TomSwede

Hey Hedge! Thanks alot! I'd be honoured to lend you the design, after all you're the one that set my up to try braiding the cord for previous tube and lending a helping hand with that so I just owe you big time! About the name carving I personally really like how it looks when floating just into the orange area. I was very unsure about that but just felt I needed to explore that way of doing it. Can I see your project later? Here's a coupl of pics from the back Ken. Poor lighting causing too long shutter speeds with needed aperture made it hard to get any good shots with a deeper perspective of the back. Try and take it outside tomorrow. Tom

Thank you Kathy! I put my best effort into it and picking up skill on how to handle big leathers I will try to achive some higher goals with those. I got some really fun ideas but need funding for them. Thanks Ken! Working on getting pics with that. Thank you Freak! I'm really nervous when handling it now that it is done and is no longer considered mine. 2½ week but that's also colliding with family, work, housecleaning and stuff but last week has been about 3-4 hours of sleep per night and one hour per afternoon so alot of hours into it. Braids may be about ten hours perhaps, getting the holes laid out correct is alot of doublechecking and teadious work that chews up time, tooling, colouring, pampering details..phew it's alot of work. Thank you Mudman!

Thanks mate! *psssch* *glugg glugg glugg* *burp*That one knew where it went!This design was some flash from the net and originally had an alien (from the movie) in it, I believe. Removed that one. Otherside of arm (just barely viewable on pic) there is a traditional runestone dragon that transforms into a mechanoid snake that disappears and then reappears inside my arm in this one and the tail comes out too. The tail is not finished.I get around to the pics later, tomorrow or so.Tom Lol, told you I'm not sensitive bout it.Tom

Thank you Anne! I've seen Rene's work online, a very talented man. The handle braid is mexican basketwave/roundbraid on edges and center is a variation that ShirleyZ posted a while ago. Thanks Alex! I really put alot of effort into those letter since it's so hard on such a big leather. You're excused for going fishin over beating the 'ol dead cow;-) Thank you Hilly! I'm glad you liked it, it sure is better than my armpits;-) Tom

Yup! Eh well I have alopcia totalis but I'm close to universalis. I really miss my beard, neraly drove me insane when it decided to leave me, just a few straws left. I still consider my self a longhair person, it's just not visible. I'm not sensitive about this thing, it's just cosmetic anyways. Tom

So finally got this tube together. Black and orange theme inspired from the old videogame Ataris logotype with an added thingy on the cap. Just wanted a design with clean lines, center one is extrovert and the sides are introvert beveling. The cap is built around the vinyl liner (I'd rather call it innertube, but it's a liner in the cap) to act as a friction lock and a simple cord on the back. It won't come off in normal use since the vinyl is lots of friction. Basic idea with a friction lock is to rid those sometimes bold looking topstrap and buckles that can really mess up a neat design. It houses a 3 split 10 ft rod. Tom

Gimme a beer!

Oh yeah! That's a good lookin blackpiece and I love that big fat mexibraid. Did you get to make the pattern yourself? The design looks like there's some thought behind how to make it pop with black colour. Nice work and tooling! Tom

Hey Freak, you're da' man! I was just thinking bout that bio-mech notebook and wondering who posted it the other day. Got a new printer and browsed through some tattooflash on the HD I was just wonderin why we don't see more of it on leather. It looks so great. This looks awesome and I can't wait to see it finished. Good thing you brought it up and I hope others will follow. I actually got this kind of bio-mech tattoo blended in with my all Norse/viking myth/celtic theme that covers my arms. It's on the inside of my upper arm and reaches into my armpit, ouch, that one was not nice in the makings. Oh sweet pain. Glad you worked the curling up prob allright. Stuff like that is nervewrecking. Tom

Oh wow, this is some ***** nice set!!! Love the way you worked with simple design elements and how well you tailored the whole set together. Clean, elegant and classy and a really professional look to. That triweave looks so smooth and even, I gotta go practice now, lol. Tom

Welcome Ron! I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that even novice work get a warm welcome here so don't be shy with pics. We love pics and if you want critics so you can get areas to work pointed out there's a special critic department here too. Tom

