Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!

[Johanna]

Let's have a thread about saving money in the leather working shop. There are lots of ways to recycle and/or substitute- what are your favorites? Post the obvious and the obscure.

*The heavy Kraft paper the leather order came wrapped in works great for pattern templates.

*Coffee stains bone findings and beads for that "authentic" look.

Whatcha got?

[electrathon]

I make a lot of knife sheaths. The cardboard from cerial/food boxes is great for a first template. Then transfer it to the leather once the size and shape is determined.

Aaron

[bruce johnson]

Most all my cutting patterns are made from printer's press blankets. I get them from a local print shop across the alley. They are used on offset presses. One side is rubberized, and the backing is a durable cloth. The rubber side down doesn't slide around on the leather. Toss a bench anvil or shotbag on it and it stays put. They have enough body to run a knife right along the edge or not move with a tracing stylus. I can write things on a the cloth side with a Sharpie. I can ID what it is, what gusset and zipper length are needed, handle size, etc. I can rivet pieces together for longer things like back cinches. It sews on my machines. I have sewed up trial pieces and mailed it to guys as test patterns. I did a over the saddle horn cordless microphone holder for a mounted rodeo announcer, and it had to be just right. That made life easier. Mock up cell phone patterns are easier, too. They cut with knives or heavy scissors.

I originally got the idea from Bill Gomer's video. He made saddle seat patterns from them. I make all my patterns from it. These are not cheap new, over $100 for some sizes I am told. When they start to wear out, they toss them. My guys clean them with solvent before they give them to me. Every so often I find a stack of them in the back of my truck at work. They also work for drawer and tool box liners.

[pete]

1- keep all of the reducer after cleaning my brushes in a jar. I use it to clean off the marble from paint, glue, antique, etc. The reducer is grey to black by then but works well and leaves a clean slab with no residue.

2- I buy the $1.00 plastic 3 ring folders at a dollar store. I use the 3 rings for albums and use the front and back panels to glue the project to when tooling for stretch.

I leave them on (glued) as the stiffener and simply trim and line over them.

pete

[Tina]

I did a find this winter.

In a garage sale i found this roll of blueprint paper, a yard wide and I don't know how many in the roll left...Manny more yards. The paper is coted with something (feels plastic) and very durable when tracking on leather, and the best, I only payed 50 cents for the whole roll:-)

[Billsotx]

I make a lot of knife sheaths. The cardboard from cerial/food boxes is great for a first template. Then transfer it to the leather once the size and shape is determined.

Aaron

I with Aaron on boxes and manila folders for patterns. If you mess one up and you will don't be so quick to toss, especially if you're half-way there. If you cut too much off or punch a whole in the wrong place tape it back and move on. When you get it right then redo you're working template. Masking tape, duct tape and carton tape are always close at hand. When I open glue or dye it over an old cereal box. I varnished over a huge blotch of USMC black right in the middle of my work bench, left as a reminder - Don't dye stuff without covering me up. ... Luckily the varnish worked because rub-off was endless. I could have easily replaced the top of the bench, but I need reminders. ... Eat cereal! We need more boxes! ... lol!

Good thread here Johanna!

Edited February 15, 2008 by Billsotx

[bruce johnson]

I don't much use Xray film to glue to in an effort to prevent stretch while tooling. I do use it a fair amount for stiffeners for some things. It works well to sandwich between a soft out layer and liner for things like business card cases and checkbooks. Adds stiffness without bulk. Just rough up both sides with coarse sandpaper and cement in place. I mostly use this for exotics without much body or chap leather. Warning - I told one guy about this and he used it in the entire piece. You just want to it to stiffen the sides. Use patches on both sides and leave the fold area open. Otherwise it won't fold.

For some padded or plugged inlays, I use it as a backer. Cement the padding and the inlay leather down to the Xray film. Secure it with binder clips, tape, whatever and sew around the inlay. Then I trim the excess film off the back, and then glue in a liner and edge stitch the liner in place. It makes a cleaner look inside than stitching the inlay in place through the liner.

[Drac]

1. free boxes and envelopes through the usps website.

