RetiredTom Report post Posted November 16, 2017 (edited) Thank you so much for the privilege of being a part of this group of talented and gifted individuals. I just started. I carved out a little hole in my garage to learn leatherwork. Here, I am among Masters, and I do not take that lightly. I will respect every tip, instruction and comment, even if it's, "Hey Tom, I think you need to step away from the leather and start welding". You guys have been there, done that and I'm just starting the journey. So, that said, I thank you in advance. I'm 60 years old, retired in 2015 with 30 years of service from Texas Department of Corrections. I was a Facility/Agriculture Maintenance Supervisor. Now, I hang pretty close to the house and care for my mother-in-law, who is 88, when my wife is at work. She moved in with us 14 months ago after she had a Stroke. I have a wonderful wife and an awesome son, 11 years old, and a daughter, halfway through nursing school. In closing, I like to look at the glass of life as "half full", and it's a beautiful glass. Tom Edited November 16, 2017 by RetiredTom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted November 16, 2017 Welcome aboard, Tom. My advice is to always start with small projects. Do several of the same item together. Think bracelets, collars, key chains. Anything that doesn't require lots of material. As you move thru each step you get to spend more time honing that skill. And if you botch a few, no big loss, just learn and keep going forward. I did twenty or so bracelets all at the same time. I started with a single shoulder and spent a month refining all the steps. A whole month of fun from just a shoulder. Of course this was after 2 years of botching one off items before someone suggested "do one thing, do it over and over until you get it right, then move on to the next thing". I wasted a lot of time, money, and frustration in the first 2 years. Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlexMayer Report post Posted December 4, 2017 On 16.11.2017 at 10:07 PM, bikermutt07 said: My advice is to always start with small projects. Agree on all points with bikermutt07. just one small remark: bracelets, collars and keychains in 99% might require hardware stuff like buckles, chains, rivets etc. I started with passport covers: here you need a square piece of leather and thread. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plinkercases Report post Posted December 4, 2017 Welcome to this exciting half of your glass. I happen to know there is a good market for well executed badge holder/wallets and especially if you have your connections in corrections and the LEO world. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted December 5, 2017 20 hours ago, AlexMayer said: Agree on all points with bikermutt07. just one small remark: bracelets, collars and keychains in 99% might require hardware stuff like buckles, chains, rivets etc. I started with passport covers: here you need a square piece of leather and thread. This is true. But you will also gain experience using the hardware as well. I believe batch work to be much less stressful. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
