Newbie Need Advise On Where To Buy

[Capri83rs]

First off, hello everyone. I have been thinking about leather working for a few years now. Mainly aquired from a need. I show and breed English Mastiffs and it is very hard to find a good looking, strong collar that is big enough for these giants. So I figured that I would just make my own and maybe dabble in a few other things to support the hobby. I have talked to a guy at a local leather store who was very helpful and it seems like it can be pretty simple (I know depending on what I want to do) and I have confidence that I can do it. After finding this site I have even more confidence! What a wonderful site!

So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions of where to buy supplies. I would like to keep it as cheap as possible with still having good quality products that will last a long time. I have been searching on the net, and comparing them to Tandy Leather (the local shop and cheapest I've found yet). But there are so many out there, I feel over whelmed. So I figured I would put it out there and see what comes up. Thanks in advance!

After thought: I figured I would add that currently, I am just thinking of getting the belt blanks and adding conchos and buckles and dee ring, ect. That kinda stuff. Not ready to start tooling yet (yet!). I am also interested in learning the stitching and doing a soft/padded inside for the collar.

Edited March 2, 2010 by Capri83rs

[Capri83rs]

No suggestions?

[Art]

Sometimes it takes a day or so for someone to answer general open-ended type questions, and an introduction never hurts. But if no one answers, a moderator or ambassador will eventually chime in. So, you really needing to get started. Tandy can be handy for that, especially for advice on construction. However, Springfield leather has better quality merchandise and very good advice. Kevin will let you buy cuts of leather to try things out, and he has all the tools and supplies you will need. I can give you plenty of places to buy certain things, but Springfield Leather (Kevin), Zack White leather (Tim), Hidecrafter Leather (Ron), and Sheridan Leather Outfitters (Luke or Vandy) are the places you want to use. When you move up to buying sides or shoulders or exotics then there are different suppliers, and we can give you their names depending on what you need. Most importantly, tell your supplier what your skill level is and what you are going to be making to make sure you are buying and getting the right stuff, we can also recommend here.

Art

No suggestions?

[JLSleather]

Jeez ... tell me I'm not promoting Tandy again (doh!, did i say that out loud?).

I'm the dissenting opinion around here, Capri. I've ordered from Springfield and paid for the wholesale club, but I've been in no real hurry to get back there. Enough about that.

In any case, I know Tandy does carry some usable items, including those you mention. More important, there's something to be said for your local guy. Don't like the quality, you can go pick out your own. Build a relationship, and the guys will probably "heads up" you when they have something you usually like.

[Capri83rs]

Thanks for the responses. Sorry for the impatience, just use to another site that I frequent (for cars). Anyway, I think I have already stated, but as of right now I am just looking at making a few collars for my dogs. Don't really want to get into tooling right now. Just basic dying and conchos, that kind of thing. I am also using the belt blanks so I shouldn't have to worry about cutting them out, just cutting to length and scribing? for the buckle. The guy at the Tandy place was extremely helpful and answered my questions well. I did purchase some things there today. He had some buckles on clearance and other odds and ends so that helped. I did however make an order from Zack White. For instance, he had the letter conchos 2 dollars cheaper than Tandy. Woo Hoo! I'm a single mom, so I try to save where I can. I want to make quality products, but do not want to spend money when it is not necessary. I have been reading on here and have picked up a few things. More to come. There seems like so much to learn!

[Billieboy]

First off, hello everyone. I have been thinking about leather working for a few years now. Mainly aquired from a need. I show and breed English Mastiffs and it is very hard to find a good looking, strong collar that is big enough for these giants. So I figured that I would just make my own and maybe dabble in a few other things to support the hobby. I have talked to a guy at a local leather store who was very helpful and it seems like it can be pretty simple (I know depending on what I want to do) and I have confidence that I can do it. After finding this site I have even more confidence! What a wonderful site!

