BillB

Roo, Well done. Wonderful use of the celtic patterns. Have you considered calling it a phoenix, then you could use reds and yellows for the fire on the wind edges and tail and blues for the main body. Just a thought. Again, nicely done.

roo, Unfortunately, it is now illegal to harvest them. When I retire in 2 years, I plan to look around and see if I can find a replacement grass to grow in minnesota so that I can trying making them.

It took me a while to finds some of the work I did back in 1970's. Here are three pieces that I was able to find. The first is from a Tandy brief case kit. It was a hard shell brief case with a leather insert in the middle of the top. The second is the seat from a tri-cornered camp stool I did for my father. The third is a purse I did for my wife. It also did service as a diaper bag.

Here is some work that my Grandfather did. The leather purse and western holster were done in the 1950's The other purses are handmade from wild sea oats (legally harvested in the 60's but illegal now) when he lived in LeHigh Acres Florida. I have no idea when he made the trays.

You might want to try this: After threading the needle, pull two needle lengths of thread thru the eye. Then lay that length of thread along side the needle and then push the point thru the middle of the thread. Carefully push that on down to and over the eye, thus forming a closed loop that now hold the needle. I usually then twist the remaining amount back along the sewing portion of the thread to further lock the needle in and to compact it down in diameter. I don't have a picture of this, but will try and take some tomorrow night if you need some visual aids. Also, I tend to hold the needles in my lips, that way I have both hands free. It's an old habit I picked up when working with wood and nails. I don't know which is worst, a mouth full of nails or lips with two needles (No I am not into S&M).

yes, they are Al Stohlman's books. Sounds like you are doing well with your hand stitching and the two needle method. I prefer using two needles instead of one. I have stitched some items where I purposely went though the thread of the first with the second to try and "lock" the stitch in place so that slack would not go backwards into the previous stitch. I only use this technique when I want the pieces of leather to be as tightly bound together as I can get. This does work best on heavier leather that does not bunch up under tension. wearing light biker gloves while stitching also helped reduce the times when the waxed thread cut into the joints on my hand.

Welcome to the forum, Johann. Us americans seldom speak the King's English, we leave that up to the Brits. Look forward to seeing more of your work.

Kate, There are two books that I have that do a good job an explaining the art form: Northwest Coast Indian Art an Analsis of Form by Bill Holm, University of Washington Press. ISBN0-88894-172-2 and Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast by Hilary Stewart, University of Washington Press. ISBN0-295-95645-3 Hilary Stewart list the basic components as: Form Line, Ovoid, Inner Ovoid, U Form, Split U form, S Form. Each of these forms have a base set of rules. For example, the Ovoid in my Rabbits (Main body, Head, rear leg) are not true to form, at least in my opinion (not enough "stress" between the upper edge line and the lower edge line). She then shows Anatomical features and then discusses structural variations. Finally she has examples of 28 Totems, explains the totem and the unique features of the totem. For example all birds of prey will have turn down (eagle, Thunderbird, Owl) and some will even be recurved (Hawk). None birds of prey will have straight beaks (Loon, Humming Bird, Raven. The feature the differentiates a Thunderbird from the Eagle is the curled ear on the Thunderbird where as the Eagle has a straight ear, Bill Holm covers the principals of space utilization and the colors used. He also shows variations of the components. Bob, I like your style in that it replicates the carvings found on bowls, plaques, etc. I was trying for more of the look found on the Poles and larger carvings. I am still not happy with the way I handled the 3rd layer components, e.g. The U form with the Ovoid, as well as the fill areas along the neck and between the neck and main body. For example, the U form just below the ear (white area around the red) would have been colored black as a form line and not white as a secondary, but that would have but too much black in the final coloration. A lot of times I have found totems within totems, fish in the eagle, human in the bear, etc. Not sure what if any totem would go inside a rabbit. For now, I am going to let this one sit for a while and then come back to it and see if I want to do another one. In the mean time I saw a wonderful picture of a bald eagle in flight that I am thinking about using as the base structure for an eagle totem.

Since folks were showing their work areas I finally took some pictures of our craft room. Right now only my leather stuff is in it. Where I am taking the pictures from will be where my wife's loom will go when it arrives. I appreciate seeing everyone's areas since when we build the house in Minnesota part of the basement will be turned into the craft room and I will get to add to the leather areas. One item I plan on putting into the room is a sealed cabinet with a built in exhaust system t the outside so when dyed/finished items are drying ithe smell doesn't go all through the house. I also plan on a large cutting table with racks to hold the leather, that way I can have dark cloth curtains so the sun light doesn't darken the leather before I get to work on it.

