Lace

Thanks for all the advice. It's nice to see that someone else has already done this! (sorry I lost track of this) I'm going to post some pictures as soon as I get going. I think I'm going to go with shearling for padding and keep the natural contours of the gator in tact instead of cutting it. He saw the alligatorjakes straps and got some ideas about design specifics. I think it will be difficult to sew through - but I also don't think just using glue to attach the shearling would be sufficient? Maybe super glue, haha. The straps in the link above don't appear to have the liners sewn on but it could be a deceiving picture.

After a busy summer and a new job, moving and etc etc I have finally settled in and got my work space set up and I'm looking to do a guitar strap. I've done a few before but just basic plan ones cut from patterns with maybe a bit of stamping on them. I got an interesting request from my boyfriend to make a guitar strap for his bass with a crocodile back. (http://www.tandyleatherfactory.ca/en-cad/search/searchresults/9511-19.aspx) I got one from Tandy while they were on sale and now I'm just trying to figure out how to go about this. I'm going to dye it as normal which should be fairly straightforward but as for making sturdy and practical attachments for the front and back of the croc strap for attaching to the guitar - I'm lost. I want to line it as well and again I'm not sure what to line it with. I was thinking foam with some upholstery weight liner but I will need to be able to seal the edges so they don't cut his neck. It needs to be able to slide I guess over his shoulder - but I'm going to hand sew it because I believe my sewing machine isn't ready for something like this and the uneven edges worry me - I don't want to mess it up. Has anyone made a guitar strap - or any strap like this before? I'm hoping for some words of wisdom or advice on design. Here's hoping!

This is amazing. I love the details and overall design of it. Beautiful.

With Bio you need to be careful even with a machine. I'm lucky to have access to machines at my work to sew bio and other materials and I've never tried hand sewing. I wouldn't like too either. It's nasty even to sew with a machine. It can be sticky and because of the nylon core it's easy to get too close to the edge and rip it apart (which was said). I think it's the stickyness that gets me every time, I HATE sewing trotter hopples for that reason . If you are going to sew it, I would glue it first. It comes off easily so you can gob on a bunch and let it get really tacky and let it set really well so you know where you are going, and if you can find a scrap piece or and end see how far in the core is and where your stitching needs to be and mark it with a pen. I use barge contact cement but anything would work I guess. Just make sure it's good and set before you sew because it can hurt your machine if it's not totally dry. The machine I use is a big huge hand operated one. I have NO idea what it's called but it's the old hand crank foot petal kind that you need to sit on a 4' stool to reach. We use it for all the big stuff like saddle skirts and draft harness. Hope this helps.

Wow that's really neat lettering I love it! The darkened edges make it stand out really nice :D

I finally finished the belt for my grandmothers kilt. I'm not so good with sewing on the big machine yet but I did my best. Any critiques are appreciated but I know I really just need to practice more. It's a strange belt but that's how the other one was made and so I made mine the same. The edges were tough but using sand paper as suggested worked fine. I even modeled it for you :D Hahaha, my camera is kinda sucky so the pictures are not great quality. I also bought some little horse head thingys from Tandy last time I was there, I thought I could do something with them. I'm not so great at shading with paints so it's a very 'paint by number' looking thing and my first try at tooling anything. It's for a friends horse. It's not really awesome tooling, I don't have many of the proper tools but yadda yadda yadda. Haha. Thanks for looking. I think I need help with painting / colouring and mixing colours. Haha. edit: My pictures are too big Haha, I have one but I'll upload others to my website later. Gotta Run!

I know I'm still gawlking over them! The painting is stunning and I can't for the life of me figure out how she got these shapes out of this leather, and how she carved and tooled it all. I'm tempted to email her and find out because it's killing me!

These masks I found by browsing Deviant Art. They have alot of good craftspeople on there making good leather items. This person has these amazing masks which are all hand painted and I just wanted to share. MeriMask (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5334810)

Welcome Hope to see you making lots of bags before long! It's worth more in the end to say: Yeah I made it myself and maybe you can turn the funds around and make money rather than spend it. Hehe! Welcome and enjoy.

Wow, looks nice. I love the one that looks like wooden boards with nails. It's really neat :D Nice work. Braids are hard. They look nice and neat.

