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Howdy, welcome to the forum. Here are a few tutorials to check out: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=20428 http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=8277 http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=9924 There's a handy little window in the upper right of the forums labeled "Search" that works pretty well. If that gives too many results, best bet is to check the "How Do I Do That" forum or the Motorcycle Gear forum, they both have a bunch of good tutorials pinned to the top of the first page. Enjoy!

That sir, is one really nice helmet. Absolutely beautiful!

Hey glockanator, check out my leather burnisher website (I have a specialty business turning them for dremels & drill presses) for the sizes: http://www.leatherburnishers.com On the drill press burnisher page the "General Purpose" burnisher lists the most common cove sizes to cover 4oz though double thickness 9oz. Anything above double thickness 9oz. pretty much needs a flat turned on the slicker as most folks wouldn't completely round the edge of the leather that thick, there will be somewhat of a flat section in the middle of the edge. If you have the ability to turn them yourself, use one of the rosewoods (cocobolo, honduran rosewood, tulipwood, kingwood, etc) that you have access to. They'll burnish better than any domestic wood and last longer. Chris

I second King's X suggestion of SLC, all of the ladies that answer the phone are pleasant to deal with and I've never been unhappy with an order or price with them. As for the leather, why not give Wickett & Craig a try. Even their 8-10 oz overstock veg tan is better quality than 95% of Tandy's best hides and it runs $107 for an entire side. With shipping to CA (from PA) I pay about $130 and they'll split it to a lighter weight for free if you ask.

Thanks dirtclod!

quit rubbing it in Bobby. As soon as I find a supplier that will ship it to California, I'll be happy to jump on that wagon with ya.

Over the last few weeks with being off work & home with the baby and mama to help out, I needed something to do in my down time so I decided to figure out making the rear fender bibs for my bike model (Shadow Aero 750). Naturally, I needed something with my leather biz name and logo on it and figured while I was at it I'd throw a business card holder on there too. In the first pic I put my old store bought Mustang fender bib next to the one I made to show the improvement in quality and materials. It attaches via the OEM bolt location on the fender for the non-existent rear passenger seat and a bit of velcro sewn into the bib up front. The velcro attaches about 1.5" under the seat so even when removed there is no sign the bib was installed. Background pattern was done using the pebbler tools from SLC. I bought 10 of them and reground them to various profiles so I can fit them into any area needed. By using one randomly, then a second randomly and then filling in to complete the pattern. Strangest part was wet molding the bib to the fender so it would lay down correctly when installed. Fortunately I have a spare fender in the shop so after tooling, punching, etc. I bolted the back down via the factory location, and massaged the leather into shape with a piece of felt as a spacer under it. Once down, I wrapped it with saran wrap to keep in place without marking it. The felt spacer left just enough room for the leather to dry and harden into shape. The leather used is the Wickett & Craig tooling leather pre-dyed in black. Not having to dye the piece saved quite a bit of time and the color tone is very nice. First time using the pre-dyed leather from them, I'll definitely do it again. Enjoy! Chris P.S. and because I know Roo will ask, I added a pic of the back to show the felt liner and velcro placement. The felt was glued on oversized and then trimmed with a sharp pair of shears at a steep angle so it lays under the lacing to protect the paint but doesn't show at all when installed.

I found a few things with wallets and other gear for motorcycles that using resolene thinned 50/50 with water protects better than Super Sheen. The other processed that helped was to use a "weatherproofing" (more like weather-resistant) dressing on the leather after the resolene dries helps quite a bit. Essentially what you are fighting is, pardon the bluntness, butt sweat causing the fabric dye to bleed into the leather. Here's the process that I have found works well for me: after tooling, cutting, etc. apply a good coat or two of neatsfoot oil & allow to soak in overnight then apply 2 good coats of resolene/water mix, let cure 20 minutes or so in between coats; let dry over night next up is a good buffing with Pecard Leather Lotion last step is a good application & buffing of Pecard Weatherproof Leather Dressing The last two bits can be found in a kit Pecard sells online for $18 and will last a decent length of time. The dressing also comes in black & natural so you can use the color that fits the project best. (Black basically helps enhance/rejuvenate black dyed items). link to Pecard Hope that helps Chris

I have used a bit of Kydex and it's essentially heat moldable ABS plastic. It comes in various thicknesses from folks like Springfield Leather. Obviously, the thinner material will be easier to mold to smaller tighter shapes. Leather can be adhered to it with any strong adhesive. Kydex can also be cut, sanded, drilled, punched, etc. which would allow you to sew/stitch/lace to it but if sewing, you'll either need to pre-drill the holes (punching would leave a crown on the exit side) or use a machine strong enough to punch through thicker materials. Little known fact, if you contact Springfield Leather, they will send you up to two free samples of Kydex (about 9" x 4" in size) to try out. I believe you can also request it via their website. I don't know if an order is required to get the samples, I was placing an order when I figured it out. I've since picked up a sheet of each size as it works well for making custom brackets and such as well. Here's a picture of Kydex used with 1/8" aluminum in a custom bracket I made to grab onto 1/2" round chrome bar:

