Spinner

For a cheap hand rubbed finish, Bob Park's article is the best place to start. The most basic process is to bevel & round your edges then spit on a piece of denim (old jeans work great) and start rubbing. Make sure to keep a glass of water handy as you'll be spitting quite a bit. The rubbing isn't "frantically". Move the denim in smooth strokes along the leather edge. Watch your pressure on the edge...too much pressure and you'll roll the edge. Just put on a good movie and kick back while you burnish.

I don't know about a free tool a month deal, but I do know I used the coupon in the last Skiver to get a free tool. Had to bring the print ad coupon into the store to get it. Damn free tool cost me $35 since I found other stuff I 'needed' while I was there. Marketing works!

Saddle Tan with about 20 minutes in the noon day sun after dying but before finishing.

Interestingly enough Eric, it turns out Tandy had some that would work. Their website search just wasn't returning them in the search at that point. Here's the part numbers to what I found, just needed to ream out the holes for my purpose. Item #1120-02 and #1120-01 Chris

Thanks Fredo

Thanks Troy! Hey Billie, thanks! Yeah, the black was odd to match since the factory seat is actually vinyl. The aftermarket Mustang seats have the same coloring and sheen so I came up with a finish that mimics them both pretty closely to make the whole thing blend more seamlessly. These are becoming a common project for my shop, the one pictured here is #4 and 2 more are under construction, headed for the UK when done. Those next two will be a change though as they have some pretty cool lacing requirements along with 12mm dome spots but no tooling.

PM sent Thanks, Chris

No problem Thumper! What kind of bike are we talking about here? If I can help with anything, drop me a line.

Thanks DS!

Thanks Roo, although I have to admit the wrap around idea isn't 100% mine. I did expand on the idea with a fuller wrap, but the idea of wrapping the tank (as far as I know) goes to the folks at Peaceful Cruisin'. Fortunately for me, they retired from custom leatherwork earlier this year so I took up the mantel.

Thanks Luke. Not sure about the question though. Do you mean: Where did I get the American Flag stamp? If so, that's quite a compliment...it's hand tooled by yours truly. All except the individual stars. I bought a tiny star stamp from Tandy and stamped them by hand.

Here's my latest whaletail tank bib. Not quite finished, as I still need to sew in the back liner but I won't have a chance to take photos between now and when i ship it off. Customer wanted a small american flag on the neck and a removable oversized pocket for his CB gear. Since he doesn't always ride with the gear he wanted a cover plate with his nickname on it to cover the snaps and the holes for the cables. The font is the same one used for the bike's logo called "Raceway" It's so hard to talk bike folks out of all black! LOL The bib is 5/6 oz and the pocket is 6 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2" and fully lined with kidskin 1.5 oz. Finish is neatsfoot & tan-kote followed by Pecard smooth leather conditioner and lastly Pecard motorcycle leather dressing.

Just a side note Kurt. Since this will be for your bike and you'll be doing the upkeep/care, check out Pecard's motorcycle kit. It's leather finish kit that many of the seat makers use and I have started using for my tank bibs. Great stuff and 2 out of the 3 parts are waterproofing finishes. $20 for the whole kit. Direct Link to the motorcycle kit

Another update and thoughts - I received my hide from Wickett and Craig this morning as promised by Glenn. Nicely wrapped with a bundle of swatches of their leather selection. Upon opening the wrapping, my initial thought was "very nice" then I grabbed a piece of leather that I bought from Tandy, their #1 grade and compared the two. The difference is night and day. My next response was "WOW". The W & C hide has excellent, even color throughout, very little marking (no brands and only 2 small abrasions) and the thickness is even throughout. I had it split to 5/6 from 9/10, they did a great job. The back has only about 2% roughed sections, all at the edges in mostly unused areas so the main hide is just about perfect. This is on their #3 special grade that was on overstock sale. I still like having a local Tandy for the commeraderie and parts, etc. and the folks there are great. But, I will definitely be buying my big hides from W & C going forward. I just can't justify using lower grade hide at the same/higher prices just to save time for shipping.

After making a not so favorable comment, I thought I should update and say that I spoke with Glenn this morning about the order and after looking into it, he offered a favorable solution. This was my first order from W & C so to have an issue right off the bat normally isn't a good sign for me....BUT when the company recognizes a problem and then rectifies it, at probably a bit of extra expense to themselves, to make sure the client is taken care of, they're good in my book. I'll be back. Now I'm looking forward to seeing if their leather is as good as their customer service.

HAHA...I was actually thinking of this last night trying to figure out how to securely wrap the little suckers with duck cotton. Haven't figured it out yet but it's on the drawing board.

Check out Pecard.com they sell directly from their website in individual items and leather care kits. I've been using the motorcycle leather conditioner and leather dressing and they work really well. Actually, I probably go overboard but doing: dye > neatsfoot oil > tan-kote > leather conditioner > leather dressing > Aussie Wax gives me the look and feel I want and a metric ton of protection.

Glad I got my order in already...unfortunately it's taking three times as long as they said it would to ship.

Thanks for the feedback folks. As for the dog's heads in the triangle, I was going for a design that is there but not obvious so I think I nailed that part. Tina, I think you're right about the font. You and Douglais said the same thing most other have said, everyone like the graphic, even if they don't get it but the letters are too "fancy" to read easily, especially when broken up like they are.

Following Pete's suggestion, check out this Bob Park article on Casing (wetting) leather properly. This will be a big help. http://www.leatherworker.net/Bob%20Park/Casing%20Leather.pdf Something else to consider is the blade thickness. If you're looking to do tooling, a standard swivel blade is right. They also make wider blades for cuts that you want to really show up as well as very thin blades for doing filigree work.

Looks sweet Troy, I dig the skull trio you did on the sides, nice touch! Chris P.S. - my shop envy is high now. I'd kill for that amount of space dedicated to leather.

Check into getting one of the stitching groovers Vikefan: Tandy Adjustable Stitching Groover link