Beaverslayer

Welcome Rick. I had the opportunity this past year to be an extra on the AMC show Hell on Wheels. The people in charge of the wardrobe had this small cement mixer, the kind you see being used for mixing mortar in bricklaying. They had a bunch of fist sized stones in it and would put the clothes they needed to be distressed into it and run it until the desired effect was attained.

Wink & Bob Sorry I didn't see this sooner. The best glue I have found for adhering fabric to leather, or even leather to leather is "Lepages Pres-Tite Green" contacvt cement. This is a 100% solvent free glue so it's also non-toxic, you can use it in the kitchen and no foul odors or anything. If you accidently get a bit too much an anything, you can just rub it and it will ball right up and not leave any marks. I use this glue on all my leatherwork, vests, hats, you name it. The real nice thing is that it does not "Bleed" through the fabric like most contact cement does, or like a spray glue if you accidently spray too much. Beaverslayer

Can you post a picture of what you've laced so far and we can see if there's something we can help you with? There's so many things to consider when lacing...distance netween holes...distance from the edge of the project...size of holes...size of lace...lace tension... From a picture we'll be able to see all of these on your project.

johnggrg, Here's a rough drawing of how to make the earflap section. Also, while working on this, I realized that you will most likely be putting some sort of fur or wool lining in this hat. You will have to add a bit to each hat section pattern to allow for the liner. I'm thinking about 1/8" to each piece, so 1/16" on each side of the patterns. This will give you an extra 3/4" in size to allow for a liner. The forum will not allow me to upload the picture.....says I can only upload 128k and the drawing is 260k.....I'll figure something out...

johnggrg, Hi, I just read your post about how to make a pattern for a hat. I've been making custom hats for years now, and the best way to make such a pattern is to take an old baseball cap apart. What you'll want to do, is to adjust the hat to your head first, then on the backside of the hat where the adjustment strap or band is, be sure to tape the band so it does not move. For the parts that hang down over your ears, all you have to do is measure from the front of your ear, around the back or you head to the front of the other ear. This gives you the length you'll need to make the ear flap part. Make this piece wide enough to come down over your ears. You'll want to make the back area a bit shorter than the ear flaps. Now take the ball cap apart at the seams being careful not to cut the fabric. Once you have the front and sides taken apart, use tape...duct tape works well...and fill in the area on the back of the hat where the adjustment band is. If you lay out the sections you already have apart, you'll notice that they are cut in a somewhat curved line. This gives them the ability to curve over your head once it is all assembled. On the two pieces on the back, you'll have to draw a curved line from centre of the bottom to centre of the top, thus allowing the hat to curve over your head...this may take a few tries to get it right. Now once you have all the parts from the ball cap, you can now press them flat and trace them onto poster board and you will have your pattern. You may have to add a seam allowance on the front pieces so you can fold under and get a finished edge. I'll draw a picture for you and upload it to your post so you get the idea of the ear flap piece. If you have any questions or need any help figuring this out, please do not hesitate to contact me, I'm more than willing to help. Beaverslayer I've attached a PDF of a ballcap hat pattern, you should be able to just print it out and it will be the right size. I'll do up a drawing....not to scale... for the ear flap piece and upload it shortly. Hat 001.pdf

I just had a look at Tuckers website, his pictures are REAL small, but I think I got the idea of what you are looking to do. I just tried this on a piece of 2/3 oz veg tan: Wetted the leather and using a straight edge (credit card was handy) I used an old ball point pen that had no ink left, it made a real nice groove, just ran the point of the pen back and forth to attain a deeper look. I'd upload a picture, but the camera is at the shop. Hope this helps....

Hey Marlon, yes, still hanging in there. Hopefully will be around on a regular basis, as the "Real Job" is very slow right now, and I also really want to retire from it...lol Finally have a real shop set up in my sons tattoo shop, so that is going to help out a whole lot. Good to see an old friend still here.

WinterBear, Once I had it all figured out and started to make this one, it only took about 12 hours to cut, glue, hardware and assemble. But it did take me a few days to get it all figured out.

