How to make leather goods videos

[RockyAussie]

How many people here want to make money making leather goods?

How many people here would like to see a range of video’s on How to make leather goods .......Profitably?

I’ve seen plenty that show me how to make stuff unprofitably so I do stress the word Profitably.

To be clear as I can, what I am saying is that the videos would be along the line of how to make leather goods Quickly and Efficiently and also with some basic manufacturing machinery.

I ask you these questions as I would like to know what sort of a market there would be in making and selling in some form or another, video’s and associated patterns and supplies etc.

Not much point making detailed video’s and stuff if there is no interest .......is there???

For anyone here that does not know the type of products I produce please check my website link –

https://wildharry.com.au/

And another place that would give you some more would be here by visiting my profile page and looking through the “about me” section which shows a long list of tutorial type posts of things I make.

If you are interested please say so..... 

[Matt S]

Brian I would be very interested, as I am with everything you post. Profitability is one of the things I struggle with.

[JLSleather]

1 hour ago, RockyAussie said:

I would like to know what sort of a market there would be in making and selling in some form

I LIKE an honest guy.  SO many videos offering to "help" you, or "partner with" you, and "be there for you"... as you learn something in leather.  For a price  

To have a guy just come on out and say "I would like to know what sort of a market there would be in making and selling in some form" is REFRESHING.  Guess my level of interest would depend on the subject matter.  We aint got too many salty crocs in Iowa, but some the principles be the same surely.

So are you talking about "leather" videos, or "production" videos?

 

 

[chrisash]

Well i am 100% hobby and will never ever be selling or setting up a production run, BUT (there is always a but) I would be really interested in learning how you do it, if nothing else it keeps my little grey cells alive, or whats left of them

[billybopp]

I think that a video series on profitably making leather goods would be awesome!  For now, I'm a hobbyist, and mostly make gifts for friends and family.  I've sold a few items and had a few commissions, which is rewarding but not really profitable.  That said, I can see a time in the future where I may use leather goods as a supplemental income after I retire.  At that point, profitability will be much more important.  So yes!  Please!!  

- Bill 

[RockyAussie]

15 hours ago, JLSleather said:

We aint got too many salty crocs in Iowa, but some the principles be the same surely.

So are you talking about "leather" videos, or "production" videos?

Yeah the principles are mostly the same normally but I would be focusing more on the more average cow leathers I think. In answer to your question above I am talking about production type videos. In one of my earlier posts I made a video that was aimed at showing off a line up device that I made and use everyday when making up wallets,purses and bags and a whole lot of other things. In this video you can see some techniques in action that allow me to make up wallets like these in a 30 to 45 minute time frame start to finish. The post I am referring to - 

  What I see often is cut down videos that if you were to follow them would take you over a day to make. In one case yesterday I see a plain leather drink coaster that has been hand stitched and for sale at over $83 au. Although some would pay to see a video on how he does this I argue that none of this is real world. To quote myself above "how to make leather goods Quickly and Efficiently and also with some basic manufacturing machinery" is what I am talking about. 99.9% of the market are not going to buy this product at that price and if you could make a comparable product (not hand stitched) in 5 minutes or less and sell it at a more marketable price why would you not do that? I am NOT saying that every thing has to be made cheap and sold cheap either but if you are crazy enough to think a drink coaster that is hand stitched is going to outlast a coaster that is machine stitched and that is why it is worth paying over 10 times the difference in price then I have to say my video's are not for you. Most of my work is based on making leather goods profitably as I can and I don't see that I would have time to teach anybody how to do it any other way. This is a picture of a wallet out of my every day range that takes 30 to 45 minutes to make.

 

 

[chrisash]

That makes a lot of sense, though I think many diehards would not invest in stock or marketing,

[Gymnast]

I am interested, in this subject. However I do not have the skills in leatherwork needed. But I could help on some specific technical issues.

I did a few videos myselves, and almost nobody choose to see them. So I would like to know more about how to make people interested.

Some youtubers make a living making videos. So this is perhaps another perspective on this subject.

[JLSleather]

8 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

I am NOT saying that every thing has to be made cheap and sold cheap either but if you are crazy enough to think a drink coaster that is hand stitched is going to outlast a coaster that is machine stitched and that is why it is worth paying over 10 times the difference in price then I have to say my video's are not for you.

