tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19761007083437596732024-02-19T01:13:57.409-08:00Nate Dawg's Leather CraftThis is a place where you can learn about leather and not have to worry about a sales pitch. We are going to learn together the techniques and skills needed to be good at leather craft. Join me!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-90869236231292531342016-09-10T20:58:00.001-07:002016-09-11T06:49:17.248-07:00A taste of what's coming...Hello again! I thought I would post a short video I put together that shows snippets of some projects I've been working on. There is a lot more footage that I'm planning on working into some instructional videos that I'll post here. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-17477652189191026182016-08-21T18:44:00.002-07:002016-08-23T11:31:00.132-07:00New Stuff on the Store!Hey everyone, we have just put some new stuff up <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NateDawgs">on the store</a>. We are doing custom leather belts now! I'm excited about this because I know how difficult it can be for someone of my size to find a belt that works for them and won't fall apart in six months. <br />
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But you don't have to be a big guy like me to get a belt, you can get any belt you want. More pictures will be added soon. <br />
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I also just took some video of working on a cuff for the store and I will be putting that up soon. I also plan on doing how to videos for the leather belts as well. I'm looking forward to posting more soon. Check back soon and to see what we have in store. Thanks again!<br />
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Take Care!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-68155416447414899072016-08-15T19:51:00.001-07:002016-08-15T19:51:53.160-07:00We are OPEN for Business!Hello everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know that the shop is now <a href="http://natedawgs.etsy.com/" target="_blank">open for business again</a>. We currently are offering <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/88180445/custom-leather-cuff?ref=shop_home_feat_1" target="_blank">custom leather cuffs</a> and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/88004635/custom-leather-wallet?ref=shop_home_feat_2" target="_blank">custom leather wallets</a>. <br />
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More items are coming soon but I wanted to try and get us up and running as soon as possible. So come on over and <a href="http://natedawgs.etsy.com/" target="_blank">check us out!</a><br />
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<a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com" target="_blank">Drop us a line </a>if you have any questions. Take Care!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-49890710899667210152016-08-11T20:09:00.001-07:002016-08-11T20:09:23.188-07:00I'm Back Baby!The shop is coming back! I plan to have my workshop back up and running for the 2016 Christmas Season. I also plan on posting more here. <br />
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In a future post I will detail the long three year journey it has been since I had to step away from leather. But for right now I wanted everyone to know that we're coming back! I have a ton of great ideas for merchandise and I plan on detailing a lot of it here. And I've upgraded...want to see some videos? So I hope you check back at the end of August to see what's up. <br />
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More details to come...<br />
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Thanks everyone!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-18384024939948291132015-10-05T11:25:00.002-07:002015-10-05T11:26:29.614-07:00Letting My Nerd Flag FlyAnother quick post today. I was doing some research on putting together a "gamer" bag and came across the items below. They are "deck boxes" for collectible card games and I thought they were great. I will definitely be putting a few of these together myself once I get the shop back up and running. (Some for sale, and some for myself. I dabble in playing Magic the Gathering and these would be great for some of my decks.) <br />
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<a href="http://larpexchange.com/celtic-deck-box.html?gclid=CJ2Bm974q8gCFQuqaQodwygNSQ">http://larpexchange.com/celtic-deck-box.html?gclid=CJ2Bm974q8gCFQuqaQodwygNSQ</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/169994597/customized-leather-deck-box-deckbox">https://www.etsy.com/listing/169994597/customized-leather-deck-box-deckbox</a><br />
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As for the "gamer bag" I'm still working on the concept. It obviously is something that can be used by gamers for gaming stuff, or for regular daily stuff. I'll keep you posted on that. (By the way, if you are interested in this, drop me a line. Let me know what you would like to see in a project like this. I'd love to hear your ideas!) <br />
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Thanks again for dropping by! Any comments or questions, please send them on over to <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com">theslackjaw@gmail.com</a>. <br />
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Take Care!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-60227687153291012402015-09-03T18:30:00.000-07:002015-10-05T11:27:28.725-07:00You bet I'm back!Hello all!<br />
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I have missed you! Really, I have. I can't believe it's been so long. BUT, I've been toying with starting up here again. Admittedly I can't do much in the way of projects right now because my workshop is still a nursery. (Hopefully a move in a few months will take us to a new home that has more room for a proper workshop!)<br />
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That being said, I can still put some useful information and interesting leather related stuff. The entries will probably be short, definitely a novelty coming from me, but just something to keep some new content on here. <br />
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Today I wanted to point everyone into the direction of <a href="http://www.ianatkinson.net/" target="_blank">this guy</a>. His name is Ian Atkinson and he's across the pond over in the UK and MY GOD is his leather work phenomenal! I just love watching his videos. He is one of the best leather workers I've seen. He's got a store on his site as well as an Etsy store. Check him out. (His stuff doesn't come cheap but with the amount of work he puts in I don't blame him.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.ianatkinson.net/">http://www.ianatkinson.net/</a><br />
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As always drop me a line at <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com">theslackjaw@gmail.com</a> if you have any questions. It's good to be back!<br />
