steveb

leave it alone - unless your going fat daddy pimp style... steveb

very cool, love the color , great moulding- I've never used blue myself.... i will have to look for an opportunity based on looking at your mask..looks great I must ask though - when do people wear art like this?

the cuts are clean and even in terms of depth, but the beveling is where i stand back and say "niiice". just keeping your self straight in the design is tough when it comes to beveling art like that... obviously you not consuming any alcohol when your tackle one of these intricate wavy weaving designs..lol good job, i'd oil it, antique it and call it a day...

mmmm - very flattering...lol.. steveb

that is really a nicely done seat David - deceptively simple looking - looks tight, really nice technical lacing i was surprised though that you dye after assembly... ...could you have put a gel pad in the seat center and made the appliqués area semi-functional?

1 - hmm...my style is what appeals to me aesthetically, tempered by what my skill allows me to achieve from a production sense..i'd say i can get about 40% of what is in my head down on leather at this point in my leather-craft career..i have a ways to go to catchup 2 - my style is wholly based on the things Ive experienced and the things that have influenced me: bikes, hot rods, NYC, music, tough guys, mean streets and good friends I consider myself a big time "blender" of stylistic influences I got into leather craft because I wanted things for myself that were pretty specific, and I couldn't find anyone to get it right...and i tried finding people to bring my ideas to life.... I always got what THEIR style was, and what i wanted was work that was MY style - so i figured i'd give it a go myself...years later, my desire for a plain black belt has cost me thousands of dollars and a shop full of tools.... that belt and wallet of my dreams sure have turned out to be expensive...lol bottom line - i make stuff that i'd wear, that comes out of my head and that i like - thats always been my marker - people have bought into my taste/style and that is what i serve up. Honestly, it is really the only thing i know how to do. You want "sheridan" - i tell some folks - find someone else - it aint what I do. I am for the most part, a one trick pony...and thats ok with me...and my customers too, it seems steveb

and pray tell, how does one get in touch with Mr. Gore. steveb

i dunno freak, this is a tricky font to begin with - lots of narrow swoopy things and swirly fandanglers and finery - arrgh - a toughie and your dye job is sweet - havent seen that before...coolio! and i dig the tri-weave and basketweake mix with wood inlay - you did great man - and their are lots of straight lines and tight corners...fark! i hate tight corners and stright lines!! i give you major props for even trying it, and ya knowe it came out pretty damn good... i'd give yourself a major pat on the back and send ya back to do it again - cuz I guarantee if you just dig in right after the first one...the second one ALWAYS comes out smokin... not that i'd know much about smokin mind you...ha but you get what i mean...dig in again and youll have a freakin winner my .02 steveb btw - i aint even gonna begin talking about the MAJOR messup i had with a wallet when i was dying it ...i totally fracked it because i was being a smarty pants and thought i was better than i am..had a reality check there... and I didnt have the time to do it over - so blew a whole weekend....putting even more work on for next weekend..oy

clear and clean - cool. looking at your wallet interior makes me wish i had a super mini pippin punch for pocket slot corners to relieve them of stress...like you've done, but i have been looking for a mini version forever nice work

that is sweet, really clean tooling...one busy detailed design...nice, funny aint it, before you did leather work - leather always had to be black. onely after becoming immersed in leather, did i learn to appreciate browns/red! steveb

well looky here! wassup steveb

thought I'd share a crafty tip I made up for dealing with spraying belts after spraying half the tools on my wall saddle tan one day I went and got a length of seamless gutter from the local servistar and a few fender washers and eye bolts and made the rig that is pictured, I glued a few green foam-board blocks to the bottom of the gutter and staple a a long piece of corrugated cardboard to them to keep my material off the bottom of the gutter. i hang the belt using the clip at top and have a piece of rag on the bottom of the gutter to catch any dribbles and there ya have it a quick and dirty and effective way to spray belts w/o making a godawful mess - less than $10 steveb

might want to try a restaurant supply company for the cutting board plastic - thats where i got mine - it was inexpensive and a good thick slab- every once in awhile i take a plane to it to take it down a bit and after a few years I am still on the first side...haven't even turned it over yet!

