NVLeatherWorx

Yup, to get the texture just give that cased leather a workover on some artificial surface of your choice. I have seen some pieces that were beat to death with a chain (looked almost like a pear shader attack on steroids). I don't typically go after this style of texture but I do go after the finish appearance. I achieve my look by applying antique paste (that is all that I use aside from dye for the colored details) and allowing it to set up (partially dry) before I actually remove any excess or buff. The trick is to apply it unevenly (I know, goes against all that we have been told and taught) so as to achieve the different penetration results. Once I start buffing, I will buff some areas more than others but once it is done, I have a varying degree of tone without having to get creative trying to do a "resist wash".

I can't believe that you can get $38,000 for a simple suede bag with plated hardware. Wonder what I could get for this one? http://www.highdesertleathersmith.com/index.php/my-projects-gallery/13-workbench-photos/2-western-classic-shoulder-bag-in-progress I made this one for my wife but figured that I would go with around $425 for it.

Clay: Beautiful belt, keep them coming. I to always stop the tooling before the fold as that is the way that I was taught many moons ago (been doing this stuff since about 1976). The basic reasoning for doing so was to ensure that the integrity of the fold is not compromised and the fact that the design loses its appearance as a result of the folding. Again, beautiful belt. Love that layout. Richard

Nice billet belts here, like the styling. However, the true Ranger belt is a totally different design. Regardless, it is nice to see that someone is working on more than just the typical single piece belt. I too spend more time focusing on the Billet and Ranger styles versus the regular belt. There are enough people doing that already so why compete? Keep up the great work and keep posting when you can.