LatigoAmigo

You will be more likely to get help if you can post some pics of the rivets in question.

That is where to start. Some more books on leather are available (maybe even at your local library), and the various authors will help you decide what tools and supplies you will want to stock up on. Good luck.

If you can afford to gamble, you might consider ordering something to see what you get. Personally I would be hesitant, as there are imperfections in most hides, and if what you get is not to your expectations, it will be a lot of trouble returning the item and getting a refund from what looks like an offshore company. I would say "buyer beware."

You have provided quite a lesson on laser cutters/engravers. Wow. Maybe you could put it into a document that people could download. This information is not readily available, and can easily get lost in the abyss of postings here on the website.

I'm feelin' ya. Most of us are not following a "business model," and do this more for fun than for money. There are people on this site who seem to be profitable, but they have extraordinary passion and drive. I'm retired and just "making art," and pricing in the art world is a whole different animal, that is why I said "whatever the market will bear." When I factor in my overheads, materials, time and depreciation, I am making minus dollars per hour, but boy, am I having fun and leaving a leather legacy.

Exactly. What ever the market will bear.

I completely understand. Mine is a homemade laser (not by me), and I always wonder if it is performing at its best. Thanks for the clarification.

Any problem I've ever had with setting rivets was the result of setting it by hand, and not being able to align the rivet/leather correctly, or applying too little or too much pressure, resulting in poorly set rivets (and snaps) and a lot of frustration. You might consider getting a bench mounted press like the one available here: http://www.campbell-randall.com/product/italian-twist-press-no-2. This machine has allowed me to set rivets perfectly, and at a very reasonable price. It can also be used to set snaps and grommets. Dies are sold separately and can be purchased from other suppliers (like Ohio Travel Bag).

I'm floored. I use a 100-watt CO2 laser, on 5-6 oz. leather (which is 2 mm), and must make multiple passes at 75% and 20 mm per second. So my cutting (I don't cut veg tan) takes me much more time. Do you have any tips for me that might help speed up my production? Slow, or not, I am very happy with the results of this machine.

I engrave leather that comes already (vat) dyed.

I experiment with various leather conditioners, typically a beeswax/neatsfoot oil blends, with things like pine pitch, etc. What I've found is that some leathers allow for penetration, while with other leathers the conditioners stay on the surface. You mentioned plant vs. animal fats, and I was reminded of a friend in elementary school who didn't have any neatsfoot oil for his baseball glove, so he ended up using olive oil instead. The olive oil penetrated the leather, but did not reside close enough to the surface to offer much protection, then over time the oil turned rancid, his glove began to smell and look terribly dark and discolored. Not sure if I would be willing to try vegetable oils (or fats).

Thanks Plinker, I appreciate that.

Thanks for the kind words. You know what they say, "Even a blind dog can find a bone every once in a while."

Very nice. Do you get much personalization business?

Glad to hear. Do you show your work?

I have owned my 100-watt CO2 laser for several years now, and am still figuring it out. However, I have had a bit of a breakthrough with this latest bag, which is laser cut and engraved.

I don't think I've mastered my laser cutter/engraver, but with the help of some graphic design training and Adobe Illustrator, I am making progress.

I buy all of the various lengths, then experiment to see which one works best. Some leathers are thicker, and some leathers are softer, so you won't know until you set the snap. On occasion, I have had to use my trusty Dremel grinder to take off some of the length to get the posts to seat properly. The best investment I've ever made is a bench mounted snap (and rivet) setter.

How much are you willing to spend?

You might check this link: https://www.buckleguy.com/brass-snap-fasteners/. The Buckle Guy offers short, regular and long posts. When you click through each item, you will see the post length displayed. Hope this helps.

See if this helps. It is page 404 of the 2018 Ohio Travel Bag catalog. Ohio Travel Bag 2018 404.pdf

Hope you don't mind, I've extracted the images from the Word files so all can all see your fine work...

Looks like this tape holder is "patent pending," which means that the metal hardware part of the tape holder may not be available on the open market.

It depends where you live, you want to find one nearby. To be honest, though, there are not too many of them around.

The trouble with that is the hosting site links don't always hold up to the test of time, and we lose those images. Best to post the actual image itself.