ya know, every goddamn time i have tried fixing a problem, that deals with dye i have ALWAYS made it worse. there is simply no way to remove it...believe me, ive tried: lemon juice, alcohol, dye prep, degalzer, yadda yadda I say: redye the whole damn piece and coverup or do over and call it a lesson in how to work carefully and cleanly my .02 steveb

taz - thanks for the insight...i use an 03 needle for the most part and i have a little pancake compressor...i dont know that the airstream is consistent enough with that little stinker to push a bigger needle..might need to upgrade that unit to make the most of the brush... i use isopropyl , warm water and pipecleaners to clean my brushes and use a drop of lily white sewing machine oil every now and then to lube, i disalsemble an clean after every use....I have a great trick that i will share at some point when i remember to take some pics in my shop of how to spray belts w/o making a mess w/an airbrush methinks if i am going to spray finishes, i wil get a dedicated VL jsut for that, they are cheap enough steveb

My belts are usually made of 8-10oz veg tan with a mission grain pig lining.

before he moved to MT from CT, I met Tony and his wife Ilia and bought a econosew from them - a lightweight table machine - the econosew i use for light stuff, the Boss I have was too burly adn the Singer 29-4 was too wimpy. Whilst trying the econosew, I spent a good deal of them with the Classic - and man - it is a kiler machine - really works well and is rock steady...with that said it is also expensive as hell and waay more machine that i need...with that said - if money was non object and space was available - I'd find a way to get one in my shop I've never done business with 2 nicer people thatn the Luberto's, they are the best!! my .02 steveb

get thee to a store and get a set of Stohlman books...very worthwhile investment... ...in my experience -the way your going to get a grip is by reading, unless youve got a Tandy or local craftsman nearby that can clue you in... if you can find a copy (mine is mint -ha!!) FO Bairds Leather Secrets is also a great book to get a handle on the basics of tooling, construction, etc...if you can find a copy I wouldn't fool with a project yet - get someone to shjip you a bunch of scraps and just practice, practice, practice - when you got something decent going on, make a belt, then move up the chain... the kits are good to use for patterns , but the leather is not prime cut...so cut your own... good luck

Michael - ive never really had good luck in spraying super shene, although i love the idea of being able to do that - do you thin it? How do you clean your brush and how much air are you pushing through your gun? last question: do you use the same gun for dye and topcoats? thanks steveb

hmmm....bill wall.....not a fan of the man... but if you want to see the guy who used to do his work...check out www.onetoomanydesign.com Ron rocks - his work is great, he's a rare bird, a tattoo artist who is fantastic: skin, metal and leather steveb

heh hehe - i dont know that i dont have anything to hide...but I obviously dont mind baring all!! thanks for the kind words

slick - really nice -but hey now - I wanna see more of the ray, damn with that color - it just begs to be in full view. .... in all seriousness, you got the wallets down KK, you surely do nice job and to tell ya the truth I really like the plain one too... here is the last one I made for myself last summer...dig the flyin' wheel steveb

your killing me with that name. I love the construction, but i find the stitching to be kind of simplistic and crafty when contrasted with the interior - I like your inlay/overlay technique much more...i like the intricacy and "fine-ness" of that style but if you wanted to send me your horny skull, I would consider using it and i dont make that offer to many men...lol..!! 'scuse me, cracked myself up with that

want to buy a nice piece of marble that is in pieces from tooling? I got a beauty that is in chunks from repeated tapping... use granite, take a drive to Swenson granite (your in NYC right? They are in Wilton CT, I think)- get a slab ilke I did - $50 there is no way in hell your gonna break a slab like that, but if your going to be doing lots of punching - use an anvil with a mat. my .02

ha!! I love it!! thanks Kevin, I think I am gonna wake the wife up and tell her I got a style all my own!! ...... as a matter of fact I have heard from a few of my customers over the years about being stopped because of a belt they are wearing or when someone pulls a wallet out at a gas pump at Sturgis or Wall or some place like that.... not only does it make the world a small place, but it is also cool as hell in my book...also means I have been pretty prolific! I'd be happy to collaborate on a piece - that would be fun! Your construction work is waay more advanced than mine, prolly do my work wonders to be assembled by someone who knows what he is doing