RunningRoan

I've wondered the same... I'm a tack retailer (buying wholesale from other companies and reselling) and I have one supplier that does this. And the inner layer is not a liner (veg tan, just like the top side) and it's not protecting the feet from the spots, they're poked all the way through both layers. It does save them from skiving for the buckles though...they just end the bottom layer and wrap the top layer around the buckle.

Hey thanks for the info! Nice headstall BTW! I just asked this very question (leather weights) on another thread on here. Have you found 5-6oz to be the best for lining? Have you ever lined with something besides latigo? I found some oily chap leather the other day that I really liked, but wondered if it was too buttery for lining? Wasn't sure if it'd glue to the backside of the veg tan well enough to sew together?

That's a very nice headstall! Question... I like a liner because I do feel it repells the sweat and helps preserve the leather. I'm wanting to try my hand at making a headstall and I'd prefer it be a nice veg tan on top (so I can do a little bit of tooling) and lined with latigo. So what weight of veg tan and what weight of latigo would be best? I've tried looking at the lined headstalls that I own and use, but the edges have been burnished and it's hard to tell just how thick each type of leather is. I saw some nice oily chap leather the other day and really liked the way it felt (kinda buttery), but wasn't sure if it was the proper weight for lining tack.

Thanks for all the input everyone! I have not bought a machine yet, still shopping. I sure like the price of the Ferdco 440R, not sure that I like the bottom feed instead of walking foot. I do plan on doing smaller projects as well, but the bulk of my sewing will be strap goods. I have seen some finished items that have marks from feed dogs on the bottom side. That personally doesn't bug me, but I imagine some customers may feel it detracts from the overall neatness of the item. Hmmm....lots of things to think about. So what would be a comparable medium duty machine with a walking foot?

I was thinking about this the wrong way....you're right, they should be classified and accounted for as assets. Hmmm....

The percentage they take from each sale is a tad on the high side also. But it is easy to set up/use and convenient with no contract, so I suppose that's the trade off. I had thought about getting wireless internet service for my laptop and taking it to shows to utilize PayPal Virtual Terminal on the road. That may be an option for those thinking about PayPal, but wanting to process cards on the spot. I didn't do it because my goal was to get a card processing machine when I felt I was ready and I didn't want to get roped into a wireless internet contract.

I had used PayPal for everything in the past. PayPal has Virtual Terminal, where you collect your customer's card info, then plug it into PayPal. Costs $30 per month for Virtual Terminal and you can cancel it when you don't need it, then restart the service when you do. Of course you need an internet connection to do that. Last time I checked into it, there was no card-swiper that worked to import numbers into Virtual Terminal for you. Everything had to be hard keyed in. I accepted credit cards at shows this way too. I had no way of knowing if the cards were any good until I got home (or somewhere with my laptop and internet) and spent the time to run each one. Luckily, I never got burned, but I knew it was only a matter of time! So I went through my bank and got hooked up with a wireless credit card machine (complete with swiper) and a wireless printer. The machine is not cheap, but the percentages per transaction are less than what PayPal charged. Plus I can verify funds on the spot before my customers leave with the merchandise. It looks a lot more professional too and customers feel more at ease seeing me use that machine than they did with my old method. If I didn't travel though, I would've just stuck with PayPal's Virtual Terminal. But being able to process cards on the spot was important to me.

Great info! I'm gonna do some exploring in Quickbooks and see what I can do. Thanks everyone!

Thanks for the reply! So do you record the amount spent buying supplies as cost of goods sold? Then keep a guesstimate of how much each item costs you in supplies?

Thanks Art! I'll try the sanding trick and see what that does!

I use Quickbooks for my tack store, which is just buy/resell so the bookkeeping is pretty easy. Now that I've branched out into making my own stuff, I'm facing a new accounting challenge. I would like to record my leatherworking venture in Quickbooks as well. There must be a way! Does anyone else use Quickbooks? I could really use some input on how others have theirs set up.

I have some latigo leather that has a rather "rough" underside. I'm using it for some small single ply items, so that ugly underside will show. I'd like to smooth down those fibers to make it look more finished. Anything I can do? Is my only alternative to line it? If I do choose to line it, what's everyone's favorite liner?

