Tandy's big sale

Ace Lungger · July 01, 2008, 06:06:52 PM

I got my july flyer yesterday, and wanted to ask you pards about the Oak -Leaf double Shoulders?
How many of you guys use that leather, and how do you like it? i know a lot of you guys have special places that you buy from.
i was just wondering how much waste you have, and how well does it work?
yes there is no doubt that i would like to buy The live Oak tooling sides, but it is 2/3 higher. I see a lot of leather on ebay, and I did, by some one time and it was great, but i don't know what you will get untill you get it!
I would be so great full for some help on buying leather?
Thanks ACE

Don101 · July 01, 2008, 06:27:16 PM

Ace i dont know how the quality is for the tandy leather but ive learned over the years that cheap leather is ok to start with for practice pieces but you will disapoint yourself if you invest time and make a nice item and the leather quality lets it down,

all good taneries over here will send you samples if you ask for them so you can see the quality before you buy the leather,

ive found through self experience that i doesnt pay off to try and save a few bucks when you want quality leather items, just my thoughts, Don

Dalton Masterson · July 01, 2008, 06:32:18 PM

Ace, that is what I use most of the time. I have only had 1 in the past few years, that just made awful holsters. The front looked great, but the back was very bad. Had no strength to it.
The rest have been good enough for me. I just got 2 doubles in yesterday, and they look really good.
Wastewise, if you plan and figure your stuff out, its not too bad. I like to cut out several projects at one time, so its easier for me to lay out and save space.
That waste is carving and stamping practice pieces anyway. Or belt loop material. Or key fobs.
If you can go get it, all the better, because then you can pick it out. I am fortunate when I order that the Tandy guys send me pretty good stuff, or allow me to return it if its not good.
Good luck. DM

Ace Lungger · July 01, 2008, 07:01:05 PM

When I called down to the Tandy store today at Tulsa, and Judy is real nice to deal with, I ask her if she would dig threw and get me a nice piece, and se said you bet, and i belive her, they were so help full the last time I was down there!
dalton not trying to bug you, but if you get a chance look for that mould okay?
Thanks ACE

Dalton Masterson · July 01, 2008, 08:23:48 PM

Ace, I left ya a note on that post in darksiders, but no, the one I had was a .50, not .44. I would take the DD offer. DM

santee · July 02, 2008, 07:33:50 AM

Cool! Discounts to fuel my addiction!

Trailrider · July 02, 2008, 05:55:02 PM

You have to examine each individual hide. Double shoulders may work for you, but I buy sides from them for my work. For a Mexican-loop holster, the double shoulder may or may not give you enough good leather. Even with sides, I have to go through most of the hides in stock at either Tandy or The Leather Factory Store (same outfit, just that the Tandy store is closer, but the LFS has more stock to choose from...for a bit longer trip, but still in Denver). The quality varies from piece to piece, which is why I hand select mine.

Your Pard,

Ace Lungger · July 02, 2008, 08:18:54 PM

I am going to try one, if everything works out! only thing I can see is there is a lot of waste with a shoulder, if I need scrap for practice that would be cool, but everything I have made so far is been made out of scraps, and I got enough2x4, 2x5, 3x6 and so on, that I don't need scrap!
So I am lost again.
ACE

cowboywc · July 03, 2008, 01:24:54 PM

Quote from: Ace Lungger on July 02, 2008, 08:18:54 PM
I am going to try one, if everything works out! only thing I can see is there is a lot of waste with a shoulder, if I need scrap for practice that would be cool, but everything I have made so far is been made out of scraps, and I got enough2x4, 2x5, 3x6 and so on, that I don't need scrap!
So I am lost again.
ACE

Howdy Pal
You're gonna end up with a ton of scrap no matter what you buy. You just have to figure out what you
will get the best yield from.
WC

Ace Lungger · July 03, 2008, 04:33:03 PM

WC, you are right! I seen a piece on e-bay 11oz , I had the guy measure for me, because it was a nic retangular peice, and it had 35"x36 of workable area, if his frieght was so high, I would of bought it. I called Tandy Wensday at Tulsa and talked to Judy, and gave here the otem # I would like to buy, which was 3 tools 20 cochos, the 3 pattern books, one of those double shoulders, and the shipping was less than the guy on ebay for his one hide!
At least I had a good thing going for a while, when I was getting those scraps, I got to do a lot of playing for $6.00 and i have a ton of scraps for carving practice.