You probably hit the nail on the head, -I (probably) got cocky!!! Gotta work with the lighting situation but one thing comes to my mind, I didn't wear my forehead LED light as I usually do. I'll do the touchups with that one on tomorrow to figure out. I've done ok most times before so this time I just got a real surprise. The silver/gold/kopper dyes I get from Danish company ROC is really fun to use and applies without any streaking. They go on top of black and all. Think there are silvery dyes availables in US to but from other companys. Tom

Hey Pete! I don't know really what the sheridan style beveler is but I'm guessing it's the smaller steep beveler, looks almost lika a little foot. I have Craftools one of this style ( Craftool B80) and I did use it alot before but it dosn't feel suited for the projects I've done lately. I use mostly checkered bevelers ( Craftool B802 and A104). I use the ceramic blade wich is the best I can get around here and I used alot of filigree too but as always I manage to blunt the steelblades when trying to sharpen them up. Best for me to work with is an even sharp edge and just streak the brushes side in the same angle over it and that will get an even paint, I probably "got creative" and overworked the last time and due to to the lighing situation I thought I got it right but apperently not. I did go over it with the modeling tooling, making the edges a bit rounder and smoother so maybe that's a bit of the prob too. Next time I try to get as square edges as possible, just for testing with it. Do need to work on the lighting tough and maybe try and find a magnifier too. Thanks for your help Pete!

Very nice! I loke the colouring scheme. Tom

You're stuff is turning more n more impressive and really nice stuff to watch. This one is awesome and raises a question for me, why have I never thought of doing the lettering like that? It looks darn good, especially with that font. The tooling and carving looks very well executed. Tom

I just love a good dragonslayer. Those flames seems to be very intricate and nice in colouring. Tom

Very impressive! It shows you love to pound away and you sure have some painters skills aswell. Beautiful! Tom

That looks just so cool! Pinstriping leather..huh..who woulda' thunk of it! Tom

Hello Dag and welcome to the board! I've done a few bracers and must say the one you showed here is looking really good and gave me a nostalgia trip. Done many celtic and viking patterns and currently I'm dabbling alot with those silver/gold dyes. Most often on lettering, names and such but also for highlighting/colouring of lines like you do. I have one question about this for you, I found it really hard to paint it on evenly at the edges of the line to paint because of glares (from my lightsource) that hides the edges. It looks all ok when I'm painting but when I take it outside for example the edges are not very smooth and the dye is unevenly going down the edges. Take it in to my shop and it looks really good there wich makes it very difficult to make the according touch ups. I could take my work outside but that solution doesn't work for winter. So do you recognize any of this problem and if so how do you get around it. I have very bad natural lighting in my shop so I have to depend on alternative lighting sources. Thinking about trying to soften them down to be able to see what I'm doing with the brush. Tom

Nice job Jammon! Good edges and overall look too. Is that the Craftool skullpunch in use? Just saw that one for the first time today online at my supplier so I was wondering how it looked in use. Tom

Thanks Tim! This was a nice tutorial and I'm sure it'll come handy one day, I really like braids. Tom

Since most or perhaps all my projects are pretty much worked up from scratch with little or no guidelines from the bit's and pieces I learned here (and that is not little I can tell you, there's lots of details that I can just point at and tell exactly wich person here I learned/got inspired by on this forum) but much of the assembly and shape of things, lining up holes etc. I gotta figure out by myself. That said I can say I like all steps equally and just wish I had a better brain so I wouldn't sit so long with the figuring out stuff 'cuz it's taking just too long time, that's the largest timethief for me. So summing it up -I just love the whole process! Tom

Good stuff Leathercat! I'd never worked that patttern out by myself. I guess I just lack fantasy when it comes to creative use with the stamps. Way to go!! Tom

DUDE!!! Soo freaking cool mask! Can't believe you've done that without a head to mold it on. Very horrorific... Tom

That looks so nice,excellent idea to have handy for showing own leatherstuff aswell. My wish list expands fast in this place.. Was the wooden stand your work aswell? Thanks for showing!