Cyberthrasher

Well, we really are just guessing about the original method. But I think you're pretty close. First off, the gold. I wouldn't try it with a resist technique. Just paint it in the old fashioned way keeping it off of the areas that you don't want to be gold. For the lighter green, I would use a thinned down mix of green and apply it in there. No need to be so careful with this part since you're applying green over everything else anyway. For the marbled effect, it appears to be mostly block-dyed. But, there is a heavier application of green applied in some spots, making it darker in those areas. I do stuff like that all the time, though not for the exact same effect. Step by step: 1.) apply your light (thinned) green in those spots 2.) apply the heavy dark green where desired 3.) Block dye the whole thing to get a lighter green overall - don't saturate your rag used for dying so it's only a light application. You're going for a translucent overlay that will color the rest, as well as soften the transition of the darker green. 4.) carefully paint the gold. You can seal with Resolene to "resist" first if desired, but be sure to wipe up any tiny mishaps with soapy water. You will have gold specs either way, the best you can do is limit the mishaps so that you don't have anything to clean up. 5.) Seal the whole thing up. It actually looks like the edges around the gold are done in a kind of dark burgundy color. I would dye that before applying the gold.

Well, the customer is going to have to realize that this isn't a controlled manufacturing process. When thing's are hand made there are variations. As to wasting supplies and money, it's not a waste to master a technique. For covering, with acrylics I like to use a varnish to smooth and seal the actual acrylic paint and then cover the entire piece with Resolene.

Depends on how big your hands are. I talked a lot with Paul at Leatherwranglers before getting my full round knife, and was actually considering either the mini-lui or mini-sam. He recommended the full size for me since I have larger hands. Plus, I LOVE the style of Paul's knives and they are really easy to handle. If you're looking for a good knife at a lower price point, ART Knife And Tool from Josh Fields is a good choice I hear. He's coming up in the knife world and EVERYBODY I've talked to who has tried one of his knives has nothing but good to say. http://www.artknifeandtool.com/ You can also look him up on Facebook. I'm a huge fan of Paul Z. and Leatherwrangler's knives, but I gotta give a hand to Josh and the work he's doing as well. Seems to be an excellent choice for a slightly less expensive knife.

And a Picasso is just some colored pigment spread around on a piece of canvas - nobody cares what went into making it, so there's no reason to charge such a high price for it.

That stuff you "typically" see is because leather tooling grew up in the western world. There are LOTS of us who tool all kinds of things in leather. Some are awesome at pictorial and figure carving (which there is another sub-forum for), others prefer a more tattoo oriented approach. It's really whatever you enjoy and want to pursue. But, don't discount those western/floral carving lessons!! One thing I hear from a lot of people I send this way is "that place can't help me, it's only western and cowboy gear." That's a single minded way of looking at a lot of the lessons. What's floral carving made up of? Long, elegant lines, small curves, modeling, beveling, backgrounding, etc.... What are other styles of work made up of? See above. People focus on the subject matter of a lesson or piece instead of the technique involved that spans across all subjects. So, keep your yes open, study it all, and find your own niche for the kind of work you want to do

There are SO MANY different methods. My best advice is to research online for comparable custom items in relation to the quality of your work. Don't look for matching content, but similar traits. One of the BIGGEST complaints I have about people selling their work is that too many of them sell really low in hopes of getting it sold, which does nothing but under value everyone else by teaching people that they can get leather for cheap. For me, I found that a $20 p/h rate works well, but only because it always puts me right in line with the average rate for a similar product on the market. Others who work faster than I do actually do $40 - $80 p/hour - but they still come out at around the same total price. Some people will tell you to add up your material and double that, but we're not a "manufactured" kind of crafter and that model really undermines us. This is where you find all the cheap crap on Etsy/Ebay. Remember, we put a lot of work into MODIFYING those materials, so that price model doesn't really mean anything to us. So, research, compare, and BE HONEST about the quality of your work as it stands right now in order to get a good price going. And, whatever you do, DO NOT price low just to make a sale. All that does is hurt the craft as a whole while barely paying for your supplies - Lose/Lose situation.

Yeah, I'm extremely familiar with coast airbrush and love them for all sorts of things, not just airbrush supplies. They also have a really good forum their for the kustom kulture folks. Right now my budget is only in the $85 range, which is keeping Mr from those. But, for anybody interested, right now Chicago airbrush supply also has some killer deals. I found a better price on the Patriot there and I believe they have the renegade krone I stock.

Wow, that went south for no reason. Ed The Bear man makes lots of cool stuff. You can contact him or his son through the leatherburnishers.com website and he's got examples of a lot of stuff on his Facebook page. You can also look him up right here on the forum.

I have some ideas, but I gotta see it to know if I'm thinking right. Remember, dye doesn't "stick", it penetrates. usually if your color isn't taking, it's because something else is blocking it.

