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Cool tutorial Roo, thanks for sharing!

Hi Ellen, If you have a Dremel, I make Cocobolo burnishers that are ready to use with them in various sizes. If you don't already have a Dremel, one can be purchased online or from Harbor Freight for $50-100. Just another option, many folks here use them with good results. Here's the link to them: http://www.threemuttscustoms.com/Leather_Burnishers.html I can also make custom sizes to suit your needs. -Chris

I'll keep an eye out Bob. Also, now that you're 'official' don't forget to register your biz with Ohio Travel Bag and get yourself access to all of their goodies. http://ohiotravelbag.com/

If you're just starting out with an airbrush and only plan on doing blocks, masked areas or full projects the HF pro kit will work just fine for as Troy mentioned. It's a good starter gun and will let you see if the process suits you for little investment. Later on, if you get into small details, more technical painting/dying, etc. you can pick up a more expensive gun. I have 3 right now (HF, Paasche DA and Badger 155) and just asked for an even nicer one for my birthday, a Devilbiss Dagr. Careful, these things can be as addictive as carving tools!

My pleasure Ken, glad someone found it helpful.

I do this often with my Tandy Crafttools & ProCrafter Pebble tools and have 'adjusted' quite a few for folks that do the "class" hang out session on Saturday nights at Tandy as well. No problems that I have had yet. One thing I found that helps is to sand them smooth after grinding (I have 80 & 120 white Norton wheels) and then follow the sanding with a good polish. This will blend the chrome if there is any to reduce flaking. I have a JoolTool sharpening/polishing set-up for the light work but it could be done by hand fairly quickly. Sanding also removes any burrs from the working end of the tool so it doesn't hang up in the leather (happens with adjusted backgrounders most often).

Hey rnk, for good mid-price range tools, check out our own LW.net member Clay Miller: http://www.facebook....120176791368237 For burnishers, I make them and more reasonably priced than $60...for dremel, drill chuck or hand use: http://www.threemutt...Burnishers.html If you have a different style in mind, just drop me a line. ~Chris

I'll second Springfield for starter stuff and supplies. They have access to Tandy's entire line plus some others like CS Osbourne and ProCrafter. Kevin is a crack up to talk to should you use the "Ask Kevin" function on their website and he has good info along with an anecdote with every response. Even the few times I have had an issue with an order, they are polite and quick to correct it. Wholesale pricing with a business license or you can join their membership for traditional discounts.

