leathercraft

May Tooling Series

Posted by Don Gonzales

In this video series, I show you the complete tooling of a Cluster Flower Pattern.  The goal of these videos is to show you my complete tooling process when stamping leather tooling patterns.

This video covers the following tools and the order that I use them in:

-push beveler

-flower centers

-flower center liner

-undercuts (4 different tool sizes- small to large)

-crowners (2 different tool sizes)

-bevelers

-Bargrounders

There is a FREE PDF for this pattern that you are welcome to download.  If you would like that then Click Here.   Just enter your email address to confirm access to download a copy to use so that you can follow along with us.

 

Here is a link to the second and final video in this tooling series “How to Tool a Cluster Flower Pattern – Video 2.”

 

 

Your LeatherCraft Productivity is Being Killed by Multitasking

Posted by Don Gonzales

Are you under the impression that having multiple jobs or projects going at one time is more efficient for your leathercraft productivity than focusing on one one project at a time?

Have you been told and/or taught that it’s better to cut out all your jobs for the week or month at one time and get them all going?

Are you finding at the end of the week or that month that you haven’t finished anything?  But you have 47 things started!    

I use to be this way, and oftentimes still am.  Truthfully, I still fight this battle everyday.  For years we have been told that multitasking is a skill that the best and most efficient Craftsmen do.  This is what makes them successful and productive.

Multitasking is not as efficient as people once thought.

“Highly successful people attribute success to the ability to focus on one specialized activity. They don’t rapidly switch around from one interest to another — they start a task and then they reliably follow through with it. Instead of just “getting it done,” they achieve mastery or create something truly complete.”  -Article by Forbes Magazine in 2018 “Is Multitasking An Asset Or A Liability?” Continue reading →

How to Get Paid in the Leathercraft Business

Posted by Don Gonzales

When I started my leathercraft business, I really didn’t have a “Store Policy” on custom orders.  At that time we were dealing with mostly local folks and I was pretty trusting of them.

Customers came into the store and wanted to get a belt made.  I spent 30 minutes or so with them designing their belt.  The question that followed was usually, “Do I pay now or when I pick it up?”

At the time, I was hungry for work and wanted to make a good impression on our new customer.  I would reply with, “You can pay for it when you pick it up.”

This worked out well for the most part… For a while.

Eventually the items waiting for “pick up” began to grow and money tied up in finished products began increase.  I soon realized that I had built many items using shop money that might not ever get picked up and paid for.

We then started taking a deposit of 50% of the job.  This worked well to ensure that the customer would be back in the store to pick up their items.  As well as to pay us the rest of the balance.

But this became somewhat difficult to handle from an accounting standpoint.

Over the years I have developed our store policy on custom orders into what works best for us.  We take all the money up front on all custom orders. Continue reading →

How to Market The Leathercraft Business Today

Posted by Don Gonzales

Phone book ads, business cards, brochures, newspapers, and local radio.  Fifteen years ago these were still the main components of a good marketing strategy for the leathercraft business to get the word out about their services.

When I began my business, I spent a substantial sum of money using marketing products just like these.  The world of Likes, Comments, DM’s and Sharing photos to thousands of people with the tap and swipe on a piece of expensive glass was not yet a reality.

Facebook was just a place for college kids to connect and share funny anecdotes.  Instagram wasn’t a thing yet.  And twitter… well, twitter (if it was around) was still as confusing and useless as it is today.

The best option for connecting with our customers online during those days, was for them to happen onto our website and hopefully be able to navigate their way through the makeshift debris of photos and half written content.  At best, they would be able to get our phone number to just give us a call.

Today we live in a hyper connected world where anyone has the ability to express an opinion, share a photo, or even share an hour long live video on how they prefer to assemble their peanut butter sandwich.  Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become ingrained into the fabric of a great majority of the population for staying connected with friends, family and businesses. Continue reading →

How to Oil and Antique Tooled Leather Projects

Posted by Don Gonzales

In this video, I show you my oiling and antiquing process for tooled leather projects. The finish that I did on this piece is what we call a “Light Oil Antique” and it is one of our most popular finishes in the shop. We have created previous videos on antiquing and oiling, but this video dives in a little deeper.

Here are links to those two previous videos if you want to check those out. Continue reading →

Should I turn my hobby into a full time business and quit my job?

Posted by Don Gonzales

One of the most common questions that I get asked from younger craftsmen is, “When should I turn my hobby into a full time business and quit my job?”

This is a question that I do not feel qualified to answer.  Outside of college, I have never had a job.

This usually gets a chuckle in response… but it is the truth.

After I graduated from college I began doing contract work for the man I did my apprenticeship with.

I use the word apprenticeship without a complete understanding as to what a true “apprenticeship” might look like to others in the craft. But more on that in the future.

After some time he offered to sell me the shop and I began my dance with banks to make it happen.

Fifteen years later, years of trial and error, and piles of debt taken and paid off, here we set.

So when someone asks me if they should walk away from a secure career?  Walk away from a steady paycheck?  Maybe even walk away from health insurance, dental, not to mention their own parking spot… I say maybe not.

I once heard an ole boy say, closing his business and getting a job was like “coming in out of the cold.” Continue reading →

How to Tool Leather Tooling Patterns – Video #1

Posted by Don Gonzales

In this video series, we will show you the complete tooling of floral leather tooling patterns.  The goal of these videos is to show you my complete tooling process when stamping leather tooling patterns.

This video covers the following tools and the order that I use them in:

-push beveler

-flower centers

-flower center liner

-undercuts (4 different tool sizes- small to large)

-crowners (2 different tool sizes)

There is a FREE PDF for this pattern that you are welcome to download using this link, just enter your email address to confirm access to download a copy to use so that you can follow along with us! Continue reading →

How to make a Leather Moleskin Journal Cover

Posted by Don Gonzales

In this video, I show you how to make a leather Moleskin Journal Cover.  I am a HUGE fan of journals and notebooks… to the point that I probably have way too many in the shop.  I have to write everything down or I won’t remember it.

My favorite journals are made by Moleskin.  These journals come in many different sizes as well as types of paper.  This project video shows you how to make a leather cover for my favorite Moleskin notebook.  The exact name the one from Moleskin that I use is “Moleskine Classic Soft Cover Notebook” and the size is 5″ x 8.25″.  You can get this notebook from amazon by using my affiliate link by clicking here.

These notebook covers are a lot of fun to make and don’t take as much time as other projects.  They also make great gift ideas or products to offer to your customers.

In the video I mentioned our video on slicking edges on leather.  If you missed that video, be sure and check out our video on Slicking Edges. Continue reading →

Sanding Tools for the Leather Shop

Posted by Don Gonzales

When it comes to getting the best possible edges in your work, sanding tools are one of the most important areas to focus on.  Without a well sanded edge on your leather project, you won’t be able to get the smooth finish you are looking for.  Even the best possible cut piece of leather still needs sanding on the edge to prepare the leather to be burnished.

There are many different ways to accomplish the same thing in leather work.  Sanding is no different.  There are antique line finishers, who’s sole purpose is to sand and burnish any leather edge to a high gloss finish… particularly on shoes and boots.  But these machines are heavy and take up a lot of room in a workshop.  There are cabinet finishers that take up much less room and do just as good of a job.  But finding one of these on the used market can be difficult… most folks won’t part with them.  There are even other “powered” machines used in other industries that can accomplish your sanding needs. Continue reading →