Well, I know....been a LONG time since I've been on here. Well, my real job has slowed down for the winter, so I have started working with leather again. I've got a small shop set up in my sons Tattoo shop, so that's really helping to get orders.....nothing like tattoos and leather. My sons girlfriend is right into Steampunk and asked me if I could make her a top hat. Well not ever having made one before, I said "Of course I can"...lol It took a bit of trial and error as well as a bit of extra leather and fabric, but determined to live up to my word, I forged on. Here is the finished hat. It is made from 2/3 oz veg tan, with cool fabric glued to it. I then installed the eyelets to lace through to hold it all together. The lace is roo so it should hold together real well. The wierd goggles I actually bought off E-Bay, but I now know how to make them myself...poor Chinese suppliers... Hope you all like it, comments and critique are gladly accepted.

My hat is off to you.....great job on this hat. In all my years of doing hats, and all the hats I've made, you are the first I've seen that has made a laced hat other than myself. Great job on the lacing, and the way you constructed it. Is the inside lined at all? Cheers

Donnie, Thanks for the compliment on the vest. Regarding making a jacket, I have yet to do so. I came close this past Christmas season, as a customer wanted one made for her husband, but together we decided that there was just not enough time before December 25th to make it. I have been working on a "Long Rider" for myself for over 3 years now, but it is a BIG BIG labor of love, and may be 3 more years before I can finish it. I would truly love to be able to just sit down for a few weeks and just do nothing but finish the coat, but there are far maor pressing things to be done. Hopefully I will be able to get a jacket order this year, in time for Christmas....lol Cheers

Hilly, I think I understand what your are trying to do here. Basically you want to wrap the tubular barrel part of that rifle and have it laced together on the underside? First off, this is going to be a bit of a challenge to lace, once wrapped around the barrel, as every time you try to push your lacing needle through, you are going to maybe scratch the surface of the barrel. I'd also suggest using a thin piece of leather to act as a tongue along the seam. The best way I have found to lace something together once it is wrapped around an object, is to take a lacing needle, the real thin perma lock one, and bend it into a semi circle. If you can heat it with a propane torch at the same time, it bends easier. This will make it so much easier to lace, as the bent needle will be able to be manipulated around easier to find the next punched hole. You may also want to install small eyelets such as "ade" has on the cheek rest posted here. This will ensure that you won't rip the leather when pulling your lace tight, and it would add a uniform look to the seam. Depending on the width of the space between the edges of the wrap once it is wrapped around the barrel, will determine the width of the lace you want to use. The greater the width, the wider the lace. I would say if you can, cut your own 3/8" lace from some roo hide, if you are not able to do this, then use 1/4" store bought, and punch your holes 1/4" apart and 1/4" from the edge, this should give you a nice uniform look to the lacing. If you can get 3/8" lace, the 3/8" from the edge and 3/8" spacing for the holes. To hide the ends, all you need to do is when you start, glue the beginning of the lace down on the underside of the wrap with contact cement, say about 1 to 2 inches in length. This will keep it from coming undone, as the glue and the tightness of the wrap will hold it in place. To hide the end of the lace when you are finished, just run the lace tail, under the lacing about 5 or 6 "Xs" back, snip it off and gently tuck it under the "Xs" to hide it. Hope this helps Cheers

I got an email from a person in Phoenix asking if I could make luggage from Elephant hides. I'm good, but I don't think I'm good enough to tackle it. If you are capable of doing this, or know of anyone, please contact me, and i shall forward you the info to contact the person. Cheers

Funny you should ask that. I see the site went down today just after I posted this, and I forgot my Tin Foil hat....lol, very weird indeed.

Hi all, haven't been around much, but am always near by....lol I have 2 items for sale on Kijiji. They are a Male and a Woman's vest that I had made a few years ago as display items. I am currently wanting to make some new items for display, so these ones are up for sale. Here are the links to the Kijiji ads..... Any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. Woman's Vest Male Vest Cheers Beaverslayer

Here's a couple of wrist bands I made for a customer in Georgia. It's always nice to be able to get orders from so far away via the net. Ken

Happy Birthday Tom, hope the concert is everything you expect, and the whiskey doesn't interfere with the head banging...LOL Ken

Very nicely done Art, my only question is.....what's a Peach Sweeper do? Ken

Very nice looking Mike, you did well. Ken

Very nice, and yes I'm impressed with the lacing as well. Ya gotta love those roo's for their lace. Ken

All in all it looks real good for a first project. As the others have said, practice on the lacing of the corners. You want to double up on the 3 holes that go around the corner, and this will make it a smoother transition around, and the space showing between the lace on your corners will not be there. Ken I just found you a picture of a wallet done by Randy Cornelious, it shows what I mean about the corners. Wallet