Careful, you soundin' like me   https://www.jlsleather.com/hand-made-well-made One sensitive little @!@$! used to be on this site a bit, got all mad and bitchy when I pointed out that taking a piece of leather, "hand sewing' around the edge, and calling it a "guitar strap" does not make it worth $100 (okay sure - Mom will buy one for that price).  Unless it belonged to Elvis, I can get that same thing in any music store for $20 U.S.

But I guess I'd not be in the videos.  Since you asked, I'll briefly mull over why that is.  Your video with the wallets (above) shows some useful info.  But it's extreme for what I do.  Though we don't see her move the "fence' or "rail" or "stop" (or what ya call it over there) between 'rows', i 'get' the idea.  That would certainly be useful to have somebody building those, just follow the guides - not a lot of training time involved.  But I don't have employees, or any desire to have any (been there, and NEVER agin).  But I could see benefit of somebody ELSE making that type of thing.. I DO think there would be a market for WELL MADE leather wallet "innards" you could put in place and go.  I would buy them, but I'm not high-output enough to justify doing it OR be a good customer for the guy doing it.

I used to make alot of that style of wallet, though mine were usually tooled leather.  Well, 'a lot" meaning dozens, not thousands.  I'd make liners much like yours about 10-12 at a time... set them in a box on a shelf - and when somebody ordered a wallet (yes, usually just one at a time) I carve and color, then sew in the liner which is already done.  So I get the "prep" thing of it.  I did enough "pre-season" so I didn't have to rush around, swapping out tooling and space to go from wallet to liner and back.  Usually worked.

Meanwhile, I guess that puts me somewhere in between.  I try to do all the sewing I need to do with black #277 thread before changing the spool.  Holsters, belts, cases,.. don't matter. If it gits 277 black, nows the time.  Then switch to next thread i have projects waiting on.  Occasionally get "caught" and have  to swap out to get one done on schedule, but usually best practice.

And I don't have or want the SPACE to store 100's of finished goods.  But when somebody orders a holster, I generally make TWO - thus not in that same predicament in a week.

For me, maybe should spend my money on more DIES than videos.  SO many people love to watch a video, so they can tell theyself they're "working".. but really they just finding an excuse to not get up and DO IT. 

[I recently enrolled in a gym - well, wife signed me up really.  More older folk than I remember from gyms in the past.  The favorite "exercises" for overweight older men?  bench press and 4-player racketball.  Sounds good?  Uh, no.  Bench press - "you mean I get to LAY DOWN and call it exercise?@!" and 4-player in a small court means everybody has a reason not to move much at all]

[JLSleather]

Having said all that, lemme also say this. Your videos may be a step UP on most of what is "out there".  ACTUAL INFO... not just some "look at me, look at me" cheap marketing crap, showing me the same thing 100 other videos already show (ughh.. HOW MANY videos say "may not be THE way, but this the way I do it...", and then do exactly what 100 others did ?@!$!).

So, I might watch one, er two, depending on content stated.  I wouldn't be interested in any "subscription".  Course, I'm that guy... if I like it, I will SAY that.  ANd if I don't like it, I say that too.

 

[chrisash]

Production was something I considered, but found out with a limited pension it was to much of a risk so never followed it up

I had identified a market for girls and horses in the UK, where many girls are mad keen on riding and buy anything that is connected to horses, my idea was to make belts for them with embossed patterns for wearing with jeans and sold through tack shops in the region of £30 each to the shop and £40-45 retail

The embossing wheels would be made by Sergey Neskromniy at just over £120 each

in brass and about £600 for the belt embossing press plus a tool for the belt holes and end cuts say a total cost of just over £1000 plus leather and fittings

Half a dozen designs on maybe two sizes of belt width

Quite a easy market well defined and selling only by tack shops so that potential copiers would not see the designs and copy to sell on EBay or Etsy etc undercutting me

Anyway its not for me but think how many you could turn out in a day doing just say 10 belts at a time with everything setup so they all did the same task at the same time

Anyone wanting the idea is welcome to have it , all the tack shops i visited were happy to buy the stock

I imagine for Americans there must be a massive market for 1911  pancake holsters at a good price

[toxo]

For most people working with leather, profitability is a mysterious dim light at the end of a very long tunnel. As a retiree leather work appealed to my constructive nature as something that I can do as I slow down. Even as a newbie I've already laid out more money than I'm gonna get back any time soon and as much as I'd like to I can't justify spending what would be substantial outlay for a say a skiving machine. Don't get me wrong, I like profit as much as the next man but I also like to work at my own pace. There should be lots of younger guys with drive that will benefit from what your trying to do but they'll have to have the space and the money to invest in stock and machinery.

