YinTx

I have a few sides of Horween Dublin, would not have thought to make a case like that out of it, I'll have to give it a go, yours came out really nice! What weight was it and what did you line it with? YinTx

Thank you! I have about 8-10 other chairs that need covering now... suspect I'll be fairly good at it when I finish! YinTx Just wanted to post a pic of the second version sitting on top of the first version for comparison. Literally only 1" more of foam, most of the difference comes from not pulling the leather tight. As I mentioned, not near as pretty, but way more comfy. It'll probably be the one I use for the tooling bench instead! YinTx

I did like the grain myself, which is why I chose it despite my misgivings over the firm hand and the result that would have on the finished piece. It was in a lot of leather I bought from a fellow LW here, so I have no idea where it came from or what it is. The original seat had what looked like a hard foam polystyrene block with a 1/2" soft foam topper covered in plastic. It was miserable to sit on, and cut the circulation off of your legs in no time flat. The new one is super comfy since I used routered 3/4" ply to replace the metal, and used 2" high density medium firm foam topped with 1" Dacron. Version 2 I made with the same, and topped the foam with another 1" high density lower firmness (softer) foam and didn't pull the leather as tight. Also did a surround of 1" of the firm foam so you can't feel the plywood anywhere. It is not as pretty since there are resulting wrinkles, but even more comfortable. Kinda peeved at myself for taking this long to replace it! YinTx

I have one of these, been using it for years with no issues. it seems ymmv tho. YinTx

That is big. Lots of tapping in there. Looking good! YinTx

erhm... where's moonbug bay?

Very nice work. At first I was thinking some Elmore and Taos influences, but maybe more Apache influence? Will be interesting to see how you integrate your style in leather work! YinTx

Welcome! In Texas too. Any pics of your southwestern jewelry? Enjoy the leather journey, it is endless and filled with forks in the road, detours, etc. YinTx

It probably wasn't necessary to use adhesive, but it did make life a little easier so the foam didn't shift on the wood base. I used Camie 373, intended for foam, cloth. https://camie.com/high-performance-adhesive The outer layer is wrapped in Dacron, so no adhesive there. The second stool I just finished I used a second thinner softer foam on top, and a wrap of foam around the edge for a more cushioned look and feel. Those layers for sure benefited from the adhesive! Would have been a real challenge to assemble without it. YinTx

after untold $$ spent on tools to cut wood, sand wood, router wood, drill wood, staple leather to wood, and materials like high quality foam and Dacron, I have a new seat. Actually two, but here is one. Before and after.... YinTx

Thats awesome! I tooled a boxer, but I failed at coloring, so the second version just got antique. Great job on everything! YinTx

Those are awesome, proportions just right. Don't know if mine would be as recognizable as yours are! YinTx

Yeah, I missed the 10-12oz detail, that is pretty heavy. I've been making round knife sheaths from 9 oz, but knife sheaths from 10 oz would work nicely, I think Don Gonzales does his from 10 oz. A splitter will help you if you want to be making other things out of it. Alternatively, if they are shoulders, there is a market for them, even I'd buy several! YinTx

You should be able to cut off the shoulder and have enough for the belts. Then, anything that you can make with shoulders: note books, note pads, wallets, eyeglasses cases, phone sleeves, valet trays.. list goes on! YinTx

+1 for Sergey. You can find them on ebay, amazon, Springfield leather, and direct from the man himself. They typically have a "key" that allows them to fit into the previous impression. Even the ones that don't are pretty easy to line up. - my experience is with his unusual geometrics, I don't have any of his plain basketweave stamps. However, he does make basket stamps with multiple impressions, this really really helps - makes the job faster, and those 4 marks are perfectly aligned! YinTx edit: I just checked out his site, looks like the baskets are groups of 3, some of the other geometrics like scales etc come up to groups of 4 in a single stamp.

Thats awesome! YinTx

I just read that title with a Canadian accent. had to add an "eh" on the end too. not sure why. , eh? Nice work tho! YinTx

The only reference I have is "Le Cuir Compositions Decoratives" par Jehand Raymond. If you can point us to other references, it would be appreciated. As for American styles, works by individuals such as Jim Linnell, Bill Gardner, Clinton Fay, Al Stohlman and Pete Gorrell have helped to categorize and document the history and styles. Without their recent works, I'm afraid we probably would not have much to go off of other than old photos and old cataloges! YinTx

How about applying paint or acrylic finish to a split, letting it dry, then flexing it a lot? Or put something that would resist the finish first on the split?

I think even Paul Burnett had an article about decreasing and increasing the angle of the bevel to get different effects. WIde angles helped with beveling, narrow angles for tight spaces and decorative cuts... I'd leave em like that and use them where they work best! YinTx

soooooooooooo..... I have this couch I could sell ya....... YinTx

Mainly, the region it originated from and the individuals that developed it. Others can chime in here, but from what I've seen, it is characterized by vines following a series of circles in alternating directions, with flowers or other focal points in the centers of the circles. Leaves are used to fill in areas between circles and changes in directions. There is generally a range of sizes for the flowers and leaves. Over the years, folks have altered and adapted the style as you might expect. Regular floral carving is a pretty generic description. There are a slew of other floral styles, including but not limited to Arizona, Porter, Northwest,, California, Texas, as well as styles developed by individuals. It's quite the rabbit hole if you choose to go down that path! YinTx

This is pretty frustrating these days, all the organizations just want cash and they don't seem to actually perform any function. Not sure why this is. YinTx

Barry King and Robert Beard stamps are easier to run for me. Sergey makes some basket stamps also, I suspect they are easier to run also. I have had good luck with the older basket stamps from Craftool, as well as the Craftool Pro baskets, tho they are usually pretty big. A lot of practice is needed to get really good at basket stamping, even then it gets out of line. Can be frustrating! Having a bad stamp will always frustrate you, and it is hard to see if there is a tiny bit of angle off on it until you get along your work. Best way to know is get another stamp and see if you have the same issues. YinTx

Congrats on reaching near 90! Not everyone can claim that milestone. You are pretty much the same age as my dad! And yep, getting older has some drawbacks, but I still contend it beats the alternative! YinTx