chrisash

I doubt that if you posted a steel type that you considered the best for the job, there would be loads of posts that say something else is better For the leather workers does it make any difference as long as it does what they want after all most tools are not stupid money, its not like you are spending on a top sports car Are not some Hermes bags now made in the Far East but sold as Hermes France just like many other items, I doubt Cowboy sewing machines are made in the USA

In that case Brian can I suggest a few of Brad Tallis videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLEVULiWognkczOpDSGSlFg/videos

Really it's impossible to say, few will give what steel is used. some of the well known names make good workmans tools that will last for years and generally have quite basic Beech handles etc, whilst some have fantastic high prices and it appears your paying either for the name or the fancy wood Of your choice Craft tools are run of the mill items that are reasonably priced and do a basic job, where as Abbey,England or Osborne are what you would call tradesman's tools sold under their name but who knows where they were made Nigel Armitage does a good series on tools and is a master leatherworker so his selection may be a good guide for you and he also has a vimeo site https://www.youtube.com/c/NigelArmitage/videos

I think this Youtube video will show the use of 3D cad far better than any explanation. it's based upon Fusion 360 but no doubt could be most 3D software. The beauty of Fusion 360 is its free for Hobby and small business

Does not answer your question , but a good guide for new starters

Having the skills to be able to make beautiful items and designs, whilst doing his own thing, using both modern and traditional skills like *RockyAussie" I could be content running a place like his, just need the skills which I doubt i could never achieve

This lady explains how to make most types of leather goods https://www.youtube.com/c/JHLeather/videos

Many use a spoke-shave to thin leather down never used one except with wood, but I believe saddlers use them quite a lot for leather also French skiver see

Conditioned and sealed with a couple of layers of Resolene may give it a longer life, depending on use, plus you can engrave deeper, I think most low watt lasers can go quite deep without having to refocus the lens, but always a spin off on how much experimental time you spend on embossing with the laser

You dont say where you are One of the easiest things to do is visit a tack shop )horse gear) or leather shop, Google etc and buy a small tin of leather conditioner/ Balm in the uk they sell from about £10 and up, apply it to the leather as directed For a novice to resew a average leather belt with saddle stitch top and bottom you must assume 5 hours plus, alternative leave alone and apply some super glue on the inside where the stitches are breaking down to stop them getting worse It could be hard to hole match if using a sewing machine and new inside leather strip Condition first use plenty of balm and see how it looks

You cannot get more simple than a tote bag, but if you look on the forum or google tote bag you will find lots of individual touches built into them to make them stand out at little or no big costs some examples could be Handles Pockets Fastenings Pattered leather or panted design Plus stitching and your own imagination You can tool if you have the skill or just stamp items Simple does not always mean basic, after all the aim is to try and sell as much as possible, and what stood out when you google the thousands of tote's

I can think of quite a lot of markets like the Military, Police, etc where a small low cost items can be sold to teams with their logo on , Zippo lighters make a market about 80 years ago doing a similar thing

Found this youtube video and though of you guys and girls It shows how you can individually but at the same time mass produce leather goods with the help of a laser engraver. I guess the majority of the work is making a set of templates with fixed positions for images and messages which is not hard on most cad software. the video shows a few being done at the same time , but nothing to stop you doing one as and when required I imagine most would use a cheap machine like this https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=20+watt+laser+engravers&newwindow=1&sxsrf=ALeKk01xP2X3GNZf0vXDzOxC1JEbCgewTg:1600687891350&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiwzKOJk_rrAhUUVBUIHfTJAIYQ_AUoAXoECAsQAw&biw=1366&bih=625#spd=6727740400982699999_0 Anyway here is the link to the video

Good lateral thinking

To be brutally honest, there is nothing special about the goods, they are plain well made items but that's it, the same as thousands of other leather sites On this forum you often see sample of people work where you think WOW that's nice , be it the edges, colour combinations or just something different, a belt can be more than a length of leather with a buckle

I would imagine its the stretch in the paper going through the rollers that is causing the problem One solution would be to use more stable film https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/xerox-premium-nevertear-synthetic-polyester-paper-003r98057-matt-95m-125-g-m-a3-white-100-sheets-p-5330772?cm_mmc=Google-_-pla_gen_google-shopping_packing-and-mailing_gosc-_-packing-and-mailing-gosc-_-5330772&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgYHrkuT56wIVkuntCh30lAcDEAQYBiABEgLwsfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds https://www.staples.co.uk/write-on-ohp-film/cbs/297974387.html?price=incvat&cm_mmc=SEM_PLA-_-google-_-pla-staples-office-supplies-smart-shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItp668-T56wIVlc_tCh1ltwcCEAQYBSABEgKLr_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds A local CAD office may have a sample for you to try

China can produce top grade stuff with very high quality control same as any other country, and at the same time some companies all over the world produce low cost low quality goods for a different market Boeing mad the 737-max and look how that's been pulled apart for bad design and poor quality control. I am sure there are simular failures in most countries

The hardware is by far the easiest part of starting any company, the hard part is making the goods and marketing the company You do not say what your experience in leather-work is also design both far more important than any tool What market have you identified, who will be your main competitors and will you and your team be able to match both their skills and marketing budget Its rather alarming that you are placing all your eggs in the basket with a third party who is going to get the funding for you, but at what cost and with no doubt your personal guarantees to the lenders For a start up company you could easily spend £25000 on marketing over the first two years and without marketing budget you will not get known and get items sold and end up a hobby guy with a few sales a month not covering the interest on the loans Hermes goods are not just wanted because they are well made but because the company has spent millions on marketing making the items wanted by the rich to show off they can spend £4000 to £10,000 on a Berkin handbag that many people on this forum could make duplicates of for a couple of hundred pounds, but what film star want to be seen with a Fred Smith handbag

Your pictures show what a expert of many years can make, you sound like your just starting out, you may find it easier to start with the learning to sew making wallets and belts etc and learn about different leathers before moving on to tack Whilst this link is for English tack Jo teaches some of the basic skills you will need to become expert in to make a living out of leather, I think the basic training for a saddler in the UK is two years so don't think its a quick skill to learn https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcsJvB1ntSJd4AjLSTOBHCA

As stated by @Constabulary above the company https://icanmakeshoes.com/online-courses would be a good place to learn the basics at small costs online using just a domestic machine, once you are happy with the basics you can move onto your more ambitious plans and find the right machine for your needs, which will most likely be second hand and a compromise,

Maybe one of those sub £100 Chinese patcher's would be a good low cost safety fallback until you find the machine of your dreams https://uk.banggood.com/Manual-Shoe-Making-Sewing-Machine-Shoes-Leather-Repairs-Sewing-Equipment-p-1385823.html?gmcCountry=GB&currency=GBP&createTmp=1&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=cpc_bgs&utm_content=lijing&utm_campaign=https://uk.banggood.com/Manual-Shoe-Making-Sewing-Machine-Shoes-Leather-Repairs-Sewing-Equipment-p-1385823.html%3FgmcCountry%3DGB%26currency%3DGBP%26cur_warehouse%3DUSA%26createTmp%3D1&cur_warehouse=USA I guess they must be available world wide

To give you a visual of the type of list just Singer made machines and all of the variations see http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-1-99.html

Was that a tactical post?

As its split you have no idea of what the replacement top layer is made of, I understand often a PU coating

That gun looks to me as something that does nothing well a poor handgun and a poor rifle whats the point of it, Compromise seldom if ever works well