Very cool! Thanks for all the sources and ideas guys! This should keep me busy for a while. I just placed my first order with Trigg this past weekend, so we'll see how it goes. They do have some NEAT adapters that allow you to replace the ugly screws on your license plate with pretty conchos. I couldn't resist I am hopeless! Thanks for the email address KowboyBoots! I think I'll contact them directly next time to get the hide patterns I want instead of buying a lot of mixed ones. Are you coming to the finals next year? There was talk of combining north and south into one big finals in Winnemucca, but they decided to stay in Pasco and Tulare for 2009. There were some upset vendors at Pasco in 2007 and only a few came back this year. The building was pretty empty. But that means less competition for the vendors that do show up.

I've misplaced my Timco catalog but my brain was certain it had seen copper spots in there. My eyes don't see them on his website though. Can he order things in any of the metal colors shown on the color chart on the website?

Looking for these little fellers (two pronged spots or dots) in copper instead of brass or nickel:

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I've got lots to look at now! Hey Kowboyboots, I think we have crossed paths before. Do you set up at the BRN4D finals barrel race in Pasco? I bought some scraps a couple days ago from PennyFabrics on eBay. I've never bought from them before, so I'm glad to hear that you've been happy with them. Can't wait to get my stuff!! I went to Tandy today and spent way too much . I picked up their 2009 catalog and yep, they're carrying full cowhides in acid wash and in exotic prints too.

I'll check those out! Thanks!!

A smart business move that can definitely be achieved!!

Nope! Not rocket science at all! There's lot of free info floating around out there. And of course, there's HTML-savvy folks here on LW who will help answer your questions too!

Looking for wholesale supplier of stingray in solid colors and neato prints. Also looking for hair on cowhides in wild prints (zebra, leopard, tiger, etc). Actually hoping to find those in smaller calf skins if possible...I don't want to buy an entire dead cow done up as a zebra just yet. I've searched eBay, but feel I need a more reliable supplier. Anyone got any suggestions?

I got one of Weaver's FREE demo DVDs a year or two ago and they showed one of these machines working. Pretty slick! (pardon the pun!) I just checked their website and they're still giving them away. It looks like it may be an updated version from the one I have, so I'm not sure if they'll still show the slicker machine, but I'm sure it'll be interesting none the less! Here's the link: http://www.leathersupply.com/demo_videos.php

All right! Gotta add one to my shopping list! Now keeping it sharp is another thing I'll need to learn. One thing at a time Thanks everyone!

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm thinking the head knife may be the way to go. I don't have one, but I should get one anyway. I've included a pic of what I'm trying to accomplish. Shaping the leather around the conchos.

I am needing to cut out a shaped (scalloped) noseband for a halter. Not the tiny, border scallops though, I will be putting 1" or larger conchos on this noseband and I want the noseband to be shaped around the conchos. I have tried my angled utility knife cutter which works great for straight cuts, but it is too hard to manuever to neatly cut the scallops. Also tried leather shears, no luck with those either. Is a head knife the right tool? Or maybe another knife with a finer blade than my utility knife?

This is very true. SEO is an ongoing battle and it requires regular maintenance. It's easy to get a little TOO wrapped up in it! There are lots of companies out there that will take care of your SEO needs for you, but they're not cheap. I chose to do it myself, but it took some research time to figure out the best way to tackle it and get a plan together. For those who want to learn, you can Google "search engine optimization" or "SEO" or similar terms. There is a TON of info out there! Some of it is not as difficult as it sounds, it just takes some doin'. If you'd rather not risk the frustration of learning about SEO (and who can blame you? ) I suggest you at least evaluate the existing text on your website. It should contain words (keywords) that are relevent to your business. Specific words like custom, leather, wallet, craftsman, etc should be in there somewhere. Think of keywords that your potential customers may search for and include them. Evaluate the title(s) of your page(s)...if the title of your homepage is "Welcome to my homepage!" it needs to be changed to include some keywords. It ain't the perfect SEO plan, but it's better than nothing!