WOW!!! That is too amazing. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. The realy horse hair is so amazing. I thought for a second it looked way to real then read it was. That is insanly amazing. I'm in awe. I love the horses face too, so intent on his work. Again. Wow. Makes me want to skip afternoon classes and go to the shop so I can work on my own things right away!

Thanks abn! I'll try it and let you know how it works

Randy I live in Canada actually, so I'm not even from the US. I live in Nova Scotia to be more specific in a little town called Truro. The closest tandy store is about a hour away from me and without a car it's difficult to get there. I'm a college student so with a horse to feed and school to pay for, traveling around the world is the last thing on my priority list, hehe. So learning through the web and books will have to do for now. It would be amazing if someone came to halifax to teach leather, I'd definatly take the trouble to go there to learn all that I could. I don't really have a set future in what I want to do for schooling but I've been looking for a teacher. If I can find the right situation such as an apprenticeship program or something like that, I'd travel to do it and I know the people with money who love me would help Hehe Because they have enough belts and braclets to last them a lifetime and want more from me, and If I could find a school that taught leatherwork I'd be there already!!! We have a fine arts and master craft school called the Nova Scotia College of Arts and Design (NSCAD). They teach metalsmithing, jewelrafting, textiles, pottery, beadwork and everything imaginable... except leatherwork. (I have a small goal to go there and teach leatherworking someday as I have a good friend who's father teaches there ) I'd love to learn all I can and I guess just trying to make some things I see on here is a start. Ideally.. I'd like to become a saddler someday. Making and fitting. People are so cruel to buy a saddle because it's cheap and think it fits their horse. No one knows what a real fit is and honestly, neither do I. I had a very well known coach come to make sure my saddle fit properly. (I'm talking english here but the western world is the same) Anyway. I ramble alot. Haha

I know some other topics have been posted about edging with mechanical tools but I'm having trouble with this belt I'm making. It's something my boss calls: Tri tanned leather and I'm not sure what that means but he picked it out for my belt. It's a belt for my grandmother's kilt an so I want to make it really nice because she is going to tell everyone in the scottish society who made it and then I will get more requests I'm sure. I'm having trouble with the edges as I said. They are fuzzy and frayed. I tried rubbing them down with canvas, bees wax, tarcanth(sp) gum, some kind of mistery edging polish that was in a bottle in the shop and even just some hard work and a smooth piece of wood( I dont have a bone :S But we have this nice piece of wood that is really smooth). I can't for the life of me get the edges to slick. I have NEVER had this much trouble with the edges before. I dont have access to a dremel or anything else like that to polish it, it's all by hand but can anyone suggest any other methods to get these fuzzies tamed?

I have made alot of little braclets for work with brass plates or names stamped in them with snaps on the end and I just add 1.5-2 inches( 1.5 for thinner braclets and 2 for thicker materals) to the direct measurement of the wrist. 1 1/2'' to make the braclet a little loose and 3/4'' for the snaps at each end. It always works for me and is alot more simple than Pi haha. My wrist measures 6.5 and so I add 1.5'' making my braclet and so my braclet should measure 8'' totally (from end to end, including the snaps and all, the total piece). And it does.... and It fits with a little wiggle room. I don't liky my braclets so tight because they usually have brass plates on them and they are rigid so the people usually want more room so it can spin around their wrist if they turn it, not so it always falls that way. Good luck hehe. I made alot of goofs before I got this right and alot of complicated explainations Edit: Also, I used to make leather measuing tapes. I used the same thicnkness I usually used for leather braclets and made the marks on it for each inch and so when you measure the wrist it takes into account the thickness and I usualy overlaped 3/4 for the snap and then however loose the person wants it on their wrist. It works well too

That is niiiice. I love the colour and how just her lips are painted. Very nice

They actually sell these in stores where I am from. They were really popular like 4 years ago. I owned a hand bag of kiwi strawberry juice. Hehe. It's the ultimate in recycling to make new things :D

Wow that's amazing. I love the green trim

Thanks guys :D Unfortunatly I'm a very poor student haha so I cant afford to travel much of anywhere. It's so much easier to learn in person I know and I have lots of access to these tools and I can even get special pricing from tandy through my work Thanks Barra I think you will be hearing from me for sure! I need to get my hands on some of these tools. I have the blocking irons, knives, stitching horse and all that. I use two needles when I hand stitch and I'm not really sure what the stitch is called. I'm just kind of picking it up by wathcing my boss do it and some basic instruction. I need to get up some pictures of the things i'm doing. Im not on a computer where I can wathc the video but I'll watch it when i get home for sure!

