The Grizzly

No replies in 3 weeks? I'll bump it back up.

This is my version of a fish scale pattern I use on my fillet knife sheaths. Very simple and gets great reviews from customers.

Hi folks. I've recently started doing 8x10 framed art pieces and I'm in search of a good clear finish for these pieces. They are generally a combination of both dye and acrylic paint, usually with antiquing. I have Fiebing's Resolene on hand and also picked up a HF airbrush and compressor. I also have a Preval sprayer setup. While at Hobby Lobby today I found several spray arcrylic clears: ModgePodge (cant remember the brand) acrylic clear in matte, gloss and high gloss Krylon acrylic clear and UV blocking clear I also found in the artist's section a brushable clear varnish but not sure if it's compatible with acrylics and the Fiebing's antique paste. Looking for any insight you guys that do painted projects can provide. Thanks!

I used clear packing tape once, that worked but left the backside really furry/fuzzy. I think the painter's tape would be a better option as it releases easier than heavy clear packing tape.

The evenness of the lines is absolutely going to be the biggest challenge! I guess I need to just find me a simple design to start with and take a shot

I thought about using the same tactics for celtic knotwork, thanks! Just wanted to have other folks weigh in and see how they have done them.

Hi folks. My googling is turning up with very few results for this topic. I'm wondering if anyone here has experimented with tooling a hotrod pinstripe design? Say something like this for instance: If so, would you care to post your work and maybe some ideas on how to best tackle something like this? I've seen one bike seat done using just the swivel knife and decorative cuts. What about actually laying this out with thicker lines, cutting them and beveling them so they stand out? Then painting/dyeing them? All ideas welcome .

Not bad. I forsee it losing a lot of it's retention qualities from the wet molding though, simply due to drawing and resheathing the knife.

I am in a similar boat. I don't do holsters, yet, but I do make knife sheaths among other leather goods. For a basic pouch sheath, I factor in a set price into my knife pricing. If the customer wants a different sheath, I change the price accordingly based on what kind of increase in skill it's going to take to complete the job. I don't have any kind of set rate/hour. I do this as a hobby that makes me a little extra cash on the side while getting my name out. For the odd leather item here and there I do a search to see what similar items are selling for and price from there. For example, I recently completed a set of 3 vest extenders for a guy. I had not seen any of these done in full leather (usually they are leather tabs with chains). He wanted 3 initials in the center and a little decorative stamping, no dye, oiled finish. Easy enough so I figured $5 each would be sufficient. Often times I get responses like I should have charged more. But, once again, I do this as a hobby...and I love it. And, that $15.00 for those 3 little pieces of horse hide just paid for another bundle of straps and a couple new dye colors.

Nice work on those! Just need to work on straightening up the lines of the sheath itself. Also, I would dye the inside of the belt loop as well...undyed gives an unfinished or hurried appearance. Good job!

Not bad! Some comments on the sheath for the stag handled knife. *The sheath would look better, overall, if you folded the belt loop over the other way so the flesh side is out, not in. You can then skive down the end of the loop so it lays flat and doesn't drag on the knife. *This type of sheath works better with a full stitch all the way around, instead of a fold over. With the fold at the spine, you're not getting the best retention possible from the sheath. You can do it this way, but you really need to wet form the sheath to the knife and make it long enough to accept the guard down into the sheath. *Speaking of retention, is there a keeper strap just not pictured? *Your stitch line looks good, nice and clean. *Your edges need some work both on the belt loop and the sheath itself.

This is what gets me about guys selling really nice, but generic, sheaths. I've seen some very good work being sold on eBay that just states what size knife it will accommodate. Makes no sense to me how you can get a good, TIGHT, fit with a universal sheath. A fold over flap pouch for a folder is one thing...as is a sheath for a blade with a guard where only the blade is sheathed. But a full pouch design really, really, really needs the knife on hand to get the best fitment. If you take in knives to make sheaths for, the customer should pay shipping both ways.

I've seen some really cool stamping patterns using veiners and camos and the like on bracelets and what not. Just wondering if anyone had a link to some patterns?

If you are using the vinegaroon as suggested above, you need to make sure you are neutralizing the solution with a light wash of bakingsoda and water. And the vinegaroon is not a dye, it is called a reagent.