So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions of where to buy supplies. I would like to keep it as cheap as possible with still having good quality products that will last a long time. I have been searching on the net, and comparing them to Tandy Leather (the local shop and cheapest I've found yet). But there are so many out there, I feel over whelmed. So I figured I would put it out there and see what comes up. Thanks in advance!

After thought: I figured I would add that currently, I am just thinking of getting the belt blanks and adding conchos and buckles and dee ring, ect. That kinda stuff. Not ready to start tooling yet (yet!). I am also interested in learning the stitching and doing a soft/padded inside for the collar.

Hi if this helps have found leather craft tools and things at good prices at this site below

http://www.plasmabayblue3d.com/

hopes this helps all

regards

Billie

[$$hobby]

welcome,

i would look in your local area for leathercraft shops and see what they have. mail order is great, but you cant feel/touch/try them so you buy sight unseen and unless youre willing to buy and maybe send back, it could cost you more $$$ then to just buy local. Tandys isnt that bad for a beginner. some of their tools arent the best, but they do work. i started with Tandys tools and have gradually moved up to others, but i will still breakout my Tandys. it will depend on what i need to do.

if you have any Leathercraft trade shows in your neck of the woods, i would try there also. usually tool vendors will have their wares to examine/try and so you can get an idea on the quality and maybe try them before you buy. i will warn you tho, some or most of them are not inexpensive.

with supplies i try to buy my leather local. i can see/feel/examine it for any flaws and to cherry pick which hides i like.

afa hardware goes, i mix it up. i use to buy from Mast hardware until Weaver ate them up and discontinued with the Mast products. imo, Mast had better quality hardware. fortunately, i bought alot before it happened, but some of my hardware is thin in some areas. I still buy from weaver thru a shop tho.

if youre going to do this as a serious hobby, when it comes to supplies like hardware, buy in quantity since the shipping will be expensive if you want 1 or 4 snaps the next time. i try to limit the varity of hardware i use/buy, but if it comes down to it, i have Oregon Leather in town that i can easily make a trip to to see if they have the hardware i dont want to buy in quantity.

you can buy from EBay too, but if you dont know whats what in tools, you can end up buying broke/wornout tools and not know it. of course if the seller will take them back, it may help, but then again, whos paying for shipping back and forth.

you can also try Craigslist and see what comes up. also, local garage/estate sales. also if you have any tack/leather shops, checkout their bulletin boards.

some community colleges offer leatherwork courses and you can try/ask where they get their tools from too.

[Capri83rs]

welcome,

i would look in your local area for leathercraft shops and see what they have. mail order is great, but you cant feel/touch/try them so you buy sight unseen and unless youre willing to buy and maybe send back, it could cost you more $$$ then to just buy local. Tandys isnt that bad for a beginner. some of their tools arent the best, but they do work. i started with Tandys tools and have gradually moved up to others, but i will still breakout my Tandys. it will depend on what i need to do.

if you have any Leathercraft trade shows in your neck of the woods, i would try there also. usually tool vendors will have their wares to examine/try and so you can get an idea on the quality and maybe try them before you buy. i will warn you tho, some or most of them are not inexpensive.

with supplies i try to buy my leather local. i can see/feel/examine it for any flaws and to cherry pick which hides i like.

afa hardware goes, i mix it up. i use to buy from Mast hardware until Weaver ate them up and discontinued with the Mast products. imo, Mast had better quality hardware. fortunately, i bought alot before it happened, but some of my hardware is thin in some areas. I still buy from weaver thru a shop tho.

if youre going to do this as a serious hobby, when it comes to supplies like hardware, buy in quantity since the shipping will be expensive if you want 1 or 4 snaps the next time. i try to limit the varity of hardware i use/buy, but if it comes down to it, i have Oregon Leather in town that i can easily make a trip to to see if they have the hardware i dont want to buy in quantity.

you can buy from EBay too, but if you dont know whats what in tools, you can end up buying broke/wornout tools and not know it. of course if the seller will take them back, it may help, but then again, whos paying for shipping back and forth.

you can also try Craigslist and see what comes up. also, local garage/estate sales. also if you have any tack/leather shops, checkout their bulletin boards.

some community colleges offer leatherwork courses and you can try/ask where they get their tools from too.

