Members Eaglestroker Posted April 8, 2015 Members Report Posted April 8, 2015 A friend who also happens to be my brother-in-law comes in 2 nights a week and does 8 hours of edges. With belts especially it is a major help and I work production around it to utilize it the best of my abilities. I average 40 hours a week as a second job and my wife also helps from time to time. What's sleep? Quote
Matt T Posted April 8, 2015 Report Posted April 8, 2015 It sounds like it's time to start charging more for your work. Either that or hire some help. Exactly! Quote Leathercraft supplies
Members Joon1911 Posted April 9, 2015 Members Report Posted April 9, 2015 Out of curiosity, what does 80 hours a week as a professional equal out to as far as output? Meaning about how many holsters does that 80 hours translate to per week if you don't mind sharing. I've always been curious how many holster you can make doing this as a profession. For those of you who are doing this as a business, how many hours are you working a week? I'm asking because I've been averaging 80 hours a week since the start of the year*, and it's beginning to take a toll. All that time bent over a workbench is starting to have negative effects on my neck and back. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be busy, and I'm thrilled that people seem to like my work, but it's getting difficult to maintain this pace. I extended my wait time a bit recently (I didn't want to do it, but something's got to give), so I'm hoping that will help make things a little more manageable. * I've only been tracking my exact hours for about 2 months, but my daily schedule hasn't changed since late December/early January. Quote "Make every product better than its ever been done before. Make the parts you cannot see as well as the parts you can see. Use only the best materials, even for the most everyday items. Give the same attention to the smallest detail as you do to the largest. Design every item you make to last forever." -Shaker Philosophy of Furniture Making
Members BHPshooter Posted April 10, 2015 Author Members Report Posted April 10, 2015 Out of curiosity, what does 80 hours a week as a professional equal out to as far as output? Meaning about how many holsters does that 80 hours translate to per week if you don't mind sharing. I've always been curious how many holster you can make doing this as a profession. Last week, I finished 8 holsters, and I'm on track to finish 10 this week. Keep in mind, I have no clicker press or dies, so I'm cutting everything out by hand, and I'm also doing all of my edge slicking/burnishing by hand. I can tell you all about tendonitis. I'm looking into ways to speed up the edge work specifically -- I think that's my biggest time investment. Seeing as you are in Utah, you might could get a couple. I'm not sure I can afford one! As long as we're making jokes... Be careful when you're asking a prospective wife about her interest in leather. That could go in a really awkward direction. Quote
Members jwt Posted April 10, 2015 Members Report Posted April 10, 2015 You're hand burnishing? 1. Charge the next 25 people $25 above your current rate 2. After you hit order #25 tell people that you're not taking new work for two weeks 3. Call Weaver and order 65-6025 and whatever accessories they have for it 4. Relax until your new burnishing tool shows up 5. Charge everyone else you deal with an extra $12.50 to help offset the cost of your new hobbies Quote
Members steelhawk Posted April 10, 2015 Members Report Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) The Weaver machine looks great. There is also a similar one offered by Cobra Steve. I can't afford either and have been using home made ones in a drill press. But I have wanted better ones for awhile. I have seriously considered getting something from either leatherburnishers.com or proedgeburnishers.com and will order one of them as soon as I get a bit more of the green stuff. I'm in UT not CO so green stuff only means dollars. Eric Adams, Particle on this site, uses the pro edge ones. Edited April 10, 2015 by steelhawk Quote www.bearriverholsters.com
Members DuaneBallard Posted April 10, 2015 Members Report Posted April 10, 2015 I made one with an old craftsman table saw motor mounted on a Harbor freight stand. Drum sander on one shaft and a burnisher off eBay on the other side. Less than 100$ and it rules. Quote
Members steelhawk Posted April 10, 2015 Members Report Posted April 10, 2015 I looked at making my own using a swamp cooler motor, $89 new. It's 1750 rpm which is the right speed, I believe. Quote www.bearriverholsters.com
Contributing Member JLSleather Posted April 10, 2015 Contributing Member Report Posted April 10, 2015 Just the facts ..... 1.) There is no "right" speed for a burnisher. Without a bunch of long-winded math, the 2" diameter stick is 'traveling" at 2.7 times as fast as the 3/4" burnisher -- though it's rotating (running) at the same speed. Yes, really. 2.) I've used a number of burnishers, from oak dowel rods to plastic to nylon to bone to cocobolo (which is certainly the purdiest of these). I can't tell where the name on it makes any difference at all. Quote "Observation is 9/10 of the law." IF what you do is something that ANYBODY can do, then don't be surprised when ANYBODY does.
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