Video: Intro to Rugged Material

We made a few videos a while back, Here is a good intro to our shop and current state of mind. 

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We do our very best to bring you top quality, american made, leather and waxed canvas gear for your next adventure.

Tips for Selling Online: Product Photography Lighting at Home or For The Small Business

All the business gurus and website designers say that top quality photos make all the difference when selling online, but as most of us have learned, its not as easy as it sounds. I wasted a lot of time and money for poor results and want to help you save a little. The results of this article can be seen at www.ruggedmaterial.com

Go from this...

...To this!

When I was first attempting to sell my leather goods I tried a lot of different cheap routes for getting good photos of my gear and nothing worked very well. At first I tried using a good quality canon point-and-shoot camera and household 5000K cool white fluorescent bulbs in $7 utility lamps from Home Depot. My photos either looked washed out or had very harsh shadows no matter how I positioned my lights. Positioning the lights was a nightmare too because I had to build an apparatus that was bulky and got in the shot if I wasn't close enough to the item. Then when I was close enough the items were warped because I was too close.

I turned to youtube and wasted hours and hours watching people make wacky light filters and use cheap desk lamps to get the same results I was getting. And then I went to all the eCommerce sites I had ever sold on: ebay, half.com, amazon.com, etsy and a few others and all their tips were the same. They told you to clean your items, put them in natural light and hold still while you take the photo. That was good info, because all those are important and there really isn't a perfect substitute for natural light but its hard to control natural light or schedule your day around the 20 minutes that the light shines through your window at just the right angle. 

So here is a list of some sure fire tips that will get you on the right path. Remember that this will take some trial and error but I am confident that if you follow these things you will do just fine.


1. Gauge your needs. 
By this I mean that if you are trying to sell one item on ebay it may be good enough to wait for those 20 minutes of perfect light to come through the window. Its important to know how often you will be taking product photos before you set a budget or dedicate tons of time to learning this art form. If you need only a few good shots for a single project your most cost/time effective route may be to take your items to a real photo studio, if they charge $25 for photos and it only takes 30 minutes of your time thats a good deal.

If your going to be taking tons of photos it is well worth it to figure it out.

2.Use the best camera you can get a hold of. 
I'm not telling you to go out and spend $2500 on a new Professional DSLR but I am saying that the better the camera the better your chances are of getting good results. I bought studio lights before I bought a DSLR because I had a family member who was willing to let me borrow his camera. If you can't borrow one there are rental services available in most larger cities.

I use the Canon T5i and it does an amazing job for its $750 price tag. It took a while to save up, but I am 100% sure it has paid for itself in the quality of the photos I take with it directly affecting my sales.

Whatever camera you use, make a point to familiarize yourself with it and be able to control the 'white balance' so that you get accurate color representation. 

3. Real Studio lights make a world of difference. 
If your still reading this your probably not an expert photographer and I want you to know that you don't have to be one to get good photos nor do you need thousands of dollars of complicated equipment. 

This is the Cowboy Studio set I purchased, all set up and ready to go. Notice the film over the light is what softens the shadows.

Softbox Lights are easiest to use and set up and can be as affordable as a $100. If your going to take product photos on a regular basis I highly recommend a set up like mine from Cowboy Studio. I picked this set of 3 lights for $195 on amazon.com here. People have given the set mixed reviews mainly because its cheap (you usually get what you pay for in life) and when they travel with these lights they fall apart. I set them up once, move them to the closet when not in use and move them out and they have performed excellently. 

 Unlike strobes and flashes, Soft Box lamps offer constant soft light as they shine through a thin film which takes the sharp edge off of shadows. This allows you to manipulate and adjust your subject in the exact lighting that the camera will be exposed to. This is also a very good setup for video interviews because of the constant soft light. 

This is one of the Soft Boxes without the filter on the front. Take note that those bulbs are much larger than a household bulb each one is about 8 inches long.

