rickybobby

Really nice work! The layout and preparation is super professional.

I use RM Williams conditioner all over the piece and burnish edges with canvas cloth. It leaves a pretty good edge. I have also used the Tandys new conditioner, it works pretty well too. I have not tried to wet form, as stated before by someone else I don't think it will stay because of oil content of the leather. It will make a durable knife sheath, if it is a fixed blade be sure and install a welt to protect the stitches.

Nice holster. After seeing that one I feel bad for my Ruger sitting in a rug in the safe. It should have a holster like yours! Back to the bench to cut out the new holster !! Well, maybe tomorrow!!

Keep it straight. If it is sharp and polished you can determine where you want it to come out on the other side. When removing if you need to wiggle a little it should not make much difference in your stitch holes. I use a black board eraser or a stiff sponge to "back up" the awl hole. Sometimes just having it near the exit is enough so you can keep good control.

Roger does not post his prices (and I won't either, it's not my place) But I can tell you that I figure my cost of sale by the useable square inch and it is the same as some really ratty leather I have used from other suppliers. I have very little unusable "scrap" there is no belly on the double backs or on the double shoulders. Call him for prices and tell him what you are using it for, he will steer you right.

It is very tight and smooth I have not used it for a holster yet. It does not appear to be any stiffer than a natural colored hide. I will be doing some this week and will post results. It should hand stitch like normal.

I have used the Double Backs and the double shoulders and have more on order! The Double backs are the dyed hides that I use for the belts. I have ordered the "natural" double backs for liner material. The photo shows the "Havana" color, I use it the black and the natural but I will be ordering the others as well. Not needing to worry about the dye process cuts production about 25% overall. I only saddle soaped the hide before cutting strips to make sure the color was even (the first time) and now only saddle soap and slick the surface once during production (for non tooled belts)

I ordered leather from Roger at RJF Leather for Carry belts I am producing. Roger is a advertiser here on LW.net and has a great product! I found Roger to be very helpful on the phone and the product is great to work with! I can buy the leather already dyed taking an entire step out of the already long process of making Concealed Carry Belts. The leather is top notch, and so is Roger. If you have not tried this leather for belts you might give it a shot. Take a look at his website for colors and available leathers. http://rjfleather.com

I am very happy with my Chuck Smith knife. It is a really smooth knife. A good addition to any collection. I bought the wide barrel with the wide blade several years ago. It works great for long run cuts (like belt borders).

Cheryl, Is there a Tandy's near you? They have many classes including "beginning tooling". That may give you the start you need! There are books that have some basic tooling techniques, look on Tandys website. Buy every book you can afford, start reading and your direction will be clearer. Also, maybe look into a subscription of "The Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal" They have projects that range from beginner to advanced. It also will stir your creative mind! Buy back issues that come up for sale once in a while, you can get a huge dose of inspiration all at one time instead of waiting for a new issue to come every 2 months! I have 12 years of back issues and I go through them all the time for ideas, tips, and inspiration! http://www.leathercraftersjournal.com You seem to be a frustrated artist with little or no direction. Set you sights on something achievable and practice. Also take a look on Etsy and see what is on there to see if something stands out, not to steal an idea but to improve and make it your own. Starting a business is hard enough but starting one with no products is impossible. Strike out in a direction of what you want to learn, perfect it, produce it, and then put it up for sale. Marketing items you make on Etsy is a good place to test the market for prototype items you make. It is inexpensive and has lots of support. You might think of putting your website aside for right now, Etsy is a friendlier "beginner" environment that will get your crafts 100 times more exposure than your own website will. Many people earn their whole living selling from Etsy, many do not do as well on their own website so put more energy to their Etsy store. http://www.etsy.com/ Just my thoughts, congrats on doing your own thing!!

I have used a 2000 at Ben's Saddlery in Wickenburg for years. It is a great machine!!! You will not have any regrets going with this over a Boss machine. Cobra Steve is a great guy and will help with support. Don't forget to post photos!! I found that I was more willing to try new designs and prototype pieces for my own business because I did not have to hand sew it! I was willing to throw away the cost of the leather while experimenting but not as willing to throw away the time to hand sew the prototypes. Good luck, it is a new chapter in your leather work!

Thanks Ellen, That is a great home made one! I have used the regular "shoe repair shop" steel one and would like to find one of those models near me. If none turn up I may build one!

