UKRay

Here are the stats from a few of my 'signpost' blogs for the past month, Josh: www.barefootleather.blogspot.com 272 www.1940sleather.blogspot.com 92 www.lurchercollar.blogspot.com 82 www.bikeleather.blogspot.com 75 www.whippetcollar.blogspot.com 43 Yes, people do view them and they are a powerful free marketing tool. They don't work on their own though; you need to promote them as often as possible in every way you can. They also need to have a clearly defined objective and this doesn't have to be sales. After a lot of trial and error research I do not believe people will buy as much from a blog site as they will from a well designed online shop. My blog sites only have one objective: that they should direct people to my main e-commerce website and I believe they do this well. Google Analytics stats show all these blogs as being in the top twenty referring sites to www.barefootleather.co.uk www.barefootleather.blogspot.com is a clear leader with 85 direct referrals which is a huge percentage of overall visitors. Ray

I've just spent a week reading people's websites - concentrating on their 'terms and conditions of business'. Not just looking at the pictures but reading the text very closely. I have come away from this experience a lot wiser and a lot more confident that what I've put together for my own website is pretty close to the mark. Note: I said 'close' to the mark because I don't think I've got it quite right yet- which is why I'm here! I have seen the sites that go on at length about how they are sick of dealing with people who commission a wallet with an obscure name on it and then vanish without paying... they don't want any more people changing their minds half-way through a job... they don't want people who phone every day to check out progress... they don't want people who... you've got the idea. I've seen sites that don't have any terms and conditions at all. How do you begin to trust those people when you don't know the rules they work to? I've seen the sites that pay a kind of 'lip service' to terms and conditions but they don't actually say anything constructive. I need a set of terms and conditions that set out how I do business. I want to make it clear that my way is the only way I'll work unless changes are negotiated first. What do you want from your 'terms and conditions of business' and how do you word your document? Ray

Welcome, Alex. I'm sure you'll find what you need to know here. Ray

Thanks for the good advice, folks. I have managed to source 20mm thick, closed cell polyethelene foam and wondered what glue would be best to stick this to the seat pan. I have all the usual leatherworking contact adhesives but do I need something special? I'm slightly concerned that the wrong glue could react with the foam in some way - maybe make it brittle over time. Has anyone got any experience of this? Ray

Skip, I had problems when I first invested in a maul because I wanted it to work like a rawhide mallet and it simply wouldn't do it. I felt sure that if I just kept on doing things the same way I would eventually beat it into submission... LOL What solved the problem for me was when I realised that the maul had nothing to do with mallets and was an evolution of the craft. It had to be learned as a new tool and not picked up and used like an old one. I spent three days solid, beating every bit of scrap leather in my bin until I had a feel for the thing. I still managed to screw up a few times - mostly miss-hitting a stamp - but now I couldn't go back to a mallet. In fact, I haven't touched a mallet since I taught myself how to use a maul. I worked with mallets for years, before I knew any better, but now I tend to regard them as hobbyists's tool. I'm not saying that amazing stuff is impossible with a mallet, but, when you teach yourself to use one, good leatherworking is a lot easier with a maul. Slick - I use one of the standard Tandy Mauls but would love to try one made by one of the great US makers someday. Maybe some of their finesse would come with it! Ray

Absolutely amazing, Dave. Words fail me - and that doesn't happen very often! A quality job. Ray

We can get stingray, George, but it is imported and very expensive. Send me a PM if you want a supplier. Nice Wallet! Ray

Thanks for the advice folks - It might help if I tell you the camera kit I own: Digital Cameras : Canon Ixus 980 IS and Canon Ixus 500 neither seem to work well as manual cameras - and I probably wouldn't know how to operate them anyway! I have a light tent (the 3ft square collapsible kind) but obviously I have never sorted out how to use it properly. I have two daylight bulbs in anglepoise style lamps in the workroom that were purchased to use with the light tent. I have a Benbo Trekker tripod. I don't have any spare money for kit so I'll probably have to do the best I can with the stuff I already have. Ray

