BlackDragon

Thanks!

Thanks!

I going to comment on pricing but not the saddle bag itself since this isn't the "Critique My Work" section. Generally speaking I price items based on cost of materials, my time, shop costs, and locality. They look like swing arm bags but I can't tell the size of the bags. I'm going to guess at 12" wide? I round up to the nearest sqft. So if something is 1' x 6" I count it as 1 sqft. 1sqft front, 1sqft back, 1sqft gusset, 1sqft lid. add your thread, glue, dye, hardware, etc. What does it cost to run your shop? Rent, electricity, water, insurance, etc. I'll take those costs and go up to triple. So if all the costs add up to $50 it'll be at $150 Now add in your time. Lets say it took you 8hrs. What are you paying yourself $8hr or $40? This is going to depend on your experience. Hopefully the more experience you have the higher quality you're producing. You'll have to also decide what are the going prices in your area? If the max for a custom leather bag is $300 you're probably not going to get more than that, unless you're selling online and have a broader reach. Sometimes I'll make deals with people. If they buy several pieces I may do I group price. Or if they are veterans, LEO, paramedics, FD I'll knock 10% of the price.

Beautiful work!!

I carry mine on my hip. I use it for lighter leathers, cutting patterns, snipping thread, etc. Not sure if I would use one with serrated edge. If I can still use then on other things I may go for a set.

Thanks!

I've been seeing a lot of ratchet belts and a few people have asked me about them. My usual comment goes along the line of "I haven't made any and I'd have to do some research on them". So here I am looking into them. I started looking for ratchet tracks and a lot of companies make the ratchet belts but the tracks are really hard to find. I found a couple people selling them on Etsy and Ebay but they are the same brand. I can't find an actual company that sales them directly. If anyone knows of a direct source I would appreciate that info. The tracks that I ordered through Ebay are pretty good and the seller was great to deal with. I gave him a call when I had a few questions and he was really helpful with tips to mount them and what buckles work well with the track. https://www.ebay.com/itm/277241899676?itmmeta=01K0SQE5R03ZHFJ6Y637CP450F&hash=item408ce7aa9c:g:ycwAAeSwrd1oYYOR The biggest issue I have is that I would like to sew them in instead of gluing then in. I used a #23 needle but the track is too narrow for the needle. I also tried using a pricking iron and I don't like how close to the edge of the leather it is. I put one together with just glue as a test. 5oz black harness leather and 5oz vegtan liner. The area that has to latch onto the leather is skived down to a total of 5oz so the clamp can actually close. I'm looking for buckles that can actually close down on 10oz. So, does anyone know where I can find these tracks wholesale? What can I do different, if anything, to secure the track better?

Thanks! I'm glad I could inspire you!

I put together a fork bag for my bike. I guess it's actually more of a windshield bag. I used 10oz vegtan dyed with vinegaroon and used resolene to seal. The bag is 10.5"x 5"x 2.5" (mount point is 13"x 1.5")

Is it the area in between the P and I? Antiquing may hide it. It looks like it got a little burnished so if it doesnt work the first time try slightly roughing up that area and try antiquing again.

There are usually two ways I lock my stitching in. The standard way I do it is to start in reverse do three stitches, then go forward. The other way I do it that's not the norm is to start forward but leave extra thread so I can come back and hand stitch three holes to lock my thread in. I do this when I need a precise start and end point.

Good going on getting it to take a desirable black color! Looking forward to the pics. I totally understand wanting to be period correct. I used to frequent Ren Faires quite a bit and had a couple in depth characters. Vinegaroon only works with vegtan leathers as it's a chemical process between the tannins (from oak, chestnut bark, etc) and iron acetate. The more tannins the better the reaction. Vegtan leather can be most any animal. Vinegaroon wont work on Chrometanned, English Bridle, Harness, or Latigo.

Vinegaroon can be tricky, even on a piece of leather that you haven't done anything on. When you start adding things to the leather it becomes even worse. The vinegaroon works with the tannins in the leather so one piece of leather may not react the same way another one does. Sometimes even if the leather comes from the same cow. At this point the leather that's on that scabbard is the best you're going to get with vinegaroon. You'll have to use a commercial dye on it, like Fiebing's Pro, if you want to save it. You tried conditioner on the test piece of leather, try some neatsfoot oil if you have any or virgin olive oil see if that helps at all. This will usually deepen what you have. When I want something black I tend to use vinegaroon as a base then add Pro dye to the leather. This way I use much less black dye and it prevents rub off.

Just to be clear you tried to dye it after you glued it to the wood?

Ok, I found it in Account Settings> Content View Behavior I had it set for "Take me to the beginning" instead of "Take me to comments I haven't read" Thanks!