Spinner

That's pretty darn cool looking. Please post a picture of it on the horse when you get a chance.

Hey Razz, The finish after dying is: neatsfoot oil, super sheen, Pecard Leather Lotion & Pecard Weatherproof Motorcycle Dressing. The Pecard products are excellent for weatherproofing and relatively inexpensive. I had a client report back that he spilled gasoline on his bib during a fueling mishap and the finish resisted the gas well enough that he simply had to blot it dry and reapply the dressing. (Side note - the felt backing also absorbed some of the gas so I had him take the bib off to air dry the felt liner then had him use a solution of 50/50 water & vinegar to kill the gas smell - worked like a charm). Pecard makes a neutral and a black colored dressing. For my all black bibs I use the black colored dressing to help deepen the color and I use the neutral on everything that isn't black. Chris The Pecard products can be found here: http://pecard.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=Pecard&Category_Code=motorcycle

Hey Bob, Good question - one I had to find an answer for as my original Mustang brand bib did exactly that over the course of 4 years. The solution I came up with was to do the felt lining last, after the lacing is done. What I do is cut the felt liner oversized, glue it onto the leather and then stitch it in hidden areas like the opening for the dash panel. The stitching will hold it on if the glue ever starts to lose it's grip. Once that's all done, I use a very sharp pair of shears and trim the felt and a slight undercut along the lacing so the felt is under where the lacing would touch but not fully visible when mounted. This way the lacing & stitching never touch the paint, only the felt does. As long as the felt is cleaned on a semi-regular basis so dust and debris don't collect under it, the felt won't damage the paint. Chris

Thanks Cuda. GrandpaJoel - it's a combination of wet forming and velcro securing points. The bibs are wet molded to gas tanks I have in the shop so they are an exact fit for that bike and don't need much to hold them on. For extra security I add 3 sections of velcro, one under the dash panel and one on each side where it wraps under the tank. The ones under the tank help ensure the bottom stays put and doesn't loosen up in the wind. For the most part, the forming, the seat and the dash hold the bib in place very securely. Putting the velcro in those spots ensures that if the client takes the bib off the bike, there are no unsightly ties or velcro pads showing/out in the open. Chris

Here are some photos of some bibs I finished recently along with a couple of photos from the client's with the bibs on their own bikes. Kind of nice to get pictures back after they are installed, about 3/4 of folks forget to send me photos once they are on. The POW-MIA bib is for a 2008 Honda VTX1800 F1 and the cricket bib is for a 2007 Honda Spirit 750. The last bib is medieval style tapestry artwork the client supplied of a gryphon, unfortunately the detail doesn't show real well in the photo. Cutting that one was a challenge as the lines were very small (1/8" wide in most areas) and very close together. The cricket bib photo of it off the bike with without top coat but after the painting was done so it's not as blended & shiny as the final product. Chris

Gorilla Glue has started making a white, non-expanding version of their insanely strong glue. Easy to apply from the bottle and strong as hell. Water & heat resistant when dry. You have to want it to come off (and have a chisel nearby) for it to come off whatever you put it on.

You'd be surprised...just like leatherworking tools there is a significant difference the higher up the price chain you go. My Iwata Eclipse HP-CS is much smoother and can spray finer than my Badger 155 Anthem and both put my HF knock-off to shame. However, each is good at what I use them for. All depends on what the purpose is.

Are you looking to do spirit dyes, oils, water based? Multiple colors (two-tone, and detail spraying, etc) or just solid/single colors? How many on average at a time? All of those questions will reveal the answers you seek...

Yeah they can be but they look so much nicer. A buddy of mine is currently working on a 2ft +/- full Persian for me out of Stainless Steel for my new wallet I'm eventually going to make. Hopefully should be picking it up this weekend.

Very much so. Some excellent examples of goods and gear in that movie. Although, I don't recall that Steam was the major power source, but the means of transport, etc. definitely are in the realm.

Oxalic Acid solution would lighten the spot but black or dark brown will definitely cover it. Or, Green belt with black dyed details? Like doing the tooling in green and outer areas in black. There are no accidents, only design opportunities!

