OdinUK

Welcome from Herefordshire.

Nice job. Do you know what you will use as a finish?

Here are the first pair of bracers that I made for a friend who's a singer with the band Conquest of Steel from the UK. The white O is from their logo. I used advice that Allen (Cyberthrasher) gave on using Resoline diluted 50/50 with water and they turned out pretty good. I'm pleased with them for my first attempt. i used Fiebings black oil dye, Createx opaque white (airbrushed) and then touched up with a brush on the sides. The Resoline was airbrushed on in a few thin applications. All edges were beveled and slicked.

Iron Sulphate crystals dissolved in water turns veg tan leather black permenantly but I have not tried it yet. When I do ill post pictures of the results.

Obama? ; ) Just kidding. I thought of John Wayne.

I have limited space do I just use a cardboard box with a bathroom extraction fan with a flexible pipe That I hang out of the window if I use sprit or oil dyes. If using acrics I make sure the filter is fitted to the fan and stuff an old tshirt in the end of the tube. I only do that if im not spraying much, otherwise I hang the tube out of the window. The filter I use is a loose weave dish cloth folded over a couple of times. Its quite effective.

Wow, thats some inspirational work. The bear is so detailed and you stamping and tooling is just amazing!

Ive recently been using a microfibre, lint free cloth tightly wrapped around some cotton wool. It seems to give a more even application. By far the best method for applying dye over an area is with a cheap airbrush (good airbrushes only for detail or acrylics).

I've had some success with Saddle Lac, I hold the can about 8 inches above the work and spray a light coat and keep it moving reasonably fast but consistent, as if using a paint spray gun. I practiced on some scraps at first till I got the hang of what gave me a suitable thin coating. Keep the coatings thin. I usually apply one thin coat, sometimes I apply another thin coat after the first has completely dried, I tend to leave it overnight. I use this method on my back patches and its worked well (if you require a slightly glossy finish). After every couple of passes I wipe the buildup at the nozzle, if you don't do this you can get some splatter which can spoil a job. I have recently been experimenting with Cyberthrasher's advice with Resolene mixed 50/50, and I apply it with an airbrush. Ive had great results so far. Thanks!

Excellent tooling! I'd be so proud if I could do that

I like the artwork and tooling. Very well done!

Fantastic tooling and assembly. I aspire to do work like this.

Very creative. I love it!

Hi James, I have my trusty Suzuki Bandit 600 that Ive ridden to Scandinavia and all over Europe with no problems at all. I recovered my seat in red leather with a gel inset set into the foam. I have a singer 31K15 but it needs a new hook. I hope to be learning some upholstery, just got a book on automotive upholstery. I bought 3 old seats for my bike to practice on. Ideally Id like to try making tooled leather seats with the braided lace holding it together, as typically seen on cruisers. If you happen to be passing Leominster I can give you a few small scraps for practice, PM me if youre interested. Free off course! Paul

I guess you get what you pay for. Its my opinion that most folk in this disposable society want it cheap and don't have an eye for detail or don't care. Thank goodness there are folk who do appreciate a quality hand made item and are willing to pay for it. I'm one of those guys

Thats a great hall. Quite a treasure trove!

Welcome to the forum! All good work for a beginner, you should see my first (and to date only attempt at a horse!) I use to live in Hereford for a while, I'm now in Leominster just up the road!

I'd probably use a triangular bevel in the corners first before the background tools.

Jax, Thanks for that, I have some of the frog tape but haven't used it for that purpose yet. I'll give it a try. I assumed there wouldn't be enough tac from masking tape. I did have one brand of clear parcel tape that worked well but I can't remember where I got it from! Every other tape I tried since left gunk. Fingers crossed for the frog tape

Welcome from England Juerge! Yes, this is a great forum for all leatherworkers. I visit Germany a lot and I'm considering moving there eventually. Paul