Wulfing

Nice work. i need to do one similar. I was thinking of putting a belt loop on the back so they can roll from the hip kind of thing whilst stood up. Still working on the design.

How are your lines so smooth..... Also the cuts aren't visible after you've bevelled. My cuts sometimes seem to be still visible at the bottom of the bevelled line. You are provoking my envy.

I'm a beginner but noted your comment on pricing. I've decided to create a costing sheet for each item. It includes a price per squared centimeter for leather. a fixed hourly rate x how many hours, an estimate for dyes , a standard charge for stitching per 20 cm, an estimate for any hardware, a standard extra charge for tooling/carving and the fees from ebay/etsy. I also add 4 % to cover the costs of mistakes, offcuts, gifts and tool purchases etc. This way all my products are charged fairly without the need to guess and my customers will see consistency in my costs. I've only done a few pieces so far but hopefully it will work out!

This is of great help thanks. I'll post pictures when done!

You guys have some nice equipment. Im jealous. I'm going to buy an arbor press now ive made a few sales but at the mo I glue a piece of flat wood onto my metal stamps and embossing plates, then I place a flat metal disc ontop of the wood and apply some chunky G clamps. I make sure the leather is well and truly cased. I leave it on until the leather starts to dry. So far I have had good results even with my makers mark that has some fine detail on it. It only really works well on leather I haven't dyed yet.

Hi Dirkba, This relates to the picture of the bag more than the original posted question. I've just been given one of these bags with the same closure hardware. The leather is rotten and very old so i'm going to make a new bag for it out of 4mm thick veg tan and lined with pigskin. Can you tell me what this type of bag and closure is called so I can name it when its time to sell it?? Also any idea what period / dates these type of bags were made in? Cheers

thats interesting thanks. Maybe I will use paints for certain projects that don't bend or twist around alot and dont need to be soft so i can put a couple of coats of resolene on them. It will be nice to have white as an option as white dye is awful. Thank you.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231699941725?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=530920695413&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Has anyone tried these stitching piers? I live in an apartment so have to work out ways I can do leatherwork without hammering as much as possible!

Occasionally I need to have a black outline in a block of shapes e.g. a Valknut. Are you saying a sharpie or gel ink pen would permanently stain the leather and ok to use? I will experiment on scraps. thanks. Ref the the paint though, does paint scratch easily so the item looks bad well before the leather starts to fall apart?

Hi, I have this crazy idea in my head that I should never use paint on leather as I feel the paint will always chip, rub off and get scratched over time and dramatically reduce the life span of the leather product. As a result I'm religiously sticking to leather dye. Am I being silly here? Id love to use acrylic paint as it would me a lot more options ref colour.

Can anyone recommend a supplier for Horween Derby in the UK?

thanks. yea im sticking to veg tanned. The chrome tanned stuff doesnt do so well in uk. I decided to go with dying the edges then burnishing them rather than folded.

Thanks. I have since discovered if I make my beveling deeper the leather dye just stays behind those walls so its not so bad now. I've also improved my dying techniques. No matter how many books you read or videos you watch you cant beat learning for yourself as you go lol

Hi. I have used resolene to resist antique paste and it seemed to work. Does it also resist oil dyes?

Hi I'm just about to make my first belts and wallets to get me started. I was wondering about wallet edges. Whilst I like the rustic look with bevelled edges / painted edges do you think most customers prefer folded edges? (So the edge isn't exposed if you know what I mean)