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Take Care!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-63849996678517501942013-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:002014-02-10T07:45:13.002-08:00SHOP NEWS! PLEASE READ!I have a couple of announcements to make. I was going to wait until after the holidays but we have reached the final deadline for orders for Christmas so I feel the sooner the better. First: In about five months I'm going to be a dad. I'm extremely excited/terrified which I understand to be normal. My wife is doing well and we can't wait to meet the little one. <br />
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Now onto my second announcement that is related and not as joyous. I am shutting down the store for a little while. I'm not sure when it's going to be back up again but for right now it can't be helped. The main reason for this is that my workshop is being turned into a nursery. We live in a small house with very little space so I'm a little out of options. I have a couple of ideas but for right now, with the little one on the way, me trying to get my voice acting career off the ground, and the kookiness of life something needs to give. <br />
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If you have orders placed I will fulfill those on the normal schedule and nothing will change with that. I plan on officially shutting down the store on December 24th. So you have until then to order anything you have been thinking about. That being said, if you would like to have something made AFTER I shut down the store, message me and we may be able to work something out. <br />
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I also will still be running the blog and the Facebook site so you will have a way to talk to me about leather if you are so inclined. I WILL STILL BE OFFERING LESSONS! Just so you are aware.<br />
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I want to take this opportunity before I close to thank everyone who has visited the blog or the store, like the Facebook page, and any who have bought something from me in the past. Your support means a lot to me. I'm not going away, just taking a little break until we can figure out a better set up. Thank you again and Take Care!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-53615950706445639352013-10-15T17:00:00.001-07:002013-10-15T17:00:09.349-07:00Another Way to Learn Leather Craft! -->LESSONS! <br />
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So over there on the right you may notice a new little section there. It is where you can order private leather crafting lessons! I can do these lessons via Skype or Facetime, whatever is easier for you. <br />
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You just need to select the length of the lesson, either a half an hour ($25) or an hour ($50). Then I just need to know what you would prefer, Skype or Facetime. <br />
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One quick note, please <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com" target="_blank">contact me</a> first before ordering so we can work out a time and what we are going to go over so I can be sure to be ready. <br />
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I really hope you like this, and if you are looking for a new way to learn leather, you have come to the right place. Thanks again for stopping by. As always, <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com" target="_blank">drop me a line. </a><br />
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Happy Crafting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-38000667159686797882013-09-29T09:00:00.002-07:002013-09-29T09:00:36.249-07:00Psst...We Are Having a Sale Hey everyone. Real quick, I just wanted to drop a line and let you know that we are running a sale for the month of October over on our <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NateDawgandBethylBug" target="_blank">Etsy Store</a>! Type in FALLFEST and get 20% off of your order! On top of that we have a lot of great new stuff on the store. So come check us out!<br />
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Thanks again for stopping by and as always <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com" target="_blank">drop me a line</a>! <br />
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Happy Crafting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-89000338367447581762013-09-18T09:23:00.000-07:002013-09-18T09:23:05.620-07:00We Have Entered the Terrible Two's and Shop NewsHello everyone. I just realized the other day that this <a href="http://natedawgsleathercraft.blogspot.com/2011/09/so-it-begins.html" target="_blank">blog</a><a href="http://natedawgsleathercraft.blogspot.com/2011/09/so-it-begins.html" target="_blank"> has been going for just over two years.</a> I had hoped it would last at least that long but I wasn't sure it would. I know it sounds cliched but if it wasn't for you guys checking out the site I would have given up awhile ago. Thank you for that.<br />
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In other, less sappy, news we have fired up the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NateDawgandBethylBug" target="_blank">store again</a>. Currently we are doing custom items, specifically the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/88180445/custom-leather-cuff?ref=shop_home_feat" target="_blank">custom cuff</a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/88004635/custom-leather-wallet?ref=shop_home_feat" target="_blank">wallet</a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/86068956/custom-journal-covers?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">journal</a>, or <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/105121559/custom-leather-bible-cover?ref=shop_home_feat" target="_blank">bible cover</a>. I'm going to be getting more stuff up on the store soon. Along with that I will be getting more stuff up here about actually making leather. Novel concept don't you think? Putting stuff about leather up on the leather blog. It's revolutionary.<br />
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I'm working on some new ideas for projects as well speak. I plan on having my time free up significantly in just about a month from now. What that means for this blog and my leather, I will have more time to work on it. <br />
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Well, that's all for today. As always, <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com" target="_blank">drop me a line</a> if you have any questions or comments. Thanks again and Happy Crafting! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-13758059133143061272013-08-22T09:03:00.000-07:002013-09-15T18:16:25.167-07:00A Perfect WorkspaceHello. I received an email this past week asking about work space and basic "getting started" questions. This led me to start thinking about, if I had unlimited resources and space, how would I set up my space.<br />
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First I would separate my space into three different sections. I would have a "measuring and cutting" area, a "tooling" area, and finally a "finishing and staining" area. This all seems pretty basic and self explanatory. <br />
