I Can't Leave Tandy Without Spending 100 Bucks

[AzShooter]

I had a customer ask for a black holster for their Walther PPQ 22.  I just ran out of USMC Black so I made another trip to my local Tandy.  I figured all I wanted was the dye but no...

Walking in the door they had a sale on 1/2 shoulders for $39 and  $49.  The salesman recommended 10 ounce for the king of lined holsters I make so I thought I'd give it a try.  That plus a 4 - 5 ounce liner should work perfectly.  I'm not worried about molding the holster because my design will have an open front and a tension screw to keep the gun in place.  

I also picked up another shoulder in 4 - 5 for the same project.   

That and a new utility knife and I'm out the door for just over $100.  Happens every time I go in there.  I like the place because the salesman is very good and so is the manager.

I finished the cutting and dying he customer's holster today.  Tomorrow I'll stitch it and bevel the edges for a coat of black edge coat.  

One thing I hate about black dye is that it bleeds until I coat it with Resolene.  I may do that before stitching so I don't get the dye all over my hands.  This one I made with 2 layers of 4 - 5 and will mold it with a blue gun I picked up.  A few more blue guns and I'll be all set.  At $50 each, I add a decent amount to my charging price.  

[Grumpymann]

.... I remember going in person to Tandy.......

[Tugadude]

10 hours ago, AzShooter said:

I had a customer ask for a black holster for their Walther PPQ 22.  I just ran out of USMC Black so I made another trip to my local Tandy.  I figured all I wanted was the dye but no...

Walking in the door they had a sale on 1/2 shoulders for $39 and  $49.  The salesman recommended 10 ounce for the king of lined holsters I make so I thought I'd give it a try.  That plus a 4 - 5 ounce liner should work perfectly.  I'm not worried about molding the holster because my design will have an open front and a tension screw to keep the gun in place.  

I also picked up another shoulder in 4 - 5 for the same project.   

That and a new utility knife and I'm out the door for just over $100.  Happens every time I go in there.  I like the place because the salesman is very good and so is the manager.

I finished the cutting and dying he customer's holster today.  Tomorrow I'll stitch it and bevel the edges for a coat of black edge coat.  

One thing I hate about black dye is that it bleeds until I coat it with Resolene.  I may do that before stitching so I don't get the dye all over my hands.  This one I made with 2 layers of 4 - 5 and will mold it with a blue gun I picked up.  A few more blue guns and I'll be all set.  At $50 each, I add a decent amount to my charging price.  

Yeah, not all stores are equal.  Some have very knowledgeable staff, and the one by me is very good.  They try to hire people with experience,  but you can imagine that it isn't very easy to do.

[PastorBob]

it's a little out of the way, but I really enjoy going to Springfield Leather Company.  They have a huge selection and are super friendly as well.  When I lived in Georgia, I frequented the Tandy there and they were also very knowledgeable.  I think it has to do with the love of the craft and their constantly learning as we are.

[Tugadude]

1 hour ago, PastorBob said:

it's a little out of the way, but I really enjoy going to Springfield Leather Company.  They have a huge selection and are super friendly as well.  When I lived in Georgia, I frequented the Tandy there and they were also very knowledgeable.  I think it has to do with the love of the craft and their constantly learning as we are.

I was there this past Saturday.  Love visiting.  Excellent people and I always find bargains.  I picked up some lizard skins for cheap.  Will make great inlays.

[Charley1]

Lucky enough to have 2 Tandys here. Closest (and smaller) is about 3 miles away, larger is about 10 miles. The lager store generally has a better selection of the leathers I use, the smaller store is handier when I run out of some hardware or die that I didn't order enough of online.  Generally good people working at both locations.

[DJole]

hey, I can help you with your addiction -- if you can't leave Tandy without spending 100 bucks, just bring no credit cards and only 50 dollars cash! That'll fix your problem, right there!

[Lobo]

On ‎5‎/‎31‎/‎2021 at 7:57 PM, AzShooter said:

I had a customer ask for a black holster for their Walther PPQ 22.  I just ran out of USMC Black so I made another trip to my local Tandy.  I figured all I wanted was the dye but no...

