Spyros

Ι was going from company to company for many years (auditor and later consultant). What I noticed is that when you see older people working, these are usually the companies you want to work for. When people stay they stay for a reason. When you see workplaces full of young people, these companies are usually the worst.

They are excellent indeed, I'll be honest I'm not too keen on some of the lining choices but that might just be me, it's always good that you have a colour variety for different people. Also the blue one having that seam parallel to the strap, I'd avoid that if possible, but other than that I really like them. Straps are great too! Out of curiosity (if you want to share) what price are you thinking? And how long does it take you to make one? Cheers Spyro

Nah not a mistake, that's his pricing https://www.masconleather.com/price-list-1 Good for him.

I had a look around that website and I must admit I don't fully understand the pricing: https://zeebeeleather.com/shop/nest-briefcase

Yeah sorry, I read too fast. No problem, the Cobra and the Cowboy for all intents and purposes are the same machine.

Welcome to the 4500 Yes and yes. Actually the second yes is qualified: try it. There are countless tables of thread and needle combinations out there but they are really just best practice recommendations. I've gone out of these recommended combos of thread and needle sizes a few times for various reasons and usually it still works, just differently. So try for yourself. It will do you good to thread and unthread the machine a few times anyway, until you get quick and fluent with it.

It's excellent, well done (also I'm a big Bucks/Giannis fan, from a distance though, you're lucky to be in MKE)

Still does in Greece (slightly changed to kamara)

I get mine from Ivan in Taiwan. The have free DHL for Australia and that works better for me than ordering from the town next to mine.

Yeah roo is great. I find it visually a bit boring and yet it keeps finding it's way in my projects because a) it never needs skiving because it's never thicker than 1mm, and b) it's practically indestructible, that's why they use it for football boots, high end motorcycle jackets and whips.

I had a look Fred, I don't think I could shop from there. For example lets say I want my typical order: a solid brass set with a matte metal finish for a bag: loops, dees, roller buckle, rivets, trigger snaps, sliders. All 1 inch, but the finish needs to match because (maybe it's just me) I think it's a bit of an eyesore to have an expensive bag with a shiny buckle with matte snaps and sliders on the same strap. You go to buckleguy, you select the finish and size you want, and boom everything they have in that size and finish is there, with only very slight variations in finish, a selection of 3-4 options for most things, and big photos with a ruler in the background so you can understand every dimension. In LePrevo not everything has a clear description of the finish and I can't always tell from the photo (if there even is a photo). Maybe it's a simple matter of shopping from there a couple of times and then it all gets clearer but I already have too much redundant hardware from doing exactly that: experimenting with various hardware vendors' archaic websites, and I just don't want to do it any more. And then it's their variety which is not great, if one thing I want is missing I have to go through the same process somewhere else. And then hope their shipping times are reasonable and their mail service reliable. The issue with buckleguy is their crazy int'l shipping prices for small items, I can't be paying USD$68 shipping for what is probably a third of a shoebox worth of hardware. I've contacted them a couple of times to tell them they need to offer cheaper options for smaller packages but no luck, they've linked their system to a couple of couriers that give them automatic quotes which then flow through real time to your online order, and they don't want to touch it.

Tell me about it, I just paid USD$68 shipping for hardware from buckleguy...

Ok, phew

I find hardware is a constant source of stress (I can hear you wallet makers laughing now LOL) But I'm often stuck not being able to finish a project because I'm missing a particular size loop or dee or something silly like that. In an ideal world I should be able to walk around the corner and grab what I need like you do with screws and sandpaper, however in this world good bag hardware is actually not easy to find, and sometimes I have to wait weeks because what I need happens to be in China (or worse, in Australia, but sold through some 1990's website that is missing all essential info like proper photos, dimensions, descriptions). And then before I order I run endless lists on my mind for days because if I forget something I'm stuck in the stupid situation where I'm missing a 1 inch roller buckle therefore I have to either change the width of the strap or I can't start that bag at all for another 3-4 weeks. At some point out of frustration I went on a shopping spree and ordered anything that looked potentially relevant, and now I'm stuck with a shiny pile of various obscure shapes and sizes that I'm probably never gonna use. I guess it's really not a problem for many of you who make batches of things, that's probably easier to plan for, but I make prototypes and singe piece custom jobs and I need to have some liberty to make design changes as I go without having to plan weeks in advance for every rivet. What is your hardware buying strategy? Do you guys also find it difficult to keep stock of everything you might need or am I the only idiot?

Hey Fred, did the negotiation go something like this?

Hang in there. I have a bag for sale at the moment with various people lowballing me. Nope, nope, nope and nope. I'd rather see it rot, I'll make a doorstop out of it, before working for free so someone can enjoy an expensive bag for peanuts. By the way that's just me, this is not my main source of income and I can afford to say no, but I would never criticise a fellow leatherworker if they need to accept some lowball offers in order to pay some bills.

Ahhhh that's clever. Amazing how much thought and care for future proofing can go into such a small project, well done I have some Loxx fasteners on orders, I'm definitely trying the Loxx-Browne combo, thanks for the heads up!

Perfect!

It's a fantastic idea and execution I've had some projects come back for repair where the hole for the Sam Browne stud has widened over time and now the closure is loose, so I've been avoiding them since and use spring snaps instead. Lost faith in Sam Brownes Other than that it looks like a great design. In the intersections of A, B, C and D panels (ie where the flaps open and close) I would also punch a 0.5mm hole. Might be a pointless obsession of mine but I believe that a tiny curve will fare better than a sharp angle overtime in areas that bend a lot.

Somewhat unrelated: A private survey in a company I used to work for that trades in discretionary consumer items, showed that our customers are a little more likely to pay $209.95 than $200 for the same item. That's how dumb we are Somehow round numbers trigger some bells in the back of the mind that the seller just pulled a number out of thin air in the last minute and they're getting fleeced. The price "$199.95" ranked even higher because it starts with "1" and some people actually fail to read the last few digits.

Yeah I should ask him to check if it glows in the dark or anything :D

What I'd really want to know, a friend showed me a belt that he's had for 30 years and still uses it frequently. And that belt had no stitching or hardware, just folded and glued for the buckle and that's it. And it still holds... I'd love to know what kind of glue that was.

I just go to the hardware store and get water based contact adhesive that says "leather" on the list of items that it will stick. The most common brand in Australia is Selley's. Then I water it down until runny because that's how I prefer it for application. I also use the same stuff in spray for larger surfaces. And I always have some glue for shoes handy (again from the hardware store) because it never really dries and remains flexible, which makes it good for surfaces that move. Also it doesn't require application on both surfaces so it's quicker.

Best thing I did in my shop was the countless powerpoints, all above bench level. I currently enjoy the ridiculous ratio of 1.5 powerpoints per square metre of workshop The other thing I did recently was installing a main power switch by the door, I just kill all electricity on my way out. Helps me sleep better at nights.

I like Austanners for many things, especially kangaroo (if there's two leathers you'll never catch me without is chromexcel and roo). But they're a good business, shipping is usually free, at least within VIC, they ship quickly, good photos, good descriptions, when they say something is in stock it always is, and once they get to know you sometimes they throw in free stuff too. They're not the luxury leather branded tannery type of thing so you're not gonna find there any high-end leather that rivals Horween or Sedgwick, but their descriptions and pricing are honest and they represent good value. Buying direct from the tannery cuts the middleman too. DS Horne in ADL has also been good in my experience but they suffer from the usual terrible website syndrom, you really have to ring them to find out what they really actually have.