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My "Staging" area would be where I work on patterns, measure and cut the leather, etc. Because of this it would have to be a bit larger than the other areas. This is especially helpful with larger projects and even belts as there is a need to spread out the leather. This also is the cheapest area to set up as I really only need one of those 6' x 3' craft tables from Wal-Mart. <br />
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The "Work Bench" is basically what I have right now. Which is 4' x 2' table with a peg board where I would do my tooling. This includes the marble slab to tool on and all the working tools I would need to make a project. <br />
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The "Finishing" area is where I would finish off the leather with dyes, stains, and other various chemicals. This area would ideally be set apart from other spaces to minimize any accidents. Notably spilling stain on another project or "overshooting" with the airbrush and hitting unrelated projects. This has happened to me more times than I would like to admit. I would have the airbrush set up here, blocking pieces to keep the stain contained and some sort of ventilation to keep me alive. That's important. This area can vary in size but my gut tells me the bigger the better.<br />
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It would also be nice to have various shelving to keep the unused leather and my finished projects organized. Obviously this would require two shelves, one for each, ideally separated, again to cut down on accidentally messing up the unused leather. <br />
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Well that about does it for my "dream workshop." I would set this up in a heartbeat but unfortunately I don't have the space right now. One day, when I have a garage I will be good to go. I have simple dreams. <br />
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That's all for today. Thanks again for stopping by and as always, <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com" target="_blank">drop me a line</a> if you have any questions or comments. I love hearing from you. And a special thanks to John for giving me the idea for this post.<br />
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Happy Crafting!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-92031752160676783852013-07-22T19:23:00.000-07:002013-09-15T18:02:03.008-07:00A message about copyrightHello all. <br />
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This post isn't directly about leathercraft but I do think it is a helpful thing to know about. Copyright law in the US (and I'll be speaking strictly in terms of the US as that is all I remotely familiar with) can seem a complicated thing. When you get right down to it, it is rather simple. If someone else came up with it, don't copy it. Where it gets complicated is in the details and interpretation. <br />
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Two quick notes here at the beginning.<br />
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1. I AM NOT A LAWYER. So please do not take any of this as direct legal advice. If you have questions seek professional help. Got it? Good. You may continue. <br />
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2. I'm speaking mostly in terms of if you are trying to sell your leather goods. If you are just a hobbyist making stuff for yourself, family, friends, or gifts then by all means go bananas. When you want to sell something though, then you are entering murky waters.<br />
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Sometimes copyright law is easy. Dave Matthews Band has a design called the "Firedancer" that has been the bands symbol almost since day one. Don't put that design on anything you make. Easy enough. Where it gets tricky is where the design isn't as recognizable or is basically just a doodle that is easy to unknowingly copy. Or if some came up with a bag design or wallet design then it is hard to know if you are infringing on their rights. Chances are, in that last example, you are fine as long as the bag is different enough. There is only so many ways you can stitch together a bag. <br />
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But to make it easier on yourself, if you know someone else came up with the design or the template, don't use it. Period. Now does that mean if you see a type of bracelet or wallet on Etsy or some other site and you want to make it for yourself that is fine. And if you make it and it gives you an idea on how to make a bracelet a different way then you have your own, new idea. (Here is where MY lawyer is requesting I add in again that you should NOT take any of this as legal advice. When in doubt, seek out a copyright lawyer and ask away.) <br />
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Why am I bringing this up? Well, two reasons. First I felt it something I should talk about and second it's because I'm a schmuck and didn't know this and almost got myself in deep water. Here is what happened:<br />
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I can't go into too much detail but basically a lot of what I was selling had logos of popular nerd culture icons. I was under the (FALSE) impression that if it is hand made, then you are not violating copyright law. (VERY FALSE) So I was knocking these leather goods out and making a (VERY) small amount of money in the process. Long story short, one of the companies that owned the copyright to one of the designs I was "borrowing" sent a cease and desist. Once I knew I was in the wrong I immediately halted all sale of copyrighted material and prayed that was the end of it. Apparently it was, as that was the last I heard of it. So lesson learned.<br />
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Now custom work is another story. If someone contacts you and wants you to put a design of copyrighted material on their custom item, that is territory I'm not familiar with. So again, if this happens, seek out a copyright lawyer. If I find out a definitive answer then I will update this post. <br />
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Well I wanted to get something on here since there has been such a long time since I have posted anything. I hope this was informative and as always, <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com" target="_blank">drop me a line</a>. <br />
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Happy crafting! <!------>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-1759231160538328552013-04-09T19:23:00.003-07:002013-04-09T19:23:36.267-07:00Time Flies . . . . . . while everything else goes crazy. I'm still here. I haven't fallen off the Earth. Not yet anyway. I just wanted to check in and let you know that I'm working on getting some things in here soon. How soon, well if you go by my current timeline, sometime around the tricentennial. <br />