4. Shoot from a distance and try new angles.
You will want to shoot your subject from as far away as you can while still getting a sharp image. The reason is that the closer you are to the image the more distorted the shape will be due to the curve of your lens. Also shoot from many different angles and view the images full size to see what angles work best. Once you find what works try to be consistent from product to product. 

5. Use a light colored background.Any lighter colored background will sell more than a darker version because the lighter feel sets the viewer at ease, makes you look professional and is connoted with High-end products which I'm sure your offering. I use a white background made of 8 pieces of poster-board taped together from the back and tacked to the wall. By draping the paper onto the table it makes the background disappear since there is no harsh corner to view behind the subject.

The 3 light setup is very valuable here because it allows you to control shadows and highlight features as you wish.

This is the raw photo taken from the setup above, on my first day with the new lights.

6. Spend some time correcting the photo before you post it.
The raw photo above looks Ok but with 3 minutes in Photoshop you can correct the colors to make it appear more accurate than you shot it, and clean up the background for that polished look. This is a very easy process if you shoot your photos in front of a white background. Before I made any money I used www.pixlr.com since its a free alternative to Adobe's Photoshop, now I'm a subscriber to Adobe Creative Cloud and I love it. This step is explained countless times on Youtube so I wont get into it here but know that it makes a difference in how professional your offerings look. 

You can see by comparison how much more polished this looks when I clean up the background only.

I hope this has been helpful, it should be enough to get you thinking and introduce you to the process. It is enjoyable once you start to get it!

Our Story- How Rugged Material was Born.

Rugged Material really got its start when I was in my 3^rd year of college studying engineering and was looking for a way to support my new wife and keep from going insane designing stuff on the computer. That Christmas my dad gave me a new Leatherman Multi-tool which I was very excited about. These little tools are so handy and he has never been seen without one on his belt which made it feel like he was passing on a part of his legacy. It turns out he was passing on a lot more legacy than I could have understood at the time. 

My Dad and I fixing some pack saddle panniers for his  81 yr old dad's buffalo hunt!

You see my dad and his father have always been horsemen and hunters and farmers all at the same time. I’ve spent countless hours around the house watching my dad repair his leather tack (Tack is the name for the gear you use when you ride horses) and make new things to make our friend’s and family’s lives easier and more beautiful. To this day he still uses a saddle that was made around the year 1900. He used to give me little jobs like cutting out simple patterns or rubbing thread down with beeswax and I always thought it a privilege. He always gave his best leather pieces away and I didn’t understand why we couldn’t keep them for ourselves.(I understand that joy now)

  As I grew older he kept making things and I always watched him and helped with projects but directed myself and most of my time toward many varied interests like art, welding, competitive mountain biking, photography, motorcycles and girls(with one in particular) that always took my time from my own little ideas about making things with dad. That is until I received that Leatherman tool and its cheap little genuine leather sleeve that was actually totally worthless functionally and also visually. These little tools used to come with good quality Vegetable-tanned( the stiff saddle leather) scabbards that lasted as long as the tool itself and people wore them like a badge of independence and confidence saying to everyone around them “I can fix that” and “I come prepared”  and I wanted that. I didn’t necessarily want to wear it as a badge but I did want a good quality case to protect that sentimental tool, and if it saved my life by carrying the tool while camping that would be cool too. So I decided I would make my own little case that would hold the multi-tool on my belt or backpack. I had a leather tools box that I pulled out of the closet that had some old leather and stamps in it and I got to it.

The Leatherman Multi-tool and my first scabbard for it.

 I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that type of making, and I surprised my wife and friends with a skill they hadn’t seen or remembered. The first little scabbard was terrible, and I knew it as soon as it was done even though most people who saw it thought it was fine. So I bought some fresh leather (makes a big difference) and some new tools and made a new one with some improvements.  The execution of the 2^nd one was much better but the design still wasn’t functional enough so I made a 3^rd one. 

