steveb

This came out sweet, I pay you major props for even having the balls to attempt trying to figure out all the bits, pieces, parts, materials, templates, etc etc... good on you man! I'll point all the jokers that come to me for weird stuff to you!! and to boot, it came out great... nice, really nice on alot of levels, you should feel proud of yourself for sure

nice job David, and i like the "propped" photography. I am sure you'll have a thrilled customer

looks great - nice job...i appreciate the big challenge, weird shapes to work with, and those bags sure as hell are ungainly beasts to work and the job you did looks clean. in a few thousand miles, a couple of rainstorms, those bags will look even sweeter..make sure to get some pics then

killer - nice job!! send a pic when it is dyed and done!

wow - that is something, really nice carving and construction - love the custom metal work. I have a question though - how do you approach the math for the spacing of the conchos in relation to the buckle and the "perfect" hole...

personally I wouldn't touch it for the following reasons: 1 - he is your boss 2 - the material is dried out and crap 3 - repairs like this are a nightmare in general: material failures, decomposed materials, tough to match colors, etc 4 - you'll never get paid what it costs to tackle jobs like this 5 - he is your boss my sugg - send him to a luggage repair service

nice detailing and construction...how much does it weigh?

Tom- ive found that if you keep your groover sharp (bite the billet and buy a Bob Douglas groover, worth every damn penny), one good slow strong pass does it - unless your digging a trough! Insofar as stamping around the tri-weave, my suggestion is to cut a strip for a belt - 1.5, 1.75" wide and use a compass to scribe a few straight lines - and leave it on your bench - whenever your just sitting there spacing out (dont tell me I am the only one!!) try a few new patterns and treatments - Ive come up with some good ideas this way..might work for you - and i save these pieces as prototypes for when i have a job to do and want to use that "effect"...i refer back to it for dimensions, spacing, etc..I am so busy knocking out customer work that i need to find time to do more of this, as I dont like to repeat myself... ad nauseum..styaing fresh and innovative and true to your own style takes work to do well.... I like that border effect you achieved. Although i sew most everything i make, you have me thinking of mixing it up a bit.... I have a few ideas I need to pressure test... Stamping can be a pretty cool thing if your into textures and patterns, which I am..I just follow my eye, make it up as I go along. Concpeutally, I always think of tattoos when i stamp a pattern..thats where my head is at.... I really see a canvas in my minds eye And ya know Tom, I also want to applaud you for asking for input and then graciously accepting it. As a serious and committed leathercrafter who is doing paying /customer work, you need to deliver a quality good and you get that - and the only way to do that is to learn and gain experieince - both costly in terms of time and money. The best way to get leaps ahead in craft is via critiques, honest fact based reviews of your work. I know I LOVE when someone can give me a "hey now"..." and show me the light, and to them, I say "ya just helped me make my work better and me, more knowledgable - thanks". A meaningful critique is a gift, that takes time and thought OR as many we would prefer, we can kiss each others collective ass, play it safe and quitely applaud each other on our fine taste and wonderful abilities and be none the wiser....and that would be one sad-ass pathetic world, I'd personally want no part of.... luckily for us that aint the way it is! steveb www.steveb.biz

That is very clean and well finished, excellent attention to detail. Cool! A useful piece to boot. Is that a snap with the cool head? Nice! Do you have any concerns about your customer tugging on it, or did you do something special to accommodate the extra wear/ tear/pulling of that piece - I know I am always in and out of my "cases" all day when on the bike, those pieces see alot of use.

Hi Tom, looking really good, i like the outside border alot. Funny, things like this sling to my eye, need to be sewn as much for visual effect as for strength and "body" to the piece - but your "edge" pattern negates that in this instance, cool... Some things i pick up on, because you've asked: and as always - all of this is in "my humble opinion", as there is no right or wrong in craft and art. >the stitching channels are a bit too wide and deep - use a smaller head, or thinner blade... >the brass rivets are too large in diameter - try #9/12 copper burr/stake rivets in this application, they'd be cool. >the tri-weave looks good in the narrow portion of the taper, but in the wider portion of the strap, it looks lonely ,the pattern almost needs some transition to the "background"...maybe some stipling, or a light tap with a pear shader/crosshatch pattern..i dunno, just seems very stark to me, the tri-weave is just hanging out there with nothing to ground it >consider a "bigger" edger to use on your strap edge to round it off more, looks a little hard to me in this pic looks good man, i like that edge pattern, whats the trick to pull it off? steveb

