steveb

Ha... Kevin - you owe me a keyboard, just spit up a beer on this one.....

lol - this year and every year - i upgrade a bunch of stamps - last year was bevelers from Jueschke, this year it was pebblers an tri weaves from Beard. I dont have alot of stamps - they all fit into one small block, but i like the tools that i use regularly to be the best i can justify. I promised myself that when the day came that I could actually see and appreciate the difference in a craftool stamp from a designer stamp - i'd go for it. they are nice to have, not necessary, I am lucky in that I can manage it. The henley blade though is killer and very affordable and sharp as hell - i am really glad I went for it, clear clean cut

thanks all - the pebbler (series of them actualy) is from Bob Beard, i - went through the Hidecrafter pro series and cuz i use it so much -i upgraded to the Beard - a good investment b/r steveb

just more bread and butter... I love wallets! this went out today - last order of the year. used my new Henley angled blade on this and loved it! i tried to create a dragon, skin, scales, plate thing with my tri weaves...sumpin different steveb

with big holes - youve got to go slow and not let the tap bind up - work it in, then work it out - ahead a 1/4, back a 1/2 - go slow and use lots of tap lube or 50wt motor oil and keep the chips out of the area as you move the tap ahead. when you drill your hole, make sure you use a sharp bit and lube it well - 2 hands on the drill getting all of your surfaces perpendicular/straight helps alot - but this will be tough to do in a hand held situaiton good luck

you do a great job on the way you handle binding/wrapping the edge of your work a primer - is a how-to, put one of those together on how you tackle it when ya get a spare 15min! thanks steveb

aaahhh - perfect - i get it now!! brilliant, love it! i know a little about bikes, but no matter what - it is hard to tell what you started with...was a japanese something-or-other but nevertheless i see alot of non-OEM items... alot of ..ahhh...errr...personalization! lol - your neighbors must love you!!..at the very least i bet the kids do! welcome - what else ya got? steveb

wow - that is one brutal seat - you really have a different take on design, I will give you that... makes me think though - and for that reason alone - I like it! I bet that stitching will prove to be your undoing though - doesnt look to comfy for a long day...i can only imagine the bike it is going on...post a pic of it, wiullya cool - i look forward to seeing more of your work! steveb

very nice kevin - simple and clean - a nice custom snap and you got a $100+ piece there. *ka-ching* I really wish I could get the hang of the edge binding you pull off so expertly, my experiments are NOT ready for prime time....ugh gotta beg you to do edge binding primer for the lame&struggling one of these days - i'd even buy you a beer or 9 lol steveb

ha - i don't have enough wall space to hang my spankings on the wall thank god

thanks all - i really liked the way the color came out - burgundy, dark brown and an overspray of saddle tan to knock down the burgundy. I like the uneven border stamping and the rough uneven pebbling, gives it an aged hand hewn look. as far as making sheaths that saitisfy my customers - the trick is - i get free reign to do what i want, maybe with some direction about decoration - in this instance the customer wanted something a bit feminine, with flowers. Normally i am not big on flowers an I suck at sheridan style ornamentation - so i avoid it. But i have some cheaters - some chan greer cutting plates that i use in these rare instances...hence the flowers the trick ive learned with sheaths is that they have to work well, I make mine with internal locks and to hold the locks -they are sewn along the welt also -in place or to provide a pressure point at a critical spot -i use a rivet - a good sheath has to let the knife go if it is tugged in a certain way, but also hold onto it if it is "grabbed" from a different direction...mine do that - but it takes time to know how to make the welt and lock. steveb

this went out today. I like making sheaths -but they take along time to figure out - as each blade needs its own special carrying style. this one was a PITA to work with - weird weight to it and not very sheath friendly backl to work!! steveb

Well about 3 years ago or so, i was feeling fat and bought a real leather roughner for about $30 - after using near all manner of what is described above. The roughner is superior to all of the devices listed, hands down - its simply the right tool for the job - you still need to be careful with it, but it is a good design - i used a wire bristle brush and it damn near killed the material i was working on - it was so aggressive -it damn near jumped out of my hands, sandpaper was ok, but still not right, garnet paper worked best when glued to a board and slowly worked over the material - but it was a PITA. just buy the roughner, if you do a moducum of gluing- youll use it often, i know i do but as always - YMMV steveb

mmm, nice job Randy - i like the look of the shark and moulding it gives it even more depth and dimension. very clean look..and purposeful

wow - thanks all.. since i am being so well recieved here, let me push it a bit and share 2 more more recently completed projects - both wallets. one has a cool airbrushed interior that seems to be very popular with my customers and is fun to produce steveb

that "steveb" look, eh? lol....well if i have a look (not quite sure of that), I have achieved a goal of sorts......

