REDTAILHAWK

Well here is my first attempt at a seat. Let me know where I messed up.

Hello, Lowlife, It is 1 1/4" long and about 1/4" high. It is made from a magnesium and aluminum alloy. Also he made it so the stamp could be unscrewed from the handle and used in a clicker press, and the metal it is made from can also be used as a heated brand. The one I had made a few months ago was clicker press type but it didn't have hardly any detail with it. This new one is like an exact copy of the image file I sent him. Really cool.

To follow up on the custom stamp I had made: Hello, Vojtech, That is so cool! It looks fantastic!!! I can't believe you were able to get so much detail on it. From the wing feathers to the feet. The clicker die the guy made for me will get stuck in a box somewhere and never used again. Unbelievable!!! Thanks you so much!!!!!

Hello Ray, Don't take me wrong. I have a major amount someone else's junk in the house. I have been garage saling for years and I'd hate to guess how many I've been to that were a waste of time. My leatherwork finds are very few compared to how many sales I've been too. But I have always been a `Collector of collections', so I am looking for a lot of different other things too. I missed out on a major leatherwork find last summer because I wasn't an early bird.

Hey, Benlilly1 and Cyberthrasher, So if you have $70 in material costs in a motorcycles seat, about how many hours do you figure you have wrapped up in making one? Hello Aguilerag, I hadn't heard about Badseed Cycles. I'll have to check them out. Thanks for letting us know.

OK, I guess I am foam confused. When I searched for Foamforyou, It brings up a web site called Foam N More. I assume this is the same place where most people are getting their neoprene. I'm also confused about the regular and high quality neoprene. Their site gives prices for regular neoprene. I emailed them for high quality neoprene prices and they emailed me back with the regular grade prices. I emailed them again and they said: The High Quality Neoprene is very firm, that is why it is a special order. We do not carry this in stock and can take up to two weeks for the foam to get to us. Then we can cut it down to the desired sizes. Neoprene regular is very durable and many customers have found this to be the chosen foam in comparison. We can send you a sample of the regular Neoprene, or HQ Neoprene (this sample may take a few days to ship). There is a small shipping fee of $2.00 per sample. A quote on the HQ Neoprene is a minimum order of (1) Full sheet 47" x 72" x 1 $141.00 Please email or call in if you would like to place the order for the samples or if you have any questions. Thank You, Morgan Foam N' More 248-284-0002 So........is everybody just using the regular neoprene from Foam N' More????

Thanks for the tip Bustedlifter, not only would it be a comfortable ride, it would come in handy if you happen to drive off the road and into a river!

Well, it is a new day, and I realize I have just been way overthinking this, and should just jump on in. Time to order some parts and get busy. In all the time and energy i've wasted trying to decide what to do, I could have built a seat by now. It really sucks to get old. Thanks to everyone for their advice and putting up with my stupid questions.

I'm in Peoria, Illinois. I was mainly talking about the shipping charges of foam from Foamforyou. I was looking at their price chart of regular neoprene. It was like $12 shipping for a piece of foam that costs $18 or something like that. I emailed them to get prices on the high quality neoprene yesterday, but haven't heard back. I also emailed Accufast2d and Y-knotLace for some info but haven't heard back from them either. I have a Tandy Leather that is in Peoria, so the leather wouldn't be getting shipped, but everything else will need to be.

Thanks for the information Cyberthrasher. That was pretty much what i was doing too since I am deciding whether or not to get into making` bike seats, and which way to start if I do decide to. Adding up the costs of the needed items versus the time it would take to do all the trimming and stuff myself. Plus in your totals don't forget to add in the shipping charges you had to pay to get your supplies, which is really ridiculous. Shipping is almost equal to the value of the items I am having shipped anymore.

Benlilly1, Have you ever tried the Biltwell seat pan that comes with the foam padding ready to go? http://www.biltwellinc.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=28 Just checking. Looks like their seat pan would be quite a bit sturdier than just a flat plate.

Hello, Lowlife, I just heard my custom made stamp, one made with handle, will be $42. That includes shipping. Be finished in a week.

Hello, Benlilly1, Just out of curiousity, what would you charge for making that seat?

Hello, Lowlife, I haven't heard that myself. I'll mention it here when I do. But it will depend on what type of stamp you need. It sounds like he makes several different types. Like the ones he has listed on Ebay, to the magnesium plate type used in clicker presses.

Thanks for all the advice and information, everyone. I appreciate it. I'll have to post a photo of it when I get it done.

Cool, thanks. I'll check them out. I was thinking about making the bottom full size and to avoid the riveting, just hadn't heard anyone doing that before. You have recommended Foamforyou.com in one of your other posts that I've read, neoprene regular or high quality?

Do you use pop rivets on the bottom leather piece like most seat makers?

Lucky guesses. If you don't mind me asking, where did you find the 1/4" lace?

Great seat! Is that 1/4" lacing? Airbrushed?

Thanks for the input. For padding do you use like 2" of the closed cell foam?

I copied the link to this forum and emailed it to Vojtech Darbujan, who makes these stamps. I thought he should hear about everyone bragging up his stamps that he makes. In buying a few of his leather stamps, possibly we have sparked the beginning of a great new business. Vojtech is an engraver and metalsmith and got together with a saddle maker in his area and thought he'd try making some leather stamps. Here is his reply: Hello Gary, beleave me, it makes me happy, your link and mainly the work for my Customers. I already copied this praises, it is other kind of important reflexion to demonstrate to our communal officers that in small village can be made important work on reputation for our forgotten region. I want to impress my greatest THANK You for your letter. God bless Vojtech Darbujan I have been emailing him lately about making some custom stamps for me.

I have done lots of leatherwork for a lot of years, but haven't tried a motorcycle seat before. I don't work with steelwork so I'd have to buy the seat pan. I was wondering if anyone here has ever tried one of the seat kits from Hammer In Hand Company? http://hammerinhandcycles.com/Parts.html They sell a kit with pre-cut leather parts, leather bottom piece pre-attached to the seat pan, pre- shaped closed cell foam pad, leather stamps and tools, lacing, dyes, finishes, tracing film, and even wool daubers. Since I already have the tools, dyes, and stuff, they also sell a refill kit. Which is what I was thinking about starting with. Any thoughts? Thanks

I've purchased several stamps from him. I was also surprised how fast they arrived in the mail and wouldn't hesitate to get more from him.

I picked up a box of miscellaneous tools and leather scraps along with F.O. Baird's original 1951 Leather Secrets book at a garage sale a few years ago for $20

Anyone happen to know a leatherworker named R. Medina that was doing work in 1995? I was curious as I just bought a Native American leathercarving from Ebay that looked pretty cool done by him/her.