Here are some pics of my low end guitar straps and a few belts. As you say, Kate, there doesn't seem much else I can do with 'em. I have been forced to just show the buckle ends of the belts. Ray

I must have taken hundreds of pictures of belts and guitar straps but I'm never happy with the results. Can anyone make any suggestions as to the best way to photograph long thin strappy things? Thanks, Ray

Welcome to the Forum! Your work is great and I'm sure pictures of your new projects will be welcomed here. Having grown up in and around Brighton, I love to hear about Sussex leatherworkers. Where are you from? Ray

Oh dear, Johnny B, you have got yourself upset haven't you. Perhaps it is time to stand back and look at why you didn't get any answers? One of the reasons people don't reply to a question like yours is that they don't want to appear a smartass. You asked for opinions from 'masters' and I'm afraid that seems to have discouraged ordinary people from responding. Nobody wants to set themselves up as a 'master' in case others throw rocks at them. Try a more 'laid back' and friendly approach and I'm sure folks here will help you all they can. I find LW members extremely helpful and incredibly knowledgeable. Ray

Many thanks, Dave. Having looked at the amazing seats you and the other guys build. I'm keen to give it a go. What advice would you give someone starting out making bike seats? It seems that I may not be asking the right questions! LOL I guess the pattern, like every other pattern, is just a process of trial and error until you learn how to do it right but are there any tips you can give me about fitting a seat to a seat pan? Do you start out with a basic pattern or do you cut a new design for each seat? BTW - I have finally found a local source for super thick closed cell foam so I'm now hunting an electric carving knife on eBay! Ray

A customer from the US, over here on holiday has just asked me for Sno-Seal which, as far as I am aware, is currently unavailable in the UK. I have just supplied her with a tub of Skidmore's Beeswax Waterproofer but have a few concerns as I have never even seen Sno-Seal, let alone used it. Can someone give me a brief description of the product and how it is applied - and also how it performs. Is it similar to Skidmore's Beeswax waterproofer or leather cream? Hope you can help, Ray

I have a customer who wants a single seat made. He has shown me a seat pan made from stainless steel but wants me to make the filler/padding and a leather seat cover. He has agreed to go with closed cell foam - laminated camping mat layers seem the easiest option as the full thickness stuff is hard to find in the UK. Given that the seat has to fit snugly to the rest of the bike, I wondered if I ought to ask the customer to do the foam work but realised that this could potentially make the job more complicated - do you generally make up the padding or does your customer usually supply a seat pan ready padded for you to cover? My main questions are: Should the foam be stuck to the seat pan and built up in situ? How do I laminate the layers - what glues should I use? - How should I shape the foam when the layers are in place. I saw that some makers use a Stanley Surform for shaping - is this common? Thanks for your help, Ray

Like most of the leatherworking problems we face, it is so easy when someone tells you what you are doing wrong. I just received a package of three different sized rivet setters that have solved the problem completely... or have they? I'm now looking at ways to set the things silently and with more accuracy than was previously possible and have decided that a foot press is the only way to go. I also thought of using mole grips to take advantage of the extra leverage they offer but found it quite hard to be as precise as I wanted. Using a foot press means you have both hands to hold and position the rivet under the tool before depressing and squeezing the thing closed. Weaver do produce one and so do a number of other US based companies but over here in the UK we have to make do with the local engineering company or a friendly mate with a lathe. I'll let you know how I get on... Ray

Try Vinyl flooring - it bends like leather and cuts like leather and you can use it for years and it doesn't look any different... It works for me! Ray

Just stain the edges with an appropriate colored dye and burnish hard. Edge kote definitely isn't the only answer. Check out the rest of the forum for burnishing hints. Ray

