TomSwede

Thanks Hilly! There's a link to the font in my show offf post for this one. I just drew the font as it is onto the trensfer film and with the pointed stylus transferred them over and after that I just touched that up with a little more pressure from the stylus. No carving for the the black parts inside the letters in other words. Tom

I got a few requests on how to do this one. This not a complete tutorial but the main info can be drawn from the describing text on the images and hopefully the rest is not so hard to figure out. I've only one word of advice, think tings over, not once, not twice but trice should do it it, before putting the knife down on a piece. Results came out lucky here but there's plenty of times one would just have to go back and start over again. An original plan is there for a reason and I was lucky to have free hands on design so no customer sitting and waiting for an item with specifics. Tom

Yeah what Spiderdude said. You'll get into it more and more if you make more sheaths and the experiences from this is gonna be useful in the future. You have some good aspects of "secure thinking" wich in my book is A and O when it comes to design not only for safety reason but equally as much for constructional problems that will arise. To foresee and question problems before a desing is layed out is tricky I think. I'm more the build and develop as you go type and often feel a lack of this way of thinking ahead. Well done Tom

Bravo Roo Never seen or heard of this type before but they are very cool and look like easy fun to make. Good finding! Tom

John K Karnes aka Indypbear here on forum made mine in Delrin wich is a very hard plastic and I like it alot. This is his profile: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showuser=4830 Tom

Wow, your friend has a very exclusive motorcycle front!! Everything looks fantastic and I assume you airbrushed the colours? The dominatong question for me and probably a bunch more people is what actions you took to preotect it from weather and wind? One would have to assume that he has to drive through an occasional rain from time to time. I used to shower daily for a long perid (two-three months) with a set of pilot bracers I have wich are sealed with acrylics and those still look good, any distress they show are other factors like heat and punishment of other kind but they are one just black and one brown antiqued wich has significantly darkened over the years. Excellent work Tom

Video integration is something the team is working with meanwhile we have have depended on youtube for posting videos so far. Tom

Good choice Marlon! Lingonberry juice is not too sweet and quench the thirst well I think. It is excellent if boosted with up to 50% vodka depending on your pref. but here in Sweden it is kind of a sport the farther north you come to have really trong. That drink is called Vargtass (wolfs paw in English). But if a real kick is required I can let you in on the prairie wolf drink, 50%tequila and 50% tabasco Tom

Wow, that is a beautifully crafted saddle. That leather looks so nice and rich in colour. I really like the way you have layed out the tooling designs wich sometimes even though very cool can be a bit too much. You found a great balance and harmony between intense floral designs and open surfaces, nice touch with the texture tools. Tom (who can't distiguish a horse from a zebra;-)

Good job Tina, thanks! This one is a copy and paste worthy post! Tom

Hi and welcome Davy! That is one "fairly intricate" design, lol. VERY intricate I'd say. Tom

Roolace finds its wayhalfway around the world to Sweden too. I like it very much but not the price;-) Tom

Ya' know Luke, that is the best comment I ever had when I just have made those rod tubes and was quite high and mighty about the outcome. I got me back on earth in a good natural way and I just reloaded and focusing on getting better result on next project so this is a phrase I use for myself everytime a project is completed, a rule I try to live by. It takes the drama out and remind me that the next one is gonna be the best one ever. So once again thank you for the phrase, it is now my most precioused tool. About my memory, I still remember you're gonna treat me with a beer if I ever stop by;-) Same to you! Tom

Hi and welcome Bunkhouse! I'll chime in with Justwakinup. First you spend a couple of hours here and then if you're lucky theres 15 mins over for actual leatherwork,lol. Very good looking chaps and wow! I envy that shop your building. Tom

I like the look of it, definetly unusual without the cuts but anyway very nice. Hope I get to see you do this on a saddle of or other item to get it into more perspective. Tom

Luke! 49 more and you got 'em perfect Tom

Happy birthday ol' chap! Have a cheerful day and bring the lads to the pob and let them buy you a few pints! Tom

Thanks a bunch you all! Thanks ArtS! It can be hard but in this business one really has to try and turn the disadvantages around. Loosing both leather and time is not good. Thank you Mayor! This font is really great looking so I want to share it with y'all http://www.dafont.com/royal-initialen.font Sample of I K attached to this post too. Thank you Darryl! Hush about the rabbits, I often get in trouble over this when rabbithunting season starts;-) Well I reload my guns and I've allready set the design for next two bracers wich look the same and are for two guitarists of the same band and have nailed a solution for the stonestructure they are happy with. Hm with this pace I'll be missing ice-fishing aswell. Thank you CollinsMS! Told you this project would suit you better. Those letters enhances the "old feel" aswell I think. Tom

That is so tragic to hear. My condoleances to you Tom The drinking Tom (hey maybe I got your share)