Thanks Shirley - appreciate the comments. Hope business is good for ya~!!

hey now leatherworkers! been meaning to check in for a good long time now, but Ive been busier than a......dang..., your creative...you can fill in the blank. been busy with lots and lots of work and - a redesign of my site requires I now pay careful attention and keep adding new content to keep it freshy fresh so the little time i used to have to regale you all with tales of Barnacle Bill the east coast cowpounder are now taken up fabricating and spreading lies on my own site. oh the shame! anyway - here is some stuff ive shipped out lately - there are more gory details on my site, if your a glutton for my kind of punishment i aint dead yet

nice, really nice,! love the colors, very dramatic - cant go wrong with black and red! and the closure strap on the wallet - very cool, love the shape and the overlay.....different. inlay work looks killer...and the stitching looks great too itza winnah

ok- all "in my so humble opinion".... overall i like the piece, cases are cool - yours is too - this piece is crying out for antiquing - will make your design pop and add depth, will smooth your bevelling a bit, give it some visual interest and overall if you use a resist and a Q Tip - you can "block" the resist from darkening your type, making it pop even more - giving it even more depth - personal thing - i dont like wood screws or slot head screws - maybe use a few well placed copper burr&stake rivets and some stitching to attach your handle, maybe a cool brass thingamabob - see the Stohlman books for construction tips in situations like this application - he spells out how to do it right - and there is a right way to attach a functional handle - your handle needs to be lined and stitched and more finely finished -its too rough for the time and effort you put into the carving - put another hour into the handle and youll be surprised at the overall effect it will have and how good it will feel to your hand and anyone who picks it up...and in my experienice- people will pick it up, if it looks cool...adn...bingo...another sale if they do - go get some nice snaps - or make your own and "dome" a penny/nickel/dime/foreign money with a dapping block and make your own decorative snaps with some jb weld to hold them to the snap heads - again, easy to do and makes a big diff - your stitching slots are showing flesh, maybe some well applied pecards/bee natural stuff will darken them a bit - leather looks kinda dry anyway - lacing - get a book on lacing, money well spent and try a simple triple or double pattern - use kangaroo lace, with a nice flattering color for the piece - you'll be impressed at how much the lacing will pop if you take the time to do a triple - and it really isnt that hard - i mean i can even fake it and I am pretty lame at lacing, ending a piece can be tough - but you have the skill to do it, patience really helps here leather - looks like your working with plywood - call wickett&craig, speak to Glenn - nuff said - if you do nothing else, using beautiful material will inspire you to put the time and effort in to bring it to the next level all in all - a fine effort, your next one will be even cooler!

totally digging the wallet - very precise bit of work..nice!

dang darryl - your inlay is smoking, love it - i am more impressed that you had the guts to try it - inlay aint so easy - and your first attempt came real cloe to nailing it, next one will be even better - i also like that your really working clean and careful...bodes welll for future work.... what else ya got?

Thanks for the kind words Gremiln, really do appreciate it Hilo: yes, that black bike (which looks nothing like it does when i got it bone stock) has about 125K on it, most of them very hard and fast miles...very lived in...ive had it for years, through thick, thin and medium and yes, it has stories to tell...ha, luckily for me, i ususally have a camera with me - so i have quite a bit of documentation.....you can see an itty bit of it on my site JohnD - well ya know, if being an old man means i want to be comfy before being "cool" - sign me up for being an old man. I rode enough rough&tough machines in the past to be needing and deserving something a bit kinder to the body...and having music is slicker than eel shit too! well have a wallet to sew and finijsh up with hardware today-grommet and a well placed rivet or two, top it off with a chain, then need to start the next one... need to get my art together and traced, get my material cut and ready for some decorative work.... thanks for looking and for the comments

yeah, i agree - the typography really held up shape wise with your tooling and bevelling. I find that oftentimes, my type gets distrorted as i bevel it and "push" the leather around. nice, really nice!