I own the Tandy regular knife, two Barry Kings with 5/8" dia. barrel and recently bought the SK-3 from Leather Wranglers. After doing some side by side tests using identical conditions I can honestly say that the SK-3 is worth the money. If the price is out of range for now, the Barry King is also a great knife. My personal opinions and feelings: Tandy: A entry level knife. The angle on their angle blades is too accute and the tip tends to bury itself and drag. The straight blades are decent but require stropping more often. The barrels are made from inexpensive materials and the yoke can drag a bit when pressure is put on it. Barry King: A very nice knife and has served me well for years. The angle on his angle blades is good but the grind angle is a bit shallow which can cause the grind to round over after many uses requiring a good resharpening. Strops well and hold an edge decently. Barrel and yoke are made of higher quality brass which is nice but adds weight to the knife. The option of the 5/8" barrel is a plus for folks with larger hands. SK-3: Paul Z definitely did his homework. I put this knife through the paces last night just to see how long it & would last. The grind angle is a double bevel which I have not seen on another knife. This is something I use in woodturning so the concept isn't new but it definitely makes sense. The barrel is made from high quality aluminum which cuts down on the weight quite a bit but feels very solid in the hand. The blade shank is also smaller than on most knifes as well which allows for more material around the blade at the base of the handle. The yoke is equally as nice, with a smooth rounded channel like a jeweler's yoke and feels very comfortable. Of the three knives, I was able to cut for twice as long with the SK-3 before wanting to strop. The other two needed it, the SK-3 may not have but I had been cutting enough that it didn't feel right not giving it a quick edge. My hand grew the most tired the soonest with the Tandy, the barrel is on the small side (both diameter and length). Barry's knives were more comfortable but the extra weight can be noticeable after a few hours. The SK-3 barrel diameter is larger than the Tandy's and more comfortable. The length is also adjustable on the SK-3 so it can be made to fit your hand. Barry does offer the same size barrel (1/2") as the SK-3 so diameter is a non-issue. Other observations: Blade release: Tandy - twist compression fitting. Adequate but if it works it's way tight, can be a bugger to open for blade changes. BK - flathead set screw. Better as it doesn't doesn't require massive hand strength if over tightened, however being a flathead it is more prone to stripping. SK-3 - allen set screw. Best as like the BK is easy to change blades and the allen screw is less prone to stripping. Paul also includes the allen key with the knife so you don't have to worry about having the right one. He also includes an extra allen head screw for use in the Tandy angle guide for sharpening. I'm not paid or associated with any of the above mentioned companies, just passing on my opinion & experiences. Chris

Another cool shop for doodads to add to Steampunk items is: http://www.stanleylondon.com Compasses, sextants, boatswain whistles, mini-telescopes, etc. One thing that I thought was kind of neat was their Stainless Steel collapsible drinking cups in the pocket watch case. Not cheap but kind of cool nonetheless.

http://www.hardwareelf.com

That's actually only one aspect of it. There is also the Maker/Builder side as well. There are a good deal of folks with amazing imaginations and creative shop skills that put copper, brass and aluminum and wood into projects most folks wouldn't even think of. A cool place to check out Maker stuff is: http://steampunkworkshop.com/ taking modern items and either making them actually run on steam or at least look like they are part of that era through modification. Some fun stuff...

I've toyed with the idea but fortunately/unfortunately I've been too busy with motorcycle leathers to give it a spin. If you're looking for some music to inspire Steampunk images check out The Cog is Dead. One of my favorites in the genre. http://old.thesixtyone.com/thecogisdead/

Unless it's going to the UK...in that scenario, do yourself a favor and spend the extra money. UK customs are horridly slow and ParcelForce, one of the delivery agents, is even worse. I sent two tank bibs over there to two separate clients, the packages were held in customs for the maximum of 10 days and then passed through to ParcelForce. PF then claimed they never got the package, held it for another 8 days and then returned it to me in California, undelivered. When I checked the box, no reason for return was noted and the box had never even been opened for inspection! But it did bear their labels on it proving they had in fact received it. They were simply too lazy to deliver the package and then after all that kept my money. FedEx basic int'l service had it there in 6 days door-to-door but it cost twice as much...sometimes a guarantee is worth it.

Now that is first class, top shelf (or ledge as ya'll say) artwork.

Hi Greg, You can recase leather but keep in mind, you will likely lose some of the detail from your previous tooling session due to the water raising the grain up again. This tends to be most noticeable in backgrounded areas where they meet an edge. A trick that I have used in the past is to slightly dampen the leather (about 1/2 of what a fresh piece would be), wrap in a plastic bag or saran wrap and let it sit for a little bit. Come back later and case as necessary. By only introducing the amount of moisture necessary you may be able to get your tooling done without losing much from the previous session. Chris