CitizenKate

You're welcome to use this pattern of mine. Just print it with no scaling, and it gives you four pages that, when laid end-to-end will give you an actual size pattern. (For those of you who have been waiting for me to fix this pattern so the whole thing would print out, I finally got around to it!) guitarstrap02.pdf Kate guitarstrap02.pdf

I dunno for sure (maybe some of you other guys who have sold a lot of guitar straps can provide better input), but considering the lettering is nicely hand-carved, the lining is nicely hand-stitched, and the overall quality of work quite good, I guess I'd be asking at least twice as much. That is a far cry from two plain straps that are cut, stamped, and looped together (with no stitching, carving, or lining material). Your friend got a very good deal, but that's what friends are for. Kate

Pricing a guitar strap is quite a different matter if there is any carving involved. I also haven't taken into account that some people can charge more for their work than others. Oh, my, Brad... you could be charging a lot more for that kind of work. Kate

Is it going to be lined or padded? Or just the basic two-piece construction? I would expect to pay $50-70 for one with a two-piece construction and a stamped design. For a really nice one that is lined and/or padded, or is especially artfully done, I would expect to pay $90-120 or more. There are exceptions, of course, but that seems to be roughly the going rate. Kate

Looks sharp, Josh! I also agree with Max's suggestion. Kate

The finishes on that line of tools varies. Some of them have a dark, bluish-black finish on them, others have a chrome finish (which is quite a bit better than a typical CT), and others yet are more like stainless (but I'm not sure that's exactly what they are). Kate

Just speaking as a regular by-stander, here (not as a moderator)... So he decided not to sell you the machine, for whatever reason? So what? He has that choice. It probably would have been a courteous thing to explain that he changed his mind, and why. But there is no rule that says he can't change his mind for any reason that suites him, as long as he didn't take your money for the deal. So you're out of what you thought was a sweet deal. Happens every day. Get over it and move on. Just my own personal dos centavos. Kate

They are very good for the money. I have a set of bevelers, a couple of basketweave stamps, and a few border stamps. They all make very nice, crisp impressions. Highly recommended. And I think you can still get them at Hidecrafters. Kate

They even still had the icing on them - that was special! Kate

Mine tend to run about 50-60%. Maybe I'm not charging enough. Actually, since my pricing is shown on my web sites (I also explain adjustments for pricing and turn times for custom work), the majority of them are already on-board with the pricing by the time they contact me. Kate

For larger pieces, obviously not. If you can't get enough on the pad to cover the entire piece, just (quickly) re-load the pad with more stain and continue wiping it on until the entire piece is covered. It might help to have some stain poured out in a container so you can just dip the pad into it for more stain. I normally stain the parts before any assembly is done, so yes, I think that would be the solution. Good luck with your project, and please do post the results! Kate

I teach classes using this stuff, so I'm quite familiar with it. Instead of using a dauber, use a cotton cloth that has been folded into a flat pad, or a paper towel. Put a generous amount onto the pad and wipe it on, covering the entire piece in a continuous step. If you want to stain the back, wait until the front is dry first, but I usually leave it natural, unless I'm lining the back, then that piece gets stained separately. The edges are usually dyed and polished after staining, so if you do that, you don't need to worry about staining the edges, either. To keep stain from smearing on the back side, I cover the back with packing tape. Mixing the All-in-one with Tan-Kote improves it quite a bit. That reduces the "wet edge" effect, makes it easier to work with, and produces a nicer finish. Peel the label back to get the instructions. Use it full-strength, or dilute it with Tan-Kote (as mentioned above). Apply it to dry leather. Apply and wipe off, as you've been doing. You don't want it to dry before removing the excess. When removing the excess, wipe flatly over the work to remove the stain from the surface, while allowing it to remain in any tooled impressions you made in the leather. This will create a nice highlighting effect. Oh, and keep plenty of clean folded rags or paper towels handy for removing the excess. Grab a fresh one when the one you're using gets "full". All products require certain techniques for applying them. This should work fine for you, but you certainly can switch to using a separate stain and finish, if you like. There are lots of choices! Hope this helped... Kate

Here are the photos I took during the class. I think only a couple of people actually finished their projects, and since I was a little preoccupied with my own, I failed to photograph the ones that did finish. Me sorry!!! (Note to self for next time.) However, there are a few shots of work-in-progress, and hopefully you can see the variety of styles that everyone had. I'll be posting mine when it's finished (for better or worse!). Bert & Earnie (aka "the Clays") put on a fantastic weekend! The hospitality was awesome, the class was fun and very well-done, and the Saturday cookout was the funnest party I've been to in years. I really enjoyed meeting all the people who came to both events. Let's do it again! Kate

I just got back a couple of hours ago... I'll be sleeping in Monday morning, but I should be able to get the images processed and posted no later than Tuesday. It really was a great workshop! It was fascinating to see all the different styles of carving and working with leather everyone has. Kate

David, that is far and away the best swivel knife and beveling work I've ever seen from a beginner. Good job! Kate

Found the link for the 2-shews video. It's at http://www.leatherworker.net/whois.htm A donation is requested for this download, suggested amount $25 (which is well worth it! It originally sold for $80 and it was even worth that much.), or you can send a different amount directly to his paypal account. Once the donation is received, you get an email with a link to the download page. Kate

Yeah, it makes me drool every time I see it. I think his video is still available for download here... let me check on the status of that and get back on it... Kate

A few people have etched digital images into leather with laser engravers, such as this one. Kate

Taking any photos, Bruce? Kate

Turned out pretty nice, CarvedOn. Your carving is smooth, and I really like that mahogony background. Kate

That's the same policy I use. I also like to send photos of the work before shipping, so that if there is an issue that needs to be resolved, it can be done before shipping it out and back again. I really love that email is used to handle so many of my orders, because there rarely is any of that "I told you to make it 44-46 inches" nonsense. You can just whip out the email they sent you, saying the waist size is 42 inches, and save yourself from having to re-do the project. (I actually did have that happen once. He said 42, and I made it 42. End of story. Too bad he couldn't wear it until he lost 20 pounds!) If the customer insists on being able to see the work before they pay anything, I would have no qualms about passing on the sale. Being able to see work samples should be good enough. I made the mistake (only ONCE) of shipping a custom wallet to someone only after receiving a very small down payment. He got re-assigned to California, and I never heard from him again. But I'm really okay with a non-refundable 50% deposit. It covers the materials and some of the labor, and makes it very unlikely the customer will dog me. And I really don't like having to hold on to money I have not yet earned. Kate

Now, there is something I never thought to try. That would give you a lot more control over the bonding process while you're positioning it. Excellent tip, Dwight! Thanks for sharing that. Kate

I really like the design, A. Looking forward to seeing more! Kate

That's always been one of the dangers of selling through hosted venues like Ebay, Etsy, et. al. The feedback system unfortunately rewards all the petty backbiters out there, and some of them are mean enough to think nothing of trashing the reputation of someone who has done good business for years. I think you're on the right track just building your own site. Then your customers will have to come to you directly to resolve any problems, which is what they should do, anyway. I've sold far more from my own site than all the hosted venues I've sold from put together, even with my own site in bad need of updating and lack of much in the way of promoting. Once you get established, you'll do fine. Kate

That is unquestionably, THE DUKE! I really like the frame you chose for him. Nice work, Deb! Kate