UKRay

Beautiful work. Do post more of your pictures, Desiree, I want to see what else you make. Ray

Lots of really good ideas and one or two that are definitely worth a try. Many thanks people. Mike, I just looked at my leather receipts and did the sums - this past year I have dyed slightly more than a thousand square foot of leather by hand, mostly in the form of small items like pouches, belts, hair barrettes, bracers and bags - it is hard to be careful ALL the time but I do try! If anyone else has any thoughts on ways to keep work clean then I'd be very pleased to hear 'em. Thanks for all your contributions. Ray

I've seen your bench, Luke - best use more paper... LOL!

Is it just me or does anyone else get dye on their bench top? I have been using the current MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) worksurface for about a year now and it is black with old dye spills, over-rubs and general splashing. This means that when I dye a nice clean piece of work it sometimes gets dirty marks on the back from the old dye. Okay, I can hear you say "Why doesn't the fool just get himself a clean bit of MDF?" and, you are probably right. However, somebody out there in leatherland may have found the solution to cleaning up the dye process and if they have, I need to know about it! Before we start, I have tried cleaning the top after each use. That lasted about three days. I'm in a hurry and have production work to finish and need to get on with it - I don't need to get all picky with dye spills and splatters. I contemplated using sheets of 'butcher's paper as a surface. Has anyone done this and does it work? (Do you guys even get butcher's paper in the US?). I wondered about using a roll of wallpaper lining paper and pulling off a new bit each time a job needed dyeing? Has anyone done this? I thought about using paper towel on a roll - the blue stuff you see mechanics using. I suspect it would be too absorbent but maybe someone has found a way to use it? I even thought about using the masking paper that gets used in bodyshops... would this work? Whatever I use has to be absorbent to mop up the spillage - what else is there? All I want is a clean work surface every time. Hope you have some good ideas, Ray

Not a hope this time, Luke. It looks kinda like a shoe, but why would you need the ventilators? That looks like an air intake in the 'toe' - maybe it is a shoe for a guy with very broad and very stinky feet and the 'intake' is actually an extractor vent... Nice one, Tom! Do we get any clues?

Hi Suze, My suggestions were for online businesses, remember, so doorsteps shouldn't come into the equation - and anyway all LW forum members are entirely law abiding and would naturally have a business license if they need it... I don't have a moment's doubt about any of them... well, okay, one or two perhaps! LOL Now listen up you guys, Suze says if you aren't allowed to put a sign on your driveway then DON'T DO IT!!!!! Got that? Good! <grin!> Ray

I have been exploring a few new ways to increase the visibility of my website and at the same time increase the number of visitors/customers I see. Here are some ideas that folk may find useful. Some are pretty obvious to those who have been doing this for a while but others are a tad more subtle. I like subtle... Start a 'link building' campaign. This simply means sending emails to people who have their own website asking for a link from their site to yours. If you have your own links page then sweeten this a little by offering a reciprocal link - in other words if they link to you then you will link to them. This will give your website more credibility with the search engines as they see a link as an endorsement of your website. Linking works particularly well if you ask friends who have blogs to mention your website on their blog and include a link to it. This is called 'third party endorsement' and is generally acknowledged as the best kind of advertising. Get a bumper sticker Make a bumper sticker for your car with your website URL on it and a short description of what you do. How many times have you sat behind the same car in a traffic jam for ages. Now anyone following you will be forced to read about your business. 'A' boards You know the sort of thing. Two boards that are hinged together at the top and stand outside stores with advertising on them. Make yourself a couple of nice looking 'A' boards together with your business name and URL on them and stand them in strategic locations where you know your customers will walk. Put one on your driveway if you want the neighbourhood to know what you get up to in your spare time, LOL! WARNING - this one could cost a little money - Sponsor a local activity group - kids, teenagers, old folk it really doesn't matter. Make a banner with your website URL and trading name on it - trust me the materials can be really cheap if you look around - and display it at games or events. People always read the advertising even if they don't want to. If your customer base lives locally then this is a great way to add to it. The pennies or time you spend on sponsorship will come back to you in goodwill especially if disadvantaged people or kids are involved. Remember: The better your banner looks the better impression people will have of your business. (A ragged old sheet with painted letters probably isn't good enough...) I'd be very pleased to hear other promotional ideas as I'm trying to increase my website traffic all the time. Ray

I'll bow to your patently superior knowledge...

I'd be inclined to agree. We'd call it a 'pointing' tool in the UK. Ray

As I've never had call to use any kind of spraying equipment I didn't think about the cylinder thing... Help me to understand: the compressor fills the tank with compressed air which you draw off through the airbrush. Is there some kind of regulator or demand valve which makes sure the air pressure you receive at the airbrush end stays constant? I guess the amount of compressed air you use is relatively small and if you have a large pressurised cylinder the tiny amount you use will hardly alter the pressure - is this the case? Given that both of the above are true, surely the best sort of compressor is one that has a large cylinder which will only need filling occasionally? I have seen all kinds of air-brush compressors but most seem to be very small units which have tiny cylinders. Why is this? I have only ever heard automotive type compressors for industrial spray booths - these seem very noisy. I guess the smaller 'silent' type are really much quieter than that. Is 'silent' just marketing speak for 'quieter'. Ray