TwinOaks is right on the money. I own 4 airbrushes now, one for a different type of medium & purpose. My Iwata Eclipse HP-CS is for the fine detail and high-end paints. My Badgers are for higher volume spraying, one for each type of dye (spirit & oil) and then I have the $20 Harbor Freight badger knock-off for spraying resolene and other hard to clean finishes. For bigger jobs, I also have the HF detail gun ($18) which is a HVLP automotive touch up sprayer. For what you're talking about, specifically when you mention the automotive airbrushing, I would get the Iwata and then spend an extra $15 and get the HF knock-off set for your leather finish spraying. It costs you a little more in the start but long term you should be able to handle all of the jobs you're talking about.

Hey Kevin, I saw the order come through tonight, thanks! I'll see if I can't get them into the mail tomorrow for ya to get ahead of the holiday on Monday.

I know what you mean...I had planned on doing a tank and fender bib for my bike over a year ago and am just now getting to them.

That's an awesome twist on a tank cover, love it!

Yeah, I spoke to Matt this morning. Seems someone overseas has been having fun with their website. The IT person is working on it so the website might go out sporadically while they test a few things. If you want to give them a call for quotes, etc. Their number is 1-800-TANNERY. Matt is ext. 216 and Glenn is 222 if I remember correctly.

Looks like they have been hacked. I'll call Glenn tomorrow morning and let them know so they can get it fixed.

Thanks for the kudos guys, always nice to hear how they are working out. Sixer - looks like you definitely found the process you were looking for, that's a great looking edge!

Yep, I found the same thing...the silver work much better than the black but overall out of the two types, I have better luck not only setting but with longevity of the Glove snaps than I do/did with the Sigmas.

The Royal Meadow is decent leather but in my opinion, the W & C is better. I have a RM hide and a couple of W&C hides in my posession right now and the difference in quality is pretty clear. Even the #3 W&C (called Special - $5.48/sqft) appears to be smoother, cuts & tools slightly better and takes dye & paint wonderfully. The RM cuts and tools nicely but it has a tendency to still be splotchy when it comes to dye absorbtion, even after cleaning with Oxalic Acid. I don't need to clean the W&C leather, just simply wipe down with DNA to take any surface film off and that's it. I wet form large sections for motorcycle gear and the W&C also molds better as it generally takes to casing easier than the RM. I generally use the #2 W&C (Utility grade - $6.35/sqft)) but for really high end projects I use the #1 (Standard grade - $7.25/sqft) which is much better than the RM at the same price. W&C will also cut and split a hide to your request. In my last order I needed two different sizes but not an entire side of each size so they cut it in half (asked if I wanted lengthwise or back to belly cut) and split each half to different thicknesses at no additional charge. Tandy won't do that. Just some food for thought. Chris

Thanks for the info, I'll have to swing by next Saturday and check it out. Chris

Thanks everyone! She decided that she wasn't happy last night so we had our first foray into the world of 3am screaming baby but the nurse fortunately figured out she was simply not getting enough to eat so after supplementing "traditional feeding methods" with a little formula, she's happy as a clam and sleeps long and hard like her dad. Mom could hardly wake her up for the next feeding.

Thanks everyone, she's been a blessing. The labor & delivery were rough but now that is behind us and she's doing great. Sweet disposition, sleeps well so far, is eating well and loves to cuddle with her dad so all is right in the world.

Here's our new little girl...Emily Kimiko Wright, born 6/11/11 2:01am. She was 8.04lbs and 21.25" at birth. Her and mama are resting and doing well. Cheers! Chris

Don't forget to check out some of the LW folks on Facebook. Clay Miller has been making some really nice tools and posting them there (his website is still in process). The quality is great and he can custom make certain shapes you're looking for. His prices are also very competitive. Chris

Congrats rdb, always good to see a brother return to the fold. I've got a Aero 750 and my wife has a Spirit 750. The Aero is in the process of getting all new leathers this month so she's a little bare right now. Named Cherie after the black hearted B**ch that talked me into getting a smaller-than-I-wanted bike and then broke things off shortly after. A few more mods and my Cherie will be the better looking of the two (and this one is more loyal) haha. P.S. - rdb, if you decide to get rid of the original tank after upgrading, drop me a line. I might be interested if the price is right.