TroyS

David, I hope one day my seats will look as nice as yours! Those are fantastic! I'm diggin' the fade... I'm getting inspired... I have 3 seats to do... creative juices flowing... oh yeah.... Troy

Just an update... I delivered the seat. He loved it! Now I have 3 more seats outta the deal! Gotta love it when a plan comes together! Thanks for the advice and comments! Troy

That looks awesome! Love the shading!

George, you funny son of a !! You will be missed!

Oh yeah... Shirley... the mat came from a friend's exercise kit... but I did see the exact same mat in the CAMPING section @ Wally World for $5.86... They call it a "Sleeping Bag Pad" Thank you for the compliment!

Ok, I'm finally done with my first seat and I'd really relish your opinions... I have a tendancy to NEVER be happy with my own work... Please be honest... I lightly wiped Leather Balm w/ Atom Wax on the natural leather to act as a blocker. I applied it ever so lightly as to NOT drive the Leather Balm into the carved and cut lines, leaving the raised areas covered in Leather Balm and the cut/stamped areas unblocked and able to absorb more of the dye. Then I hand buffed it to a medium shine. Then, dipped a rag in Eco-Flo Timber Brown and applied in a medium circular motion. The result is what you see. The, I applied Spray adhesive on the underside of the Pan, and attached a piece of leather to the underside of the seat for protection and looks! I riveted it in place and started punching holes by hand (202 in the bottom, 190 in the top to be exact). Once all the holes were punched, I laced it with Tan Latigo Lace. Once complete, I airbrushed a couple of light coats of Netsfoot Oil on it to seal the color in and weatherproof it. I'm going to deliver it today. I really think he'll be happy...

I'm diggin' what I'm seein'! Those are awesome! Troy

Bro, those seats are HOT !! I'm really diggin what I see! Troy

Very nice combo! Basketweave stamping very staright... nice lines ... Good Job! Troy

Not sure how hard you want to make it, but I do know that if you soak the leather in HOT HOT water, then form it to the shape you want, let it dry and it becomes pretty hard. I use this method when I make Custom Motorcycle Tank Bibs and Fender bibs. I wrench them into place while they're wet, then let them dry overnite. once they dry, they hold the shape and become rigid... Hope this helped... Troy

Didn't I just see these filled with Harmonicas ?? Rambo would be proud!

Congrads Dave!!

All I can say is you do very nice work!

If you go to www.leathercraftersjournal.com you can order back issues of the journal for about $7 each ... And I agree, that Dutch Oven Case is fantastic! Troy

Thank you ALL very much!

Azmal, Your attention to detail and creativity absolutely astound me! I've seen your work and you are, by far, the most talented Armor Maker I've ever seen. You amaze me! Troy

Maybe I see it a little different than you, but I feel that she was checking your inventory and was comparing it to other vendors. Seeing what you had on the table, and liked it. Coming back and forth to the table was her way of checking on your progress. She wanted something that you handcrafted! And liked watching it appear before her eyes. She's at home right now telling all her friends that she sat and watched you make the bracelet just for her! Don't sell yourself short. When someone wants something bad enough, money doesn't even come into the picture! Now, you have a story to tell how she was like a kid in a candy store window... I always let the "customer" make an offer on the item... They get involved in the BARGAIN NEGOTIATING game and they love to win ... I've seen your bracelets! $20 is a bargain! Troy

ok, I'm in! I'm customer #4! I want a dozen! Troy

Jordon, those are the coolest Jeruselum Cruisers I have ever seen! I'm all about the sandals/flip-flops! I hope you don't mind if I use your idea to make me a pair! Can't wait for the whole tutorial! Thanks for inspiring! Troy

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words... I showed it to the owner and he said ... "man, that's awesome!..." So I think he liked it.... gonna try to get it stitched up this weekend... Will post more as it develops! Troy PS - He showed his mechanic and I think I might have 2 more seats outta the deal.....

HA HA HA !! It's cheap and it's STILL better than the stuff that came on it! Here's a couple pics of the stained seat... Troy

Ok, I just finished carving my first Motorcycle seat for the owner of a cycle shop nearby. He has an "Old School" chopper that's Black with Copper colored flames. So, I took his business logo, and the FLAMES idea and ran with it ... I used an "Ultima" seat pan. The foam on the seat was not very condusive for long rides, so I modified it! I used an exercise mat from Wal-Mart ($5.86) to do the padding and WOAH! What a difference... Here's what I have so far... I have to stitch it together yet, but I'll post those pictures once I'm finished... Tell me what ya think?? Troy

Glad to hear you made thru safely! Those times can be very scary... I know what it's likebecause I was caught in Hurricane Charlie (Port Charlotte, FL) in 2004... it was a Category 4 storm ..... Troy

I really like the Oak Leaf carvings! Some DAD is gonna be one lucky dude! Troy

You should be able to EDIT the post... In the bottom right corner, you should see EDIT, then click on FULL EDIT and delete your unwanted picture... Also, that is an very nice ARM CORSET! Keep up the good work! Troy