I finally found time to finish this. After talking it over with Mary Ann, we decided to dye it following traditional colors. Primary lines are black, secondary areas are white or natural, third areas can be red or blue. As I go through the process of designing the totem and then translating it to leather I am building a set of rules on how to tool it. All primary lines are tooled with the bevel going away, except of course where they over lap, then perspective takes precedence. All secondary areas are beveled such that the bevel goes into the area. Where two secondary areas are separated by just a primary line, then both sides are beveled. This does not show up very well on this design since I was still working out some of the kinks. I am working on a Sun Totem and a Moon Totem and it has worked well so far. By the time the Primary lines and secondary areas have been beveled, the third or tertiary areas are left the the student to solve. I want to carve a much larger version of the rabbit totem so I can do more of the internal details. I am also thinking of doing my own eagle totem of an eagle in flight.

First of all, welcome to the forum and are varied experiences and opinion. I thought I would add my 2 cents worth. If you are not ready for doing your own patterns and designs, then the kit path is the best way to go. If you are the type of person that wants to read about it first, then experiment, then get one or more of the many books available on leather carving (F.O. Baird or Al Stohlman are good examples). If you are near a place that offers classes (Tandy, Arts and Crafts Organization, etc.) you may want to attend one. One thing I will recommend is the KISS principal (Keep It Simple, Stupid). :D I have seen a number of people loose interest in an Art or Craft simply because they did not keep it simple at the beginning and got frustrated and quite. :angry: One last item, don't be afraid to experiment and try other parts of the craft once you have started. Good Luck and keep us up to date on your progress.

Have you looked at Volumes 2 (#61941-02) and 3 (#61941-03). There are more cases in there. There is one that looks like a old style doctor's bag, one for cameras and one as a flight bag. There are times that I have found it helps to start with one design, figure out how I would change it to meet my needs, then using it as a starting pattern, draw a new pattern.

Brent, Nicely done. The Egyptian designs look good on leather.

I have copies of both Leather Secrets and Design Artistry by F.O.Baird. I bought Leather Secrets from Tandy back in the 70's, it was originally published in 1951. The version I have is the 1976 revised edition. The copy of Design Artistry I received from my grandfather and it looks like it is from the 1955 Copyright. The following is from Leather Secrets by F.O.Baird and was added by D.B. "About the Author: The author. F. O. Baird, died in 1971, but before his death he was recognized as a prominent exponent of leather carving whose efforts contributed materially to its astounding growth and popularity during the last decade. His personal history, as outline in Leather Art, is familiar to thousands who have employed the technique which he developed from a lifetime of study, observation, and experience. At an early age, he selected the leather trade as a lifework and his apprenticeship was in a saddle ship, punching buttons, stringing saddles, and scrubbing leather to be carved. From this humble beginning, the advent of the First World War gave him an opportunity to serve his country and further his practical knowledge of leather work as Troop Saddler in the U.S. Cavalry. In the years following the war, he mastered the trade by practical experience as saddle maker and carver in Western Saddle Shops. The skills gained were then turned to handcarving specialty leather goods. Soon his exquisite carved articles were being displayed in craft collections, where they awakened limitless possibilities of this method of decoration. Being constantly urged to reveal the secrets of the craft for public benefit his first course of personal instruction for teachers, occupational therapist and hobbyists. During this period he published a manual which revealed for the first time some of the intricacies of the art. This original publication on leather carving is today a collector's item. The Second World War interrupted his teaching, and he operated his own custom saddle shop, furthering his reputation as a Master Craftsman. As the war drew to a close the enthusiasm of students induced him to devote more and more time to the development of leather carving as a hobby. He soon put his entire efforts and knowledge to bringing the vital new art within reach of the abilities of thousands of eager handicrafters. As an author and instructor he introduced new ideas in design and perfected methods and procedures of working leather. When professional tools were unavailable for the thousands who demanded them, he freely offered his own tools to be used as model for duplication. LEATHER ART, his second textbook, was published in 1951 and has been of exceptional value to beginners as a source of basic information on procedure and technique in leather carving. It has been necessary to reprint this work many times to satisfy the increasing demands. The Baird Home study course was the next contribution in extending the art. This complete course of individual instruction has become an authoritative volume in this country and abroad. Thousands of handicrafters mastered the basic principles of leather carving as a result of these textbooks and instruction courses. It was immediately evident that a more detailed, comprehensive and advance treatise would be neccessary to carry them from basic knowledge to professional mastery of leather carving and construction. The task of compiling this extensive information was indeed difficult but he approached it with unflagging enthusiasm. Literally thousands of hours were spent in researching, drawing, and constructive proving and now after several years of devoted effort the job is done. At last the complete secrest of the artisan can be placed in the hands of the amateur, enabling him to attain craftsmanship of the highest order. This unprecedented encyclopedia for advanced training in leathercraft is due to the untiring and unselfish efforts of one man, who ears ago set out with true pioneer spirit to develop, perfect, and teach the art. That man was the author of this book . . . F. O. Baird D.B"