well, my skin is not so thin and I am a live and let live kinda guy - so go ahead and have some fun at my expense - i say - do what makes you happy and be happy with what you do. heres a clue for spotting a real biker (motorcycle enthusiast) real bikers really dont care what your riding, as long as its got 2 wheels and has an engine that is bigger than 50cc...lol.....posers are more concerned with marque and garb

seats? well maybe, but i know some talented folks who could do a waay better job at a seat than I can. I'vre already got 5K on the bike and its only a month old, so i expect I will be successful at my goal - which is to wear the damn thing out. here is a shot of another family member - the black bastard..... steveb

so, i am in the mood to share this story for some reason - humor me here cowboys and saddle conjurers, i got a little bikery kinda story to tell, with a leather topping, so y'all can tawk saddles, hibnobgoblins, piddle pouches or whatever...lol.. later... anyway, excuse me - after a lifetime of riding older bikes -, i traded in "big blue", an 18yr old FLH, I've had for 16 yrs and 135K miles and took a big chunk from the cookie jar (the wife was 100% behind it, true dat) and bought myself my first new bike - ever - in 32 years of riding - the "shiny penny" , a 2008 harley FLHX- this is a big deal if your a biker, at least it is to me, a non-rich guy and a lifelong enthusiast...but.keep in mind, i still have the "black bastard, a 86 vintage FXR hot rod stroker, i enjoy torturing cage driver with....humor me, please...this seems gibberish if your not a HD enthusiast, i know..it is kind of like equine topics are to me...lol..oh the irony! so really - there is leather in here, i promise so i get the shiny penny home, from the dealer on its maiden voyage and i am looking at it in my shop- and really - there is not a darn thing I'd change - i just love it to death as it is, but i want to make my "mark" on it, i mean, ya have to dont ya? I dont like bolt-on accessory crap either..i am kind of ..hmmm...picky So here it has this butt ugly nauga-Kevlar-plastic sorta seat strap for the passenger that is solid riveted onto the a bracket which in turn is bolted to the bike, necessitating this ordeal every time you need to get under the seat..which is more frequent than any motorcyclist is bound to admit to...for some reason, we always need to pull the seat for all kinds of tomfoolery so anyway, as i am standing there, a little freaked out i spent my bank on this new shiny thing in my flat black shop and feeling some buyers remorse, i saw the solitary piece i could change and actually IMPROVE - that damn strap. so i made a three piece replacement with some added features: 1 - design - the strap is designed to be removable -because the strap covers a bracket that accommodates a back rest - so i can unsnap it and slide in the back rest, when i am in gotta go mode - dont have to push the strap out of the way, i just unsnap it 2 - this bike stinks as far as providing lashing points for gear - which is critical for me - because i use my bike ALOT and rack up miles from touring and even local use, so i created a system to allow a loop to take a bungee or strap 3 - the decorative center of the strap can be changed up or even given away and easily replaced. I already gave one away which was all carved with flames to a guy who wanted to frame it as art..lol...true, couldn't make it up every one that sees it wants one and says ii should trademark it as a system (uh, yeah right), so i might have a future in making these things..which is great, because i can use all the billet ends from the belts ive been making for years!! so there ya have it,a bed time story told to drink your warm milk by. g'night! steveb

lol - i hear ya Spider, i have some pretty good ideas stuck in my head - but - my hands dont make it easy to get those darn ideas out on leather. Until i can either simplify my ideas to the point where i can render them - I will be a "tracer" of found art...not exactly where i want my work to be... steveb

the bubbles are a pebbling stamp - if thats what your referring to?

I think this is hot shit, damn i wish i could pull this out of my hands...very nice, love the mashup of styles - you nailed it

oh please...I aint that good - at all....still learning with every piece i make - but thank you for the compliment Spider So I saw here on the board some sheridan style mixed up with skull art - now THAT is amazing, and that is what I would really like to be doing, if the truth be told. i wished to hell i had some decent drawing skills - that still is the biggest achilles heel when it comes to my work - i struggle to get the "image" right, which is why i use typography so much, as well as simple graphic elements.....like flames