Rookey

Thanks! I think I have reignited the passion for it again, so already starting to take orders for wallets and guitar straps.

Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I've been here... I took a break for a few years fro. doing any leather projects, but recently thought I would do something special for my wifes birthday. She needs a new handbag, so I figured "how hard could it really be?"... famous last words. I am not quite done and will have some questions for people here on how to do the lining and zipper, but for the most part I am there. I am working on the large shoulder strap currently, and man... hand stitching that much can really take its toll :-) Anyway, what do you all think so far?

haha cheers John :-)

Thanks David, I'll definitely be doing that. One of the threads that actually made me want to get stuck in was benlilly's Bad Axe seat haha Didn't think about cutting the resolene mix though, so thanks for that :-)

Thanks benlilly :-) Yeh there were actually a whole bunch of things if do differently on the next one: 1. Closed cell neoprene foam and shaped correctly (I used a yoga mat on this one and could ony get the thickness I wanted by doubling up) 2. Be more decisive on my tools used for tooling (changed halfway through from a knurled beveller to a flat one) 3. Punch slits rather than holes and make sure there are the same amount on each side (Doh!) 4. Cut the edges the same distance from the holes 5. Measure the correct amount of leather to get the same height all the way around 6. Dye the leather before starting to lace - had to undo it as I didn't think! 7. Use thicker acrylic for painting if I paint on leather again 8. Use a cloth or something that won't naturally create bubbles to apply the resolene 9. Weld the bolts to the underside of the pan and not "through" the pan - I did so for a smoother look but I now have to put large spacers on there anyway to separate the underside leather from the springs/arm. 10. Take my time!!! This isn't a game to see how fast I can do something... I should take time to enjoy the process and revel in a much nicer end product as a result. I'm gonna hang this one on my wall to remind me of all those points and keep building, hopefully getting better with each one :-) Dave

Thanks :-) I was going to fit it to the bike on the left: But to be honest, I think I'm going to hang it on the wall in my garage as my first ever saddle, and build another now I know what to do and what NOT to do :-)

Hey all, I started to work with leather within the last 4-6 weeks with a view to building a saddle for my motorcycle... I kicked this off by ordering a beginners type of kit from Tandy as it came with a few basic learner kits - wallet, belt, etc. I wanted to use these to cut my teeth on before I jumped in to the seat build. After I had got a grip of the basics, I decided just to get stuck in. It's safe to say I've learnt a whole bunch and have made many mistakes that I won't be so quick to make again, but that's why the learning process is fun :-) I've since decided I'm going to hang this one in my garage as it's the first ever seat I've done, and am going to take what I've learned here to make the next one even better. What do you all think? I couldn't post all pictures in the first post. Now onto the next one! Dave

Awesome, thanks

Thanks Bob. Is resolene the right thing to use to seal something that's hard wearing? Is it water resistant? I think that once it's all on there, it "should" be ok but my worry is with heat, water etc. Thanks for the reply

Hi all, I've been searching for a bit but can't seem to find any direct answers to my question... but I guess every piece of leather is different! :-) I'm making a motorcycle bobber seat, and have just ordered some Fieblings oil dye, some acrylic paint for details and resolene. My understanding is that oil dyes will penetrate more deeply than a water-based dye giving it a stronger colour and tone but is more harsh on the leather. I am dying the leather a charcoal colour, painting with white (and braiding in white lace), then sealing in sprayed on resolene. Is that the correct way to apply resolene over water-based detail paints? Will the oil dye bleed into clothing after using resolene (which is obviously a worry being a butt will be place on it for relatively long periods!)? Will the dye bleed into the braid too? I know it sounds like a silly question, but should I be using resolene both before and after braiding? Thanks for your help :-) Dave

Thanks Harag! That is something I found very difficult... I don't think I have good finger muscles where that comes in!haha It's all in the practise though... like anything else. Thanks Harag! That is something I found very difficult... I don't think I have good finger muscles where that comes in!haha It's all in the practise though... like anything else.

Hi all, I thought I'd put up a post here as I'm making a venture into the world of leather working, and will probably be here often from now on :-) I ride motorcycles and am building a bike from scratch, with the idea of doing as much of the work myself as possible. One big focal point for me, is hopefully going to be the saddle, so I went and bought a bunch of gear to start working with leather and have been reading a lot of threads here about seat making, so that will start in a week or two! I bought a kit from Tandy and decided to cut my teeth on some of the projects that came with it before I jump straight into the saddle. The aim is to complete all these little projects (about 5 of them) then get cracking! So, in short, I'm creating a wallet for my fiance... and at the same time getting loads of brownie points! B-) Started to come up with a design... (The L is for Lindsey) Got my cased leather prepped and glue to cardboard to stop the edges curling or the leather stretching. Started the tracing onto tracing paper Copied the outline to the leather using a stylus that came with the kit Used the carving knife to start cutting some of the lines - god I was nervous! Started with the tooling, shading and stamping Then moved to a mahogony tan And finally finished it with a nice shine/sealant. I'll lace it up tomorrow and get cracking on the next project... Just thought I'd throw up some pictures to document my first ever time working with leather :-) What do you all think? Any pointers? Dave