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Bob Blea

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Everything posted by Bob Blea

  1. Bob Blea
    Thank you for posting these!
  2. Bob Blea
    I would recommend contacting the people at Bee Natural Leather products. I know they have several different leather cleaners and conditioners depending on the type of leather you have. My guess is that is probably a chrome tan leather but they would be able to look at your pictures and make a recommendation. Their products are very good but I doubt they will be able to remove that stain. But, you never know till you try.
  3. Bob Blea
    Really nice Chief! It looks great!
  4. Bob Blea
    I like it, especially the edges. The stitching looks nice too.
  5. Bob Blea
    Acrylic paint certainly could work for this since it's for the wedding and it only needs to look perfect the first time. I've had really good luck using acrylics on veg tan leather and having them hold up well. I've even had a small wallet with a acrylic butterfly painted on it survive going through the washer not once but twice! For a dog collar where there will be moisture and wear, I would think the paint would work off eventually but it will still look fine for next weekend. Just make sure your leather is well cleaned before applying the paint. If you oil your collars make sure the oil has plenty of time to soak in (at least 24 hours) before trying to paint. NOTE: If you normally use Latigo or some other type of leather that comes with lots of oil or fats already in it, I don't know how well the paint will bond to it. I just don't have any experience with those. Hope this helps, Bob
  6. Bob Blea
    Magnificent!
  7. Bob Blea
    Looks very nice inside and out. You've got that basket stamp running perfectly straight! Bob
  8. Bob Blea
    Hello Tommo, I oiled the leather using Neatsfoot oil (and yes Kelperts, it did get a really nice color from it) and then I applied Wyosheen (formerly from Sheridan Leather Outfitters but now distributed by Barry King) as a resist. I then antiqued it with Tandy Eco-Flo Tan. thanks, Bob
  9. Bob Blea
    I think it turned out really nice. I like the final color of the bag. Nice job on the stitching too.
  10. Bob Blea
    Thanks all!
  11. Bob Blea
    Absolutely Colt, its been my lining of choice pretty much since I started making these.
  12. Bob Blea
    Tom, I've been impressed with these sorts of journals too and thought about making them. For the middle one I've assumed there are veg tan leather plugs under the brows, cheekbones, nose and lips giving them structure and then the thinner leather skin is glued to it. The others with the finer wrinkles are probably formed similarly. At least that's how I planned on going about making one someday. Haven't tried it yet to see how well my theory works out. Bob
  13. Bob Blea
    Yes Sir, it's a thin pigskin from Tandy. The outside is a side I picked up from American Leather Direct, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It tooled very well. I'll probably be purchasing more leather from them in the future. Bob
  14. Bob Blea
    Here is a custom order I just finished and sent out to it's new owner this past weekend. He wanted a cover to hold a hard bound field notebook with floral designs in the corners and the state of Texas in the center with his initial and a star for where his corporate office is located. It was originally supposed to be basket stamped around the state but after a few unsuccessful tries we ended up using a Robert Beard matting tool that gives an effect like fiberglass, and the final result turned out great, much better that the original basket stamp idea. Finished it off with round braid on the edges, Due to the thickness of the leather it took a long time to lace the whole thing. Just heard from the customer tonight that he received it and he said he "cannot say enough good things about it." That is the best feedback I could hope for.
  15. Bob Blea
    Nice little case, thanks for sharing!
  16. Bob Blea
    Welcome to the forum! Good advice above, especially Red's about the step by step carving post. Also, I'd encourage you to post your work here for critique and advice. The people here are very good about providing kind critiques to help you improve. Bob
  17. Bob Blea

    Darkhand

    Bob Blea replied to a topic in Old/Sold

    You did! Let me know if you think the oxblood dye will work. Bob
  18. Bob Blea

    Darkhand

    Bob Blea replied to a topic in Old/Sold

    That looks really cool! Absolutely, I have made similar things in the past. Contact me at 'candbleather at frii dot com ' or via my Etsy shop. I would be honored to make this.
  19. Bob Blea

    Darkhand

    Bob Blea replied to a topic in Old/Sold

    Hello, I believe I can do this. I would like to see the pattern you want on the leather but I would be glad to make this for you. You can see examples of my work in my Etsy shop or gallery entries on this site. Bob Blea
  20. Bob Blea
    If it were me, I would use a thin vegetable tan leather, around 2 oz thickness, for hatbands. You can easily crease or tool that kind of leather with very little in the way of tools. I'm not sure what you are planning to attach those billets to, but it looks like a braided or beaded band in your picture. With that thin of leather you could probably machine sew with a home machine assuming it's not a really cheap one. You could certainly hand sew that without much trouble, but with some practice. The only other required tool would be a punch to make the holes for the buckle tongue. If you up size to belts, a thicker leather would be in order but the process and tools wouldn't be much different, though sewing would become more work. Bob
  21. Bob Blea
    Hello and welcome to the Forum! The answer probably depends on what they are being used for. Are these belts for people or horses?
  22. Bob Blea
    Splinters, going back to your post about resists. Clear Lac is supposed to be the same thing as Neat Lac just a different brand name. There is also Wyosheen, which I use. It used to be sold by Sheridan Leather and now it's sold by Barry King. Again, it is supposed to be the same thing as Neat Lac or Clear Lac. RTC Sheridan Resist is supposed to be good too. I have a bottle I got recently but haven't tried it yet. Looking to give it a go on a small project here soon. Keep it up. Your knife cuts look great, but the leather does look a bit wet.
  23. Bob Blea
    I like them, especially the last one. Nice colors!
  24. Bob Blea
    God bless you Ray! All the best to you and your family. Hope we will still see you around here once in a while. Bob
  25. Bob Blea
    I think I could use that template. I'll need to check that out next time I'm in.
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