Tack Tina! I sure appreciate it from a Swedish friend, it's so nice to have somearound to exchange some svenska sentences with! I did just work quite fast without thought and just relying to the techniques I practised over the last year so colouring and design off course comes as no surprise but rather a bit of a manifest of how I do things (like messing up measurements, lol). Viking hails ! Tom

Your stuff is truly amazing and the realism to the roses is awesome but I have to say I like that you put those bite marks to the blades. I have a bit of photography background and have seen a lot that the anal behaviour photographers have about their pictures makes them very selective and most of them would not have a damaged leaf or miscoloured flower in their picture wich to me makes actually an unrealistic image. Flowers do look like this and I see a beauty in all things like a set of decaying roses to me is showing the natural order of the nature and makes way for new roses to watch as they grow in the spring. So thanks for bringing this out in your work, it just makes it more gorgeous to me. Neat shop, I envy that one;-) Nice display of your work too, I've been dreaming about having a display of m own.... one day. Tom

Thanks Busted! I just enough Spanish to make it out that I'm recieving a very positive comment and that makes me happy I do know Spanish is the most outspread language of the world today but don't notice too much of it in Sweden. Tom

Thanks alot Crystal! You're very welcome to stop by anytime, there's so much to leather making that when two crafters meet they can always learn from each other. That's why I'm on here so much. I hate to tell you this but I'm doing development and consultations with a customer back and forth with e-mails so I post when I can but really need to work his deal as soon as possible because of the narrow deadline. I hope to get it up today but gotta fix and resize pics go and get food and go to work in about 4½ hrs aswell and I really would like to carve the first bracer tonite. I had set the design and bagged in the wet leather when I found out I must make a stonestructure to the background aswell...ah help how do I do that? Think I got a solution and more for DIY section too ;-) The doggie album looke great anyway, like you say. I only thought the colouring was intended that way! Talk atcha later, gotta run off for a while now. Tom

Thank you Spiderbro! I'm gonna post not a tut but some pics explaining the work behind in How do I do it! Thanks Andy, yeah that mistake made way for a fat braid;-) One concern I had before fixing this braid was that I'd get an eggshape to the cylinder but it's not. Instead there is a little "bump" to the shape there so when the the outertube has been slid on you turn it until you feel a "click". That's when the outer/inner tube seams overlap and it's actually quite locked in this position but the fit of the tubes is very tight (with a tendency to overtight) anyways so this was just a side effect I didn't really plan for. To do this braid one simply have to use a strip like this to achieve if not applied as applique on an allready fixed surface. Thanks Tashabear! I think you're talking about the black spottyness right? This leather is a very smooth allmost glassy surface as it comes from the tannery so I just applied a coat of Fiebings Leather sheen acrylic sealer (after I've done the colouring of black and red to tooling) and let it dry over night. Then I put on a good layer of saddle tan antiquing stain from Tandys and let it dry completely. For the letters I wrapped a dry not too soft square sponge with a damp cloth and very gently removed antiquing from the letters so that I would not rub it out of the letter decorations. The decorations were made with the stylus applied to the transferfilm, no swivelknife. Then I used the damp cloth just curled up in my hand and gently remove more and more of the antiquing from the untooled surface until I got this effect but I've only managed to get this effect with really smooth high gloss leather. The normal leather I use has to much texture to it so the antique sticks to much to get this effect. Thanks MadMax! Well I also have bikesites planned but just never get to it, lol. Cough cough, thanks Roo! They do sit nicely there. These are longer than the ones she smoke so her ciggies will sit better in the tube. I just used the longer ones to illustrate that you could even put longer ones in there and you still have a fully functional cig box with this tube system but of course i tlooks best when the lid/outer tube is fully slid down. Thanks Hilly!! What a wonderful comment but I would not endorse any action of that kind. The box off course can be used for other stuff. For example if you were a hole collector it could hold your whole hole collection and as many more holes as you wish to collect;-) Thanks rdb! The braiding is ok. I did actually use some cheaper slightly thinner lace to the bottom lid and the back double braid and used black background on the leather to hide the shine trough and make it look more even. I'm giving a good price with small profit to this customer (as usual, lol) so figured I rid some cheaper lace where it would not be noticeable. No tiny knifework in the letters. Just the stylus through the transferfilm and antiquing. Snow proof and Pecards is not available. I have recently found a Fiebings product that might be leather balm. It has only Swedish text to it so I gotta check out just what it is but it contains beeswax. Thanks all! Wish I could do more stuff like this but bracers seem to be in high demand right now. Tom

Great looking sheath! The straplock is a gorgeous detail that takes it up a few notches, anyone would be proud to wear this sheath Like the others say, the post itself is very beautiful and the strap itself is just as good looking. Top notch! Tom