Thanks Freak - i almost exclusively use Mission Grain pigskin for lining belts... steveb

Collective - here is a belt i just completed for a shop called Tough Customs. No big news here - just bread and butter work steveb

really nice job Freak- you nailed it in a few ways...cool...design, colors, carving, lacing...nice i like deisgns where the beveling pulls clearly defined layers out of the background - and you did a great job pulling it off....i am beginning to noodle around with journal covers, they provide a great canvas steveb

wow - alot of good advice here....i have a little experience with digital photography..having owned a digital imaging (table top and on-figure photography as well as video/ motion and sound) company for quite some time in the very earliest days of the technology (1996) and learned that like most things that are tool related, the equipment has woefully little to do with the final result....all of this crap that follows is anecdotal and my own palaver based on my own experience - I am not preaching "the way" Yes the fancy pants gadgetry helps, yes it is important to not use a toy camera to capture your work if you want it to appear professional - but exotica is not really necessary...again IMSHO keep in mind I am a guy who loves his high hooha gadgets - watches, blades, tools and motorcycles are my weaknesses - do you need 2 watches - no - one will do, do you need a rack of exotic Beard stamps - no, Crafttool will do, we've seen some folks demonstrate that recently, but hey- do they make us feel good? yes!! so why shouldn't we indulge ourselves if we can!! anyway - back to cameras and images. you need a good camera, like a $3-400 dollar camera from a known and reputable mfg - Nikon for instance, you need decent and most importantly if your going to be shooting over time, keeping a record of your work - consistent lighting - this is key to not having to color correct all of your stuff to keep it consistent - which btw is tough to accomplish if your a rookie - which most of us are in this specific matter (i know i suck at color correcting work), you need a macro lens and if your shaky you need a tripod...so to satisfy these requirements - i keep it really simple - those things are hard enough to accomplish i shoot with available light, because that is consistent and i dont have to set up things in the same way and have nothing to store... and i get up close to my work with the Macro, if my work were, say on par with Peter Mains work, that would be one hell of alot more satisfying, but in taking the photos, my intention is NOT to compete with the quality of my leatherwork (it aint there), rather it is to create a commercial record to use to sell more of my work, so I try and make it dramatic insofar as composition - don't be afraid to get up close to your work, fill the frame. If my work were better I'd get closer, but I dare not...lol anyway - enough blather from me - I've attached 3 photos - one of my fancy photo set with capable assistant Paco, being sure to "hair down the set"...the second photo of my logo on a belt is taken with a fancy backdrop - a dirty shop towel and the final shot is how I do it these days - on the tooling stone with no dressing at all... lighting is fluorsecent - a mix of daylight and blue white spectrum bulbs - no flash, no incandescent lighting, no set, no nutting - just plain old composition to make a good digital photo. it works for me - it is basic - if i needed a daylight rig, I'd build that, if i needed a fancy camera - I'd buy one - just haven't had the need to and have gotten alot of compliments from my customers on the photography on my site - and i value their opinions more than anyone elses, as they are paying me!! Bless them!! YMMV, but don't be afraid to take chances with your digital camera after you learn how to use it and don't be afraid to get close! steveb

Huh - why in the world would you want to edit your first post? Because on a whim this knucklehead who absolutely left you holding the bag has returned with cash in hand to get what he should have just paid for outright after the deal was agreed to? nah, he's a dog, maybe a dog with guilt pangs, or a busted guitar strap, maybe even a nice guy dog - but he is a dog nonetheless.. your lucky you got your money - and just think of it, you got a free lesson in terms of how to handle terms of payment for goods and services - and it wasnt even hard won you should go out and buy yourself a lottery ticket - your a winner! steveb

nice strap ya made, too bad it was for an asshole customer... but i have a fix for you: payment in advance - ONLY. I dont haggle, I dont noodle around and I wont tolerate that from my customers, or wannabe customers either for that matter steveb

man - looking at your well done traditional western clock, makes me think i should try the sheridan style again...last time i tried was kind of a failure... i think your clock is sweet, classic and very well done, your quite consistent in your tooling of each of the flowers and ...letterforms are the great equalizer - tough for everyone! nice steveb

lol...turned out nice.....in a dyslexic kind of way

pip - yeah lacing is so damn therapeutic I try to avoid it...lol! re: photography-> you need, IMSHO: more light a camera with a Macro adjustment a tripod (or a mono pod like I favor in the shop)... your shots are blurry and those three components should help Your camera probably has an autofocus setting, make sure your giving it enough time to lock on, especially in low light situations regarding how you assemble cases and affix holding devices like chapes, straps and design parts like gussets i recoo a Stohlman book series for you: Making Cases This series of books really helped me get a grip (i think i have one anyway..hmmm) on building better toolbags that could take the beating they need to, look good and be sturdy as always YMMV - but i think youve got the train back on the tracks by the look of the case above b/r steveb