Apologies for dropping in late but I'm with Luke and his four pronged punch. I have a number of very 'fine' four and six pronged punches that work perfectly for me. They mostly started life as 6 or 8 stitches to the inch pricking irons so have already got the right set to make the stitches sit nicely. All I did was take the edge of a slim flat file (I grind the back to make the file even slimmer) to them and extend the length of the tines. It only takes a few minutes per tine to get them long enough. You can then use the tool as either a pricking iron or to punch the stitch holes in fine materials. As a lad, I was taught to use an awl and pair of clams and still use the traditional methods when appropriate, but to be honest, it is often faster to punch the holes and simply saddle stitch the parts together. I have made several watch straps using these punches and they don't split the leather providing you don't beat them too hard as you make the holes. Always drive into a plastic cutting board rather than wood. It tends to be 'self-healing' and IMHO is easier to work with. Ray

I'd just want it for spraying dyes, Hilly. but there are so many different ones... and some seem specially made for tanning salons - and I don't think they mean leather LOL! The Iwata Studio Power Jet Pro Professional Compressor seems like a great compressor but may be total overkill for my needs - it is certainly expensive! Ray

I keep my 'long pointy things' with wooden handles on an ancient, revolving, cast iron rubber stamp rack. It works like a dream. Ray

Good question! I've been looking at Iwata compressors too and don't even know what questions to ask to find the one I need. What do I need to know about compressors guys? Ray

Thanks for the advice so far, guys. All very useful. I posted the request because I know I'm not the only person looking to get out of their day job and into full time leatherworking. The leap is pretty frightening especially if you are thinking of giving up a well paid job and intend to rely on your own talents and skills to feed your family. It made sense to ask for advice from the most knowledgeable people I know: those who are already doing the job or who have been working hard to make the move. I'd like to take a look at online sales first: I'm keen to know if anyone is making Etsy or Artfire work for them? I simply don't understand who they are targeting or how to get the best from them? How many of those with an on-line shop are actually seeing a reasonable income from it? What are you doing to encourage more on-line business? How can we use eBay to sell leatherwork more profitably - now before you start telling me that eBay is worthless, I would point out that I currently get at least 20% of my online sales from it. It does work and it does make me money but I wonder if it could work better. I also use it as a place to promote my own on-line shop. I'm using it less and less as my own shop gets busier but wonder if I'm missing a trick here. Who else is using eBay successfully and what are your 'secrets?'. Ray

Like many people on this forum, I'd like to take my 'three to five day a week' leather obsession (I still have a part-time job) and immerse myself in it fully. Common sense and experience says that this is a risky move and there a lot of things that can go wrong, but I'm keen to explore the potential of moving back into leatherwork full time. Here on the forum we have people from all walks of life, some professional leatherworkers, others like me that work all the hours there are and call it part-time, those who see leather as a profitable hobby and those who just do it for fun. Between us we have a wealth of knowledge that could help to ensure a healthy start for any new leather operation. Essentially, I'd like to know the best way to set up a profitable leather business. How would you do it? What are the risk factors and what are the problem areas? What about premises - what are the deciding factors when it comes to choosing a location? Is retail the best way to go or is manufacturing a better option? How about custom work and repairs - do they really pay? All contributions and ideas welcome - especially from anyone who has been there and got the tee-shirt! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Ray

Those sort of projects always look so simple - it isn't until you try it yourself that you find how complicated it really is. Nice job! Ray

A glass was raised for you over here, Barra. Happy (belated) Birthday! Ray

Hiya Bree, I thought it had been quiet for a while... LOL Nice to see you here again. Ray

No pictures because the exhibition is in a museum where there are plenty of other exhibits that could be damaged by light. Also, museums are pretty cautious about people taking photographs that include their security arrangements... ...and because they sell books that have pictures in 'em! Ray

I would use a nice clean piece of veg tan belly whatever thickness you need to go over the metal washer on your piston and make a sensible seal. The last one I made was for an old brass 1.5" bore boat bilge pump. It worked for three or four years and was still working when I sold the boat so I guess I did something right. I simply got a bit of wood and carved it to the same size as the washer and pulled the water soaked leather down hard over it to make the cup shape. I tacked it down and left it a couple of days to dry out before cutting to size, greasing it with whatever grease I had handy, punching a small hole for the retaining screw/bolt whatever and them fitting to the boat pump. Having primed the pump it took a day or so for the leather to swell back up again (or whatever it did...) and the pump to work properly again. I don't know if this is the right way or not but it worked for me. Ray

Lots of pictures of the exhibits and some interesting comments from steampunk enthusiasts. www.steampunkpremiereatoxford.blogspot.com/ www.curatedobject.us www.thesteampunkhome.blogspot.com/ And finally a video link: http://www.youtube.com/mdevink?gl=NL&hl=nl#p/a Look out for Tom Banwell's amazing steampunk leatherwork as you browse the images. Click on the blog pictures to get a better view. Ray

I really wish it was, Ed - but that thing is a 'lift the dot fastener' (thanks $$hobby) used for clipping down tonneau covers on boats and sports cars. It is fitted onto the fabric of the cover and then clips onto a post that is fastened to the metal or fibre-glass of the boat or vehicle. The thing I'm looking for has got a post you can drop a pad of paper over and then clip a snap down on top of the post to hold it in place. I guess that (without any paper) there is around 1/2 inch of exposed post when the top clip is on. Ray

It does look similar, Ed - but sadly it ain't the same thing at all. I checked out Ohio Travel bag's catalog and website but had no success there. The thing I need is like a 3/4" post with a male snap fitting on the end... Thanks anyway fella. That was most kind. Ray

I have an order for these items but need to find a supplier for the strange 'post-like' fitting with the press stud / snap on top that holds the paper pads in place. Has anyone seen anything like it before? Does anyone know what it is called? Most important of all - where can I get some? Thanks for your help guys! Ray