TomSwede

Yeah Frog! Have a great day! Tom

This is basically two tubes whereas one slides over the other. I did make an error with the outer tube and cut it too short. That's why there is a double braid at the back. I'd very much like to hear criticism on this point. Rather than go back and start over with tooling I just felt it'd be a good learning experience to try and salvage the current won't in some way and I'm happy with the result. I put two hardware hangers to pull focus off of the small leather strip that holdes the double braid together. Ths strip is eviden at top and bottom but was more noticeable at the bottom so the hanger covers that one. I figured a non leatherworker eye will probably not think of this a "salvaged" at all, hope I'm not fooling myself by reasoning like that?? I made it like two tubes beacuse I wanted better tooling area for her initials ( I K )This was the first time I had a go at closing a roundbraid (this is the simplified mexican basketweave/roundbraid as ShirleyZ originally posted it). It came out allright on the top one braid and so so on the others. It's a tad to much orange I think. Anyone got a tip tip on a better sealer/antiquing solution than Fiebings leather sheen/Tandys saddle tan stain that CAN BE DONE INDOORS WITHOUT HARMFUL VAPOURS I'd be a happy chap to know about it. Just better hope we have it on the Swedish shelfs! I'd liked to have kept this leathers very pale look and just have had the antiquing blotches wich reminds me of an birch tree and they are white. I used another leather at tops and bottoms wich was harder and keep the shape better to explain the colour difference. IT doesn't bother me particularily. The fingercuts used at the top is in the same style as from Clayb's (or was it ClayM..hm?) example for the August flex your fingers challange but not nearly as good. Any critics is welcome and useful, thanks for watching! Tom

Ha ha thanks alot. This explains why I'm confused about time (I posted something about time in a thread about meetings in the live chat). I could just fold it up to the back and keep that beautiful Eddie hanging there and still have room for this years playboy calendar Got my marble "slab" from a buddy who cleansed up after his father who passed away. It's from an old table and I like it because I don't have to raise my shoulders up too much to get the tools down properly on the slab, wich I felt with the stone slab I used before getting the table slab. So now I owe him a fishing rod tube he he that's what the bigger of those tubes seen in pic is for. Tom

With am/pm note saying AM=day PM=Night..wonder if I got that right Seems like I'm not alone after all! Tom

For us European (at least me anyway) a posted time is hard to convert to own time since I don't know if that is the time of the topic poster who lives in one place and someone chimes in and ask if it could be changed to this or that time and that someone is from a totally other place in us wich get's confusing. I mean what is the timespan between east and west coast in US? and when you guys from US discuss time and have lapse in between your local time perhaps you have some general time you use like : central ?? (city) time wich is generic. Hm not sure I make myself understandable here. Maybe we ought to have a LW clock so if anyone suggest 11 pm us people who are confused bout this can chime in easier?? I didn't just grab the situation described out of the air. There was a thread about meeting a specific time in the chatroom and the time got changed a few times and I just couldn't keep up with it and got confused (wich I generally do when numbers are involved, numeroligical dyslectic;-) Hey, I have a hard time to remember if pm/am is night or day. We count time from 00:00:00 to 23:59:59. Just my thoughts as european and a bit lost in time;-) Viking Tom

Very good looking masks Kimber!! Sure looks like you found something that suits you right because they express lot's of joy and some happy hours of molding and painting. Tom

Hey Rolf! Welcome to the board from another European guy. I agree with everbody else, great looking work and what a nice shop that probably was cleaned up before taking the pic;-) Look forward to seeing more from you! Tom

Very cool and beefy beer holster!! when you do something like this you know you have an addiction....to leatherworking Well done! Tom

The King is back! Very nice too see you wetting your feet again! Very good looking gator wallet and love that lining. Elegance is the word for this one. Tom

Thanks for the info! I have never noticed this. Those look great and I now see what you mean. I'm gonna keep this in mind in case I meet any people here looking for cowboy gear. Swedens biggest country and cowboy festival is held just 20 mins from here every year. Tom

Thank you CollinsMS! Glad it could raise your attention even though out of line with your interest! Maybe my next thing up here in a few days will suit you better. So those cowboy dress shirt cuffs is something i don't really know what it is, I try to picture myself a cowboy but don't see those cuffs but I guess they are attached to the bottom of the shirts sleeves and those could be tooled with a twist motif. Right?? Thanks for looking and coming with ideas! Tom

What spots?? All I see is a creative way of doing snake replica with a basketweave tool;-) Good job and a nice way to rid scraps. Tom

Congrats Clay!! Tom

Wow that is looking awsome! Love the colouring and the upright top piece really sets it off I agee with Ray, the tooling looks very interesting. Hope I get a stab at sumting like this one days, looks like alot of fun. well done! Tom

Thanks for the info, gotta respect you wanna keep some secrets!! Sure is a nice and deep red tone to that. Tom

Thanks Spider, knew you'd like this one...tada..it's a skull he he. Well The Pog wanted the rooftop skull bracer I did so I explained I will only make a custom ordered bracer once so he told me to use any fitting skull and to add Dean (guitars) wings so I looked around in my drawer and this pone pops up and ther ya' have it. The design was given right away. Tom

Up until last spring I used only Fiebings saddle lac spray but switched to Fiebings Leather sheen, both acrylic. I felt that the sheen didn't looked just that much plastic as the spray one and also seem like it takes buffing better but is kinda hard to apply evenly and around eyelets the spray is way easier to get on. Tom

I have also gotten some flaking prob on the black Motörhead bracer wich didn't wanna come off, since it was black I just used a sharpie and painted over those few spots with flakes. Not noticeable att all once the sealer came on (I used the spraysealer for that one). Tom

If Hillys tip on carving is sometihng you can carry out you should be able to deal with some dyeing/staining exercises aswell to your carvings. Good luck with the surgery and wishes for a quick recovery! Tom

That is a good looking..eh two good looking sheaths!! Charge him for two sheaths;-) beatuful colour on that stain, what is it? Tom

Very beautiful Crystal! Doggie looks very nice and realistic. I am familiar with that goldflake problem. Sometimes it has helped me to go over my work with a slightly damp rag after the colours are dry and just brush it off with the rag. Tom

Oh now I get to see the whole of it! That's a badass wicked ride!!! I want one!!! Tom

Very good looking, I'm inclined to agree with Tina but have not really been into anything like that. The arrows look really good and lined up. Now just don't tell us that you're gonna dye it plain black;-)= Tom

Very nice Wildrose!! I agree that the repititiviness can be nice, I also like to watch telly when braiding and such wich also give me some variety in body position to spare my neck. Good looks on that stamped one, I usually have a hard time with "unbordered" designs but I guess the very black accentuated edges is doing enough a good job to keep that composition together. Tom

Very beautiful Elton! As usual one might add. The black border down one the legs accentuate the whole design very well. Tom