2. at comic shops on wednesday (shipment day) you can get larger boxes and packing material for free. some of the boxes are good to use for shipping, some are good for storage. also the dividers/protectors are fairly heavyweight can be used for templates that don't need to be folded.

3. need wood for something? hit up construction sites. they'll usually give you very usable scrap wood. I've got a lap table that also had my mini anvil mounted on it that was made from scrap wood.

4. keep all your scrap pieces of leather. sit down one day when you're tired of making your usual stuff, dig through and use your imagination to come up with something new. some of the stuff I've come up with just to use up scrap leather have been me biggest sellers and got added to the usual assortment.

5. find alternative places to get some things. places like harbor freight, the dollar store, etc. as an example I needed a new poly punch board. dollar store time! look in the kitchen area for 'em. the kitchen cutting board is the same material and loads cheaper and a bit more surface area. plus it has a handle so I can hang it up.

6. keep an eye out for places going out of business and think if they might have something you can use. mannequins, fixtures, or whatever can be gotten cheap sometimes. if it's an office place going out of business or closing up, file cabinets, folders, binders, lamps and other stuff can sometimes be... oh, what's that magic word? oh yeah! free!

7. (this one's showing my old punker roots) go dumpster diving on college campuses at christmas time and end of semester when the kids move out of the dorms. chairs, desks, shelves, clothes, tv's, vcr's, dvd players, stereos and all kinds of stuff gets tossed out because they got a new one or they just don't want pack it out.

8. keep an eye out while driving. you neverknow what you'll see on the side of the road. my dad has a LARGE collection of zippos because of that, we've both gotten several tools that way (love that old craftsman warrantee), and I even found a bag of about 20 bootleg movies that way. tossed the crappy movies and kept the cases.

9. after-holiday sales at craft/fabric stores. as an example I got a full roll of stretch vinyl that's normally 9 bucks a yard for 80 cents a yard. you can get some pretty snazzy prints and materials cheaply that way.

10. ask around! sometimes it's amazing where somebody gets something.

[Hilly]

I've made lifters out of screwdrivers that my husband was going to throw away. I made a tool holder out of a scrap of wood and a bench press. Places that make stone counter tops can be a source for "marble" slabs to tool on. They usually give away the sink cut outs for free. My father in law was cleaning out his garage, and came across enough scrap wood (that he was going to toss) to make my stitching horse.

[barra]

Scrounge around at businesses that do shop fitting or kitchen makeovers. You can pick up their boo boo's and make great workshop benches/storage cabinets

el cheapo laundry bar soap melted with a little animal fat (free from the butcher) and a table spoon of kerosene (to disuade vermin from the fat) makes excellent and almost free saddle soap.

I'm with Drac on the cheap vinyl. This stuff is great for experimentation and testing out theories as prototypes before launching into the expensive leather

Lurk around businesses that make sheepskin car seat covers for offcuts (sometimes free). You'll be surprised how big a peice they will throw out.

TRY and have natural lighting and insulation to save power bills. I know this can be easier said than done.

hunt around bargain bins in hardwares for tools you can apply to leatherwork

frequent garage sales

save old buckles and hardware in general from old tack etc for repairs on the next Scrooge Mc Horse owner's gear (as long as the buckle is safe and not rusted out. You can be up front and honest and tell them your going to use second hand buckles etc to save THEM money.

Save old busted items you find or get on the cheap. Cut them up for patterns. As an example you find a crappy vinyl handbag at a garage sale or in the neibours trash. Fish it out. If it is a style you like, wipe out the thought in your mind that it is genuine imitation leather. You can cut it apart to see how it is constructed and use it as a pattern to make another out of nice leather.

Keep all you shavings once you edge your strapping. Put them in a container and when it is full, feed it all into an WARNING

OLD, I say again OLD coffee grinder to make leather dust. Disregard WARNING if you looking for the final excuse to tip Spouse over the edge.

Shop at the 99 cent store. They put the same ingredients into most artsy fartsy leather preparations as they do the cheapo hand creams etc.

Read the ingredients on your expensive leather preparations, then read the ingredients on cleaning products at the 99 cent store.

