chuck123wapati

Four, me ,my son, and two of my daughters! two cows two spikes and yes all of the above. I make and smoke my own sausage, corned elk, pastrami and some jerky, I usually give my hides to the vfw but am thinking next year possibly making rawhide for my self as I just priced elk rawhide, seems I give away a couple grand every year just in deer and elk. Yea I think I've found the answer for me in the federal trade commission rules, bottom line its all about pleasing big brother no matter what a person or their patrons feel is right, if you make the whole product from basic raw materials using hand tools then its handmade, such as your awesome baby grand, if you hang a store bought buckle for example then it isn't completely handmade anymore. I think for now its best not to use the term in any advertising and let the consumers know what parts you have done by hand if you feel the need as most here have said.

I found this,it is from the FTC and is mentioned in jewelry making sites I would suspect they would also apply to leatherwork if the subject came about. 23.3 Misuse of the Terms “hand-made,” “hand-polished,” etc. (a) It is unfair or deceptive to represent, directly or by implication, that any industry product is handmade or hand-wrought unless the entire shaping and forming of such product from raw materials and its finishing and decoration were accomplished by hand labor and manually-controlled methods which permit the maker to control and vary the construction, shape, design, and finish of each part of each individual product. Note to paragraph (a): As used herein, “raw materials” include bulk sheet, strip, wire, and similar items that have not been cut, shaped, or formed into jewelry parts, semifinished parts, or blanks. (b) It is unfair or deceptive to represent, directly or by implication, that any industry product is handforged, hand-engraved, hand-finished, or hand-polished, or has been otherwise hand-processed, unless the operation described was accomplished by hand labor and manually-controlled methods which permit the maker to control and vary the type, amount, and effect of such operation on each part of each individual product. Here is the section on leather https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=da0fff93d248d84476b245ccfa2ce5bc&rgn=div5&view=text&node=16%3A1.0.1.2.14&idno=16

I use pig suede for my hunting slings.

I have found some sketchy info on the definitions from the fair trade commission in jewelry making sites but nothing I can post yet I am sure the ftc would consider leatherwork under the same.

I've seen transfer paper made for printers to iron on tee shirts maybe that would work, or have someone airbrush it on for you, I've also seen some nice work done with sharpies on leather.

So fill us in on the sealing process and the maintenance process after wards . Do you just heat the wax and pour it in for a bit or do you heat the mug also? How do you clean them after use? Me thinks those are gonna be a project for many on here.

LOL note to self don't apply for a job in Mississippi and don't buy handmade stuff from Walmart. So others would say its a cop out to use handmade or in your definition handcrafted because you cant make all of your stuff exactly the same, its one of a kind, so your products aren't as good of quality. See the problem I see yet? I agree handmade items aren't necessarily all made with hand tools nor are they made with all hand made basic materials. But lets say for example is it handmade if you use a sewing machine and hand tool a belt but is it then not handmade if you use a stamping wheel for the tooled design but hand stitch it? I think most consumers would see the difference in the design and would say that the machine stamped belt was not handmade but the process only differs in which part of the belt was machine made right?

Nothing wrong with that at all. I think your stuff is handmade also and I agree most folks in the horse world or ranching such as here in Wyoming don't give a squat about it being handmade as most of the them have to hand make , repair, or re-invent just to get by a day in their line o work. Most of my work, knife making ,carpentry, and leatherwork all are done with hand tools or minimal power tools.

Its very subjective to the circumstance being applied, same here there is a ton of "homemade" crap as well as artisan, retro, etc. I my lil town also. Do you consider your work to be handmade? If so why or why not?

I agree that is the essence of use for the term handmade is for the consumer, but I simply wanted to get the ideas from the makers as to their ideas of the definition so I would know, as well others on this site, how to interpret what others think their work is, we are all consumers as well as makers and as more knowledgeable in the nuances of leather work should be able to offer a more constructive opinion. Most consumers I have dealt with go with the idea that handmade may have small flaws but the quality of materials are just as important maybe more so than perfect lines, some folks don't really care either way as long as they can get their name on it, I think due in part to our highly disposable world and our new found wealth as a society has made a bunch of folks just happy as hell to spend money without thought. I like your opinion of its use and also agree there are bad apples willing to use the term to further their personal goals without thought of ethical behavior.

It has, but not the intent of my original question, yes quality is the most important reason for purchasing any item, hopefully most would agree, and I agree also but what defines quality? A handmade loaf of bread for example isn't perfectly shaped like store bought bread, it isn't cut in perfect 1/2" slices but it contains better ingredients, so which is the highest quality bread? I'm finding the use of the term handmade to be a bit of a conundrum on this site one camp uses it to represent quality, the other to represent a "cop out" as some have put it. We all know a machine can cut a perfectly straight line in a piece of crap leather and a machine can sew a perfect stitch with crap thread does that perfection in symmetry equal higher quality, obviously it doesn't always right? So then why is that the argument of some? It does show the level of expertise by the maker, the quality of his tools, the extent of his knowledge, his basic ability, and his eye for detail just the same as if he were using a machine right? So then back to my original question for you, at what point would you call your work handmade? Quality is not the question.

Those are sweet looking all right!!! I use a lot of antler for knives and such, when I need to attach something to them I gouge out all the soft insides and glue hardwood plugs inside then I can use screws to attach them or attach things to them.

I have picked up on that as well. I would think Tandy doesn't tan their own leathers but buys lots from other tanneries. I think buying from them would need to be in store so a person can do their own inspections that would stop any problems with their products. I don't have a problem with the company but do consider the comments and act on them.

I majored in business administration , first thing they taught us, get professional help!! The classes are so you can attempt to understand what they are doing for you.

Thank you these are great pictures.

I think you said something important when you discussed your possible clientele, Those police products are awesome and I don't know what a cop makes in Milwaukee but out here the average officer would be hard pressed to buy a 250 dollar notebook cover no matter the quality or time it takes. That being said I think you have a great talent and product, the build time will shorten with experience so shouldn't be the only factor to consider when pricing your work.

Thank you, great picture and explanation of the problem.

Thank you, I like your ideas on when flaws may be ok, that would keep many from throwing out leather that may not be suitable for more sophisticated works.

I don't know anyone with that notion personally and don't care to. I was asking for more of tips on identifying potential problems in leather before my time is wasted on a bad piece of leather, as we all know substandard products can and do come in many disguises, not only shoddy craftsmanship but subpar materials as well, I think a very nice machine sewn stitch would hide low grade thread, for example, easier than handstitched, and would be worse even than an errant stitch done by hand. Thank you for your comment.

Thank you.

Thank you ! as I posted the question about defining handmade there seemed to be a lot of talk about seeing or finding flaws that you should be able to find easier or more often during the handmaking process that would otherwise be overlooked. I was wondering what these would be?

That is awesome work no matter how long it took.

So some tips on identifying flaws in hides would really help me out and I'm sure others also. What to look for in a hide before cutting or purchasing or even flaws in a finished product. Thanks all for any help you are willing to give.

I use the old Christmas boxes, for clothing, they sell at the dollar store that are given to us yearly. its the same thickness as card stock, give or take a bit.

Thank you !!!