TroyS

I just purchased a piping foot for my Adler and I use 1/4" elastic bungee chord available at most fabric/craft stores. I also have source for Marine Grade Vinyl Piping that has a plastic chord running thru it... Just try to Google "Piping Chord" or "Welting Chord" and you'll see lots of different options available.

Very nice looking Bag! Any biker I know would be proud to carry that bag!

I'm looking for CHROME or COPPER lace. I want them to look metallic, not just the color... Here's an example... Can one of you wonderful, all knowing, leather experts help?? (Did I overdue it?) Troy

Move your shop to Florida! It's HOT here! Heat index of 102 yesterday! (sorry, couldn't resist)

This may be cheating, but it is what it is! We purchased a leather photo album. (Actually, the bride saw the album while shopping and bought it) We plan to LASER ETCH the front cover with one of their favorite wedding photos. I've designed a layout with the wedding date and wedding rings, then put the photo under the design using Adobe Photoshop, then laser etch the entire image on the front of the album. A quick airbrushed Satin Shene sealer and VIOLA ! A wedding photo album totally personalized for THEM and NO ONE else has one! YET! Troy I'll post pics as soon as it's finished!

That's bad as hell!! I like it!

Thanks!

Thank you sir! Thank You very Much! Everything except the skull in the seat in hand tooled. The skull was laser etched, then finished.... You'll want a bike to go with your new seat... be prepared! I airbrushed 3 heavy coats of neatsfoot compound to replenish natural oils,then 2 heavy coats of Saddletan Antique Gel, 2 more coats of neatsfoot to draw the color into the leather, then about 6 coats of satin finish airbrushed on. Once the leather stop sucking up the satin finish, I added two more coats for good measure! Then hand buffed for about 2 hours... Thanks! It turned out to be almost a perfect color match with the bike. The customer was extremely happy with the outcome. He's in Myrtle Beach right now showing it off! Thank you all for the kind words!

Ok, here's the latest ...

Outstanding work Shirley!

Very cool! I like it!

I lined the jaws of my stitching pony with some veg tan scraps... they take all of the abuse and don't make marks on the project leather...

If your seat pan is ABS Plastic, you can go to Harbor Freight and buy a crown stapler for less than $30 (check it out here) that will do a fine job with the staples. If you MUST use rivets, be sure you put a washer between the seat foam and pan or your rivets could work there way through your plastic seat pan. If you need more info, contact me. Troy

I'm interested in that recipe too!

Steve, May the fleas of 1000 camels infest your armpits!

I use a $6 sewing awl from Harbour Freight and it works fine! I have to admit, the first time I used it it seemed a little clumsy and awkward but once you get in the groove, it REALLY makes things go fast. If you would like, I'll make a tutorial video to post... There are several links here so if you would like me to do one, just let me know...

Absolutely crazy swivelknife skills David! I hope to be as good as you are one day!

Man! That seat is sick! I dig the hell outta that! Awesome colors! Great carving! WOW! Can't wait to see #3!

Those look very cool! I like! However, one small suggestion... the presser guide from your sewing machine has left an impression in the leather. Maybe loosen a bit... Other than that, your mate will definitely like them!

If you REALLY want the sun tanned look, leave it in the sun for a few days! I did a motorcycle wrap and it took several weeks for the leather to get to the color the customer wanted.

I'm not a holster maker at all, I make motorcycle seats. I've done this vinegaroon several times with great success and never had the seat change color when the leather flexes. When I vinegaroon a seat, it only takes about 10 minutes to apply the vinegaroon. I wipe my mixture on the leather with an old shop rag. It starts turning black instantly. I wait about 7 - 10 minutes for the vinegaroon to soak into the leather completely. Then I rinse the leather with clean water to wash away any residual vinegaroon. Once it has been rinsed, I soak the leather in a heavy mixture of baking soda and water to neutralize the vinegar. This is an important step because the vinegaroon will continue to wage war against the leather causing it to weaken, get brittle and eventually, fail if the vinegar isn't neutralized. Once I have soaked the leather in the Baking Soda solution for about an hour, I pull it out, blot it dry and set aside to dry overnight. Overnight, the leather will dry to a blue-gray hazey color. It won't look very appealing yet, but you're almost there. I always take the leather and roll it around to examine the piece for missed areas or other things I may have overlooked. Once I'm satisfied with the outcome, I grab the Neatsfoot Oil and start applying in small Wax-on, Wax-off motions and really work the oil down into the leather. I apply a coat, then wait a bit for it to soak in, then apply another coat. I end up applying several light coats of Neatsfoot Oil to the leather and the Indigo Black color starts to appear. Once I'm happy with the color, I apply a coat or two of Satin Sheen to add a little luster and send it down the road. Hope this helps....

Hey Oyvind! If you go to Google Images and type in what you are looking for, you can find all kinds of images to choose from. I did a search for a few canoe pictures by typing the following: "canoe coloring book" and "canoe illustration" (remove the quotes) and came up with several that could meet your criteria... If you get a little creative in your searches, you can find exactly the type of images you are looking for. pictures like: Canoe Pic 1 Canoe Pic 2 Canoe Pic 3 I hope this helps! If I can be of any more assistance, just let me know...

Nice to have ya back! I missed your inspirational work!