First trade as a leather worker

[KingsCountyLeather]

I’m working on a building site with about 20 or 30 workers. One of the workers made a wheel trolly to carry doors around the site for installation. I asked him to make me something similar for transporting rolls of flooring and I’d make him a couple of belts. We agreed I’d supply the materials and he’d do the labour. I was very happy with the trolly he made me! 

I handed him these belts in a paper bag this morning just before 10 am break and thought he’d bring them into the canteen and show the other workers what I had made and maybe get a few Ooo’s and Aww’s and maybe someone else might want to buy one sometime? Noo...

he didn’t even look in the bag! Went straight to his car and left the bag there. No one will see them! And I did a really good job with them too. 

Anyway I’ll put pictures up here and see if anyone can cheer me up and give me some Ooo’s and Aww’s ? 

[Ferg]

Well, you done a nice job on the belts. What is the material you have on the backside? You may have a problem with those not being sewn on the edges.

 

Ferg

[KingsCountyLeather]

2 minutes ago, Ferg said:

Well, you done a nice job on the belts. What is the material you have on the backside? You may have a problem with those not being sewn on the edges.

 

Ferg

Lol, Thanks Ferg. not a problem... It’s only a single piece of veg tanned, I just didn’t dye the back of the black one.

[DrmCa]

Nicely done! I'd wear the brown one any day and time.

[sheathmaker]

19 minutes ago, KingsCountyLeather said:

Lol, Thanks Ferg. not a problem... It’s only a single piece of veg tanned, I just didn’t dye the back of the black one.

But you did do a really nice dye job won the front.  No run overs on the back side.  That is just great.

 

Paul

Edited April 12, 2018 by sheathmaker

[KingsCountyLeather]

33 minutes ago, DrmCa said:

Nicely done! I'd wear the brown one any day and time.

Thanks.

most people I know want a black belt. I didn’t dye the back cause I find the dye sometimes stains if rubbed too much and I didn’t want it to damage clothes.

[KingsCountyLeather]

24 minutes ago, sheathmaker said:

But you did do a really nice dye job won the front.  No run overs on the back side.  That is just great.

 

Paul

Thanks,  I slicked the edges with water first and then run a dauber with black dye lightly over the edge, worked out well for me.

[bikermutt07]

Ooooooo and awwws here. They look great.

[KingsCountyLeather]

Just now, bikermutt07 said:

Ooooooo and awwws here. They look great.

Knew someone would do that!  Should have known you’d be first!  Thanks.

[alpha2]

Mutt beat me to it! OOOH, and AWWWWW! for sure. I'm liking that stitching pattern on the buckle fold. I'm going to try that tomorrow for possible inclusion in my repertoire. I usually stitch the full perimeter of the belts, but for when I don't, well, that would just be the cat's meow.

Jeff

[KingsCountyLeather]

3 minutes ago, alpha2 said:

Mutt beat me to it! OOOH, and AWWWWW! for sure. I'm liking that stitching pattern on the buckle fold. I'm going to try that tomorrow for possible inclusion in my repertoire. I usually stitch the full perimeter of the belts, but for when I don't, well, that would just be the cat's meow.

Jeff

You have to be fast tb beat Mutt! 

About copying the stitching pattern... I think there might be a copyright issue? I should ask the guy I stole it from.

Thanks!

[alpha2]

[battlemunky]

Pretty! I have a belt blank that has been intimidating me for a while that I really need to try and make my own pretty out of.

[KingsCountyLeather]

6 minutes ago, battlemunky said:

Pretty! I have a belt blank that has been intimidating me for a while that I really need to try and make my own pretty out of.

Well... You just go for it!  Don’t let that sucker beat you. 

show us a pic when kill it? 

Thanks.

[bikermutt07]

Great looking belts, King.

[YinTx]

Those are just awesome, man.  Someone gonna see them and like em.

Then there's the ol "Hey, I see you are wearing that belt I made!  Does it fit ok?" in a room full of folks...