Great video, Doug - and a good way to attract a few more visitors. I bet the parents of most of the kids in that vid have already been to see what you make. Josh, I purchased my website from a company that was going bust. Although it has a comprehensive management system' that allows me to make any changes myself, it cost me very little money as essentially, all I did was put a new picture on the front, clear out their words and pictures and fill it up with my stuff. It took a while to do all the work but as I write my own words and take my own picturers (and doesn't it show sometimes! LOL) I didn't have to spend much money. I can promise you that it was the best move I have ever made. I now get almost 90% of my retail business from the website plus it is a constant source of leads. I get enquiries daily from people who want custom items and even attract a few orders from shops and other businesses. Sure, they don't all turn into hard cash but I'm very pleased with the results. The real thing that makes any website work is constant promotion. You have to take the time to be active on forums where your customers go. You need to set up lots of links to your site from other websites so people can find you. You need to make sure you tell everyone you meet about your website and ask them to promote it too. It is a lot of hard work but IMHO, it will produce its rewards if you work hard enough. Have a word with your local web development company. They may have an existing e-commerce customer who's business is about to fail (maybe they were selling the wrong stuff?). As long as the site does everything you want it to (or everything you need) you could make an offer to buy it. Then offer to leave the site with them for hosting if they are prepared to help you 'move in'. It will almost certainly be a whole lot cheaper than buying a whole new custom website. The 'second hand' approach doesn't win many friends amongst web developers, but if you don't have the money for a 'full on' brand new website this can be a great way to get started. Have a chat with Johanna, she might have some ideas too. Ray

Deerskin eyeglass lens cleaners sound like another new product to me! I have a huge bag of scraps that have been looking for a home for ages... Thanks Johanna! (BTW I had a scrap of chamois leather I used on mine for a while and it didn't seem to do any obvious damage. IMHO, the trick is to Hurrrrrrr on the lens before you set about cleaning it). Ray

Nice one Uncle Dave! When you have used a piece of sponge or rag throw it away - don't save it. Keep a strop on a hook under your bench. Do your dyeing on a piece of white butchers paper but throw the paper away before it makes your work dirty. Always sweep up tacks before they go into your feet. Never grab at a falling knife. Never scratch anything when you are dyeing -especially your nose! LOL Vinyl gloves work better than latex ones.

Ed, I'm always delighted by the quality of the things you make but this one really takes all the prizes. The original 'hand sewing machine!' Lovely workmanship and a great design; very 'Swedish' in appearance - and that is a compliment! Ray

A nice clean job. You have every reason to be proud of it. Ray

This was a simple little job that took longer than I expected because the last guy to replace the leather made a mess of the woodwork by gluing the leather to it. I had a lot of extra work filling in nail holes, re-touching paint and generally trying to find a firm fixing for the fancy headed tacks that hold it together. In some parts I had to use 1.25" nails to hold the leather in place and then try to cover them with the heads of the tacks. The horse is quite old, I have no idea when it was made but this was obviously the fourth or fifth set of harness and saddle it had received. According to the owner, the last set was on there for more than 25 years - go figure. The trim leather is 2.5mm thick veg tan stained with Fiebings saddle tan professional oil dye. The seat of the saddle is a piece of upholstery leather that had been in the bottom of a box for about ten years waiting for a job. It was nice and stretchy and covers a big chunk of felt padded with soft fibre stuffing. The stuffing was probably the most satisfying part of the task as it made the whole job look better. I should point out that the job was to replace - like for like - the existing leatherwork, making small improvements where possible. They wanted the tack nailed on for cheapness even though the last one I did had removable tack like a real horse. In case you are interested, I charged £130 (just over $200) for time and materials - about 7 hours labor. It ain't going to make me rich but its better than going to work. The guys who delivered the beast to my workroom and then came and took it away when it was finished charged the owner £50 for less than twenty minutes work... Ray

That has to be the best looking set of clams I've ever seen. I hope they work as well as they look! Ray