YinTx

I sure hope so. I placed an order and gave him my money for a flower center tool at the show last year that wasn't in his booth, and haven't heard hide nor hair from him since. He also didn't give me a receipt, which has me concerned. The tools I got at the show were plenty nice, and I enjoy using them. YinTx

Au contraire, my friend. I really enjoy antiques, largely because they are often utilitarian and decorative. I enjoy figure carving, because it is challenging and unique. I look forward to being accomplished enough to combine many aspects of leather craft into my own style. As you have seen, I have a long ways to go though! Still just getting past the "howling mouse" phase. Is it easier to start on large (say 8" + size) or small size (say 2-3" size) to learn? YinTx

That is a pretty interesting design. Did you draw it yourself? YinTx

Agree on all points above. I did a USAF wallet as a gift, then discovered that you have to have written PERMISSION from them to use their symbol on anything. And it appears as though if you want to make a USMC or US Army etc. item, you have to have permission from each of them as well. So, I won't be doing those, until I have time to fill out their forms etc. This is one reason I tend to shy away from "borrowing" other folks designs. If I have tooled someone else's design that I did not pay for, it is not for sale. I might give it away or use it myself, but I won't sell it. (Craftaids I bought, some designs are "free" from places like Leather Craft Library etc. - I think it is probably ok to sell items tooled from those patterns.) As far as copying art- to learn carving - have to start somewhere. As an individual that can't draw a stick figure very well, it wouldn't make sense for me to dive into a complex piece and expect anything good to happen. However, I have my own leather patterns of things I make, and available patterns for tooling and such don't fit correctly. Or there are things I don't like about other folks designs, as they don't quite do what I want them to do (not that they are bad, most of them are great, done by incredible artists and masters - after all what is the point of studying the works of those who are producing low quality goods? - but they just happen to be not the end result I am looking for). This is forcing me to learn how to draw. I have begun sketching things - miserable, and in the garbage as fast as I can so no one sees em - but like my leather craft, I hope to begin improving over time to where I can sketch my own designs. I've never had formal art training, so this is a difficult and frustrating process, even more so since it seems most others in my family are incredible artists - sculptors, painters, designers, builders. As I mentioned in another thread, most of them aren't really believing I am making these leather things. I am driven to make things that others do not, I want to make sure I am not a fab shop for copy Hermes bags. I want to exceed their quality, not quantity. I want my customers to be happy knowing they have a unique item. This is not for every leather crafter. A lot of business models are built on volume. This means you have to keep it simple, and make a lot of the same items over and over. Nothing wrong with this model either, a lot of major handbag manufacturers begin to have similar looking products. As my wife says, they all just copy one another making what is most popular at the moment. Art is not dead, you just have to look for it. And pay appropriately. I think true artists are just driven to go down a different path. my rambling $0.02. YinTx

That came out great. The decoration on the top of the box is an awesome touch! YinTx

seems like OP hasn't visited since the day of the post... YinTx

I watched that whole video, waiting to see dye go on and to see the peel come off. Felt somehow denied the satisfaction. Otherwise, awesome video, and great info, thanks for sharing! YinTx

I have this, and used some on a coaster I made. I did not get much water resistance from it, and had to recoat with the High Gloss acrylic finisher from Angelus. Have you had good luck getting water resistance from the matte finisher? If so, how did you apply it? YinTx

I hadn't expected to have become inspirational, so I'm glad I have been. Thanks for the compliment. Your work is really nice as well, which is why I have tried to keep up with your posts! YinTx

I think this was the thread. Very sadly, the photos are not there. YinTx

I believe it was Samar. He has a facebook page, amazing work. Definitely has the wow factor. That bag is ingrained in my memory as well. Not sure where it is on this site, I think he had a different user name at the time. Will look around a bit. YinTx

If you put down black dye, then resist, then antique, you should get a good look without blending the black into your tan. While you are at it, consider the Fiebeng's, as I think you may find it easier to learn with. I have used some acrylic antiques and have been happy with how they turn out as well. Best of luck, and look around this site to see how folks are antiquing their work. I think there is a whole section dedicated to dyes, stains and antiques. YinTx