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Kidding aside, I do have plans, they are coming, and I wanted to let you know what's up. The long and the short of it, I lost my "day" job. I was laid off and I had to scramble for another job. So I did thankfully. During all of this I also decided to pursue a passion of mine, voice acting. So all of this has been taking up my time and I haven't had time to break down and work with leather. But I haven't forgotten about you. I plan to try and post something once a month. And for those of you who are a fan of the Etsy shop, we aren't going away. I plan on putting some stuff up there too. I will keep everyone posted as things come up. <br />
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As always, thank you for sticking with me and <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com" target="_blank">drop me a line</a>. Take Care!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-29218682994860129552012-07-24T13:31:00.004-07:002012-07-24T13:31:46.626-07:00I promise I will get back to projects soon . . .With everything going on I haven't been working on leather as much as I would like. But we have put the store back together and we are having a Summer Sale to celebrate!<br />
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When you purchase anything from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/NateDawgandBethylBug">our store</a> in the next two weeks you can type either:<br />
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SUMMERFUN to get 25% off your entire order<br />
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or<br />
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SUMMERSAVINGS to get FREE SHIPPING<br />
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You just need to type those in the coupon code field. <br />
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Thanks for sticking with me and as always let me know if you have any <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com">questions</a>. <br />
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Happy Crafting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-45892370176368891442012-07-23T20:39:00.001-07:002012-07-23T20:39:40.990-07:00New Items on The StoreJust wanted to let you all know that we have put some new stuff on the store. As always, more to come. Thanks for reading!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-87729433445499218942012-06-29T11:42:00.001-07:002012-06-29T11:42:07.982-07:00When will Then be Now . . . . . . . .now actually.<br />
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The store is open! Currently there are only a few items on the store but that is going to change in the coming days. I also am working on a project that will be featured here and . . .elsewhere. More details to come. Thanks for sticking with me and I'm really excited about what's to come!<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/NateDawgandBethylBug">Our Store!</a><br />
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As always, <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com">drop me a line</a> if you have any questions. <br />
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Happy Crafting!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-34461846692248145662012-06-19T10:18:00.000-07:002012-06-19T10:18:15.299-07:00Coming Soon!Hello everyone! We are back from our vacation and settling back into normality. Well, relative normality, as my wife is still diligently looking for a job. She has a few nibbles at the line and we are waiting to hear if anything comes of them. In the mean time I'm working to start back up with this blog and the store. I'm not ready just yet to open the store back up but I'm working on it. I'm guessing we will be back open in a few weeks. <br />
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(NOTE: If there is a development in regards to a potential move or what have you this obviously will change the timeline. In any case I will make sure to keep everyone posted as to what is happening.)<br />
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One more thing before I let you go. I have something in the works that I'm really excited about. I still have to work out some kinks in the formula but if it works I think you all will really like it. Basically I came up with an idea that I really think could work. I may even get a "<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/">Kickstarter</a>" going to help build some capital. <br />
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As always, let me know if you have any <a href="mailto:theslackjaw@gmail.com">questions or comments.</a> Thanks again for sticking with me. You guys are awesome!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-35212993076469368552012-05-02T14:27:00.000-07:002012-05-02T14:28:26.858-07:00Some Rambling . . .Hello again. I figured since I have posted on our <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/NateDawgandBethylBug">Etsy Site</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nate-Dawg-and-Bethyl-Bugs/163010457119097">Facebook Page</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/NDandBB">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://plus.google.com/b/107103029079665491806/">Google+</a> page I should probably fill you guys in as well. . . .<br />
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Here is the deal. We put our site "On Vacation." It's a cute way of saying "Temporarily Closed." We are coming back though. Emphasis on temporary. In fact we are not really gone. I'm still here. I plan on being here for awhile. (You might not know it from my lack of activity on this blog but I am here. More on that later.) So if you have questions, thoughts, ideas, gripes, or whatever send them on to me and I will be happy to respond. For those of you wondering here is what is going on:<br />
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Life.<br />
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As I've said elsewhere this isn't a bad thing. On the contrary good things are happening. Basically my wife just finished grad school yesterday. We are all very excited for her but it made for a bit of a stressful go for a couple of months. Her constantly studying and me picking up slack (which I happily did) to make sure she could continue to study until her professors told her to stop. (Which considering she finished yesterday should be sometime in August.)<br />
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So her graduation ceremony is in two weeks. Family is coming into town and staying with us (so my leather shop will be someone's dresser for a week) and we have a lot planned for that. Not to mention a close friend of ours is also finishing Nursing School and is becoming and RN so there is a lot celebrating and alcohol consumption in our future. (For those that dislike alcohol I'll pretend it's root beer.) <br />
