pay half as much for a bonded leather couch as for a custom made motorcycle jacket......and about 10th of the price for a Pakistani made jacket, what will people choose? One of the problems I have is finding suppliers - and I've ordered from every one of them over the years. Some recent examples include a set of bags. I spent a large amount of time trying to find a color match for the customer's seat, and when I recieved the side, it was many shades lighter than the swatches I was sent - and dirty to boot. Unfortunately, I had cut into the side already before the customer rejected it, so there was no returning it (which would have added another 25 bucks to my cost anyway), so, there was over 100 off my profit. This has happened so many times, from so many suppliers, that I can't count. Leather that gauges wrong, different color, damaged, etc. Profit quickly dissapears when only half a hide is usable, and customers aren't that interested in hearing about supplier issues - they want a clean, well made product. Recently I decided to splurge on a new machine. Now, granted a $2,500 sewing machine is low end, but the marks the foot leaves are so severe, I could never ask a customer to accept that. The supplier kindly offered to make some custom alterations to the foot, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out, but jeez, wouldn't you expect that such an issue would be taken care of in the design stages of the machine? If it doesn't work, I have an expensive doo-dad gathering dust in the garage. It seems that over the years I have spent as much time (and almost as much money) learning every aspect of leather work, pattern making and construction as it would take to earn a medical degree, but is there value in this knowledge? Perhaps if I'd focused on learning high end saddle-making from the beggining, I might have had a shot, and I admire the heck out of what those guys do. From time to time something big happens, like right now I've been asked to develop a product for the state police, but those are few and far between. So, anyway, If you sat through my rant, thanks. Just feeling kind of frustrated right now, wondering if I haven't been chasing this thing long enough. My shop has gotten too small for all the equipment and leather, and need to rent a bigger workshop. Should I, or should I just sell everything and move on......I don't know.

Thanks folks - a challenge to get it all fitting together, but lots of fun making them

Hello, I haven't posted in a couple of years, but wanted to show off some travel bags I did for a customer's Indian Motorcycle. I think it's the most complicated pattern I've done for a one-off order so far - I think I counted 65 pieces, not including the ABS liner and the interioor is completely lined with lining carpet. The bags took around 30 sq feet. I also wanted to give some huge raves for Waterhouse Leather. I had searched all over for leather to match the customer's seat and saddlebags. I finally found this fantastic leather at Waterhouse. It's milled vegtan with a pigmented finish (5 1/2oz) - beautiful classic grain. Every square inch of the side was usable, and it sews fantastically. Waterhouse stocks it in 5 colors. I recommend it for anyone who makes bags or other soft goods. PLUS, they ship the same day that you place your order and don't charge for shipping. Where can you find that?!

I like your finishes A LOT. Very nice product - you should do well with those. By the way, who made your snap buttons for you? They really add a great finishing touch.

Merry Christmas everyone Here's the issue/problem I'm dealing with; A seat I did a couple of years ago came back for re-dyeing. The leather and tooling is still in good shape, but the dye is faded and there are all kinds of spots, water marks, etc. I'd like to bleach it out as much as possible before re-dyeing it. I tried a spot of straight regular clorox on the underside and it lightened it up quite a bit, and was thinking of removing the cover and painting the bleach on heavily, then rinsing it off. What do you think the downside of doing it that way might be? I'm also thinking of trying oxalic acid since I've seen that topic mentioned before. Either way, I'm not happy that when I redye, it will color the white stitching, which I really liked on the tan, but I can't see how I can avoid that. If anyone has had experience with removing dye, I'd appreciate hearing the how-to. Here's the then and now pics Thanks much, Ian

Hi all, I picked up a belt embosser (one of the old Tandy aluminum ones) to put edge grooves on belts and am having a heck of a time getting it to feed the leather through. Actually, it feeeds better from the back side, but then the strap doesn't stay straight. I tried skiving the end, but that didn't work. So, my question is: has anyone here owned one of these, and what's the gaf on using it? Thanks Ian

The end punches, bag punches and edgers that have the Weaver name are some of the best I've ever found. Wish I could afford their whole line.

You wouldn't do that with a groover, because it cuts the surface. What you need is a creaser

I'm not sure what your sewing/pattern making experience is, but here's how you can make just about any bike jacket: The pattern I use is from Dawn Anderson designs (Falcon Jacket) http://www.dawnandersondesigns.com/servlet/StoreFront . What you need to do is cut the paper pattern out and with spray adhesive, attach all the pieces to poster board and cut them out. If you don't like the seams on the jacket body, cut off the seam allowances and tape the pieces together. You can then re-draw your own seam pattern. Also, ignore all the pockets in that pattern. To make the zippered pockets, you need to have a pretty good sewing knowledge, but you can find instructions for doing that. You can then place pockets any where you want them. You'll also need some zipper knowledge to do the sleeve zippers. Now, if you want to make the traditional (police) lapel style jacket, that's a whole other can of worms. But basically, you need to get a regular men's sport coat pattern and get the lapel and collar pattern from that (you'd enlarge the lapels, of course) Next there's the front zipper issue, which involves altering the jacket pattern on the front to accomodate a slanted zipper. There are also expansion panel you might want to add. I wouldn't even attempt a zip out liner. If I were you, I'd get some practice on each element (zippers, inserting the collar, pockets, etc) before hacking into a hide. Also, you need to have a machine that can handle multiple layers. In some spots where seams overlap, you're going through 6+ layers. You can get by with 2/3oz if you have a quilted liner, otherwise go for 3.25. To be honest, it's a huge undertaking. I've made a few band collar style bike jackets and kind of gave up in the middle of making a police style jacket, though I'm getting ready to give it another go. But, I did make a decision that any jacket making I do will be for me or a few friends. I can't see how making them for random customers could ever pay unless they were paying a grand for a jacket, and there are some pretty nice imported jackets out there, so..... But, good luck, I hope this helped a bit