[JLSleather]

3 minutes ago, toxo said:

For most people working with leather, profitability is a mysterious dim light at the end of a very long tunnel.

I think that's the issue he's attempting to address.  THAT ALONE makes any video in that direction UNLIKE what is currently available. Most videos (I don't say all because i haven't seen all) DELIBERATELY drag out a simple idea in an attempt to "baffle you with BS"... standard cheap trick marketing.  Longer we can get you to sit there staring at some pointless, nearly useless pictures, the more "ads" and "commercials" we can stick in there. And the more time your competition is getting something accomplished and you are not.

I've seen quite a few "holster videos" (the quotes because THEY called it that, even if I wouldn't call it that).  One effeminate "leather guy"... made an HOUR AND A HALF video about making a holster.. which covered the information in Stohlman's "how to make holsters" book, ONE HALF of what is on PAGE 6.  Hmmm.. lemme see... I can pay for a video (or more ignorant, a SUBSCRIPTION to videos) and sit for HOURS of NOT doing leather stuff, or i can download a free e-book, use the money I didn't spend on the CARNIVAL SHOW to buy LEATHER, and actually get some EXPERIENCE ... 

So, I'm the 'NOT VIDEO' guy - according to some who pretend to pay attention - but I'm ALL FOR somebody offering USEFUL INFORMATION for those who want it.

[chrisash]

Must say I am the opposite, at seventy I wanted to learn something new and took on two challenges, one 3D Printing the other make some leather goods

I have watched hours of Nigel Armitage Vimeo pack and whilst i don't yet, use much of it , i have learnt a hell of a lot and far more than from a book or two

To learn 3D, I had to learn Fusion 360, and again there are masters on the subject from fusion, teaching you every step on how best to learn and use it

Learning can be by doing it yourself the hard way, or doing that as well as taking assistance by any means to make your knowledge far better

There is no right or wrong just your own prefered route, but if you run a business then time is very very expensive money

[JLSleather]

I was just making the point that if I spend an hour and a half watching a video of some unlearned fish (pronounced Dumb Bass) trace around a gun with a pencil, SOMEBODY should shoot me, cuz I've clearly lost the good sense to do it myself.

I lack time to do that, and if I had the time, I'd lack the patience for it anyway.  I'm typing all this because I'm at home today and kids are asleep, so I can't make a bunch of noise just yet. 

With that... I give the topic back to @RockyAussie -- Im out

 

[RockyAussie]

Thanks to you all that have given me your feed back on this question. I am sorry to say that the interest level is less than I expected. That's alright and I'm glad I asked before I blew too much time and effort and $$$ into this idea. Doing your homework always pays off. Given the amount of people that follow me here on L.W. and that my posts don't pretend to represent myself as anything other than a leather goods manufacturer, I mistakenly thought that there would be more people interested in gaining the experience of how to do what I do. I would have loved to know all of the techniques I've developed over the years when I was a lot younger and I realise that  experience would have saved me many thousands $$$ in mistakes and slow processing and as well have made many $$$$ more into my pocket instead. I have to admit when I found L.W. I was looking for more of a manufacturing related forum hoping to swap notes and techniques etc but could not find it then or now either. I guess some here like @Matt Sare looking for similar but for whatever the reason very few others here are. Thank you @Gymnast for your kind offer of help and I would especially like to thank @JLSleather for articulating so well your thoughts that in so many ways correspond with my own. Billybop, Chrisach and Toxo Thanks for your comments and I will do my best when time allows to try and get a few vids done here and there.

For now I think my next one will be how to do a join in shock cord to make a pulley belt. Try and find out how to do that on you tube . My edging machine belt finally threw it in last week

My emergency replacement (2mm shock cord with a knot)

Here I have stretched out some 4mm cord and peeled it back and stuck the rubber together

Success at last and so far it shows good and strong after a couple of full days in use.

