Basically Bob

Looks good, Tinkerton! Lots of character.

I sure like that shearling. Wonder if my sweetie will notice a 3" strip missing off of her yoga mat?

I line all of my guitar straps with chap leather, and am considering offering a padded strap as an option. Would anyone who is doing this be willing to share their technique? Thanks!

Thanks, Rohn!

Thanks, Colt. I have lucked out, so far ... not one problem, to date. On these contoured straps, I request two dimensions: hole-to-hole, of course, but also from the top, middle of the player's shoulder to the front attachment pin while in an ideal playing position. Took me a while to get that stuff figured out but it sure makes for a nice strap.

Thanks, Duane!

Why, thank you, benlilly1!

Nice work!

... heading out the door, today! 6/7 oz. European Veg cowhide 2/3 oz. Horse Liner Handstitched at 7spi with 5-cord linen thread, bees waxed Fiebings Pro Oil Dye. Show Brown (4:1) Edges finished with Edge Kote Conditioned/finished with Montana Pitch Blend leather dressing Edges on the bottom and top of the main body and the tailpiece / tongue shields are skived to reduce bulk. The strap is contoured (curved) at the shoulder to maximize the player's comfort.

Thanks, thefanninator, Yeah that's a cool shot but I kinda screwed up the pricking line. I used my saddler's dividers and tried to follow the crease at the bottom of the molded part to give me a straight line. However, the dividers are tapered at the pointed ends and this made it difficult to keep the line perfectly parallel. My best practice on the smaller cases I do is to simply mark a straight line, on the three edges with a ruler to the point that the corner radius(s) start and then complete the radius with the dividers. Just didn't think to do it on this bag. Check out how crisp the fold line is around the bottom in this shot after taking the top frame off of the mold.

Welcome here!

Beauty!

Looks great, Rohn! Thanks for sharing. Bob

Looks great! Awesome job! Thanks for sharing. Bob

Did you use a swivel knife & beveller? Modelling spoon? Looks good.

I love it! Thanks for sharing!

Man, that has got to be frustrating. I have never had a problem like that but don't use water based dyes. I get really good results with the following method: 1) cut the resolene 50/50 with water 2) wet a sponge (I normally use something about 3" x 3") and squeeze the water out of it so that the sponge is just damp) 3) wrap the sponge with a soft cotton cloth 4) dip the cloth wrapped sponge into the diluted resolene and squeeze it out so that the cloth is just damp 5) wipe the item with a continual stroke, in one direction, very, very, lightly 6) wait for an hour or so, until it is dry and then repeat I find that three coats like this is sufficient to seal the dye and yet it does not alter the feel of the leather Once I have coated the leather to my satisfaction, I let it sit at least overnight before I flex or work with it.

Tree Reaper, the reason for the liner is because my wife wants it lined (LOL). I'll stop in at Home Hardware and check that Petrifier stuff out. Monica, thanks!

Redochre, yes, I am and that's exactly the probem. I am making a flat plastic piece that will fit over the mold and on the base to compensate for that difference. It wil be used only when I mold the liner.

My apologies for the typing errors - i really need to slow down before I hit the "post" button!

Tree reaper, I used 5/6 oz for the exterior and 3/4 for the liner. Thanks for the input, i think thar I am going to play with that idea. Bob

... haven't posted much lately, but I thought that I would share my latest project. A molded handbag, taken from Val Michael's "The Leatherworking Handbag" I have run into a major snag and am working on that right now. In a nutshell, the liner does not fit the molded bag front. (It is another piece, molded with the grain side, down) The exterior portion, I believe, shrunk after tsking the part off of the mold because of the force required to pull down the leather over the mold.

Yes, It was just under $50.00 CDN. I ordered thread and some pricking irons at the same time. I found Abbey very good to deal with and their customer service was excellent.

Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Mine was too long for me, also. To solve this issue, I measured from the ground to the height that suited me, disassembled the clam and cut each of the wooden jaws off at the bottom at the appropriate spot. The jaws are rather tight so I just loosened off the bolt at the bottom as much as I could. I have developed a way of spreading the jaws with one hand, from the inside of the clam. Bob