YinTx

[KingsCountyLeather]

4 hours ago, bikermutt07 said:

Great looking belts, King.

Wow! Double credit from you? Thanks! (Even if it was a mistake) 

3 hours ago, YinTx said:

Those are just awesome, man.  Someone gonna see them and like em.

Then there's the ol "Hey, I see you are wearing that belt I made!  Does it fit ok?" in a room full of folks...

YinTx

I like that one! And I might use it too. Thanks.

[KingsCountyLeather]

Well, you all have certainly cheered me up to no end. Thank you all for your great comments. Ye are a great bunch of leather workers! Cheers. 

[Double Daddy]

Great work! As previously mentioned, you definitely deserve high praise for not getting black dye on the back side of that black belt...that stuff wants to migrate everywhere!

[Tugadude]

Yes, very nice indeed!  Nice decorative stitching element also.  I appreciate the oval holes.  Round is fine, but that is what you typically see so this gives the belt some degree of separation from the typical right off the bat.

Only problem I see, and it isn't really a problem per se, is the fact that when buckled, your ornate stitching becomes invisible.  So only the owner is going to know it is there.  It is a shame that the public will not see your good work.

[KingsCountyLeather]

9 hours ago, Double Daddy said:

Great work! As previously mentioned, you definitely deserve high praise for not getting black dye on the back side of that black belt...that stuff wants to migrate everywhere!

Thank you. I knew I was taking a chance before I dyed it but I had a really good shiny slick to the edge I also angled the dauber to the front side of the belt. I then used Gum Trag to finish off.  I’ve never left the back of a belt unfinished before, I wonder if there’s a downside to it?

[KingsCountyLeather]

5 hours ago, Tugadude said:

Yes, very nice indeed!  Nice decorative stitching element also.  I appreciate the oval holes.  Round is fine, but that is what you typically see so this gives the belt some degree of separation from the typical right off the bat.

Only problem I see, and it isn't really a problem per se, is the fact that when buckled, your ornate stitching becomes invisible.  So only the owner is going to know it is there.  It is a shame that the public will not see your good work.

Thanks.

All the belts I make have that stitch design ( I’ve made around 20 so far) I feel like it’s my signature design... even though I didn’t design it. I’m happy enough that the owner knows it’s there.

The only problem I see is I should move the design up a little toward the buckle to catch the end of the strap better. I don’t know why I didn’t see that before? Thanks again.

[charon]

+1 for the stitching pattern, I love it. I also think something like this can be your signature just like a makers mark. I make some belts too from time to time, it's the best selling item for getting some material costs back. What you also did really well is running that crease exact where the brown belt and the black edge meet. Brilliant idea it makes the belt look so much more professional. 

So oooh and awww from me too. Did you skive the part that gets wrapped around at the buckle or do you leave it as it is? 

[alpha2]

"The only problem I see is I should move the design up a little toward the buckle to catch the end of the strap better. I don’t know why I didn’t see that before? Thanks again."

I wouldn't worry about that. I've thought that too, and when moving it toward the buckle, I thought it was too tight on the heel of the buckle. I'd leave it.

Jeff

[KingsCountyLeather]

1 hour ago, charon said:

+1 for the stitching pattern, I love it. I also think something like this can be your signature just like a makers mark. I make some belts too from time to time, it's the best selling item for getting some material costs back. What you also did really well is running that crease exact where the brown belt and the black edge meet. Brilliant idea it makes the belt look so much more professional. 

So oooh and awww from me too. Did you skive the part that gets wrapped around at the buckle or do you leave it as it is? 

 for the oooh and awww. Thanks.

I only followed other leather workers process in their videos... I creased first, beveled the edge and burnished well with water and then applied the dye. Finished the edge with gum trag.

Oh if interested, I used a wooden creaser for the line. I have other creasers but this wooden one does a nice impression too.

Yes I skived the end from the buckle to about 1mm thick.

https://goo.gl/images/91gkLw