David

Troy, Absolutely beautiful. Looks great and the craftsmanship looks terrific. That is an amazing project. David Theobald

Ed Congrats. that is wonderful work. David Theobald

TO DAVE at DC knives Well said, I agree whole heartedly another Dave

Steve, Those cartridge bags are some of the cleanest construction I've seen. BEAUTIFUL. David Theobald

Here are some better pics of the stuff I showed at Columbus. Dave Theobald

The samurai seat is edged in "saddle-tan" spirit dye with "buckskin" for the overall color. Then Sheridan antiquing paste to darken the tooling. Finally some leather balm with atom wax for the top finish. All the dyes were applied with an airbrush for a smooth transition of colors. David Theobald

I will pass it along to our guild also. Thanks for the early heads-up Brent David Theobald

Cal, Upholstery leather us usually tanned with chromium....deadly poison. I'd scrap the rattle idea altogether. Veg tanned is also out, not just because of chemicals.... many south american hides are urine tanned. Something to avoid for sure. We always hope that our hides are tanned here in the US, but you can never be 100% sure. David

Here is the back Ahhh, Finally someone I can thank in person.Thanks so much Randy.Dave

Marlon, Great pictures. Lots of boots and saddles for sure but some of the tables looked like they had other leather items.... were there classes for them to be judged in also? Obviously I know nothing about this show. Thanks for posting them Dave

Johnny, I think the flat piece just felt so different while I was working on it. And then I tried a Chan Geer finishing technique.... which I completely botched. NOTE TO SELF.... next time watch the video again BEFORE you start applying the finish! ha David Theobald

Hey Brent, It was great to finally meet you. Thanks for giving my wife and myself a brief explanation of judging... Hope to see you many more times at the shows. Dave

Thanks Tina, I'm not sure how we both managed to be there and not meet one another....Thought I met most of the LW folks.....we'll meet next year in Indy. Dave

Hey all, The Columbus show was terrific fun and I learned a bunch and met some great folks. Met Jim Linnell of Tandy for the second time and had dinner with the Tandy folks. I also met Chan Geer....what a great fellow he is. Very friendly folks indeed. Had the additional pleasure of winning a few ribbons which is always nice too. I'll post some pics here. I hope to have some better ones soon. The exhibition rooms are not really good for taking pictures. The aisles are narrow and crowded. The piece of flat art is a prototype for a new seat and was something really out of my comfort zone. By all means try to come to next year's show....it is in Indy. Dave Theobald

Jeff, Love the contrasting colors and finishes. That is a beautiful job. Dave Theobald

Davey, Very nice and intricate stamping. That would survive well on a bike seat!..... Everything relates to bike seats in my shop..... ha ha Beautiful work! David Theobald

John, I've made no secret, on this site, of my love of tattoo art, so your case was very interesting and very well done. I especially like working from artwork that a client likes enough to wear on his body. It allows you to create a truly personal item. Thanks so much for showing it. David Theobald

Nice Roger, It looks very good. Dave

Hey Brent, Nice work..... Here's a couple things to try. On the finger cuts.... make them deeper at one end and back off the knife pressure as you cut them.... this will give that "finger cut look" .... thick at one end and thin at the other. when I start a finger cut, I push the blade down and even move it back and forth a bit just to widen the start of the cut.... Practice on scrap of course.... lol On the lacing, are you tapping it flat when you are finished? Use your mallet and just hit it hard enough to even out all the stitches. Keep up the good work..... I gotta try some business card holders too.... as soon as I finish this pic I'm working on, and a binder for a customer in Dayton, and a seat for a customer in.... and one for a lawyer in AZ. and 5 seats for Sucker Punch..... and 14 tank bibs...... ..... .... l Business card holders are sounding more like a retirement project.... Dave

Proper bevelers and backgrounders will do a world to improve your work....Everything will look much more defined and the detail much crisper. My first Koi was nothing to look as but they improved. My latest koi is on my site there is link at the far left side of the home page. It too is very small. so you can see what proper tools and practice will do. Keep at it, you're doing fine. David Theobald

As far as where to find Fiebings antiquing. Order it direct from Fiebing. David Theobald

Ray, First of all let me recommend latex gloves. They do wonders for the hands. I actually scoop up that dollop with my hand. Then instead of wiping off the excess with a cloth....(you have to constantly turn the cloth to find a cleaner spot.....) Try paper towels.... and throw them away frequently. Also spread newspaper around everywhere. As far as finish... let the project dry.... really dry at least a day. Then buff it very hard with a soft cloth. After that Leather balm works for me.... it will move some of the antiquing around .... but plenty will remain. Apply the leather balm sparingly, allow to dry and buff some more with that soft cloth. That's my method. David Theobald

Very nice clean work David

I'll be there early Friday Dave

Congrats Clay, Always good to see a truely nice guy be recognized for his great work. Way to go buddy. Dave