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That is the fun side of things but there is also a practical consumer of our time. Now my wife is in a search of a job. She is applying all over the United States. From what her "career counselors" in her grad program tell us, the busy interview time is also in the next three weeks. And considering she has applied to many positions already we are expecting (hoping) she starts to get calls for interviews. I'm sure you are asking what that has to do with my leather work. Putting aside all the family events in the near future (in addition to a real vacation that we are going on the first week of June) my wife is a big part of the store. Not only does she make stuff for the shop but she also handles a lot of the business side of things. While I'm OK at that part and can hold my own, it wouldn't be a good idea with all this stuff going on. I would not be able to give my customers the attention they deserve. I don't want to risk upsetting a customer just because I wanted to keep the shop open all year around. <br />
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Now if she gets a job near our home then I will be able to open the shop right after we get back from our real vacation and everything will be great. But if she gets a job that requires us to relocate then that will entail a whole new set of challenges. I didn't want to have 9 unfulfilled orders in the balance while we figure out how to move to Alaska or wherever. Why am I explaining myself? Because I feel you should know why I would do something like this. I want you to know that I had a good reason to put my shop on hold. <br />
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I also wanted to inform you of this because I thought I would pass along a little bit of my philosophy and the way I do things. In my "real" life I work for a great company. A phenomenal company really. A couple of years back they sent me on a seminar called "<a href="http://www.95share.com/">95 Share</a>." I could write up five to ten blog posts about this seminar but it was unlike any business seminar I have ever attended. I recommend it. To make a long story short the whole point of the seminar is to treat your customers, your coworkers, your employees, everyone you come into contact with right. Treat them right. Do right by them and they will do right by you. Don't tell them how great you are, show them. Simple concept. It works. When I started my shop I used this philosophy and it has worked. It generates more business but that is just a side benefit. (The guy that runs the seminar would argue with me on whether it is a side benefit thing or the whole point but stick with me.) It just makes you feel good. Even if the customer is driving you crazy with off the wall questions and requests when all is said and done, if you treated that customer right, then you feel good. So do they. It just works.<br />
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Shifting gears one last time I want to apologize for the lack of activity on the site here. About a month ago I received some bad news that disheartened me for a little bit. Nothing Earth shattering or anything. But it was bad news that directly related to my leather work. I can't get into details but ultimately it made me want to take a break from leather. I still filled orders and went through the motions but I had lost the desire to lock myself in my workshop and work on new ideas. This also aided in my interest in this blog. I do want to point out this has nothing to do with the current shop situation. The last few weeks I have wanted to get back into the workshop but I just haven't had the time. Every day the urge grows. So look out for more stuff. <br />
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Well I have rambled on long enough. Thanks for stopping by. As always, send me any questions you have and Happy Crafting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-76342420938415214762012-03-30T14:57:00.000-07:002012-03-30T14:57:15.576-07:00Quick Note About Our Etsy SiteJust wanted to let everyone know that we are restructuring how we post items on Etsy. It's a bit of a process as I am branching out into other types of projects other than my basic fare. This means that some items that you may have seen before are no longer on the site. I still will do custom items and I have a "Custom" listing for each type of item I sell. <br />
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I do have more projects coming and I just have to finish working out the kinks. (I plan to put up some posts in regards to these new items.) More to come soon.<br />
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As always, drop me a line if you have any questions. Have a great day!<br />
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Happy Crafting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-36153869343979693322012-02-23T11:36:00.000-08:002012-02-23T11:36:31.299-08:00AirbrushI have stumbled across a wonderful thing. I was perusing <a href="http://leatherworker.net/">Leatherworker.net</a> looking for ideas on how to treat leather (more on that later) and discovered a process that I have since tried and it works beautifully. <br />
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Airbrushing your dyes and finishes. Yes, it works. </div>
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I'm sure there are leather veterans who read this and scoff because they have been doing it for years. But for me it was a new idea and a very attractive one for a couple of reasons. </div>
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- 1st: I'm an all around artist who has been interested in getting an airbrush for painting on canvas, models, etc. Up till now I never had the justification to purchase the equipment. (I had a hard enough time convincing the missus that I needed all these new leather supplies and this was after our Etsy store was making us money. I couldn't really justify dropping 200-300 bones on airbrush supplies for my personal enjoyment. Remember: I didn't know airbrushing stains onto leather was a thing until four days ago.) </div>
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- 2nd: I was having issues with the way I was putting stain on and was looking for a solution. At first I was using old t-shirts. (Not the worst idea in the world, but you end up wasting a lot of stain as the shirts suck up the excess. I was going through almost 4 ounces of stain a week and only fifteen cuffs to show for it.) After talking to the folks at my local Tandy store I started to use plain old paper towels. This solved the waste problem as cheap paper towels only suck up a small fraction. I still wasn't completely satisfied. (I would still stand by paper towels though if you aren't interested in airbrushing or spending the money to get one.) </div>
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- 3rd: Time. It was taking me more time than I would like staining these pieces. Since most of what I sell is sold using the same stain I was looking for a way to cut down the time. </div>
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Airbrushing looked like it would solve all of that. I did some research and found that it isn't that difficult and if you are smart about it, it can be a great way to go. So the other day I purchased an airbrush and a compressor. After some testing with water to get used to the gun I tried staining some scrap pieces black. It works wonderfully. Since then I have stained a few cuffs and a belt. I can't say enough on how happy I am.<br />
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There are few things you need to be aware of before you dive into this:<br />