Think outside the square before you throw stuff out. What leatherwork application can I turn this into. As an example I have an old coffee perculator I use the hotplate part to warm oils and waxes.

Barra

Edited February 16, 2008 by barra

[Warren]

I like this thread, it's already given me some good ideas. I especially liked the one from Bruce about the printers blankets. We have several here in town I will have to hit up. I also want to know where he gets particle board free.

Thanks. Warren

[LarryB]

Great thread idea... I have made a few of my simple tools by using my grinder. I have a few stainless bolts and when an idea hits I'll start grinding away. I am not good enough to make stamping tools but modeling tools and such are ok to make. I make what I can to save money... and its also fun. So please keep the ideas coming.

[bruce johnson]

Warren,

While you are at the print shops, ask them for particle board. I get it at the same place. Once all their workers have a lifetime supply, it is free to haul off. Some of their paper comes in on pallets and the particle board is put on top of the boxes and then the pallet is strapped. The particle board prevents the load strapping from digging into the paper. I use the particle board for cutting on, especially with the roller blade knife. Once it has chipped out and rough, it is yet recycled. It goes to the glueing table or I put it on my oiling/dyeing table. I think I have related that I oil with a paint roller. Any overflow absorbs into the particle board. Once the oil has pretty well saturated the board, then an oil saturated board makes a dandy fire starter. I am sure about three of these will burn a wet mule.

[ArtS]

What kind of printer company, newspaper?

ArtS

Most all my cutting patterns are made from printer's press blankets. I get them from a local print shop across the alley. They are used on offset presses. One side is rubberized, and the backing is a durable cloth. The rubber side down doesn't slide around on the leather. Toss a bench anvil or shotbag on it and it stays put. They have enough body to run a knife right along the edge or not move with a tracing stylus. I can write things on a the cloth side with a Sharpie. I can ID what it is, what gusset and zipper length are needed, handle size, etc. I can rivet pieces together for longer things like back cinches. It sews on my machines. I have sewed up trial pieces and mailed it to guys as test patterns. I did a over the saddle horn cordless microphone holder for a mounted rodeo announcer, and it had to be just right. That made life easier. Mock up cell phone patterns are easier, too. They cut with knives or heavy scissors.

I originally got the idea from Bill Gomer's video. He made saddle seat patterns from them. I make all my patterns from it. These are not cheap new, over $100 for some sizes I am told. When they start to wear out, they toss them. My guys clean them with solvent before they give them to me. Every so often I find a stack of them in the back of my truck at work. They also work for drawer and tool box liners.

[Warren]

Nice to know Bruce. I used to get all the dunnage from a plywood retailer here in town. I know the manager. Dunnage is the 1/4" luan plywood that they wrap the plywood in before they strap it for shipping, kind of like what your talking about. I have quite a few items made from that stuff, some of it is made out of several pieces laminated together to get the right thickness. When it's free you can do a lot with it. Unfortunately now they send it back to the manufacturer to be reused, so I can't get any more. I do go by Home Depot and Lowe's Home Center fairly regular and check out their pallet stacks. You would be surprised what they throw out and what you can make out of pallets. I've made ground blinds for hunting, free standing racks for yard tools and equipment, tables, and workbenches. Some of them are made from very good oak that you can use for other things if you pull or cut them apart for the lumber. I have one of the plastic pallets that I use for the front porch to my shop. It sits on the ground and since it's plastic it won't rot. I am going to glue a piece of outdoor carpet to it one of these days.

Warren

[TwinOaks]

Great ideas, folks! Here's mine: Haggle on the price. This may seem blasphemous to some people who've been taught that the price you see is the price you pay. But ask anyway...what are they going to say? NO? Gee, then you have to pay the listed price. This is especially true if you find 'close outs' or 'clearance' items. I think a lot of people will be surprised at how much a person will compromise when they're trying to get rid of 'stuff'. If there's only a few pieces of a certain item ask for a substantial discount to take all of it.

[Johanna]

The best stones I have were freebies from a monument company. One has a guy's name spelled wrong on the side that I don't use, and a couple have a chip on one of the corners. I have a rose granite stone that the date chipped on that we used to use in the shop, but somehow it wound up being the threshhold to the south barn door. Go figure.

