YinTx

@BNEWTONP, fantastic to have that history. I am fascinated by leather design work, and have patterns dating back to the '40s, but nothing from the US earlier than that. And I really don't have a way to identify what style the patterns belong to. I've finished tooling all three pieces, just trying to decide what color/antique combo I want to go with... more soon! YinTx

Fantastic work! And sadly the belt will probably outlast anything you can buy in the store. YinTx

Many thanks! Thank you! Thank you. The only paint I have used is Angelus, and I have only painted on a couple of items, this one by far has the most paint. I had really good luck with it, no issues with smearing/bleeding etc even when I used resist (also used Angelus brand acrylic finisher for the resist). I usually order direct from Angelus, but they are closed to new orders due to Covid I believe. You can go to their website to see the most recent availability. I did find some on Ebay with free shipping, since I had no white. Really tho, the price is about double the cost from Angelus, because the shipping is baked into the cost, so probably even. I have also heard you can use any acrylic paint, nothing special about it. But I am far from an expert on this obviously! YinTx Appreciate it! YinTx

Did a Cherry Blossom phone case, and tried my hand at Angelus Paints. Not the best in the world, but I think if I do it a few more times I'll get the hang of it! Anyhow, let me know what ya'll think! YinTx

Can't say I've had that experience here. Mostly they are afraid to pick up a $20 wallet, and when they pick up a $125 item and then see the price they drop it like a hot potato because they don't want to have to afford it if Heaven forbid they damaged it while observing it. I must say I get it, I don't exactly go shopping for expensive belts, wallets, phone covers, purses etc. myself! I sell enough to keep busy, and the rest of the stuff I make keeps piling up in the corner, dreaming of an owner... I believe if you go to Don Gonzales Saddlery website, you will find he sells a lot of belt patterns and other patterns as well. YinTx

Thank you, and considering I can't even sell an English Bridle leather belt with a polished Italian stainless steel buckle for $35, I'm guessing for now that spending 10 hours on a belt that may or may not sell is not exactly the best recipe for a successful business. Perhaps if I find a market and clientele for it, yes. However, I think a better recipe is to find the market first, then create a product to suit it. Not there yet. YinTx

I've admired your work for some time, so your compliment means a lot, even if it is somewhat undeserved, I sincerely appreciate it! I've been wanting to tool a holster for some time now, but no one has asked so far... just would be for my personal collection. Would be cool to have a matched holster and belt combo! YinTx

thank you, and what you say is true, lot of time goes into hand stitching. No real way to make volume profit without a sewing machine! Appreciate it! YinTx

I like the use of stamping on the strap of the first one, along with the block dye work! Nicely done. YinTx

Appreciate the compliment, and perhaps you are right, but I don't have anything to compare myself to, except the YouTube videos that are edited for speed and time, so not really a comparison! YinTx

Thank you. I'm not the fastest tooler there is, or the fastest leatherworker, so my times are probably much slower than most. I'd say I have 10+ hours into it. I imagine some can do it in 4 hours or less. I saw a gentleman selling some very nicely hand tooled belts at a show recently, lined and stitched, for $150. A lot of folks felt he was charging way too much for a belt, since a lot of stuff comes up out of Mexico for much less than that. He less than politely told them to go to Walmart. Then again I see belts online for over $250 that aren't near as nice, so I suppose your brand, your location, and your clientele have a lot to say about how much you would be able to sell something like this for. YinTx

Thanks. After I oiled it and neat lac'd it, I liked it well enough not to do any antique. Not very often that happens for me! Even the background burnished well enough that I didn't feel it really needed dye to make the tooling stand out. Interestingly, the beauty of the pattern really doesn't show itself until you stand back about 5 feet and realize how striking it really is. I'll have to see if I can get a photo like that somehow... YinTx

Thank you both! I appreciate that. I had a buckle I had originally intended to use with it, but then decided I needed to go and find one that matched a bit better. Montana Silversmith buckles aren't the cheapest, and I may not get my $$ back out of it, but at least it looks the part! hahah, yes you feel my pain. When you are done though, it is worth it! I think the repetition is not for me... although for the right $$ I'd do it again! Thanks much! Thanks, and yes I believe so. YinTx

If they are sellin, don't change a thing. I have some stuff that isn't so I picked up some conchos to try out the idea myself. YinTx

Thanks Rohn! I have a new found appreciation for those that do detailed belts like this! YinTx

As it says, I finally sat down and got over my fear of tooling belts. It was a whole lot of tracing, cutting, beveling etc etc. Not sure I enjoyed the process, but I'll have to try it again to make sure. I had originally planned to line it and stitch it, but the tooling got a bit close to the edge on the tip, so that got ruled out. Wickett and Craig leather, Montana Silversmith buckle, all made in USA! What do you all think? YinTx

Lot of work in that! And one of the challenges of batch work, needs to be an in demand item or you get stuck with a bunch of somethings! It occurred to me maybe the ones you haven't sold might do well with some decoration, like a concho with a bleed knot out of it... aka around the 31:50 mark here.. YinTx

@JayEhl, That is fantastic looking! I see a lot of little details on yours that came out a lot better than mine. Perhaps I'll have to practice again. But they have put up even more free classes on other stuff too so who knows if I'll get to it for a second round? YinTx

Really looks like that curved back edge is keeping you from properly beveling to the bottom of the cut, and causing you to step all over the letter. Used decent sets of Craftool stamps can be had pretty readily on Ebay, etc., maybe even where you are at. Most don't really like the cheap sets, since the shaft can often be bent with bare hands. If you are brave enough, you could take a file and some sandpaper to the tool to alter the profile, might tell you if that is really the issue. YinTx

Serge Volken (sp?) suggests using a large horse hair brush. Check out his youtube videos, I think he demonstrates how to do this as well. Seemed pretty effective and produced a nice result. 11:30 mark I think. YinTx

I think it is fantastic, and you definitely have still got the touch! Welcome back from your hiatus. YinTx

Indeed. I suspect there is enough info just in the tooling world of leather that I'll never learn let alone see it all! Here is my progress for today. Still debating how I want to color/antique it etc. YinTx

That design rocks! YinTx

@JayEhl, put a photo here! Lets see how it's going! YinTx