I have been working at a leather repair/tack shop now for almost 2 years and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I do some repairs and I have made some things like english browbands, oxen forehead protectors, braclets, done squillions of repairs on bridles, halters, leather jackets, bags and etc etc etc. But I find myself left with a sense of unsatisfaction. I'm looking at a leather braclet I made last year that I am wearing and see that I have come a far way in my design and techniques when compared to the new braclet I have on my other wrist. But even it is only.. basic. I don't feel like I'm learning enough and my boss who can do so so sooo much just doesn't have the time to teach me anything. When we come across a new job or a harder one I need more guidance with, I'm told to go wait on customers and he'll do it later. I feel KIND of useless and I feel that my work is rugged, unrefined and reflects the self-taught unfinnsihed edges and crooked rivets that I have been taught. I know some of the methods I have been taught are not correct and at my shop don't need to do anything more than make straps. I can do straps. Fine. BUT I WANT MORE NOW!!! I've gone to a few books and I constantly hound this website looking for things I can do, but I see the guitar straps and full english bridles and I despratly want to do this. I need help. I need someone to show me what I'm doing. I know a little bit about leather but not all there is. I want to make a bridle. An enlish bridle and I figure since I know straps and I'm an english rider myself, I certianly know how to put it together... I just need some guidance in making it look.. refined. good straight edges. Nice straight stitching and clean lines throughout the whole thing. I can hand stitch and I can thin the edges, put on buckles and make the measurements.. I just CAN NOT figure out what kind of tools I need to make this happen. Can someone point me in the right direction? I'm missing some vital basics

Hey everyone. I was thinking about making a guitar strap for my boyfriends birthday. For those who have read my post in the member place know I work in a leather tack and repair shop - I haven't actually made anything outside of the shop, that was actually for my own personal use. It's strange no? I made myself a belt once actually... Just plain though with a precut belt piece. Anywho. About the guitar strap. It's for an electric guitar and I'm HOPING that electric and acoustic are no different in how the strap is attached, in which case I can use my fathers strap for a pattern. Now, I know that Tandy Leather has a kit for the straps, but I'm wondering if they are going to be flexable enough. He has a nylon one now and he likes it. So here are my questions: 1. Would it be a good idea to make it out of nylon and stitch some leather patches to it with some tooling on it? 2. a) Is there a type of leather I could use that would make this guitar strap flexable yet really strong, and not grainy / fuzzy on the bottom. I'm not using shitty leather, Maybe some kind of bridle leather or something? It has to be flexable and able to go through a slider so he can adjust it, beacuse he likes it shorter when he's playing with the boys as opposed to playing at home. 3. Do you think I should get a Tandy practice tooling kit to do before a screw this up? Haha, I have this perfect vision in my head, and I'm sure it wont turn out that way. Any suggestions or ideas for this would be great I'm not a newbie to leathercraft, but I am to leather art.. Haha. Lets put it that way Thanks everyone :D Lace

hehe HHB, There was only one paycheck where I actually owed money. It's happened before .. I don't have a horse either. I think It was in the summer when I deicded I needed new show clothes and the most expensive Ariat boots we carry. Haha.

Wow, those are amazing. I love inlays, beautiful.

Thanks Ken I popped over to your website the other day, you have some nice looking things :D

Hey everyone. I'm looing forward to meeting you all I'm from Nova Scotia in Canada and I'm into the horse thing. I work at a tack shop, Wayne's Saddlery where I live and we do leather repairs and custom work along with selling all the spiffy horse stuff. I've become interested in doing some leather pieces of my own and since I have a few skills in the area it seems like a good idea. Since I work in a shop I have all the tools available too me and we have the presses and the punches and the sewing machine that might be from the 1800s. I don't have al lthis stuff at home so I'm interested to see what you guys are using to do your work. anyway, I'll hopefully get to know you all soon Lace (pun intended)