Bryan

Damn, that's wicked! Looks like the Road Warior meets Hannibal Lecter. Good stuff! Just curious, how does it fasten?

Thanks gents. This is the first time I haven't tooled a project. That skin is very interesting & different than I'm used to. Really tough yet elastic. Cool stuff.

Had a decent sized scrap of shark skin I couldn't decide what to do with so my wife sorta decided for me. Well, I backed them with some heavy suede & here's what I came up with.

Wow! Very very nice.

Got a surprise in the mail today from my aunt back home. Anyone know this book or its author Clifford Pyle? Copyright 1940. Can't wait to read. Looks like some good info. A couple of lacing styles I've never heard of & even applying gold & silver leaf. Very cool!

Incredible! Really!

For me I think a bit of both, but usualy the mechanical part gets in the way of the artistic part.

Glad to help!

WOW! Unbelievable!

I was visiting my folks a couple of weeks ago & finaly found all my old 4-H projects. Unfortunately I forgot them when I left town, but hopefuly I'll get some pics here soon. Funny thing is, I thought I was fairly decent at lacing when I was a kid; boy was I wrong!

I dug out my old 4-H leathercraft books today & thought these may be of some help. Plenty of other instructions I've seen are pretty dificult to decipher, so hopefuly these may clarify a few points for some folks. Hope they help.

So I'm a little late catching this one, but man, those are absolutely beautiful!

Thanks Harvey! I will definitely look in to such a purchase. I'm planing to make the Elco Nv. show in July where I can see these tools in person.

Thank you guys very much for the positive feedback. I did enjoy myself through both projects (I'll have to keep that in mind), just got stressed cuz they took so much longer than I had planned & didn't get them finished in time. Though I will always concern myself more w/ quality than speed. Seeing thier reactions made it worth every second though. My mother in law cried. The "pink" finish is actualy ecoflo grape, & I was very hesitant about using it myself but my wife insisted & her mom loves it, so thats what's important. It is a very interesting finish though; it is a very very deep purple till you get it in bright light like sun (or camera flash) then appears pinkish as you've seen. The other was a happy mistake! I used ecoflo gel antique & I was pretty unhappy with the way it was turning out. I had read here about cleaning/stripping w/ acetone so I tried that. It sure didn't remove the finish but somehow I ended up with what you see here & I thought it was cool. Thanks again for your input. I really do appreciate it.

Thanks a lot for all the info. What a big help! Whinewin, I used ecoflow satin sheen to seal & I did try to lay it on fairly heavy thinking it would hold up better/longer. Is this not the case? Again, thanks all. Much appreciated. -Bryan

Thanks a lot guys. Pretty much eliminates my questions. Hope to see you there.

Not sure if this is the place to post, but I can't find much info on this show & it's the only one close to the west coast. Is it a good show? Worth the trip? I really want to see some well made tools in person & try out (& buy) a couple of swivel knives. Thanks, Bryan

I made these clutch/ purse/ wallet deals for my mom & mother in law for Mother's Day. Looking for a little constructive criticism as I really need to pick up the pace. How long should a project such as this take? They are Tandy kits & I put about 30 to 40 hours in each one. That includes drawing up the pattern, but still seems like to long.? Thanks a lot, Bryan

Very very nice! I love it!

This is a Tandy kit I did for a friend at work. He didn't have any specific ideas for the design, so I just tuned up the included pattern a bit. I was really happy w/ the project till I folded it at the very end & the surface CRACKED! I can't begin to express the frustration I felt! How can I prevent this in the future? Thanks, Bryan

Really nice! What did you use for the backgrounding? I love the texture.

Very cool! Love to see a pic of it on the bike.

Wicked bad! Dig the rivets.

All I can say is WOW! Beautiful work.

+1 I am VERY picky about skulls & damn dude, that one is impressive! Great job.