Spincycle

I haven't done any glued projects that were not also stitched. This is the first. Consider that there is a half inch diameter snap sandwiching the strap together. It's also very short, and doesn't really encounter any flex. I was torn about wether or not to stitch it. I really wanted to keep it plain and simple so I decided to just leave it glued. If the cuff were made with a backing then I would stitch that for sure. I'll be watching for your project.

Thanks for the compliments. I have a big piece of calf skin. I measured between the watch lugs and cut a strip a little bit wider. Applied some glue and folded it in half. Then cut it to the finished width and length. I use toothpicks for the through hole where the watch pins will go through. I also don't apply glue to that area. You can use any watch you like. It will sit on your cuff basically the same way it sits on your wrist. Some watches however will conform more to a curve (wrist) than others. This watch that I used had a standard strap on it. It had worn out and I wanted to change it up so I made this cuff for it. Hope that helps.

I kept it simple with this one. I used the Tandy pro matte finish for the first time. I definately don't like the smell. I'm not sure how long it will "off gas." I noticed the second coat didn't go on as we'll as the first. I think one liberally applied coat is the best way to apply this. I dyed this vegtan with two coats of USMC black and two coats of the Tandy pro black. The finish pulled up black like crazy. It's pretty thick so I'm not sure how to spray this. I'll have to experiment with it. The pieces that hold the watch are 3-4 oz calf, folded over and glued. I used polished nickel snaps and gave them a brushed look to match the watch. I just used a sanding sponge for that. I might try coating the snap with the matte finish. I used snaps so I could still show off the see through back on the watch. Any one have any experience with the Tandy pro matte finish?

Well I had lots of things I wanted to try, so I combined them into this project. I used my airbrush for the first time. I sprayed the entire leather strip with diluted Febings green dye. Then I created the image and printed it on adhesive back paper. When I cut it out I realized that the small pieces probably wouldn't stick well enough to mask the green. I covered it with masking tape then applied it to the cuff. I then carefully cut the image out of the masking tape. I then sprayed the entire cuff with USMC black. I removed the mask then I buffed the black area being carefull not to go over the green. I should have tried buffing the black before removing the mask. I didnt think about that untill after. My initial idea was to seal it by spraying it with Resolene. But I decided I wanted to have a less glossy finish. I have some Febings Aussie so I melted about ten coats into the leather. I did notice that I pulled some black into the green. In hind sight this is not the type of project that I should have manually applied anything. If I do this again I will spray some Tandy pro matte or something similar instead. The Aussie did seem to seal it ok. I dropped some water on it and you have time to wipe it off before it absorbs. I think Montana Pitch Blend would work better and wish I had that instead of the Aussie. Anyway I laced it single loop as this was my first lacing project. I found the lace to be fairly ridgid and not as soft or supple as I had thought. When I hammered the lacing flat it kind of cracked a bit. I will experiment oiling or soaking the lace in water to see if I get better results. Anyway let me know what you think.

Thanks, glad you liked them. I've got another one comming. Finally making another one for myself.

Here's some cuffs I've done. The maroon one was my first leather project. It's just a piece of chrome tanned with round studs. Dyed the edges black and sealed them with Resoline. I still wear it. The second one is a cuff I made for my wife. It has our family's birthstones on either side of the cross concho. The heart type pattern is from a quilting border that I found online. I lined the inside with light weight calf skin. There's about 8 hours of hand stitching in total. The third cuff is also for my wife. The bow is the same calf skin from the previous cuff. Just painted pink with acrylic paint and sealed with Resoline. Again all hand stitched. Thanks for looking.

Hello everyone. I joined Leatherworker just over a year ago. I became interested in leather working because I wanted to use leather on some of my custom bicycle parts that I make. I initially joined because I wanted to be able to see the photos everyone posted. I quickly realized that there was a lot more to leather working than I had initially thought. Needless to say I now have another hobby. I customize and modify mostly cruiser style bicycles. I also make new parts for them. And I am glad that I can fuse that passion with this incredibly versatile material called leather. I would like to thank anyone who has posted something on these forums. This was my sole source of info that I used to educate myself in this hobby. I feel it is only right to give back what I have received though your generous contributions, and so I look forward to posting what I have done and learned thus far.