Hi folks. I picked up a Silver Creek Leather bag of scraps, 3lbs, from Hobby Lobby today for like $4 after the discount, thinking I could use it for something (and hoping for a stray piece of veg tanned). Most of their bags are small cut offs and weird pieces, this bag has quite a few large rectangles of good, heavy leather (I figure 7/8oz maybe 8/9). These pieces have an almost soft touch to the face side, not the hard, slick face that I'm used to with veg tanned. I cut into it, and the tell-tale grey center was not there, so I figured it must be some form of veg tanned. It takes water readily, soaking it up from both sides like veg tanned. But, does not stamp that well. Haven't had a chance to burn a piece yet to check the ashes. Either way, if this stuff is chrome tanned, I'd like to find a use for it. What are some projects that would make the best use of this leather? I know, no sheaths or holsters and things of that nature. Thanks for the help

If your lacquer spiderwebbed it was most likely due to being put on too heavily. Use lighter coats. Also, you can spray your coats while the guard is in a bent position, that way it doesn't have stress put on the finish when you put it on.

Are there any online tutorials for this type of carving, videos or pictorials either one? Or good books I can pick up? I seem to do better reading and learning from pictures. Thanks!

Wow, very nice!

Chief, thank you for your detailed reply. I want to go over some stuff you mentioned, but I'm too tired to do so tonight. I will post back again tomorrow with questions about what you posted. beetle- I love my spoon/stylus. I recently picked up a flat spoon tool as well, should work better in my thread channels and what not.

Hi folks...ok, first thing. Is this piece called a carving? Or...? This started as just a practice piece. I don't have near the variety of tools on hand to do the piece properly, but I made do with what I have. I picked up the leather from Hobby Lobby and found a design I liked. I laid out the design then traced over it with a red pen...which I won't do again because it still shows up. Using a picture of the finished piece, I selected the the tools I knew I had and started. But where to begin??!! With no idea where to start the piece, after cutting the piece with my swivel knife, I just picked an area that I thought would be first. 1. I backgrounded the area between the stems first. 2. Next, I used my beveler to go around the entire piece, petal overlaps, leaf overlaps and scroll. 3. Once done with that, I used my seeder to fill the centers. 4. Next, I used my textured pear shader to do the petals and leaf areas. 5. After that, I used the veiner and camo tools to accent the stems, leaves and flower. 6. Finally, I used my swivel knife to add what decorative cuts I could to go with the design I was following. 7. I tooled the letters as an afterthought when a good friend said she wanted this piece. I wish I had just painted them on as I did a TERRIBLE job free handing them. 8. A little bit of clean up with the modeling tool and a very light backgrounding of the outside edges and it was ready for dye, antique and finish. A few things I learned on my own: -I need a wider variety of tools, more sizes of the current tools I have would be great. -Don't lay out the design heavily with a red pen if you are going to leave undyed sections. -I need more practice with thinning my colors and putting them on lighter so they don't finish so dark with the antique. These colors were Fiebing's Red and Green thinned 2 parts alcohol to 1 part dye. The brown is Fiebing's Saddle Tan thinned 50/50. -I need TONS more practice with my decorative knife cuts. Any and all critique accepted! Thanks for looking!

Thank you very much! I'm seriously considering making a copy of it for myself.

Thanks! I thought the two tone would compliment the knife better than just plain black.

Thank you!

Thanks again guys. Stingray- I had the profile pattern drawn and cut to just over correct size. Then, I wet the leather and folded the sheath, pressing it tight and did a quick test fit on the knife. Next, I unfolded the leather and laid it flat out on my granite slab to come back to tooling dryness. I did all my tooling, dying, resist, antique and preliminary finish coat while it was flat. Then I folded it back and completed the sheath. I did not finish the inside with resolene because I wanted to be able to wetform the sheath from the inside out. After the sheath was glued and sewn, I wet it again inside lightly, then formed it to the knife and dried in my dehydrator. It's not a full molded wet form because I didn't want to disturb my tooling, it faded enough on the bend, which was to be expected.

Thanks!! I hope it does well at the raffle!