sodapop

my bucket of slop is over a month old and in the beginning when the mix was fresh it was really potent...i would let it breath every so often in the beginning per recommendation...& now its quite mild in comparison...being aged helps as well in the long run so it seems... did ya rinse it after??...i give my stuff a soak in a bucket of fresh water after i dip it...which reduces the smell to a minimum... darryl

super duper detail in this storm!!...the kind that make your eyes go doing it hehe darryl

its really purdy tom!!...i agree you've done a sweet job with that color scheme...very rich/deep color...nice ya just gotta show that stamp whose the damn boss and runs the show around there hehe cheers darryl

gonna want to make me spend more money storm keep up the good work!! darryl

i appreciate it ken =0)...speaking of rocks hehe...i get the whole picture of him done and down to the rock hes perched on & i was completely stumped ...so i just winged it...cudda been better...but i was tired and ready to hav'er done... i'll have to study some rocks & practice so i can make them look more rocky lol the other part i'm kinda clueless on is doing eyeball details...cuz to me it can make or break a pic...ya screw up the eyes and the whole pic is screwed ...they looked okay the way i left them and really didn't want to experiment on this one... darryl

hey spider...thanks man for the good words on the gargoyle!!...definately helps a guys confidence when the folks that have had a hand in inspring me...like somethin i've done david...i did have one thought, and that was for a notebook comp. case maybe as well??...and since i don't even have one for my own puter...i could give that a shot down the road...i did your search and found me a new practice pic to give a shot...honestly, i kinda wish i knew more about bikes...cuz the biggest inspiration has been you guys in regards to the type of graphics/themes etc of work i like to do, fits right into the seats...and ya have plenty of room on the leather surface to work with...but seems theres quite of an abundance of seat guys...hell i dunno ...i'll just keep praticing my tooling til i get to where i want to be with it...thanks for the compliments on my progress... darryl

thanks Tom!!...i figured you'd like that one ;o)...i've always been into the dragons, gargoyles and odd creatures as well...that kinda stuffs fun to do for me...i wouldn't mind doing more on those lines...but at a loss for ideas/items for that at the moment...so they'll be my personal pieces & good practice i guess storm...ya i figured it was bout time to show somethin...just wanted to atleast have one to post that i was proud of... even though the gargoyle was still practice...its more of really making a serious attempt at a more thorough finished piece with all the details etc...and it helps being more comfortable with the tools by practicing on the others and figurin out how the dang things work lol...thanks again for your help bud!!...p.s nomore jackwraps for the evening storm, your cut off, curt?? darryl

well heres my progress at tooling thus far... my 1st attempt at tooling...and found out the hardway if you don't wipe off antique quick enough or don't apply it all even ...i ended up with a funky marbling effect kinda sorta... 2nd which was a bit more involved & thanks to storm for the pic i used...learned not to use the modeler when the leather is too wet...cuz i kinda beat the hell outta the celtic lines in a sense...not to clean... 3rd...the koi was a really good learning experience...i only had a few tools to work with and found out quick that i needed more lol...and realized the areas i should of done more modeling and if i had this tool or that tool etc... also i transfered the pic exactly how it was on paper...but i found out a lesson on this as well...and thats to study the pic in terms of tooling and do necessary modifications so it tools cleaner...learned alot though along the way just by doing this one... 4th is the gargoyle i finished up yesterday after getting some new tools this week...having a good swivel knife & blade makes all the difference...well worth the $$ spent...i attempted a version of ClayB bear paw technic for its hair & it looks better in person...but its definately not as refined like Clays bearpaw hair, but i tried & definately need more practice on that technic hehe...the camera i have is ancient and can't take pics worth a crap...so sorry about that as it obviously blurrs out alot of the detail i owe the credit on specifically learning the tooling aspect of leatherwork to this site & all the folks thats have contributed & helped me out...so a BIG thanks to all!! regards, darryl

thanks tom!! lotsa good stuff on there darryl

my mother was a heavy smoker for 40+ years and tried it all...and she quit using that chantix and my sister did as well using it... darryl

FISH ON Storm!!

if you are braiding with 4 individual lengths (not 2 folded in half) example, like i wanted to make a 2' traffic lead by forming the handle and loop for the clip by braiding those ends back into the main cord...how do ya figure the length of pieces to cut for this initially?? thanks in advance!! darryl

welcome paul...i've always have been intrigued with falconry...your hood looks excellent...and what an awesome specialty to do!!...i look forward to seeing more of your hoods darryl

ya can never go wrong with red/black combos...very sharp!! whats the red skin on there...is it that frog??...one more question...i know you use alot of different skins etc...just wonderin if you ever have issues with the predyed skins and the color bleeding or anything?? thanks!! darryl

lotsa possibilities i see with that...very cool darryl

heres a conversion chart http://www.sbearstradingpost.com/tooling-l...html#Conversion darryl

necessity is the mother of all inventions...i think your boots walked over to the other thread darryl

versace buckle ta'boot...nice!! darryl

it will be on the bottom right of the reply box once posted...but heres the thing...you only have a certain amount of time to edit...then the option goes away... darryl

hey anders...heres a thought for a chunk of granite...i went to a place that makes/sells headstones...and they had a graveyard of misfits in the back...and they were more than happy to let me have whatever i wanted for FREE...since they have to pay to have them disposed of...is what they told me...hense why they had soooo much to choose from =0) darryl

i think its looks excellent jordan!!...the color, layout & tooling really captures the essence of my idea of a bible cover... darryl

anyone know where i can get these two sizes??...seems the largest i've come across is the 2" which i currently have now... appreciate it!! darryl

i think it looks cool as hell tom!!...how did you get the effect in the flat surface areas where it looks to have some texture and the antique is left behind in certain spots?? not sure if i'm explaining my question very well ...it gives it a groovy overall effect thanks darryl

well i tried the vinagroon...it works like a charm!!...and this was just the 2nd day of letting the mixture sit...i used railroad spikes, which were already coated with rust...i dipped in a piece of natural hide for about 10 seconds...& let it dry...turned jet black its just the coolest thing to see it work like that darryl p.s thanks chuck for the destinker tip!!

i really like the way it turned out...doesn't have the "i just bought it new today" look...nice rdb on the straps are those domed rivets or chicago screws?? darryl