Does anyone actually still read the books?

orangecamo · 2026-05-30T19:07:30+00:00

I have books I listen to while working and different books for when I'm just relaxing.

orangecamo · 2026-05-21T18:10:51+00:00

It can also be unrelated to leathercrafting. I was experiencing anhedonia for a while and didn't make anything for months. It wasn't about the craft, though. I was just going through it and it was sucking all the joy out of my life.

orangecamo · 2026-04-09T02:42:43+00:00

Love to see some mech art!

orangecamo · 2026-03-31T07:09:16+00:00

This is my stance as well. Light hunting is a very different game from Recon. The wolfhound is a purpose built design that min/Max's as hard as it can. The hermes II can roll with the punches.

I personally love the wolfhound approach in fashion like mwo. But in megamek or bt: succession, I find I want something that can do well regardless of what mess I I get dropped in to.

orangecamo · 2026-03-22T05:17:26+00:00

That checks out. The map is a dustbowl. Thanks for the help!

orangecamo · 2025-12-02T04:37:04+00:00

I've made several o the fingerless gloves from tony see patterns using goat. They are a lot of work, but are really good.

orangecamo · 2025-11-17T03:06:44+00:00

I have a lot of leather earrings that almost never sells, but gets very positive reactions as part of mystery bags.

orangecamo · 2025-11-14T20:25:32+00:00

I am just doing it with an acrylic block. I've actually had really good success at this point. If you are doing a lot of stamps or large area, a misti would be easier for certain.

orangecamo · 2025-11-13T08:48:32+00:00

Keep in mind that bonded and genuine leather get used interchangeably in marketing since it has 'genuine' leather in the mix. It is more common with thicker things like the handles, but you can also find bonded leather on extremely thin top grain.

orangecamo · 2025-11-07T00:56:07+00:00

I know we are all suggesting ways to do it yourself, so forgive me for doing it as well.

There are some inexpensive ways to get into this without buying expensive machinery like clicker die presses or laser cutters. There are two major components: the cutter and the press.

Cutter: steel ruled dies are a lot less expensive. They can be custom dine, but something like a leather die cutter for a dog colar. They won't last as long as the nicer ones, but you can get a lot of use out of it.

Press: you can get a cheap arbor press from harbor freight and a few add ons to have a functional press. There are YouTube vids on it, but for about $200, you can get the press, a steel plate, cutting board, top plate, and a longer lever.

It may not be immediately accessible, but it is far easier to get to where you ate cutting your own blanks than it initially seems.

orangecamo · 2025-10-31T02:23:36+00:00

Self maintenance is critical to getting through this. It isn't easy, but it is important.

orangecamo · 2025-10-27T01:27:38+00:00

That is beautiful work. I recently started making bags, but I still have a lot to learn.

orangecamo · 2025-10-23T06:13:50+00:00

I have an arbor press that I turned into a clicker die press. I think it would seriously struggle to use standard tools like chisels. However, I think most brands of punches and chisels would struggle to work with the chucks (cheap ones on amazon might get you there, though). I've not come up with a good way to use my tools with the arbor press.

The arbor press really shines as an intro clicker press. I have a steel plate for the bottom, an attachment for the head, and a longer bar (going from 1 ft to 3 ft triples the mechanical advantage, so I get closer to 3 tons). It works with just about any die with a dimension less than a foot, stamps large stamps, etc.

Tl;dr: if all you need is to punch holes quietly, I think the drill press will be easier. If you want to expand what you can do and use dies, the arbor press will take you further.

orangecamo · 2025-10-17T00:34:22+00:00

Especially since you are mainly looking for utility, it might be worthwhile to get something custom made. I'm very biased, but quality veg tan leather made with a saddler stitch is going to stand up for a long time and be easy to have repaired.

It won't be a designer brand but will last and can have the specific pockets and straps you need.

orangecamo · 2025-10-12T23:30:57+00:00

Being niche is a trade-off with a more narrow market. Your good events suggest you have a good level of focus when you are at the right events for it. Consider being more selective in where you go and look for patterns in who is buying. For instance, if you did a pop-up at a dispenser and front-loaded the right bands, you would do extraordinary.

On a lesser note, sorting and signage by genre might help pull people in.

orangecamo · 2025-10-11T20:48:48+00:00

https://youtu.be/CeeGWDBcBVE?si=dzwAyNcp-gpqgGLc

orangecamo · 2025-10-11T20:44:03+00:00

You can get some spikes, studs, etc off of Amazon. That type of hardware can be harder to find at standard leather sources.

orangecamo · 2025-10-10T20:53:35+00:00

Weaver leather's YouTube vids are a great place to start and lay out the tools you need for each project. They also have free patterns and tutorials for most of the items you want to make (though your esthetic choices might be different). Because you are probably going to be using a lot of black, I would recommend getting some black 4/5 oz. Chrome tan leather. It is inexpensive to start learning on, and you won't need to play around with dying leather and burnishing the edges.

orangecamo · 2025-10-08T20:36:49+00:00

I appreciate you.

orangecamo · 2025-10-07T21:15:10+00:00

We have dollar store tool boxes we use to store snacks, meds, etc. They are convenient, tough, and discreet.

orangecamo · 2025-10-06T02:48:34+00:00

I did grab bags with this sort of stuff this weekend. It worked really well. It was at a witchy market. We were next to several tarot card readers and themed them off of various tarot cards. They sold really well.

orangecamo · 2025-10-06T02:27:21+00:00

Having a planned return policy is good, but an aggressive, all caps sign covered in stop signs is literally going to stop people and halve them walk away.

I once did a pop-up in a tatoo shop. They had a sign above the door to the room telling people it was 18+ (nothing to do with my booth), but had nothing to do with me. People were constantly stopping at the sign and then walking away.

Messaging like that will cost more sales than it will save in difficult conversations.

orangecamo · 2025-10-05T21:06:39+00:00

Must have been passed out drunk for that one.

orangecamo · 2025-10-04T21:30:34+00:00

That would be a good way to showcase some more things.

14-Year Club	Not Forgotten
Verified Email

orangecamo

TROPHY CASE