By that time my rekindled excitement for this craft had been visible to quite a few people and I was even asked to make a few more similar cases for other people. Then I made a molded protective case for my iPhone(I actually had to make 5 to get what I wanted) and in essence Rugged Material was born, I was looking for ways to make everything I had last like my dad’s saddle has. I was on a mission to help people see that we shouldn’t have to throw things away after a couple years of use. That mission has turned in to my obsession.

Circa 1900 and still in use.

 The cost per year of my dad’s saddle is pennies and that thing has some awesome stories like the time his newly caught wild mustang ran away with him on her back for miles until she was tired enough to let him stop her! This saddle tells those stories and still doesn't miss a beat and that is what this is all about.

Our entire goal with Rugged Material is to improve the quality of people's lives with premium quality products for the modern and adventurous lifestyle. When we do that, I am totally content and happy!

Written By Tyler C. Founder of Rugged Material.

Company Values

Rugged Material is all about making things that you can easily use and rely on day in and day out no matter how hard life gets. I am obsessed with finding the best ways to produce our gear, at the highest quality possible in order to make something last a lifetime.  

When the business was created the real driving idea behind RM was that everyone deserves quality items that will last, not just the rich. At that point the top notch leather goods were sold at such a high price that only the very privileged could justify buying something that would save them money and I wanted people who really need to save money to have my products within reach.  Even if they have to save up for them since leather and real craftsmanship have their costs.

 I scoured the market intensely for the first year of preparation for RM and found 3 main things that I knew if I changed I would feel great about putting ridiculous amounts of time and energy into RM. So here are the problems and our solutions:

• ·         The practice of wholesaling goods to retailers and then retailers selling products at twice the original cost is not necessary in this day and age. By selling directly to my customers online my prices are half of what my competitors take which allows more people to experience the joy and true savings of buying things that last.
• ·         Most of the high-end brands outsource their production to cheaper countries which doesn’t do the United State of America any good. We are as committed to creating careers for the citizens of the US as we are to making a product that will last a lifetime.
• ·         Often times the Quality of other leather goods is sacrificed for ease of construction or for looks. Leather looks better and better as it ages so we are never going to sacrifice the integrity of our products. Instead we will create new processes and strategies to efficiently give us the toughest possible products.

Leather shoe care tutorial. How to remove scratches from leather shoes. How to waterproof leather shoes.

Real Top Grain leather shoes (not crappy Genuine leather) will last a very long time IF cared for properly, that’s a big if. Leather is like our skin, it needs oils and moisture but unlike our skin there is no natural way for leather to get it which requires us to take part in this ten minute process every 6 to 9 months!

The photos shown are in order of the process. These shoes have had a full summer of cabin playing, mountain biking, trailbuilding, welding, and many more abusive activities. They were looking pretty hammered (photo 1) and this process made them new again.(photo 7)

Step 1- Clean the shoes. With good leather you don’t even have to wash the product to get it clean in most cases. Just use a shoe brush to clear all the dirt and dust away, then I used a sponge to clean the side of the sole. (photo 2)

Step 2- Warm the shoes. To help the oils penetrate the leather we must open the pores of the leather with heat.(photo 3) I’ve put 100s of leather products in this very oven and as long as you don’t forget about them and leave your leather in there longer than 10 minutes your shoes will be just fine! Here I did 170 degrees (lowest the oven will go) for about 6 minutes. They were warm but not so hot I couldn’t handle them with my bare hands.

Step 3- Apply the the oils. There are a thousand different products available, most often I use Snow Seal (photo 4) on almost all our leather products. Snow Seal comes in a 7oz. Jar for $5 and if you only use it for shoes, it will last 10 years. It’s mostly Beeswax and other all natural ingredients. It will last longer than creams and liquids that are sold for this purpose.

To apply the oils, take one shoe out of the oven and while its nice and warm, using a piece of cloth rub a generous amount(photo 5) of the wax all over the leather. Take care to get it into all the tight areas because the waxed leather will darken more than the areas that get missed. Once you’ve covered everything immediately take a new clean rag and wipe off any excess wax.

