Mike Phelps

Short of buying a double bend Zack White [find their link on banner at top] has the belt blanks of the several vendors I've tried.

Now that's a cool clutch! Nice job on the leather torquois rocks.

Those were leather slab handles in the first several pictures? I can think of several applications that would be so cool. If only I knew the process to get that marbling. Mike

Wish I lived close to Zack's! I place a couple of orders a year with them. Their straps have the smoothest backs I have ever seen. Shame to even think about putting a lining on them. Brass hand shoe tacks, button rivet studs, a lot of stuff that has been dropped from inventory of the big name mega stores. Sure there are a few others that still carry that stuff but do they also have enameled belt buckles with "Fighting Cocks" on them? the birds not the words or team icon. Mike

All the books I has listed are spoken for. Thank you all for your interest. Mike

Like that adjustment piece on the purple burst strap. I'm assuming the keeper loop is sewn onto the billet? An old buddy of mine that has a guitar shop/performance center back on my old stomping ground has been after me to make some straps that fall into the one size fits all scheme of things and that looks like a good alternative to the ones that have all the slots on one or both ends. As much as I like naked leather that purple shading on the edges ain't bad. Tandy gave me a bottle of that new ECO-FLOW thistle purple stain awhile back. I might have to try it out. Mike

Great job and idea. Don't have to bother with drilling a hole in the exact center. Now to raid the mother in-laws craft trunks for some spools. Mike

Yeah, I'm a bit on both sides of this. The patience it took to hand tool the logos to look fine enough to be some CNC machine stamping/engraving put these in whole other realm. And we ain't seen the finished product. I'm thinking these are above the likes of Andy Warhol and artist of that ilk. And remember these aren't static pieces of art but functional, kinetic pieces of rolling art. Mike

Thanks Johanna! Hope the next 56 are as much fun as the first. Just trying to give something back to the craft. I've got a large binder full of "Doodle Pages" that I no longer have need for. Got them all scanned to disk. These I can't quite give away. The bidding wars are still to fresh in my mind. I also have patterns out the whazoo that date from the 60's-70's. Haven't got them cataloged yet but I'll offer them up also soon. Mike

Over the years I've accumulated duplicates of some books. Today at a swap meet a guy gave me a five gallon bucket full of craft books and now some have got to go. Instead of putting them on E-Bay I thought I'd offer them up here first. All I ask is to be covered for the cost of postage and packaging. 1. "How To Lace" 15 Types-158 Illustrations plus how to Buck Stitch, Saddle Stitch, Hand Stitch 15 pages. Good condition. I also have a pre Tandy edition but I'm not giving it away. 2. "Coloring Leather" by Al Stohlman 53 pages Near excellent condition. 3. "Craftool Tech-Tips" Al Stohlman 22 pages Very good condition. This book measures 11X17 inches mailed in a tube to prevent folds. 4. Two "Belts Galore" Craftool No. 42 by Al Stohlman one is in fair condition the other is missing pages 13,14,19,20. If interested give me a PM with a zip code and I'll get back with you on postage and packaging. Mike

Welcome to the forum Johnny! You'll be right at home here. Mike

Thanks Tom I rummage through the old files and post on this site a lot looking for things that can improve, simplify and clarify things. And when all else fails ask or just sit down at the bench with the sketch pad, pencil, tools and material in front of me. Mike

Stay tuned Romey. I've got one started you'll REALLY like. Plus a couple of years ago I got tired of seeing nice, handmade custom straps tied onto acoustics with a shoestring and made myself a piece that matches the tooling and finish of the strap that attaches to the strap button hole. It's a whole lot simpler, idiot proof and better looking than that POC plastic gizmo that Martin Guitars markets. So stay tuned. Mike

I was cleaning up the bench and getting things ready to make another strap the other day and I just had too many oddball lengths laying around. Had some left over 6oz. pieces cut off from strap pads that were shorter than what I usually use, could have used them for billfold backs but I've got plenty of those already to sell at swap meets. Had a piece of one inch 6oz. strap with a fuzzy back that is not the smooth moss back I usually use. A shorter piece of 6oz. that had browned with age/sun or something with a nice moss back. It was rock hard. Probably came in a box of leatherworking stuff I'd gotten of e-bay. I thought, boy you need to use some of this stuff up before you generate more. So I worked out some principals to guide me through this. 1. Stay at the bench until you get it done. 2. Minimize the amount of tooling/stamping/stitching/finish. 3. Despite being a quick piece of work no raw edges, make it user friendly and durable enough to see hard use and last a lifetime. To address these guidelines I thought about the finishes. I was going to have to use gum tragacanth anyway on the back to knock down the fuzz and make slide through the style pad I planned and remembered Art had said it could be used as a top coat finish. So that would simplify things. Topcoat, edges and backs all gum trag. To make it user friendly I minimized hardware to just using a Sam Brown Stud again and moved the keepers a bit further apart to make changing lengths easier and added an extra strap button hole in the billet end to give it more range of adjustment while only punching three holes in the main strap instead of five or more. With these parameters in mind I sat down at the bench at 6am and had it completed by 9pm and still took time out to take my son out to the bus stop and wait with him until it came. Take the daughter to Headstart and pick her up in the afternoon and watch the noon and evening news. The strap is 6oz, one inch wide and adjustable from 40-50 inches. The pad is constructed of two layered pieces of 6oz 3 & 1/4 in X 11 in with slots in top piece for the strap to slide through. With no padding it is still comfortable enough for hours of playing with acoustic, archtop, hollow and semi-hollow bodied guitars. It even supports my old carved top mahogany bodied Les Paul comfortably. Mike

Thanks Johanna USAF 71-74 Mike