Walking in the door they had a sale on 1/2 shoulders for $39 and  $49.  The salesman recommended 10 ounce for the king of lined holsters I make so I thought I'd give it a try.  That plus a 4 - 5 ounce liner should work perfectly.  I'm not worried about molding the holster because my design will have an open front and a tension screw to keep the gun in place.  

I also picked up another shoulder in 4 - 5 for the same project.   

That and a new utility knife and I'm out the door for just over $100.  Happens every time I go in there.  I like the place because the salesman is very good and so is the manager.

I finished the cutting and dying he customer's holster today.  Tomorrow I'll stitch it and bevel the edges for a coat of black edge coat.  

One thing I hate about black dye is that it bleeds until I coat it with Resolene.  I may do that before stitching so I don't get the dye all over my hands.  This one I made with 2 layers of 4 - 5 and will mold it with a blue gun I picked up.  A few more blue guns and I'll be all set.  At $50 each, I add a decent amount to my charging price.  

A couple of thoughts:

1. Tandy is a specialty retailer, so the prices are at the upper end of the scale for most items. Opening an account with Springfield Leather Company (see banner ads) will allow you to purchase a greater variety of supplies and tools at significantly lower prices per unit.

2. Much of the leather (if not all of it) offered by Tandy is from imported hides so the quality may not be equal to the leathers from Hermann Oak or Wicket & Craig (the two major US tanneries). Springfield Leather can also help you with these needs, offering Hermann Oak as sides, shoulders, and even by the square foot at prices that are usually lower than Tandy's retail outlets. Also, no worries about hides from Mexico, South America, or parts of Asia where the use of animal urine and feces remains common in the tanning processes (YUCK! WE ARE MAKING PRODUCTS TO BE CARRIED NEXT TO THE BODY!).

3. Dyes are much more economical when purchased in larger quantities. A quart costs little more than the 4-oz. retail bottles, and gallons are much more economical. Also, purchasing in larger quantities helps to maintain a more consistent result (dyes vary a bit from lot to lot, I always liked to use a half gallon, then blend in half of the next gallon to keep my dye results as uniform as possible).

4. Rings Blue Guns, Duncan Customs, and other dummies are useful. But they are not available for all makes or models, and they have little resale value. Years ago I started purchasing the actual handguns when I needed to add something new to the product line. My thinking? (A) For a holster maker the costs are tax-deductible business expenses; and (B) quality firearms not only retain their value over the long term, but actually increase in value over the years.

Every time a new handgun model hits the market there will be demand for holsters, but dummy guns are seldom available until a new model has been on the market for a year or more, many are never offered as dummies, and dummy production stops as soon as a gun's market share declines. I was able to steal the march on several new handgun models, purchasing the new gun and getting it into holster production for months before many other makers were equipped to handle it. $500 for a gun to complete a single order is not smart, but $500 for a gun to complete dozens of orders, then still have the gun for future use and investment value is a pretty good business plan!

When I retired I had about 100 various handguns in several gun safes, and that has functioned very much like a retirement fund for me! Naturally, once a piece of business property or tooling has been fully depreciated the asset is assumed to have zero value, and upon sale the amount realized must be reported as a long-term capital gain for tax purposes (and we all know enough to be straightforward and honest on our tax returns, right?).

More ramblings from an old retired hide pounder.

[Lobo]

Another thought:

Opening wholesale accounts with suppliers usually requires little more than a FEIN (federal employer identification number, easily obtainable on-line from IRS) or a business sales tax license (local city or county authority). With those in hand you will find most wholesale suppliers happy to do business with you, and your per unit costs will drop by big margins (and margins are where we find PROFIT).

[YinTx]

On 5/31/2021 at 8:57 PM, AzShooter said:

One thing I hate about black dye is that it bleeds until I coat it with Resolene.

Fiebing's Pro Oil black dye, Hermann Oak leather, and I haven't had to buff a thing since then.  Oddly enough, the EcoFlo black doesn't seem to bleed on much of anything either for me.  YMMV.

YinTx

[Tugadude]

The biggest pain for me is getting home and then realizing there were things I saw that I wish I'd bought.  That happened this time for sure.

[Sheilajeanne]

My one comment on this is; "ONLY $100 bucks??"  

[jcuk]

On 6/3/2021 at 6:56 PM, Sheilajeanne said:

My one comment on this is; "ONLY $100 bucks??"  

Yes you cant even buy a posh coffee these days for that.