Here are some findings from color tests I did tonight I thought I would share as I haven't heard much on two (new to me) colors I tried out. First, some background...a customer asked for a tank bib as part of a barter exchange we did. He sent me the artwork, which I was excited to do. However he wanted something similar in color. His stipulation was that the red celtic pattern be removed and the 'ring' be made more simply to reflect aged, cracked stone. (the aging isn't to evident in the small photo but it's simply 80 grit sandpaper pressed into semi-dry leather with a modelling sppon to create pockmarks and an uneven surface) Here's the project and supplied artwork: Now, seeing a light gray with dark areas wouldn't be a problem usually but when looking at the original un-enlarged pic, the stone is granite like gray with tonal changes of white & black. Naturally I went looking for white and grey dye and found Fiebing makes both colors. I ordered them up and upon opening the boxes the first thing I found was a different type of bottle... They are glass instead of the normal plastic. Now I know Fiebing used to use glass for all of their dyes but have since changed. Why would these stay in glass? That tells me one of two things, either really old dye or it's something that needs to be sealed better/could react with plastic or some other odd thing. Upon doing a few tests from my painting days I found that the white and grey dyes are actually not the normal spirit based thin dyes. When using new dyes/paints, it's always a good idea to put a bit in a cup and test cleaning solutions to find out what you're dealing with (unless it's clearly marked). On the Fiebing site, I find out that the white and gray can not be mixed with any other colors as they are not compatible, confirming my suspicions. Turns out they seem to be a hybrid, as alcohol makes the pigment coagulate but paint thinner will clean them up nicely. However they come thin enough out of the bottle to spray through an airbrush as is. So I start a couple of tests, brushed on, airbrushed, on bare leather, on top of another color, dip a towel in alcohol and rub over the colors, etc. For starters, the colors not being alcohol based also resist alcohol wiping. This is good as it makes prep for nearby uncolored areas easy. Unfortunately it also means using a different solvent for clean-up of brushes, etc. They in fact blend horribly, but that was expected based on the info from Fiebing. The do on the other hand, spray over each other nicely. The gray is more of a Battleship gray so it's likely darker than most will need including myself. Being based on a thicker non-alcohol pigment, they also seal the leather slightly. This means that any color like Black, that is sprayed on top of them will look different than the same color sprayed on a bare leather nearby. The White dye is also a little tricky. When wiped on it comes out more like a wash than a dye. Sprayed on is definitely the better method for this color. Even using my airbrush at max mix is still took 3-4 coats to get what I would consider a decent base coat. I would imagine if you're looking for a totally solid white that it would take 7-8 good coats. If you don't need to blend and are simply looking for a white area in a piece, thinned acrylic may be a better choice. If a large area of white is needed next to other colors, go with the dye and plan for many decent applications. Oxalic Acid before the color to lighten the leather color is definitely recommended with the white. (sorry about the picture color...the pic has a slight bluish tint I couldn't remove all the way in my editor) So end result is that by using the white as a base and then mist spraying (more air- less dye) with a dual action airbrush, you can achieve a nice granite like color with the Fiebing white and gray dyes however, you'll want to make sure that adjacent areas are masked really well as darker color spirit based dyes will not cover them the same as bare leather. You'll also want to make sure to dedicate paint cups to these two colors as the clean-up process will be slightly different and a bit more work than traditional dyes. Make doubly sure to clean your airbrush with paint thinner, instead of alcohol, after using them and before using a different color. Side note but related - USMC Black is a great color. It appears to be a richer shade of black than the regular Black colored dye; so much so that I plan on switching to it for future black colored projects (80% of my business). Hope this helps someone else, I definitely learned something new tonight! Chris

I'm not very versed in these but have tried a couple. For the pocket side, something that may work is to make a template of the cover, holes and everything and then use that to layout the shape, size and stitching holes on the inside layer. From there you can place your pockets and such on the inside layer, stitch them to it and then sew the whole shebang to the cover. This will allow for more changes/errors (and correcting them) when stitching the pockets on and also hide the pocket seams so they don't show on the front of your cover. If need be, cut the inside layer slightly larger to give yourself room to work and simply trim it once the whole thing is together.

Looking good! You did Eddie proud. Nice job on the photography as well!

Worst case scenario, should you find yourself in a spot where rivets won't reach and normal glue won't hold...I found out the hard way a few years ago on my very first leather project that Liquid Nails will adhere <permanently> leather to abs and fiberglass. Just sayin'... hehe

Love it! Are you going to be selling these?

Very cool Allen, you're right though...that's a lot of skulls! Awesome color.

Hey Clay, I just realized in my long winded post that I didn't say I'm in for it. I just hope my skills are up for the challenge. Chris

Awesome, love being able to pass work on instead of just saying goodbye to clients. They'll be pleased I'm sure!

Looks terrific John. The detailing on the case would stand on it's own easily but the knights take it to a new level. The detail on them is great as is the coloring.

Hey Roo, They both look great, the angled flap on the black one is a cool touch - haven't seen that before. (makes notes ). Is the black one for the referral I sent ya? -Chris

Good tip Chuck! I love learning new stuff.

I believe if you order online and request the overstock in the comments it will work. Otherwise, drop them an email at info@wickett-craig.com and they can process manually. They do occasionally have thinner sizes from other orders, etc. that's where the 6oz #2 overstock came from, so it's definitely worth asking.

Looking good!