I go to our local newspaper and get end rolls, which is the unused newsprint of a roll that doesn't have enough paper to justify being put on the press. It has yards and yards of paper the kids can color on, or I can use for packing material or whatever. At the Evening Leader in St. Marys, anyway, these are free.

We always saved old shower curtains for when we did airbrushing or other messy projects. I don't see why you couldn't make pattern templates from them.

One thing that I remember being told over and over is that there is no such thing as scrap leather in a shop. There will always be a need or reason for even the ugliest hide, if nothing else to punch holes on. I've been letting the kids play with small pieces, too. I knew a man in Ga. who emptied out his mini punch sets carefully, and used the plugs as spacers in bone bead necklaces. Great ideas here, thanks everyone for contributing to it.

Johanna

[LarryB]

I got two plastic bins with a lid that is on a hing and they stack. I put all my scraps in these so if I do a small project I dig in them to use a scrap instead of cutting off of my large leather.

[barra]

Even the tiniest scrap can be useful.

Cut out leather spacers/washers

Use to test stains/oils and dyes

Use them as glue spearders.

Barra

[Canuck]

I made clicker dies using the backside of bandsaw blades

This was done by using scrap plywood as a base, scrap 1/4" plywood to make a template and wrapping the blade around the template. Foam rubber from packaging is used inside the die to make sure the leather comes out of the die.

I use scarp pieces of leather for other projects like wallets and the like.

I use solar panels to provide electricity to run my lights and computer in the shop.

Surplus stores will sell plastic cutting boards by the pound. Old railway rails for anvils

I've made jigs out of scrap pieces of wood.

Goodwill stores for old leather coats, and furs, as well as belts for the hardware.

I use the file folders for patterns too as mentioned before.

Great thread thanks for the ideas

[howardb]

Got this idea from reading this thread. I thunk outside the box...

I had a very rough & ugly flesh side and it needed serious help. I got out an old iron (the newer one we actually use to iron shirts two or three times a year (hahahaha)). Anyway, I put a little heat on the flesh side and then rubbed a stick of beeswax into it & then repeated until the surface was covered & iron'd flat. I haven't tooled yet, so no design to hurt. Now the flesh side is nice and smooth! The ragged loose fleshies are all gone and it looks nice. Certainly not for every project, but it rescued this mess...

Oh, and skiving simply made more loose fleshies, hence my desire for a new method. Probably some seriously old leather...

Brent

[Jordan]

Thrift stores for old belts, cut off and reuse the hardware, there are some nice buckles out there for a dollar or two, a little elbow grease and they look brand new.

[JohnD]

To add to Jordan's post, I went to Big Lots ( a close out store) and found several crappy belts for a buck apiece They were new so no need to clean up the buckles. Just cut the belts off and discard ( or find another use for the vinyl or pvc straps that have the words "new york" bedazzled onto them).

John

[WVTriker]

What a great thread!

I've found thrift stores good suppliers for hardware and things, too. Occasionally I've found real leather handbags/purses and belts that are in good condition for $1-2. I/d getting ready to de-construct a purse to make a business card holder for my son and a coin purse for a co-work of my wife's.

I suspect many of you have heard this idea but some may have not: use bandannas for linings. They come in a myriad of colors/designs, are readily available and cheap. Obviously they aren't the best choice of all projects but are dandy for many,

Can't wait to see more suggestions. I am a lover of all things savings/re-purposing related (my family calls that being a 'cheapo'; I call it resourceful! )

Greg

[8thsinner]

The charity shop beside me changes people every day because they are all volunteers, the woman on monday is nice enough to give me for free any leather jackets, skirts and pants they have when ever they have them. Otherwise still a good resource the rest of the week...

Old skips outside closing down pubs and renevating type companies often have old leather sofas going to the dump.

Might take you thirty minutes in the skip cutting it up but often the old stuff is better made and well worth the effort..Just needs a bit of cleaning up.

Cheaper run down areas too often have skips piled with goodies...

Pallets are a goodsoure for wood as has been discussed, in the uk the blue ones use a better quality wood...

thats all I have for you, sorry theres not more

Great idea for a thread.