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- It isn't cheap. You can't get a good set up for less than $150 and that is if you know where to look and you have a coupon when you get there. <br />
- I recommend that you get a "starter" airbrush kit that will give you what you need. (This will NOT include an air compressor) It will include almost everything else you need. If you are pinching pennies you could get one for less than<a href="http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=174558"> $50 dollars</a>, but you will get what you pay for. You may also need to pick up an adapter so you can hook it up to a compressor. You can probably avoid this if you get a nicer <a href="http://www.paascheairbrush.com/">Paasch </a>or <a href="http://www.badgerairbrush.com/">Badger </a>airbrush. If you have enough you can get an <a href="http://www.iwata-medea.com/">Iwata </a>but that may be overkill. We got a <a href="http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/airbrush-set/">Paasch airbrush kit </a>that had everything we needed. That put us back a little over $100 dollars. It is a "double action" trigger with allows you to control the spray using the trigger. This isn't a necessity if you are just doing leather. <br />
- You also need a compressor. Sears or Home Depot has them and you can pick up one for less than $100 but you probably will need to get adapters to fit the air brush and it will probably be noisy. If you plan to use your brush constantly you may want to look into larger models. There are plenty of airbrush sites that can guide you in that regard. I got a <a href="http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/airstream-air-compressor/">portable compressor </a>just for airbrushing. It goes up to 50 PSI and works great so far. It put me back $190 and it was one of the cheaper ones specifically for airbrushing. You also can get a CO2 tank that will last you a good while but they are about $100 or so a piece and you would need to replace it when it depleted. Not the cheapest option in the long haul. Not to mention this really is only an option if you are working out of your garage or basement. <br />
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- Get a mask or respirator and make sure you have good ventilation in the area you are working. You are aerating chemicals and you don't want to be breathing that crap in. I've noticed that some sites don't seem to stress this very much. They mention it, but almost as an afterthought. Unless you have a hood over your work space I would recommend this. Just saying.<br />
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- ALWAYS, always, ALWAYS clean your airbrush out before you walk away. It takes only a minute or two and it will save you a lot of money. Just pull the jar out, rinse it off, fill halfway with water, spray that out until it sprays clear, then call it a day. <br />
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So that is my run down on airbrushes. I highly recommend them and I'm really happy with how much stuff is turning out. Let me know what you think about them or how you have yours set up. Until next time, Happy Crafting!<br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-8088953493489480972012-01-18T19:00:00.000-08:002012-01-18T19:00:00.393-08:00WorkspaceHello all. I realize it has been awhile since I have put something up on this blog. Here is where I give all the excuses about the holidays being busy and I couldn't find the time. It's all true but I'll spare my typing hands and your time. <br />
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Anyway, today I wanted to talk about work space. Up until just after Christmas my work space was a table that I would have to set up each night for leather work and then clean up afterward so my wife could use the space for sewing. (In theory. This didn't always happen, much to the chagrin of my wife.) This was not ideal but I was working with what I had. After Christmas my wife and I discussed it and since my leather work was actually making us some money and it was something I needed to work on night after night we decided to create a dedicated space for my leather tools and work area. After a trip to Lowes I put up a peg board and got everything ready. <br />
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The key to setting up a work space for leather is actually quite easy. It's just like any other space you would set up for any other hobby. You put the items that you use most often in the most easily accessible spot and then as the use of the product goes down the difficulty to pull it out goes up. For example you want your swivel knife to be easily reached while your sewing awl kit is just far enough away you need to stand to get it. You will be using your knife often but the sewing awl kit gets pulled out rarely. Simple concept. <br />
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I have included a photo of my new work space. What you can't see in the photo is there is a space just to the left of the picture that is dedicated to staining my pieces. This works well as I am able to clear that space when needed if I'm cutting leather strips or need a large space to work on. It also may be hard to tell that the majority of my tools and supplies are on the peg board. Very little is on the table. (I will admit it is a bit messy in this shot.) But it works out great as I have all the space I need on the table and still have easy access to all of my things. You may not be ready to take this step yet as you are still only dipping your toe into the hobby. That works too. It's how I did it for fourteen years. <br />
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If you don't have a dedicated space for your leather or you have to pack everything up after each session then I have a couple of suggestions. Get a tool box to organize your things. Or a large plastic bin, using smaller bins to contain the smaller items. (I used cigar boxes to hold most of my tools save for stamping tools I put in a tool rack that was also kept in the big bin.) Also get a craft compartment box to separate all the tiny pieces of hardware you will be working with. This can include anything from a belt buckle to your sewing needles to your straight razors refills for your utility knife. If you can find a place to stick your granite slab for good that is ideal as moving that around can be difficult. (Not to mention a nightmare if you drop it. That will not be an inexpensive repair to your floor or your foot!) But if you have to move it, always do so with care. <br />
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Currently I'm working out of a spare room in my house. But any space will do. A garage or basement set up would be great. These are all just thoughts and ideas. This is how I do it. Drop me a line and let me know how you set up your space. Send me a photo of it and I'll post it. <br />
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As always drop me a line at<br /><br />
theslackjaw@gmail.com<br />