First bet is to always practice on a piece before putting anything on your final product, otherwise you can guarantee the results will not be what you are looking for. I have been trying to get antiques and resists to work well for me for almost 6 months, and am only now finally getting some semi decent results. That being said, there are many that will tell you Eco flow is difficult to work with. I have just discovered that it is *different* to work with. Others will tell you Fiebings is the only way to go, and some will simply say don't bother with antique, it'll just streak and ruin your nice tooling. This should reinforce the need to practice until you decide for yourself which way you want to go. The stains and dyes are not antiques, and aren't intended to highlight tooling. Not sure if I followed your post correctly, but it seemed as if you intend to put resist then dye. Resist will not stop dye from penetrating the leather, only antique. And different resists do so to differing degrees. Tan kote, Clear lac, Resolene, Block out, Pro resist, Bee Resist, etc all will give you different results. I think if you are going to use antique, this could work for order of operations: (anyone else could chip in here) Dye the backgrounded areas the color you want. Use a brush to accurately apply dye. Dye any other areas colors you want. Allow these to dry well, overnight or better if you can. Apply resist where you don't want antique to stick. again, dry as above. Apply antique using sheepswool, immediately wipe off. Use a damp towel if need be. Allow to dry. 5-10 minutes for Fiebings antique paste, Apply finish coat such as Tan kote. Expect some of the antique to come up again. Allow to dry. Apply another finish coat. Allow all that to dry for a day or so if you can, then put on a final top coat of Resolene or Tan Kote, or Acrylic finish of some kind. Again, no matter what, do some sample pieces, even if you just knock out a square foot of basket weave and cut it up into pieces and try different things on each piece. Hope this helps some. Lots of info on this website on different ways to go about this process. YinTx

Sometimes simple does the trick! I like the contrasting red thread! YinTx

You went from this to a perfect clutch.... hrmm. Perhaps I should start small and go bigger! I started with a messenger bag a few years ago. Yesterday I tried my hand at a coaster. Seems I never do things in order. Nice cuffs! YinTx

If you look up....doughnut? YinTx

Thats some happy art right there. Put a smile on my face. Makes the sleeve I made look lame. Awesome! YinTx

Phenomenal, and only a few days time! I am always amazed at how fast folks manage to get finished products out the door. YinTx

Those came out sharp! Always hoping I get to do a seat some day...I think...they seem challenging, yet rewarding. YinTx

Mr. Harper, I just recently found your YouTube videos, and made some rifle slings that I posted in the "show off" section based on the information I learned from you. I will miss the invaluable information you had in those videos since you have removed them, but wanted to thank you for the information you did share over the time it was available. I pray you enjoy your retirement and the plans you have, and hope that you consider putting the videos back up for us to learn from! YinTx

That rocks. YinTx

THIS. Always slows me down. So many aspects to learn in leather, and all kinds of things that can be made: shoes, wallets, purses, briefcases, holsters, belts, guitar straps, totes, chaps, carvings, decoration, the list goes on and on. And even in one genre, so many variations and techniques, leather types (chrome tanned, veg tanned, bridle, english bridle, retanned, pull up... garment, lamb, goat, ostrich, cow, turkey, ostrich.. ) that it seems I can't learn enough. I almost never seem to make the same thing twice. I see so many things that the tooling is phenomenal, and the stitching is all wonky. Or vice versa. I want to be able to produce an item that has both skills in place, but always seem to feel it isn't good enough. When people see my stuff in person, they seem blown away. But I always wonder if they are being polite, because I see all the flaws, all the skills and techniques I have yet to perfect. And there are some phenomenal leather workers out here, that have the skills down and the products are outstanding, full of wow factor and perfection. So I don't always feel I am doing my customers justice when I know they can order from someone that has been in the trade for decades making beautiful pieces. This keeps me up late at night practicing and studying. Which means a lot of what I make is practice, and destined for the bin. Slows down production. Just my view from down here. YinTx

Awesome. What program are you using to lay out your patterns? They are coming out flawless. YinTx

OMG, thats huge! 3 feet by almost 4 feet! Nicely done, too! YinTx

Thanks, I'll give it a try, since I like the look I get when I use it on un-tooled leather. YinTx