ChiefFilipino

My family is from the Philippines and Hawaii.

I don't have a rotary but it sounds like that is what i need to add to my tool kit. I know i shouldn't be hard on myself Oldhat you are correct that i should focus on the learning process, i just know I can do better. The bag definitely works though! I was able to get almost everything into my bag except a few things but I am happy with the outcome i just wish the top came out better so i could show it off to the general public. Oh well live and learn. Thanks for the input and encouragement!

Thanks Windrider! The cylinder wasn't too hard except for the top and bottoms. Those were harder. It was hard for me to determine how big to make the circles to make sure I had enough to stitch them on. The bottom came out pretty well but as you can see on the top it didn't. I used a strip of skin to cover and hold together the cylinder walls but you could also overlap them which would also change your circle's diameter. If you are going to try it I recommend figuring out the circumference you want, make the rectangle for that and put it together, then that will help you to measure and eyeball a better circumference for your top and bottom circles. I cut all my pieces out first then put them together but I think I will do the cylinder walls first next time. The goat skin cut easily but you do need to place a ruler or something to hold it down. It is pretty thin I think like 2-4oz or something really thin like that so if you try without the ruler it begins to lift up and move too much. I also found that at the end I would have to try to chop it like a vegetable instead of slicing through it. At the end the skin would move with the blade and I would end up with a little triangle that I would have to go back and cut off. Other than that it was like a hot knife through butter.

Hello everyone! I am an Arizonan born and raised, grew up in the middle of nowhere surrounded by ranches and unbeknownst to me I've been surrounded by leatherwork my whole life. I finally took up leather work because I wanted to make myself some extremely durable tabi (the Japanese split toed boots). This summer I finally took the initiative (mainly because my canvas pair from Japan have a gigantic hole in them and no one was heading back to Japan anytime soon). I looked up a mocassin tutorial and modified it for tabi and I've been hooked ever since! I have a lifetime's worth of skills to master and I want to learn it all! I have loved creating art since a kid and now as an adult I need an outlet for my creations. My goal is to set up an online art store (I'll probably use etsy) and to visit some local farmer's markets and other venues. I also love to do woodworking, acrylic painting, ink painting, and calligraphy. Being a Pacific Islander and haloe (white person) mix I tend to like things that are blended with other things as well. As I learn more about my heritage I find that it influences my art and I hope to bring that and blend it with leatherwork as well. Please feel free to critique any of my work as I have a drive to learn all I can, and if you like some of what you see please let me know as well Thanks for reading!

Depending upon your interest level you could also look into forging the metal for the pommel yourself with a homemade forge. One day I would love to take chunks of steel and pound them out into a knife, the make a sheath for it as well... One day.... http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Forge/ Perhaps you could drill a new hole in the tang to attach the pommel? Just a thought.

Hello All! So I am happy and not happy with my current project. I am heading on an unexpected trip and was looking to buy a travel bag when I realized I could make my own. This is the product, but I had to rush it because I literally had a few hours last night and today to get it done. It's not perfect but for my first bag I am fairly happy with it! It is predyed goatskin from Tandy's. They had a sale and I liked the color for a wallet and finally found a project to use some more of it. I started with the concept using paper bags to do a mock up, then made the templates from poster board, then moved on to the final product. I am the most happy with the handle, I think that is the best part of it. The lid is by far the ugliest but that's because I started with the idea that I would use straps to keep it closed and then switched it to a zipper so it totally threw off my measurements, plus stitching the zipper on also skewed it a bit. Oh well, it's for my use only

Awesome! What paint did you use for the flower?

I like it!

Very nice! Just to give you a heads up in the gallery by the thumb rings the description shows up twice. I wouldn't want you to lose any business from it.

Do you have a website for your bows?

Nice!

Very nice! It makes me want to take up archery!

Interesting idea. What type of gun is it?

Awesome!

Awesome!

Very nice!

Beautiful!

Very nice!

Very nice!

Thanks! Feel free! I used a stamp I got from Tandy Leather. I don't remember the tool number. I'll try to look at the tool when I get home. The symbol in the center is Filipino writing which you are more than welcome to copy. The symbols are for the first initials in my friends' names. Otherwise you could use English.

Congratulations!

My buddy's birthday is coming up and he has been collecting unique crosses so I decided to make some for him, his wife, and three children. It also gave me some practice with tooling leather. I am happy with the outcome and hope he will be too.

Hey Gequinn, you started this post 4 years ago so I don't even know if this would be relevant anymore but I recommend picking up the book Arms And Armor Of The Samurai by I. Bottomley & A.P. Hopson (http://www.amazon.com/Arms-Armor-Samurai-History-Weaponry/dp/0517103184). I used that when making some armor out of papier mache with cotton as well. I found that book extremely helpful and a good read! One day I want to make another suit out of leather.

I thought it was going to be a cuff and pouch a lady would wear to the beach to keep like keys and money ha ha. Nice work I like it.

Very nice!