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That's all for now. Happy Crafting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-62674086207762572882011-12-10T07:19:00.001-08:002011-12-10T07:51:00.815-08:00The Breakfast RoomI just got back from a short getaway and I had to share this. My wife and I went to Asheville, NC to visit the<a href="http://www.biltmore.com/"> Biltmore House</a>. <br />
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For those of you who are unfamiliar, George Washington Vanderbilt, the son of shipping and railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt, built a house in Western North Carolina just outside of Asheville. It is the largest private home in the country. With four acres of floor space (yes, the floor space can be measured in acres) it is hard to argue. I highly recommend you visit. It is an amazing experience as the house is just breathtaking. Long story short it is an amazing place. (I also recommend you take the "extra" tours beyond just the basic house tour. You get to see places in the house that others don't see and it is quite interesting. But be sure you can do stairs without issue as you will be going up and down stairs all day.)<br />
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What does this have to do with leather? Well that is the really cool part. My wife and I took the basic house tour twice (we had a package deal that included unlimited basic tours during your stay and a complimentary audio tour) and the second time we did the audio tour. Well the fourth or fifth room you enter is "The Breakfast Room." <br />
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The first time I went through I was fascinated with the two Renior paintings on the wall that I didn't notice much else. The second time we went through I had the audio tour and the first thing it mentioned was the walls. Every inch of the walls above the chair rail is hand tooled Spanish leather. I went in for a closer look and was absolutely blown away. When they say "hand tooled" they mean it. This isn't just a pattern some guy did with a stamping tool. (Like our basket weave in our <a href="http://natedawgsleathercraft.blogspot.com/2011/09/tooling-our-checkbook-cover.html">checkbook entry</a>) This leather was tooled virtually every single inch. It was absolutely remarkable.<br />
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I just thought I would share that. I tried to find a close up of the walls for this entry but there really isn't one on the net that I could find. (As is standard with historical homes you are not allowed to take pictures inside the house.) <br />
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That is all I have for today. I'm working on an entry about the various tools I use and that should be posted soon. The store is doing quite well and if you are still looking for something for a friend or relative check it out. (Or give them tickets to <a href="http://www.biltmore.com/buy_tickets/admission.asp">Biltmore</a>, that would be cool too.) Until then, Happy Crafting! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-28904206054536823752011-11-20T21:00:00.001-08:002011-11-22T12:46:17.013-08:00Recent ActivityFirst I want to thank all of those who have check out this blog and my store over on Etsy. I appreciate every one of you and thank you for your time. <br />
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I wanted to take a second and talk about what has been going on for the past few weeks. I realized that I haven't been posting that much and felt I should try and recitify that. Ironically the reason I haven't been posting isn't due to my lack of working with leather, it is due to overabundance of working with leather as of late. One of my items, a leather cuff, has become quite popular and I'm having a hard time keeping up with the orders. In addition to that I have begun to get some custom orders that are taking a lot of time. What is really exciting though is that I'm learning something new with each project. In fact I have really cool project I'm cooking up right now that I'm going to start talking about a little bit later. (There is also a work related reason as to my absence as well, I have been moved to another position that doesn't have as much down time and therefore I can't devote as much time to the blog as I originally was able.) The long and the short of it is I will post as often as I am able and I will try to have at least one entry a week. <br />
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So I mentioned a few entries back that I was putting together a leather box. Let me tell you how that turned out:<br />
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It was a disaster. <br />
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My initial idea was sound and I did a really good job putting it together up until the riveting step. Due to the nature of the project the riveting situation wasn't ideal. I only have the anvil and driver for riveting so I had to try and rivet at an angle and it just didn't work. (I'm sure seasoned leather crafters cringed at that sentence. You NEVER want to rivet at an angle.) I did some research and found a wonderful tool that will rivet perfectly every time. Actually I found two tools, one you can only get from an upholstry website, and the other is from Tandy. Granted neither is cheap. So I have yet to get these magic rivet tools. When I do I will be happy to try my hand at my initial riveted leather box. <br />
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Initially I was content to let that be the end of it for now but I have been wanting to retry the leather box for years now. It kept nagging at me. One day a few weeks ago I was putting together one of my leather cuffs. (I'll do an entry on those soon.) I had just received some buckles and was attaching a buckle to a cuff using the saddle stitch method. Then it hit me. Do the box, set up in the same fashion, but instead of rivets use the saddle stitch method to keep it in place! So I'm working on that now I will let you know how it goes. I'm just about to stain it. I hope you like it!<br />
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That's all I have for today. Thank you again! Until next time, Happy Crafting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-69924698369994922642011-11-06T19:32:00.000-08:002011-11-06T19:32:44.068-08:00Before You Start a Project Part IOriginally I was going to have this be one entry about transferring a pattern onto leather but I decided I wanted to talk about the lead up to the project. From the idea to right before you pull out your knife to cut the leather. To many this might seem like the boring part. This is the part that many people skip. That is a bad idea. The lead up can be the most important part of the project. And if it is done right then it will make the rest of the project a lot easier and fun to do.<br />
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Until recently I didn't have much of a "pre-project ritual." I would do the bare minimum and go on my merry way. In fact a lot of my projects were from kits so most of the planning stage was done. I just had to decide what I wanted to tool on the leather and then follow the instructions for everything else. You don't have that luxury when you are making a project from scratch. There are a lot of things you can do to make the overall project easier.<br />