Step 4- Finishing. Repeat step 3 on the second shoe. Once that has been done you may want to take the clean cloth, not the applicator cloth and go over the shoes again to make them shine more. You will see the leather darken a lot while the wax is melting into the leather, but over the next few days it will lighten up somewhat. Also as you work the shoes you will see the scratches disappear. By the time your done your shoes will look new, smell great and be quite water resistant!

Shoes shown here are Vans OTW Native American Pack.

How to Recognize the Best Leather Products vs. Cheap ones.

It can be hard to know what leather products are real and which ones are fake or poor quality. Here are a few essential things to help you understand what your buying! 

There are 4 main classes of leather: Full Grain, Top Grain, Genuine and Bonded leather.

Full Grain Leather- Longest lasting, Premium Leather. Its strongest and usually best looking because of the patina it gains over time.

 Top Grain Leather- Lasts a long time but does not "wear in" like Full Grain, usually costs more and is stiff because of treatments

Genuine Leather- is the leftover leather from splitting the premium leathers (see third photo). Its technically still leather but does not last the way that you would hope, it has no grain and tears much easier.

Bonded Leather- is the leather equivalent of particle board. It doesn't last and isn't worth what people try to charge for it.

Ingenuitous Company Ultra High Quality Leather IPad Mini Tablet Case

Newest Design from Ingenuitous Company For Tablets! Moleskine Notebook Style! Delivered at wholesale pricing and Made to compete with companies like Makr Carry Goods! $42 on Etsy.com

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Made by hand from thick (8 oz belt leather.) Herman Oak Full Grain vegetable tanned leather this IPad Mini case will protect your beloved tablet from falls, scratches, babies, spaghetti sauce and whatever else plaques the IPad. This is the HIGHEST QUALITY LEATHER you can buy!

Unlike many other designs this case allows full use of the IPad's ports, speakers and buttons.

As you can see this case comes to you in a natural golden color treated only with an all natural mink oil (for stain resistance and moisturizer) and will darken as it wears in, to the patina shown on the IPhone case in the comparison photo, it is quite a fun process.

If you have a full sized IPad or any other Tablet this design can be adjusted to fit, just contact us through Etsy!

1600 HorsePower Formula Offroad Buggy

Jimmy's KZ650 first run

Finally making good headway after a bitter cold winter out in the uninsulated shop...

After a full engine rebuild and lots of goosechasing parts we got the KZ running strong and super loud. Compared to all the waiting on parts and tuning the rest of the build will cruise to the end. Big thanks to my expert motobusiness (Russ, Brandon and Luke) buddies who helped tune this puppy and get it going. Troy and I will wire it up. Jimmy and I will carve out the seat, decide on custom muffler shapes and then we will be working on all the little loose ends.

Ingenuitous Company on Instagram

                                               Follow on Instagram as   @ingenuitous

Worlds fastest electric moto wins Isle of man TT: Motoczysz and Solidworks

My mornings and my evenings combined, I study engineering design (draw things in solidworks daily), work at an appliance store all afternoon, and spend my evenings riding and working on motorcycles. Their job was made for me...
Enter MotoCzysz! part engineers part racers!


The link to the video without the spanish subtitles is here http://www.solidworks.com/btd/innovations/electric-motorcycle.htm

LeatherVentures: Horween Leather and Allen Edmonds

Glass Snowboard by Signal

People: Izhar Gafni and his $9 Bicycle

Izhar Gafni has designed a bike that can be produced for $9 and support riders up to 310 pounds

A real Maker! David Beattie of Slot Mods USA

This crew of resourceful people have really taken a hobby to the next level! Enough so to get the corporate backing to make a living at it.

Extremely Accurate Depiction of what bike building really is

SeeSee Motorcycles

THE ONE MOTORCYCLE SHOW from see see motorcycles on Vimeo.

People: Dime City Cycles, Behind the Scenes

Dime City Cycles fuels the garage built bike culture quite well, here is a little of their story.

Building an Archery Target