You have a great start. Keep building them and each will take on a little better flow of lines. Post in the "critique my work" section if you would like additional suggestions on subtle changes to make. The first ones get you hooked. Keep up the good work Rick

I started with a boss, did holsters and belts. The belt stitching is time consuming but it is a LOT LESS than hand stitching!! :brainbleach: I sold my boss (I do miss it for some jobs) and picked up a Artisan 3000 from Cobra Steve that he took on trade from a show he did. I paid a lot less than Artisan wanted for a new one and get to deal with Steve instead of Artisan. It was not much more than the Boss was new (on sale even). This machine will be fine for me for a while, I may never sell it and just upgrade to a longer are later. The Boss works fine for belts just don't "short stroke" it. If you do not make the full pull and push length it will miss a stitch. Take your time and remember "You are not hand sewing this damn belt"!!! And SMILE !!! Look for someone upgrading and wanting to sell there 441 clone. They do come up, especially after a leather crafters show (next one in feb., Wickenburg Az.) Rick

Cheryl, I just left a business that I started with a friend 4 years ago. It just became to much DRAMA. He has a large family that he allows to dominate his day (work days) and his mind is not on business. I thought it would get better after each drama session but started to realize this is how it will always be, one drama after another, it is how some people function (or don't function). I could not make business decisions without him, I would propose something and he would not make a decision, so the opportunity would pass us by. He held up everything by not moving forward. I needed to leave. It is some peoples way of taking control of a situation but never calling themselves the "leader" they are just and anchor to the rest of us when we are tied to a business with them. Anyways, I gave a 6 week notice, made sure the bills were all paid, cleaned up all of "special" jobs I took in for customers and made sure all the work was caught up. I moved my sewing machines, benches, and tools into my garage and started a new business. We remain friends and my stress level is zero. You don't have to worry about stepping on someone else s emotional toes. You can deal with customers without having wait to talk to a partner about money, you make all the decisions!! I am working less and making more money, and are doing the projects I want to do, turning away to lower profit jobs if I want. It sounds like you need to change the name of the business to "Single C" and do this your self. Most of your posts have had a boat anchor attached (your partner) and you cannot move forward because of it. Get out now before you get in to deep financially or you are no longer friends. Something for you to think about, I have not looked back! Rick

Hi Chris, Welcome to the forum. There are several suppliers... http://borksaddleryhardware.com/ Herb is a great guy and will be glad to help you. Walsall Hardware Corp (480) 948-1465 7831 E Greenway Rd They are not as helpful, min. order, need resale #, have been very "snotty" on the phone. Just my opinion! Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Weaver leather http://www.weaverleather.com/ Lots of items. Min. order, resale needed. Tandy Leather http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/home.aspx Tandy has a lot of basic saddle rigging hardware Those are a few that I know of. Others can add to the list, maybe some of their favorite (or not so favorite) Rick

Kindly decline. Add up the time you have already spent talking to him, thinking up a design in your head (you could be thinking of other ways to make money with regular orders). And he probably thinks it should be the same price as one of your other designs. When someone wants something that is a little different and we can accommodate a change in our pattern/method of building a holster, that is a CUSTOM request. When some one wants something that will not work, it becomes your/our problem and the customer expects you/us to make it work (after all we are the experts, their design does not work, it must be our fault!). Early in my leather working career, I would try to make everyone happy. What happened is that one order takes so much time, the customer is not real happy, he does not tell anyone about you (no additional business from friends) and all you did is the best you could for very little money per hour spent with him. I have stuck with doing the best I can within parameters, if a customer has a wacky request and is real pushy about it, I send them down the road. It just does not pay off. Step outside of your comfort zone with a product or a task for yourself or to build a prototype, not for a customer that will only talk crap about you because fill in the blank it took longer, cost more, did not work, ect. When in doubt, follow your instincts, if you thought you should do it, it would be in process. Just my thoughts, Rick J.