Next one should look better I reckon.

[Chain]

Sounds something similar to what dieselpunk.ro is doing
He designs and sells the patterns, along with a video tutorial for the pattern and has a Facebook support group.
 

[JLSleather]

Truth be told,  you're probably accomplishing more each week than many "leather workers" really care to do at all.  Many of them, I suspect, retired from or are still currently at jobs where they got a check simply because they were there, "clocked in".  Actual operation, maintenance, work flow, material acquisition, inventory, cash flow.... all somebody else's problem.  Which is why they are there.  And if the place caught fire, their biggest "worry" was who will be supplying them with money next week   

As such, I'd dare say many just don't "get" the idea of having machinery, much less "figgerin" how to replace a broken belt that isn't available over the counter.  Necessity the mother of invention, I guess -- and many Americans don't see the point of actual work if somebody is already giving you money anyway. [The midwest American farmer an EXCEPTION, I stand on my feet when I meet that guy and shake his hand].  Lemme guess... you machined those pulleys in the pic yourself?

But, your topic was not without value (did me some good).  You are to be commended for making the offer.  Not to mention that's a NICE lookin' wallet back a bit.

[toxo]

The one thing that's not been mentioned is "what market is there for what I'm making". Most people could find a small market for a niche product say for example an archery arm brace but it's no good spending big money on the right tools to make 1000 arm braces a week if you're only selling 3/4.

Now if your contacts were big enough to be able to say "invest in the equipment and I will guarantee to take what you don't sell at minimal markup", that's win win.

[chrisash]

Out of interest did you scarf the joint or just edge to edge, I imagine scarfing would give more strength, but hey if it works

[Lfrog]

I would have subscribed to your "production" tutorials. I am not getting into leather work for therapeutic reasons or to pass some time, we are here to make money  (is that allowed?). 

I have purchased machinery with the sole intention of being able to produce volume of a good quality in the shortest possible time frame. 

If you could post some snippets RockyAussie from time to time, I for one would most appreciate it.

 

 

[Sangrati]

5 hours ago, toxo said:

The one thing that's not been mentioned is "what market is there for what I'm making". Most people could find a small market for a niche product say for example an archery arm brace but it's no good spending big money on the right tools to make 1000 arm braces a week if you're only selling 3/4.

Now if your contacts were big enough to be able to say "invest in the equipment and I will guarantee to take what you don't sell at minimal markup", that's win win.

Now, I have  a thought. Why not have some sort of co operative association, where design, process standardisation and production can be optimised and then a market place where all this work can be sold in quantities. I am talking about an echo system where different people contribute and create value and reap the benefits.

Don't know how much relevant what I speak is.

Regards

Sangrati

[Scoutmom103]

I love your video's and all the information that you share.   Not sure that I'll ever be doing more  production type of work.  I do love all the ways that you create what you need or ways to improve the process and the production process.  Then I do love hardware stores and go on many bunny trails when I am in them.  My Dad looks at ways to make what he needs from common products, etc.

 

[RockyAussie]

I'm thinking that I will do a post along the line of what machinery would be advisable to have as a leather goods manufacturer regardless of whatever type of goodies one may want to produce. Most like myself start off small with very little and make a lot of mistakes $$$$$ in what machinery they can get to do a job. Then the jobs evolve and the product range broadens and undergoes design changes and that machinery needs to be able to handle these changes as well. Because I do more crocodile skin products than any one else in Australia I have to provide a very broad range of products compared to most manufacturers and do it at a higher standard and at a price that can be done within Australia which as far as I know is about the dearest labour market in the world. This means that for myself the machinery costs may seem expensive at times but the labour costs would be impossible with out it. Many Asian countries that I have to compete with often have trouble in the opposite ways. A glue gun I use here costs say $50 and wears out every 2 years or so and labour costs over $1000 per week. In Bali when last I looked the labour was about $25 per week so that glue gun might be 2 weeks wages. In my world that glue gun would be $2000 and therefore I would be gluing 5 times slower without it and still be in front in $ terms. Gets complicated staying in front. My wife and I and a couple of part time staff = 1, pump out normally a few hundred to a thousand products a week here, where often in these countries a person would often have less than 1/10 of that capacity. They in dollar terms are still in front EXCEPT they can NOT be branded MADE IN AUSTRALIA or USA etc. (marketing is a factor) The machinery and techniques I use thankfully often mean that the quality is higher and more consistent and that is something that my customers require. That rightly does not stop them trying the lesser cost alternatives at times but it is funny and pleasing somewhat  when they embarrassingly show back up wanting me to try and fix the messed up products and get me back on board with them. 