My experience over the last 40 years is a mix of all the comments already in this thread. The quality and the tanning of the leather has changed over the years for better or for worse. :mellow: I have cased, quick cased and not cased at all. When I case the leather, I let the moisture penetrate and equalize through out the thickness of the leather. I then allow the leather to dry until the surface and the back have returned to their natural color, but one can still feel the coolness of the leather caused by evaporation when it is held to ones face cheek. Some folks call this reading the leather. I have also found that leather, a skin, is held in natural tension by the fibers, as previously stated. When one cuts the fibers on the tooling surface, that natural tension is broken, it is further disturbed by tooling, remember we are not removing material but compressing it. That compression set up a new tension in the leather. Depending on the thickness of the leather and the depth of the tooling and the size of the design in relation to the leather (tooled versus not tooled) has a lot to do with the amount of change I impart on the the original piece of leather whether that be in size (length or width) or its ability to lay flat. Since leather is skin, I have also found that the dyeing process can also impact this problem. Skin likes to have natural oils in it to stay flexible. Dyes are solvents that first must suspend the dye to transport it to the fibers. It must then replace the natural oils in the fiber so that the pigmentation of the dye is transfered into the fiber. It then must evaporate to lock the pigmentation in. This process tends to remove all oils from the fibers and changes the tension in the leather/skin. Have you ever used a cleaner on your hands to remove the dye stains and ended up with rough and cracked skin? Same process. Putting oils back into the leather will help resolve the condition the dye process has created, but not the change the tooling process has done. I guess that is why well tooled leather is still an Art or Craft. It is impossible to replicate with a standard process or by machine. Lets hear it for all those Artist and Craftsmen/folks/people that are out there. :D Have I now :deadhorse:

Wolf, You may want to change the order from oil, dye, satin shene to dye, satin shene, oil from back side. The Tandy Pro Dye is an alcohol base dye and will dissolve or thin the neats foot oil and make the leather stiffer and depending on how much dye used, even brittle. Did you dip the belt into a bowl of dye and let it soak in? That would have removed all of the neats foot oil. Bruce is also correct in that if you pre-bend or form the leather while it is still cased, that will usually solve the problem.

Phil, Welcome to the Forum. Look forward to seeing some of your work.

Here is my latest Native American Totem work. It is for a Handbag for my wife, Mary Ann. It will be going on a Tandy Tandem Handbag Kit #44308-00. I have included the original photo that I used to base my Rabbit Totem on as well as the Pattern I did and one of the Tooled flaps for the handbag. Mary Ann and I have decided to die the background a light brown and leave the Rabbit Totem natural. When I have the handbag completed, I will post pictures of it.

TracyMoss, I have not had any problem with the leather curling, probably due to using Lexol to restore some flexibility. I did have problems with the suede stretching as it was machine stitched, but I was able to adjust for that and eventually got the suede damp and used stiff cardboard insert to stretch the whole piece into shape. Scouter, I applied Lexol to the leather prior to stitching it to the suede. I had considered staining either the background or the totems them selves but was concerned that it would not look right on Marv's very dark wood desk (almost a jacobean color). So I decided to use Lexol and let the leather darken naturally over time. I also considered using the new Eco-Flow HighLite, but again decided to just let it go natural. If the desk had been a light wood, then I would have stained it.

Johanna - Not sure if this would be a section in the forum or a section on the web page. I have a number of leather items that my Grandfather did as well as antiques that I have picked up along the way. I would be willing to share pictures of these works. Since they are not my work, I was not sure where I could put them so others could see and possible get ideas of their own. When my grandfather passed on I got all of his tools and work so I guess I am the caretake of those so there should be no problem in sharing them.

Rawhide, I have an MAC and use Safari all the time with no problems. iMAC 2.16 GHz Intel Duo Core Mac OS X 10.5.1 Safari 3.0.4 (5523.10.6) I am on a Verizon DSL line. Have you tried Firefox. It does a better job of emulating PC functions on the Web.

Tim, Nice Celtic Knots and yes the purse looks great as well.

Leatheroo, Here is another way to use dyes that I had not considered until I found these pieces at an antique dealer. I was surprised at how well the background coloring brought out the main design.

Spider, My other works using NA Totems are found in the "Specialty Leather Work" section of the forum under "Other Specialties" in the "ART" section. I also posted a Rabbit Totem pattern that I drew to use on my wife;s PDA case. It is in the "Fabrication" section under "Patterns and Templates". Leathroo, thanks for the compliment on the stitching. The 3000 is an investment for when I retire and I can spend more time making things.

Leatheroo, Alex is correct, we all have our preferences and more importantly our own experiences, some good and some bad. My experience with leather rot was in dealing with things that had a high gloss outer finish, got wet on the inside and were not allowed to dry. This allowed for fungus to develop inside and the leather rotted inside out. One of those live and learn experiences. All I wanted to point out was that there are some finishes that will seal the layer that it is applied to and additional care should be taken. I have, in some cases, applied conditioning oil from the opposite side to keep the leather oiled and flexible. There was one time that I used Tandy's Super Shene and applied one to many coats. I could actually peal the polycarbonate off the outer surface. My recommendation is to take some scrap leather and try various combinations out before trying it on a finished project like I did and then spend more time trying to figure out how to recover. I remember some old saying about "an ounce of prevention" or was it "look before you leap"