maxdaddy

I've got a bunch of these as well. The best use that I can come up with would be as 'spots' if that's the right term. They wouldn't exactly be ideal in that role since they would be fastened from near the center instead of at the edges like a true 'spot' would be. BUT, when you have lemons... (you make lemonade). I have decorated a guitar strap with them and that worked fine. I did try assembling some snaps with them, just to see if it would work and it does sorta work, but not great. The prongs are difficult to bend over and the fact that the prongs are long makes them fill up the 'floor' of the socket which prevents the stud piece from mating all the way in.

Honest question here... is that why biker wallets typically have chains and belt loops?

That looks great. Now you'll have to figure out an answer to the question that she's gonna hear the most... "how much would he charge to make one for me?"

Wow, that is a really impressive looking bag. Nice job!

Looks great to me. The only thing missing is a pouch for your lighter.

That jar has remnants of every nail, steel wool, washers, and other flotsam that has ever been put in it going back about five years. Maybe once a year I'll scoop off the solids from the surface but I never empty it out and start from a fresh clean jar. When the liquid gets low I just stir in more vinegar and nails. It has never failed to produce nice deep black results.

Wow, every detail of every piece is top notch! That's really beautiful work.

You could smudge some ash on it perhaps? It would probably look more natural than trying to use a paint. Your final seal coat should hold it in place. It looks like he gouged out a few divots on his. You can probably find a tool in your shop that can help you add some similar looking scars in the leather.

Bob, thanks for sharing your progress with this. All I can say is WOW. I remember watching a show on PBS back in the '80s that showed a 3-second long clip of a car manufacturer prototyping parts using a 'new technique called stereo lithography'. As the finished piece was raised out of the liquid my head nearly exploded with the possibilities. I even recorded the show on VHS when it aired again so I could show it to friends and re-watch that seconds-long clip in amazement. I had no idea that this had been brought to the desktop for under $300! What's the size of that latest stamp? The 4-day project?

First of all, welcome to the universe. There are some bonafide experts here, but I am not one of them. Here's just a few things that I've learned about leaving veg tan un-dyed and letting it develop it's own color in a project. First of all, if you don't seal it, it will stain and some stains will be permanent. A dirty smudge mark the size of a fingertip next to the buckle is not going to be something that you'll enjoy looking at for the next few years, so before you go to far with it put a sealant on it. Adding just to the leather will preserve the inside of the leather (not scientifically accurate but this is how *I* think of it) but it won't help with the surface in the way that we need. So, whatever you use will also need to have something else to treat the surface. THat's typically a wax cocktail of some sort. You can make your own, and there's plenty of recipes on this forum for it, but for now I'd suggest that you just buy some Aussie conditioner or something like that to get yourself gong with this project. Make sure that whatever you buy contains some oil as well as carnauba or beeswax, the oil will condition the inside and the wax will sit on top and give the surface some protection. Most of them will darken the leather a little, but you'll have to accept that since it should be uniform across the entire belt. Hopefully you have a bit of scrap leather that you can test it on first to see the result and gauge how much to apply and how much to rub. Have fun with your new addiction... err.. I mean hobby.

Thanks for sharing your work. The historical context of each piece is interesting and shows that you must spend as much time in research as you do crafting. Where do you find the medallions? Are they historically accurate? Also, is the 'weaving' technique the same in the Birka and Merowingian pieces?

Wow, that design and build has a lot of things to catch the eye. Nice job! I think it would be great as a guy's laptop bag/daily work carrier.

Looks good.

Very cool. Can't wait to see the final product.

That's beautiful.

Hey Mary, How big is the flag is going to be? The hardest part of it will be to NOT texture the areas between the stripes. I use lava rocks, walnuts, seashells, etc... to add distress areas for antique or alternate color to settle. But doing it in a controlled manner like this is a challenge. I'm wondering if a hardwood spindle, or wheel, could be textured on the outer surface and then rolled onto cased leather to make your lines? You could slowly roll the wheel over a very coarse surface with lots of pressure and hopefully it would randomly impress the wood. Whether it would be enough to then transfer to the leather is questionable though. Or better, maybe a rock grinding wheel that you're willing to ruin could be chipped up around the outside surface and rolled in straight lines onto the leather? -dave

The build looks great. I bet that thick stitching was fun! Design-wise, I'd worry about the Leatherman tool getting torqued a little in the holster and damaging the phone screen though.

That eagle looks amazing!

That came out nice. I'm wondering how the leather at the top around the strap holes will hold up after some real world use of getting stretched and whatnot.

The Tandy Leathercraft Library has a free pattern: https://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/product/1999/tandy-tote-bag

That looks great. The little flare on the blade side is a nice design touch.

Guilty. It probably wasn't the worst thing I've ever put my tongue on now that I think of it.

Wow, all of those are great! I really dig the look of the carved and painted pieces with the complementary buckstitching.

You have a very unique (and dark ) design style Marius and I enjoy seeing your creations. I hope this pattern is successful for you.