2 hours ago, Sangrati said:

Now, I have  a thought. Why not have some sort of co operative association, where design, process standardisation and production can be optimised and then a market place where all this work can be sold in quantities. I am talking about an echo system where different people contribute and create value and reap the benefits.

Don't know how much relevant what I speak is.

Regards

Sangrati

In a world wide forum like this I think that would present a large challenge but within individual countries perhaps it could work.

7 hours ago, Lfrog said:

I would have subscribed to your "production" tutorials. I am not getting into leather work for therapeutic reasons or to pass some time, we are here to make money  (is that allowed?). 

I have purchased machinery with the sole intention of being able to produce volume of a good quality in the shortest possible time frame. 

If you could post some snippets RockyAussie from time to time, I for one would most appreciate it.

 

 

I look forward to your input as well and would like to know what machinery you have at present and what type of products you are thinking of producing. If you do not already follow me here do so as I tend to focus my posts in this direction.

7 hours ago, chrisash said:

Out of interest did you scarf the joint or just edge to edge, I imagine scarfing would give more strength, but hey if it works

No it is a but join.The rubber part is cut as neat and square as possible the a drop of super glue does that part. Scarfing would make the join less flexable to the tight bends in the pulley. It can be stretched out to pull the cover back over and glued and trimmed. This helps to minimise the swell of the overlap. I will do a video and post sometime soon.

 

8 hours ago, toxo said:

The one thing that's not been mentioned is "what market is there for what I'm making". Most people could find a small market for a niche product say for example an archery arm brace but it's no good spending big money on the right tools to make 1000 arm braces a week if you're only selling 3/4.

Now if your contacts were big enough to be able to say "invest in the equipment and I will guarantee to take what you don't sell at minimal markup", that's win win.

Finding the market I found very early on is fairly simple really. "what market is there for what I'm making" I think is the wrong way in business to think as what I found works is take some product to the potential buyers and ask them what they would buy. I started off making some purses I (I) thought were great in design and eventually had to accept that the direction my credit card slots would sell better in the upright direction rather than the other direction. Also found that they wanted thinner material lining in the pockets. Many of these designs are still selling better many years later than most of the customers own designs they pay me to put into production. Do your homework well and do not listen to only 1 or 2 customers ideas before committing... make up prototypes and get orders for them first. After that investing in equipment is really a no brainer

 

12 hours ago, Chain said:

Sounds something similar to what dieselpunk.ro is doing
He designs and sells the patterns, along with a video tutorial for the pattern and has a Facebook support group.
 

I will have a look into that idea @Chain Thanks.

 

12 hours ago, JLSleather said:

Truth be told,  you're probably accomplishing more each week than many "leather workers" really care to do at all.  Many of them, I suspect, retired from or are still currently at jobs where they got a check simply because they were there, "clocked in".  Actual operation, maintenance, work flow, material acquisition, inventory, cash flow.... all somebody else's problem.  Which is why they are there.  And if the place caught fire, their biggest "worry" was who will be supplying them with money next week   

As such, I'd dare say many just don't "get" the idea of having machinery, much less "figgerin" how to replace a broken belt that isn't available over the counter.  Necessity the mother of invention, I guess -- and many Americans don't see the point of actual work if somebody is already giving you money anyway. [The midwest American farmer an EXCEPTION, I stand on my feet when I meet that guy and shake his hand].  Lemme guess... you machined those pulleys in the pic yourself?

But, your topic was not without value (did me some good).  You are to be commended for making the offer.  Not to mention that's a NICE lookin' wallet back a bit.

All too true .... Thanks for the compliments. They can make it worth doing.  

[RockyAussie]

1 hour ago, Scoutmom103 said:

My Dad looks at ways to make what he needs from common products, etc.

Makes getting spare parts when you need them a whole lot easier and cheaper as well.