For most purposes, there won't be any performance difference between gravity and siphon fed. If you're looking for extreme detail, gravity will do better because it's not using some of the air to suck the color up, meaning you can operate at lower pressures from your compressor and get closer to the work. But, for general coloring and spraying finish, either will do the trick equally as well. Lightingale, I'm a little jealous right now I'm looking to upgrade and really want to try a Krome due to it's high regards, but it's just out of my price range. I'm settling on a Badger Patriot 105, which is a gravity fed version of the tried and true Badger Anthem 155.

Are you using the resist to actually color the leather, or are you antiquing your tooling to bring it out. If you're coloring the leather with it, then there's no easy way out. I would suggest letting it dry a day or so and then use SUPER light pressure when applying that first coat of Resolene (if you don't have a method to spray). Then build up light coats until you're satisfied. If you're antiquing your tooling, be sure to wipe and clean really well so that it's in the tooling exactly how you want it. Then, once again, provide that super light coat of Resolene with very little pressure. I'm a little confused by your initial question. Normally, we would resist our project first and THEN apply antique so that it only takes in the tooling and areas that have not been resisted. As far as antiquing goes, there's not really a purpose to "resist" AFTER you've antiqued. Keep in mind, we're looking at terminology here. Resisting is a process used to "block" the next process from having an effect on the leather (usually antiques or stains - not dye). Finish is the protective clear coat which goes on at the end. Most "resisting" is done with a finish product. Even the products called "resist" are just a finish that's formulated for that process of resisting. The reason I bring it up is because there are a lot of people who have gotten confused in the past when reviewing posts looking for help. Plus, there are also other people who may be able to help, but might get confused with the terms and possibly offer bad advice. So, it's just a point of clarification to make sure everybody can get the most out of the postings.

It's not that hard to use a double action. It sounds hard. Think of it like your gas pedal, not doing multiple things at once with it, but just using it. You press on the pedal to go (or press on the trigger of your AB to provide air), then you gradually move the pedal to provide more or less gas (or move the trigger to provide more or less color). The air-valve on most airbrushes isn't variable like it sounds with the double-action description. When grabbing the trigger to slide it back for color, you naturally push down anyway, so it's not different.

Wow. I seriously didn't have any of those attachments show up on the first page when I looked through before. Yeah, I imagine a small one like that would be alright. I do think the compressor needs a better regulator though. That's the same one I have and the drop in operating pressure drives me nuts

Cool. I just wanted to make sure since it's such a common mistake and has the potential to be disastrous to both the guitar and the strap.

As I thought (but wasn't sure), they are 6" on center for the top/back mounts and 5" down to the forward hinge mount.

Ok, so point of clarification. What type of gun are you using/referring to here. Every automotive spray gun I've ever used would more than saturate those cases, or over spray ridiculously if you backed off enough to no saturate it. But, I do know there are different types/sizes out there. So, I'm willing to concede on that point.

They're pretty standard, but I'll grab some measurements during lunch. The guy I buy my pans from welded them in on these.

How about getting some and just testing it out? I was eyeballing it at the store a few weeks back and had considered it myself for limited use cases. Whatever you do, I would be sure to put a finish sealing over it after the cracking is done to ensure the acrylic doesn't begin to flake off prematurely.

I think a lot of those old timers have enough experience to make a piece of bailing twine look awesome I haven't experienced any stretching with mine (It's the bonded nylon). If you can't find a small amount let me know. Depending on where you're at, I can pull off a few strands and send them your way.

Carefully with lots of deep breaths Seriously though, I use liquid latex as a masking solution. Every time I try tape, it has some kind of effect on the grain. The fluid just peels right off like nothing was ever there.

Thanks Shadow!!

Practice Good Job Joquarter. Do you have a hole at the end of the peg slot? Couldn't see one in the pictures. Make sure you get one on there so they don't tear out over time.

Would you use a 4" paint brush to apply your dye? The problem with it is the AMOUNT of color/finish being sprayed (not to mention the waste as a result of overspray). Both color and finish should be built up to achieve the desired results using light coats. Using an automotive spray gun is applying a LOT of color/finish. For coloring, you'd be better off dip dying - which won't have the added cost or waste due to overspray. For finishing, again there's the waste, but more importantly, the spray gun will put so much on that you'll risk having a "plastic" finish that will be more likely to crack over time. In regards to overlapping too much, just thin your dye so it's not applying so heavy in any one spot. The main problem with any sprayed application of dye is that it doesn't soak into the leather very far. The best way to remedy that is to cut your dye 50/50 and build up the color, BUT, also start with a further cut down mix for the first coat (25/75). This will allow the color to be pulled in to the leather more as you're building up your coat.

I wouldn't worry too much about the wax. Bonded Nylon is pretty slick. If it's not coming through then there's another issue that should be addressed (like knot size....) Waxing comes more into play when you have the linen/cord thread that can separate and bind. The wax helps it slide through without tearing up the thread. And yes, that is 6 SPI. I need to work on getting familiar with some tighter patterns, but for most of what I do I like the look and security of 6.

Thanks guys. Trying to think of what to do for the next one as soon as this thing sells.