I am interested in buying a full size boot/shoe jack (like those used in the shoe repair shops) the smaller ones found on ebay are not sufficient for my use. Of course I would like it to be near me (Phoenix Az.) but I can drive to pick up for the right item and accessories. I would also like a couple sizes of the jacks? (the feet?) that fit the stand. p.m. me here on the forum or just post here on the topic, I am addicted to the LW forum and I am here 4 or 5 times a day !! Thanks, Rick

Ordered one from them years ago and never had any trouble. Ordered parts and supplies with no trouble. They are a very upstanding company!! Rick

To use that punch correctly it needs 2 things... #1 The proper weight maul to strike it with #2 The proper "stop" behind it The 1 1/2 in. punch will works best (for me) using my 5 lb rawhide maul. Deadblow hammers, rubber mallets, ballpeen hammers (hammers with any kind of metal face) are not designed for leather punches. What I mean as a "stop" behind the leather you are punching through is something that does not move at all. You may think your workbench top made of 4 X 4's with 1 in. plywood on top does not move but, it does, defecting the impact (the wood absorbs it) that helps the cutting process. The bench you use for punching larger size holes needs to be heavy duty. In my shop and in the saddle shops I work in, the bench for punching holes is separate from others because of the construction of it. Here are the examples I have seen that work well... A hardwood tree section about 20 inches round and about 4 feet tall. This worked well but after a couple years the top was chipped up (even from using a rubber top) and it appeared to loose some weight from drying out. The heavy maul hung from a strap nailed on it as well as a couple of the larger, most used punches. A solid cement post about 18 inches and about 3 feet tall. This was topped with cutting board material and did work well it was located next to a bench and the punches hung there too. A 4 x 4 wood frame built into a bench side to hold a 3 ft piece of railroad tie upside down so the largest flat side is useable. This has been used in the saddle shop in Wickenburg Az. for 40 years (maybe more, the shop has been there for over 60!). A cutting board is used over it to protect the tools. All punches are hung on this side of the bench so they are accessible and you are less likely to use them anywhere else. Once you have used the right tool (heavy rawhide maul) with the proper backing you will see how much easier it is to punch these large openings and how much cleaner they look. FWIW, my own observations... I find the rawhide mauls in the heavier weights work better then the heavy mauls with poly heads. I have had both and prefer the rawhide for the heavy work. I do use the poly head for my tooling work and they work great but for the heavy duty work I prefer the rawhide. Hope this helps some of you that may be upping your leather skills, buying the right tools and learning the tricks to make them work correctly. Rick

Bob, Could you share a photo of your spacer? It might help many of us that have had this problem with rigging tilt not looking right on the horse after the saddle is finished. Thanks, Rick Happy New Year!!

P.M. sent Rick

Happy holidays and welcome to the forum. I too am originally from Ca. (Ojai, in Ventura County) spent a few years on the Big Island of Hawaii and have landed in Anthem Arizona for the last 4 years. Post some of your projects, we love to see photos!! Interests here are in so many aspects of leather you are sure to spark a conversation !! If you have not done a project yet and have questions just post one and maybe someone can help get you going. There is a ton of information here, use the search button in the upper right hand corner for a topic and let the information flow!!

Very nice saddle !!! I wish my first saddle turned out this well !! I keep it and ride in it once in a while but it looks "rougher" then any others I have done (I have done 7). The skirt lines looked o.k. to me. Maybe someone with more saddle building/design experience will say why it is right or point out the change needed. Nice job, start on #2, lets see it posted here in a couple weeks! lol !! Rick

Here are a couple things I have done, #1 Light coat of oil on the surface, let it sit 24 hours #2 apply a light color dye, vary the application, maybe very dry application, or solid application, It is only a "base" so don't worry how it looks. Maybe apply a couple colors? Let dry 24 hours. #3 Seal with a lacquer based sealer, one coat, Sheridan Leather 888 803-3030 has Wyo-Sheen, (works very well) let sit 24 hours #4 Apply antique paste, apply in streaks, circles, what ever! Leave as much on as you like once the effect is achieved. I have used a flat stick (paint stir stick) to wipe off some and leave some. Let it dry. Use a couple different grits of sand paper to get the worn look you are looking for. #5 You can stop or experiment with adding another layer of sealer and antique, or just antique? Sand as you go for effect. #6 Final seal with Wyo-sheen or Bag Kote, or Tan Kote or whatever your preferred sealer is. I have found that if the antique paste left on is to thick, it may flake off so watch leaving to much! It takes a while but this has worked for me. maybe someone has a short-cut to get the same results? Rick