Dan Hammons

[ ttachment=2871:muledeer_Green.jpg]I'm not to fond of the spacing on the lacing but it is a Kit and sort of stuck with it. A couple more flasks that I just finished .

Hi All, I was helping my Dad on his barn one day and ran acrossed a box that said leather tools on it and opened it up and was looking at the lucky seven book when he came in and asked what I had found. I showed them to him and he says I've been packing them around since you were in grade school just set them over there out of the way . Later I ask him if I could give them a try .He says sure but it's not as easy as that guy (Al Stolhman ) makes it sound . So I got right after the job at hand and destroyed evry piece of leather or kit I bought for a while that winter and put them up and dinked with it in the winter months but nothing very serious and I got to where I could make a checkbook look good enough to use but thats about it.After a devorce I found alot of peaceful time that winter to work on it and found it pretty handy not having to put everything away everyday. I got better at the floral but figure carving was what I wanted to do but couldn't get the hang of it so it was off and on in the winter for the most part and even gave it up for a few years and then the State of Utah decided that I didn't need a drivers licence for a year. Well after being moody for a couple of weeks and realizing being pissed off wasn't helping at all ,I was at work one day and thought about the leather tools and figured that if I was ever gonna figure out how to tool now would be the time cuz I'm gonna have alot of that . And that is what I did every night after work and every weekend non stop . I bought every book ever made and got on e-bay and started buying me a good set of older tools and made everything from wallets to purses and gave them to whoever wanted them. I got alot better pretty fast but then for about four months it seemed like I never progressed at all and then one day a friend of mine wanted a horse on a purse and I sat down and carved that horse like it was easy and it was as good as the pattern I was useing. When that purse was done and I saw the look on her face when I gave it to her I knew I would never quit .That was three yrs ago and although I realize that I will never do a perfect carving it gets harder and harder for the average person to see and most never do. As long as I'm better next yr at this time then I am now a guy can't complain to much. So to be honest with all of you . If I wouldn't have got that DUI I honestly believe I wouldn't be writting this today for the simple fact that I wouldn't have put that much time into it and I don't by any means want anyone to think thats the thing to do.lol Believe me It Sucks!! One more thing I want to say and that is Thank You Johanna !!! This is the best site on the entire internet . Who would have thought a leather worker site would be the best in the world but stranger things have happened and I'm proud to be part of it . Thanks to all of you too.....Dan The Horse Purse I did for my friend.

:alarm: I know I saw a thread here and a few of you were looking for Ken Griffin's Scrapbook . There is one on Ebay sitting at $6.50 .....brand new book!!!!! Item number: 120163738316

Very nice Bear and Good Luck at the Fair!! I hope you get what your Panda is worth and if your like me I don't mind looking at a carving like that untill the right buyer comes along. At the last show I was at I had a propective buyer reaching for his wallet to buy this carving for $500 and his wife walked up and talked him out of it by cutting it down right in front of me but it's still hanging here and I'll probably miss it when it does sell.

For the back ground I used tandy light brown dye reduced 50% on both flasks and then on the eagle I used tandy red reduced 50% over the light brown. After the dyes were dry I appliedTandy Antique Tan to the Deer and Mahogany on the eagle. I applied these with a dabber in a circlar motion untill color was even and the antique started to get tacky. Useing a clean piece of wool I started buffing lightly to get antique off the high points of textured leather. How much antique is left in depressions depends on the amount of pressure you use while buffing. you have about 15 min to do this .....anything longer than that the antique is hard to get off. This is the technique and order of application that I used on the Mule Deer and Eagle in my post "Flasks - Two more" For the color on the Green ones I used Tandy Green deluted 50% with plain old rubbing alcohol for the back ground. I like to use the dyes deluted as it is much easier to control the color and blotching is not as likely and can be touched up . These have 2-3 coats on them and the color is gonna look pretty bright but that is were the Antique comes in. As you can see the shade of green is a little diff. from one to the other and the reason is that on the Duck I ued Tandy Tan Antique and for the Whitetail I used Saddletan. The Antique over the unprotected dye is were the Rich color is coming from. There are alot of factors that could change the shade starting with the leather as we all know ,then the amount of color dye and then the color of antique. The background tools I am useing are Crafttool E294 and E294-04. Practice on scrap 1st unless you like the rush you get from not knowing how your project will turn out. Oh one more thing!! I used Super Shene to block inside the oval and figures.I still try to keep the Antique out of the oval but better safe than sorry !!For a final coat I have been useing two light coats of Neat Lac. Hope this helps .......This has been all trial and error with me but I like the way this looks and Good Luck if you try it Dan

Mike , The other Flasks are gone lol

A couple more Flasks completed. I think I'll try a blue one soon but so far this is the most popular color.

That is one sharp looking bag !! Awesome job!

Very nice purse ! Nice combination of diff. leathers and colores

GREAT FISH FREAK !! I'm with you as far as turning that spot into a water drop. If it had to happen it couldn't be in a better place. I'm sure most of us has had to adjust for things like that . I know I have more than once and once again nice job.

Hey Wolve , For the back ground I used tandy light brown dye reduced 50% on both flasks and then on the eagle I used tandy red reduced 50% over the light brown. After the dyes were dry I appliedTandy Antique Tan to the Deer and Mahogany on the eagle. I applied these with a dabber in a circlar motion untill color was even and the antique started to get tacky. Useing a clean piece of wool I started buffing lightly to get antique off the high points of textured leather. How much antique is left in depressions depends on the amount of pressure you use while buffing. you have about 15 min to do this .....anything longer than that the antique is hard to get off.

Hello and welcome to the forum. As a supplier I'm sure you get reviews from your clients which products work the best for the money and that kind of information is very valuable and useful to those of us that need and use those products. Dan

Hi All, Two more Flacks I just finished up. Thanks Beez the tool number I used to mat these is E294

Nice work and detail ! I like the scrool work on the seat !

Very nice Saddle and Welcome to Leatherworker!

WOW That is a great piece of leather work. I love the tooling.

Hi All, A few Flasks I've recently finished. A few more to do and I'll post those when finished.

Wow .Those are pretty cool. They look like they're more for show dogs than hounds. OK These are what the females of the pack wear. I want to see what the guys wear ???

Hey Karl, I'm no saddle maker but from where I'm sitting that is Sweet and you should be proud of yourself . So what your saying is there is still hope for me finding that pattern pack I know was there when I packed and moved?

Although I;m getting better I have the same problem at times . I have used my leather shears or my French edger to clean up the edge. I have also free handed a bad spot when it came to stiching an item together and cleaned up the edge later. I'm sure we will get some good advice on this and I'll be watching for some pointers.

That is very good for your first time using your new tools . I have found that stoping ever so often and cleaning up anything unwanted with a modeling tool is very helpfull. I tend to agree with Peter Main that the modeling tool or spoon is one of the more important tools used in smooth clean carvings.

Welcome Washboard and please do post some pics. Keep trying and you'll get it. Me I had the opposite problem of posting the same thing twice and will still do it once in a while. Won't be long before we have the biggest and best collection of leatherwork pics anywhere.

Freak!! Awesome! You may want to retract your statement a few days ago about having done nothing worthy of entering the show in Oct, Great Piece Dan

Freak , The only way you are sure not to take a ribbon is to not enter. I almost didn't take that Bear to the Fair !! Then What ..........Dan