Great advice! I appreciate it. I have started my first collar. It turned out ok, but my staining was a little streaked and looked blotchy. I'm guessing the blotchy could be from the leather maybe?

I'm still trying to find the best place to buy concho's at. Just searching on the net. A lot of them seem to be the same exact thing, just different prices. So far Zack White seems cheapest and Tandy don't seem bad.

[Art]

First off, don't chase the price of things, get what you need to do the job and get the look you want. On your staining, during the manufacturing process, you will get oils and other things on the leather, from your hands and handling. You need to deglaze or remove this. In particularly hard cases, some heavy duty deglazer like Ethyl Acetate may be needed, but for everyday stuff, DEA (denatured ethyl alcohol, by the gallon from Wally World paint department < $10) will do the trick. Rub the leather down good with the alcohol to remove oils and open the pores. I cut my dyes (Fiebing's Pro oil dye) as much as 50% with DEA as I think the dyes are way too strong right from the bottle. I keep my dyes in a gallon jug and pour them into a plastic dish pan/sweater box/plastic pail and then flood the project with a sponge wrapped in an old t-shirt (the alcohol in the dye will take the sponge apart in no time, here again a cheap plastic sponge, not a real one). Just keep flooding the dye on until it is a dark as you want, you can always do more, you can't take it off. After you have your color, wipe down with another t-shirt and hang to dry for at least overnight in a dry place, in New England or Florida (and most places in between) you may want to go longer, in Arizona, 4 or so hours may be enough to get it dry. Now your project will have some residual dye stuff (micro particles) that you need to buff off thoroughly before you put finish on like Tan-Kote, Bag-Kote, Pecard's, Montana Pitchblend, or products like Neat-Lac (now Clear-Lac).

Use plastic gloves when dyeing, but use the ones without the grippers on the fingers, they can leave marks on the leather when it is wet. If grippers are all you can get, handle gingerly or by the edges.

Ethyl Acetate will go through cheap plastic or surgical gloves like the salts went through the widow woman, so use the heavy duty kitchen gloves, you can use the same pair again and again, and beware of the grippers.

Only us old farts will know the salts and the widow woman reference, it is just endemic or my metaphoric style of prose.

Art

Great advice! I appreciate it. I have started my first collar. It turned out ok, but my staining was a little streaked and looked blotchy. I'm guessing the blotchy could be from the leather maybe?

I'm still trying to find the best place to buy concho's at. Just searching on the net. A lot of them seem to be the same exact thing, just different prices. So far Zack White seems cheapest and Tandy don't seem bad.

[$$hobby]

Great advice! I appreciate it. I have started my first collar. It turned out ok, but my staining was a little streaked and looked blotchy. I'm guessing the blotchy could be from the leather maybe?

I'm still trying to find the best place to buy concho's at. Just searching on the net. A lot of them seem to be the same exact thing, just different prices. So far Zack White seems cheapest and Tandy don't seem bad.

im not sure how you are dying your leather, but i try not to use the swab method unless they are small parts. ie, like keepers. i do all/most of my dye jobs by dunking them in trays. Go to your local thrift shop/goodwill/garage sale and look for some backing pans and such. i have several sizes on hand depending on the size of the project. to me, dunking is better since you can almost always get a good uniform color. now sometimes, depending on the color, you can get some streaking or light spots but for the most part its not bad. fyi, if you use a dark color in the pan like black, make sure you clean it good before you put in a lighter color. i use IPA Isopropyl Alcohol to clean my pans/containers. you can try/use whatever you want tho.

on my leather i havent had any issues with having to clean it before i dye them. for the most part my supplier, keeps their leather area clean.

with regards to the conchos, there arent alot of choices out there. you can look at your local shops for close out and such. i really dont use them that much, so i dont pay that much attention. if youre really handy, make/design your own. i know our local community colleges offers classes in jewlery making and such.