Eccho

Very nice ReneeCanady. Would it be possible to see a shot of the seam? Many I have seen were very bulky, what weight of leather did you use, I really like them, awesome lace as well.

Gucci is in trouble :>)............stunning work!

Just beautiful! I absolutely love the leather, wish I had a shelf full of it. You have a great eye for color, design, and hardware. Not everyone can pull it all together and make it look as it was meant to be. I am still bad for wanting to finish a project and simply using the hardware I have on hand, instead of ordering something that would compliment the piece. Nicely done!

Abandon all hope, for you are lost. Once the leather bug bites, it's very sting is lethal beyond belief. Kiss your wife goodbye, bid farewell to offspring, and make way to your leather mecca where ever it may be. Oh! You can also say good bye to any iota of extra cash you may have had. Also get used to the idea of always waiting for the UPS truck to appear at your door. You will become like a drooling junkie, anxiously awaiting your next leather fix. No lie, I have gone to bed with an idea kind of forming at the back of my mind, and had to get up to at least outline it on paper so I could go to sleep. Sad, but true. But! Since you have now joined those of us who have no life beyond leather, a hearty welcome to you:>)

X2 That is definitely your problem, simply too tight. As for removing in the first place,the ones I have are machine riveted and would have to be drilled to be removed, just use a bit one size larger and drill off the head. I have seen just the workings for sale, I just can't bring to mind where....possibly Office Depot or some such office supply.

Thank you to all that contributed to this post, great ideas and I will definitely be trying some of them till I find the one that works best for me. "Tree Reaper " I am assuming you made that unit yourself, very nice!

Thanks ReneeCanady, now I am embarrassed, I never even thought about the fact that after the initial mallet blow the stamp head is now in a different position relative to the guide line. Thanks Tree Reaper, I like the idea, I am just not sure I understand. Are we talking placing say a piece of 1x1 in a clamped position over the area to be stamped and then butting the stamp heads up against that, while keeping them tight against the previous letter head? Thank you for the ideas, I will work on my approach to the situation.

Hi folks. One of the things that gives me the most problem, is putting words on leather goods with stamps. I don't mind carving letters or names, as long as the area is large enough to make that practical, but sometimes I have to get out the dreaded stamps. I just do not seem to be able to make a nice even name. I leave the last letter stamp in place after hitting it with the mallet and line up the next letter abutting the first, but for some reason they often come out askew. One is a little higher or lower, or a little crooked. I also scribe a very light bottom line as a guide. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am using 3/8" and 5/16" stamps for the most part.

Here is a bottle wrap I did for a demo for local used Harley Shop, it shows the grey pretty good, sorry nothing larger.

Here is a bottle wrap I did for a demo for local used Harley Shop, it shows the grey pretty good, sorry nothing larger.

Sorry jtron5, I just searched through my archives, and I cannot come up with anything. I know I have done it several times but never thought to take a pic. Lately I have tried to get in the habit of shooting a pic of everything so I can have a portfolio to present at my sales venues. Sometimes people have a difficult time explaining what exactly it is that they want, and a pic maybe just the thing to have them go. " yes! Like that one there, that is what I want". $$$$$ Beats having them walk away, saying, " I'll get back to you when I figure out what I want" because you will never see them again. Sorry.

FWIW...........Now don't everyone jump down my throat, but I mix black water stain with Cova Color white. Now while one is a stain and the other a latex paint, they mix well, apply well,stay true to color, and I have items in use in the 8-9 month range with no cracking, fading, or peeling. They are both water base, and seem to be quite compatible together. Now they are always in a background situation,I have never used this combo in a direct wear placement, but I don't think there would be a problem. I know this will probably result in a fire storm of nay sayers, and all I can say is, I've used it, it seems to work. Just trying to help.

Your humble servant bows before you......absolute Rock Star work..........I don't believe I have enough years left to ever attain that level of artistry. Beautiful my friend!

JM2CW....but I use their water dyes quite a bit, love the black, but anyway you said in the original post you were getting drips off the brush.......Doh!!!! If you read the tutorial it recommends application with a damp sponge,applied in a circular motion, and worked into the piece until the dye is just about dry. And Hey! It works really nicely I've found. I could see where it could be a problem on a small area, as I am usually dying an entire piece, but I have used it with a small brush as background and still had good results. Don't give up,try another method, you might be surprised. As I said earlier, the black is one of the easiest to use with great coverage that I have found........but I am certainly open to being proven wrong.......I am married and used to it:>) Here is link to the Tandy tutorial. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/Eco-Flo-Professional-Waterstains.aspx Hope this helps.

Just a thought, how about gator patterned cow hide? Tandy does aligator and crocodile embossed cow hide, in several colors. I have made a couple of motorcycle wind shield bags for custom orders and find it easy to work with, and the faux croc is only 1.5-2 oz. split. The down size is, that it is 8-10 sq. ft. for about $100.00USD Hope this helps, I think it is a good product. IMHO

Very nice clean lines. Welcome out of the side lines. I just joined today, and am looking forward to the exchange of ideas and methods. I make motorcycle related items and have been successful selling some of my items through my web site, as well I operate a booth at various show and shines(bike meets) during the summer. I strive to have 50 to 60 items for display purpose, to give folks a chance to see what they could do, but my passion is made to order custom work......one offs. Love the craft, so, so , much to learn. I guess I should have started in my 30's instead of my 60's :>) Sorry! I do run on.......at any rate...welcome.

It is actually a small round motorcycle bag. The gentleman who originally ordered one, wanted it the size of a tall boy beer can. I took a look at that and it just seemed too darn small to be useful for anything. That being said I started making them the size of an aerosol paint bomb, and to date have sold some 30+ of them. They are even being purchased by some bicycle riders to store a single bottle of water. Thank you for the welcome, I look forward to a learning experience.

Greetings everyone! My name is Eccho and I am from Ontario, Canada, but I live in South Texas 6 months of the year. I have been tooling for one year, and my wife will insist I have not left my leather room in all that time. I make biker related items which I sell online through my web site.....leatherart3.com. I joined this site in the hopes of learning some new techniques for coloration and dying. I make small motorcycle bags and belt type bags for the ladies, as well as boot chains. I look forward to chatting with many of you, and if you have any input, critique,etc. please don't be shy. I am retired, but have not hit the grouchy stage yet (my wife may not agree). I am always surprised that although I have made hundreds of items, I seem to learn something valuable with each piece, sometimes at great expense, personal or economic. So, you have already noticed I am long winded, donp't be shy, love to exchange ideas.