I wish Every Pard On here a Safe and Fun 4th of JULY

ACE

Slowhand Bob · July 06, 2008, 07:55:32 AM

Ace, I go with Trailrider on this one, especially concerning Tandy. Their LIVE OAK ''''can be'''' some of the finest leather you would ask for anywhere but there is a fair bit of variation in its QC. I like the LO double shoulders and their trim can sometimes be absolutely great with little waste but other times, less so. In my experience when I break a bundle of five LO double shoulders I expect to find two or three to be top line stuff with the other two or three being closer to the OAK LEAF in quality and cut (and I have found the occasional piece that looked like a CRAFTSMAN OAK quality dbl shoulder). This variation will be in all of Tandys shoulders so unless you have a very good personal relationship with the stores sales person you will get inconsistent product from order to order.

When I was buying lots of their leather I liked picking my own but sometimes found that many of the smaller stores around the SouthEast just do not have much more than a bundle to go through at any given time. Aggravating when you go in there wanting to find ten or more good shoulders. The good side, every Tandy manager I have ever done buisiness with allows quantity priceing and mix-match priceing on low or odd numbers of selection. Good side #2: you can find some excellent looking leather for belt making in the OAK LEAF double bends.

Ace Lungger · July 06, 2008, 08:30:32 AM

Thanks Bob, for the advice. The Tandy store in KC doesn't have much, but the Tulsa store does seem to have a great store! I called down there last week and talked Judy, and she was very nice and remember me from when I had been in there before, and she said she would go threw the pile and pick out me a nice peice, but I keep think about how much lost you have with the Double shoulders,I have so many scrap peices that i will never run out of them.
There ar a lot of Pards on here that make they living on there leather goods, and all I want to do is make play money, and my stuff is not the quality that will hurt them! But also as a hobby i cannot aford to have a lot of money tied up in scraps and the way it looks to me that you are going to have a lot of waste with shoulder is that right or wrong?

You Pards on here have done so much for me I feel bad that I am even going to try and sell stuff! And the reason I make that statement isfor 25 years I had a Photography studio, that I ran nights and weekend, that is what i went to school to be, I can't tell you how many people I thought the tricks of the trade and then, they would open a fly by night studio, with no money involed and charge little to nothing, and forced me to close, I couldn't make enough to keep my 30x40 studio heated and cooled. so that is were I am coming from!
But back to leather, do you think that the Oak Leaf Double Shoulders they have on the sale is a so so buy a decent buy, or a good buy??

This topic is not limited to Bob, but he replied and I respect his knowledge, anyone that wants to jump in please do!!

Thanks, and allways great full

ACE

p.s.I want to move to be closer to you great people, but that isn't going to happen

Slowhand Bob · July 08, 2008, 03:46:10 PM

I do not use as much of the Oak Leaf as I do the Live Oak but with its select pieces it is a good buy at their sales prices. Believe it or not you can usually get just as good a deal on many of their sales as does the person who buys from them discount. Many of your sales prices are exactly what is shown as regular discount price in their discount catalog and guess what, the wholesale buyer will seldom get priceing below that in the wholesale sales flyer. What he is offered is simply the option of buying less than bulk to get the same wholesale price on leather. As stated earlier, all store managers I have dealt with already allow minimum orders at wholesale anyway. Tandy is still rather friendly to the wholesaler, compared to several other outfits I've dealt with.

Ace Lungger · July 08, 2008, 07:29:34 PM

:)Thanks Bob,
If the old back lets me up and moving Sat. morning Ithink we are heade donw that away, and I thin I will dig threw the pile and see If I can find a good peice, i would like to have 11oz, but i have ask some of you Pards by pm and I have been told the 8-9 works okay. The last time I was down there I bought a peice that was in there sale, they called a 7-8oz pile, i dug threw the stack and pick a peice that felt heavier than the others, I was nice and re stacked for them. If it wasn't for wan'ting to look at the leather, the only thing else I want are the patterns they have on sale, be my luck they will be out!
I have seen some nice peices on ebay, $100.00-$140.00 don't got that to spend right now, would be nice!! Isn't the best peice of hide the side! it seems life there would be less waste?
I wished I would of had a couple hundred dollars extra last month to have bought some of those stamps 1/2 price! I bet they have them on sale again sometime.
Later
ACE