what have you learned?

[Hilly]

I've learned that nothing is as easy as it looks!

When carving, always take your swivel knife away from the work if you feel like you are going to sneeze!

Always cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze! LOL

Always make sure and do your carving in a different area than where you do your cementing!

Always have extra needles on hand when hand stitiching!

Be aware that dogs love beeswax - especially puppies.

Nothing will stick to foreign substances on leather!

Never leave leather unrolled where you think your dog or cat can't walk on it.

Paw prints don't come off leather very easily.

Just when you think you have everything you need to do a project, you'll find you don't.

It's really, REALLY hard to keep a basketweave stamp going in a straight line! How do you all do it?

I've learned that I have learned very little compared to what I need to know!

[Kani]

Sounds familiar, except for the animals.

[Jordan]

You always end up leaving the leather supply store with more than you went there for.

[pepin1948]

I'd only add: Blood on leather really messes things up...

[rdb]

Every time you clean the bench, you lose tools for weeks.

The Dog will always chew your favorite pattern.

No matter what angle you twist yourself into, the light is never right.

After two hours of precision work...then you make your mistake.

Real basketweaving is easier than getting that &%$#@ basket weave stamp right.

[Johanna]

Hmmm...if you leave a rawhide mallet laying around, your dog thinks it's a lollipop. Hardware is sold by weight, not count. This explains why you will often be one short to finish the project. Dull knives will lead to stitches in the ER and irregular scars. A cowhide rug makes an excellent bedspread. You can't convince some people that their shoelaces are not made of rawhide. If you hold the stamping tool for someone, they will miss and whack your hand. Most people are better off buying the leather they need and forgetting splitters. If someone gasps and reaches for their wallet, you set the correct price. If the radio is on while you are carving, you will tap the tool in time with the music. People really do believe that commercial that says you can iron on a patch to repair upholstery leather. The first time you assume a gun is unloaded, you will shoot a hole in the floor. Neat Lac will dissolve fingernail polish. If you ask 10 leatherworkers the right way to do something, you'll get twelve reasonable answers.

Johanna

[Kevin King]

"If you ask 10 leatherworkers the right way to do something, you'll get twelve reasonable answers"

oh so true

[TomSwede]

Always wear my LED forehead lamp to avoid shadows- great when carving down long straight lines.

Anything with an open lid seems to get knocked over. Dye on the floor is no fun

[gunfighter48]

Never work on leather when you're tired.

When hand stitching, your thread will always be too short!!!!!!

Glue aways goes where you don't want it to.

Machine stitching is NOT as easy as you think it will be!!!!!!

Your sewing machine will always screw up half way through you project.

Every project cost more for materials than you thought it would.

Keep you fingers away from the bobbin on cylinder bed sewing machines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alway wear old clothes when dyeing leather.

Leave the credit cards home when going to the leather supply store!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEVER tell your better half how much you spent at the leather supply store!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John

[JohnD]

You always end up leaving the leather supply store with more than you went there for.

But, missing something you went specifically to get!

Casing is much more important than the beginner book let on.

[Skipknives]

Wear rubber gloves a week before the show

never wear your new shirt out to the shop

Exact-o knives on the bench will roll off

never wear flip-flops by the bench

never use a plasma cutter near your vacuum table

somthing flamable is always under your bench

compleated projects should never be displayed near leather dyeing area

Grandsons will repeat what they hear in your shop at the wrong time.

[Michael Sheldon]

Never store leather (especially veg-tan) near sunlight. Shop windows should be blacked out.

Ironic corollary: There's no such thing as too much light in the shop.

Cheap tools are worth exactly what you paid for them.

Good tools are also worth what you paid for them.

Good parts organization is the only way you will keep track of how much you have.

Corollary to above: If you get sloppy, you will find out you don't have enough of X to finish a piece.

Don't use a substandard completed piece as a demo at shows unless you are willing to sell it. SOMEONE will want it and won't take no for an answer.

And, an old truth from my days running a graphic design shop:

It's a fairly common thing when designing something for a customer, to present sketches of different options. It's also common among designers to present one sketch that is truly hideous as a contrast to make the others look good. DON'T DO THIS!!! The customer will pick the @$%*& ringer every time. :scratchhead:

[esantoro]

I just had to copy and Paste some of the "Things I have learned" from other posts that really resonate with my own experience:

No matter what angle you twist yourself into, the light is never right.

After two hours of precision work...then you make your mistake.

Never work on leather when you're tired.

When hand stitching, your thread will always be too short!!!!!!

Your sewing machine will always screw up half way through you project.

Every project cost more for materials than you thought it would.

Keep you fingers away from the bobbin on cylinder bed sewing machines!!!!!!!

Good parts organization is the only way you will keep track of how much you have.

[Beaverslayer]

Never shake a "Sharpie" close to your project.

Ken

[Kevin King]

Never shake a "Sharpie" close to your project.

Ken

[pete]

always mark the "fold line" on a wallet, billfold, or anything else that is "almost square"

\10 times out of 10 you will tool the pattern in the wrong direction........

ok,ok I'm the only one to have done this more than once

Edited December 24, 2007 by pete