David

My customer just sent me a couple shots of his bike at the Easyriders Bike Show in Sacramento this past weekend. Dave

I create a top leather with all the holes punched and a bottom leather with just two holes punched on the centerline at the front and rear of the leather. Then I tie the front to the rear using only those two holes on the centerline and with the pan and padding sandwiched in between. Now I can pull the two leathers together and mark the rear leather for all the other holes. It is a slow but effective method. Dave

The top and bottom are not even close to being the same size. I've uploaded a pic of the leathers for this seat. Dave Theobald

Beautiful, beautiful work. What else can I say. Well done. David Theobald

Just, You have certainly found your niche. That is as nice as anything I've seen. Beautiful job. I love it. Dave Theobald

Nicely done KK. Very well presented. I like it. Dave Theobald

My seat tutorial has been restored. It is now called Christian Bike Seat. Thanks to the staff David Theobald

Andy, Here is just what you need, another designer chiming in. I like the design and you should keep it. There are some minor things you could do to make it more readable. Notice the length of the word Flog and compare it to the length of Frog..... I think they should be very close to the same length. The first two letters of both words tend to read as a single letter, which is the reason for the reading difficulty. That being said, there is nothing more difficult than designing your own alphabet and making it work well in a flowing design and you've done it very well. Is it too busy? No way. With some tweaking, it is going to work on just about any format you choose, business cards, letterhead, t-shirts...etc. Just my $.02 worth from about 40+ years as a designer. David Theobald

Troy, Beautiful job....simply beautiful....you should be very proud of that one. That is the same style of seat that I did the imitation of in my Monster Seat. I love the job you did and the the bike it is going on. ServiCars rock. Dave Theobald

There is no adhesive in the seat at all. Dave Theobald

Hey Brad, The fingercut birds are from an old Stohlman book I believe.... Dave Theobald

Thank you all for the nice comments. They are always much appreciated. You keep me grounded and let me know if my "unusual" taste in artwork is getting off track. Thanks again, Dave Theobald

This was ordered by the pan manufacturer. To answer your question, I don't know Dave

Here it is finished. Neetsfoot oil followed by Sheridan passte antique. No stain on the seat Thanks for checking it out

I still have to add a finish to the seat. I'm thinking of going real simple on this one.... Just a coat of Lexol and then some Sheriday antiquing paste. Any suggestions? Dave

Hey Tom,Not sure about Sweden but here in Ohio USA a seat goes on a bike, chair, etc....and saddles go on horses.....lolThanks for the kind words.Dave Hey Darryl,Probably close to 16 hours. I never thought I'd finish it.Dave

Here are a few more photos after the lacing was completed Dave

This beast was made to resemble the old fashioned "pogo" seats from the 40's. The shape is close but could use some refinement. This seat seemed like it took forever to complete. I don't want to even mention how long it took to do the basketweave braid around the edge. More pics later.... I wanted to try out my new camera. Johanna, does it look familiar? Dave Theobald

Tina, Just give him a call, that's what I did. Just got my glass slicker. Very nice and a beautiful cocobolo handle.....sweet! Dave Theobald

The diamond punch would have the same problems as the slits. For the structural lace (around the edge) that holds the seat together I use 1/8" holes and 1/4" kangaroo lace. For the decorative lacing I use 3/32" holes and lace Look on your Fiebings dye container, they should give a telephone number. I order it direct from them. They send it directly to my house Dave

I hope I can hit the highlights here. I don't use eco-flo anything. I use spirit dye. You can still buy it directly from Fiebings. Same goes for antiquing paste. Fiebings directly from Fiebings. I've found that oil dye tends to rub off more than spirit. Plus I can shoot spirit dye through my air brush and be able to clean it up. When done, for protection for the antiquing I use leather balm with atom wax....also a Fiebings products. aussie conditioner on top of that finishes it for me. On an all black seat I use neet lac. Although I suspect you can use a wood finish product like deft also. But rub it on don't use a brush. That will keep the black on the leather not on your pants. I do not stain or seal the back of the leather. If you use new padding make sure it is closed cell foam. This is what is used in boat cushions and lawn chairs. Grips, get a good book on braiding and teach yourself how to cover them with braiding instead of sheet leather. Less likely to loosen and slip. Gromets? no not on the structural lacing. I put some on the lacing at the nose of the seat just for decoration. DO NOT use slits anywhere....they will rip out. With a 200 lb guy on a 700 lb bike bouncing down the road at 70mph....slits don't stand a chance of surviving long term. That's about it from me Good luck Dave Theobald

Please be careful with any spray adhesive. Wear a respirator, not just a paper mask. These adhesives are very toxic and can cause severe lung damage. David

How about one in rattlesnake? Dave

David, Many custom tools are stainless, not sure of the depth. But allow me to advise you to rethink your position of being "pretty adverse to doing something that's been done before". Carving and tooling are cumulative learning experiences. Just like in drawing and painting, you should learn to do it right before you get terribly creative. Boring? maybe....but in the long run it is the right way to do it. If you think basketweave or meander is too simple for you... Then you must never have had anyone teach you how to do it the right way. Basketweave is easy to do but SO FEW actually do it right.... and the difference is very obvious. Just some unsolicited advice. David Theobald

I buy my padding from Foam and More and they put a very fine adhesive backing on the foam for me. Great place to deal with. Not the cheapest, but great people with a great product. Dave Theobald Foam and More 125 W. Maple Troy, MI 48084 1-248-284-0002