immiketoo

Here it is in all its glory.

It amazes me how judgmental people are about those who have never had the opportunity to use a good knife. PaPaw, make sure you know how to strop that knife regularly to keep it cutting like butter. If you don't know how to strop, let me know and I will talk you through it.

Hi Lenore! I have the same passion and I can help a bit with the tools and the tooling. If you are truly interested in learning, this website is a great resource. Its where I started, as I'm sure many others have. I found the best way to carve is to carve. You will learn a ton from trying it yourself, and you will better understand any instruction you do get if you have tried it a bit. There are many classes available at the various trade shows, and I highly recommend going to one if you can. At the top of the forums Page, you will find a section by Paul Burnett. He is deceased, but he passed on a TON of valuable material on how to carve. Check it out. You won't be disappointed. Tools: Where do I start? But the best tools you can afford. There is a WIDE gap in the types of tools available and some can be had for a reasonable price, others are downright expensive. Swivel knives: The one that comes in the basic kit is functional but barely. I found mine to be a better paperweight than a knife. Look at Barry King, or the new Tandy Pro line for a good, reasonably priced knife. Look at Leather Wranglers, Chuck Smith or other custom makers for an amazing swivel knife experience. Some people love ceramic, but I find I prefer the blade shaped by the makers I mentioned over the Tandy ceramic blades. Plus, i you ever drop a ceramic blade, you'll need a new one. Feel free to ask questions, that's what we're here for. Mike

Thanks Fred, this one turned out pretty good!

Thanks Sam! Merry Christmas!

Seriously badass.

Thats pretty badass! Love how the pouch is smiling

WScott, if you use the promo code squirrel you will get a discount on your subscription! Also, thank you for the compliments, everyone! Merry Christmas!

Blackie, if you get the sept/oct issue of the leather workers and saddle makers journal, a full explanation of how I make these is in there. I make them bigger, but you have to go with what works for you. http://www.leathercraftersjournal.com/product.cfm?product=368

Blackie, I added enough length to the original pattern to accommodate the thickness of the leather, in this case, about 1/8 bigger circumference. Then, measure around the circle to get the length of your side piece.

Thank you! Post up pics of your results

I put on three heavy coats, about an hour apart, then let it sit for at least 24 hours to ensure it has fully cured. Then, during application, I and like a mad, frantic badger wiping that stuff off ASAP! A Miyagi-esque wipe on, wipe off. I don't let it sit.

Thanks everyone. Tom, I have over 60 hours total in this one, including design time. Jeff, ya got that one right!

I haven't posted much here in a while. Been super busy with orders like this one. Taylor Guitars request I make this for their visitor's center in California.

I had issued with super sheen until I learned how to use it properly. The single biggest issues are as follows: Drying time. Let it set overnight. If you lack patience as I do, wyosheen or other lacquers are your friend. Resist the edges of your tooling. If your flower has a raised edge, resist the sides of it, not just the face, otherwise, your dye/antique will discolor the edges of your resisted area. Lastly, I have to disagree with Cyber on a little bit. While technically hilite isn't a dye, I use it to color leather all the time. This barstool was resisted with super sheen and colored with eco flo hi liter.

I use the Tandy natural calf lace to great effect. Its relatively consistent, and its very strong. Plus, you can dye it any color you want once you're finished. You will be better off if you condition it, and bevel it, but I really like it. Can't beat roo though.

Crisp work as usual!

Charlie, that's great. I'd love to learn how you did this. I need to make one for a watch I have laying around here. How's the goat holding up? Whats in the inside as the core?

HEy there Play, Two things I would recommend is to move your stitch line in closer to the firearm, especially around the trigger guard. Secondly, I'd make it so the stitch line around the trigger guard prevented the pistol from dropping that far into the holster. You need to leave room for your knuckles at the front edge of the grip.

Thanks everyone. I showed this to a little girl in the neighborhood and she hid behind her mom! Yikes!

Richlee, I used the knife, spoon and a figure beveler.

Excellent! Looking forward to meeting you Robert!

The hardest part was getting the wolf to sit still while I carved the leather.