steve a said:
I do not have one but have seen the pouches made by Roger at Bison, if you take into account the number of hours it takes to make the pouch and compare that to the hourly rate you are paid it's not expensive. I got my pouch from Gary at Bearclaw, buitiful, if it dos'nt last 10 years I'll be disappointed, again from that point of view, not expensive. Very often you get what you pay for and quality materials and workmanship cost that little bit more but are often worth it in the long run.
Well said Steve :biggthump
I haven't seen these pouches in real life (Gary will have to show me sometime
): ), but agree with you completely.
Considering the materials and everything involved in making these pouches (leather, dye, thread, antler / bone or brass stud and tools to make the pouch etc... and hours of work) then this is not such a steep price at all.
A good quality leather specially selected for perfect suitability for such a project would be something like £ 19,- (Noggin prices, but good leather is expensive no matter where you buy it), that is
IF the leathershop will allow you to buy only a small piece (usually you will have to buy at least a "hechte", "croupon", "forpart" or "1/2 side" which is standard measurements for leather. This would get the price up to at least £ 35 of the cheapest grade and therefore perhaps not the best quality leather for such a product), then thread, dye, oil / leather grease / wax, brass stud (or alternatives) would add another £ 7 (at least) + you have to buy the tools. Materials alone would then be at least £27,-, and only if you walk into the shop and buy the stuff yourself. Postage would increase the price, and if you do not have appropriate tools you'll have to buy that as well. A professional would also have to deduct something for writing off his investments in tools, workshop, heating and use of electricity in the workshop etc, not to mention VAT and perhaps even other taxes. All in all it leaves him with very little left as a salary in comparison to the time spent actually making the product. I would say that the price charged is a right price for both the craftsman and the buyer.