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Currently I'm working on a project that I have tried before. Many years ago I came across a box pattern when I was still working with my leather teacher. I made the box and was pretty happy with myself. I still have that box and it sits on my shelf holding remnants of old art projects. The tooled design of a rose looks good and the natural leather color is attractive. But I hate the way it is stitched together. I like the box but it doesn't feel like a box. It was made with thin leather and many pieces. I learned a lot putting that box together and while I still really like it I would never consider making another one the same way. <br />
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Here enters my new project. I have been thinking of making another leather box for years now but I hadn't figured out how I was going to do it. I stumbled across another leather worker's cell phone case and it was very "box like." After further examination I figured out how it worked and decided to try it his way. My planning has begun. <br />
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When dealing with an idea and only an idea you need to get it down on paper. So sketch out what you think the finished project is going to look like. If you are not good at drawing it is fine, you just need to get an idea of the general dimensions of the project. Here I made a small sketch of the box and then labeled the sizes next to it. I decided I wanted the box to be 7 inches wide, 2 and half inches tall, and 4 inches deep. I marked those measurements and then I began to mentally "unfold" the box in my mind. I wanted to see what it would look like in a pattern format. Again I did a crude sketch of the pattern. This sketch, like the previous one, doesn't really have to be exact, you just need it get a general idea of how the pattern should look flat. After I finished sketching this out and I added the measurements to the pattern so I know how to mark out the actual pattern. <br />
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Now I add another step that I like to try before I go any further to verify that my pattern is going to work. I do this by measuring out a pattern that is in centimeters rather than inches. So it's 7 centimeters wide instead of 7 inches wide. I carefully measure out the pattern, marking the lines that need to be folded versus cut. Then I cut out the pattern, fold on the dotted lines, and tape the piece together. I have now made a paper scale model of the piece. This isn't necessarily something you need to do with every project. (For example, a bookmark.) But in projects like a box it may help to give you a better understanding of how it will go. <br />
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This is how I do the pattern. You don't have to do all of this. I like to as I don't want to get to the "assembly" stage and realize that I didn't think of scenario "X" and now I have to work around this problem. Also you may want to skip directly from the initial sketch to the accurate full size pattern. Or you may be able to do the initial sketch in your head and can unfold mentally without the physical visualization of the piece. More power to you. I do recommend trying all these steps at least once, then weed out the ones you feel you personally don't need on the next project. <br />
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Here is where I stop, sit down, and write down the rest of the steps from tooling to stitching. I want to be sure I have thought of everything and that I'm doing it in the correct order. Sometime a project will require you to do one step prior to another where another project needed that step done later or not at all. After I have all the steps on paper and I'm sure I have them in the right order I proceed to the next step. <br />
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I'm going to stop here as I have already written a pretty hefty entry. The next installment will go over what I do next and then getting a tooling pattern together and ready. <br />
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Until then, Happy Crafting! <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1976100708343759673.post-81046191352554599202011-10-26T12:17:00.000-07:002011-11-17T13:43:46.622-08:00Before You Start a Project Part IIHere we are at part two of our prep. Today I want to go over how to come up with a design and then how to transfer that design to the leather. (These transferring techniques work for transferring patterns too. I'll go into more detail when we get to it.)<br />
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First I want to note that picking a tooling design isn't necessarily done before you start. You may have three or four steps to get through before you get to the "tooling" step and you may want to wait until then to figure out what you are going to tool on the piece. (The important bit is getting your steps in order and knowing when you will be tooling. Then you can make up the design when you get to that step. Also, don't go all "free form" and try to tool without a design already in mind. Unless, of course, you are an awesome leather worker in which case, why the hell are you reading this blog?) <br />
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You will want figure out what type of piece are you making. You need to ask yourself some questions. Who will be using the piece? (If you are selling it then what type of person do you envision using the piece?) Is it functional? What can you do well and/or what do you like? These all sound like stupid questions but you need to ask them so you can figure out what you want to tool onto the leather.<br />
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Sometimes I know exactly what I'm going to put on a piece the second I think of creating the piece itself. Other times I don't know until I sit down to tool the leather. Once you have your design ready in your mind it is time to head back to the paper. Draw it out. Work out the kinks. Also make sure it will fit on your piece. After you have worked out all the issues now it is time to pull out the carbon paper. OR you can do an old trick my Dad taught me. Turn the paper over and using a pencil shade the paper opposite your design. Make sure you cover the whole area your design covers and shade it dark. Then clip to your piece, trace the design, and now you should have a penciled design on your leather. After you have tooled it you can erase the carbon or pencil markings left over. <br />
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That also can be used for patterns but I would put the patterns on the flesh side of the leather. The other idea I use is just drawing the pattern right on the flesh side of the leather if you are measuring it out. I use a pen when I do this. (You can skive off the marks later.)<br />
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That is pretty much all there is to it. Let me know what you think by dropping me a line. Until then, Happy Crafting! <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0