Scary Leatherworks

I am in the planning stages of making a binder/briefcase with a zipper closure. not really sure what size to use. what is the size they use in jeans? that seems like a good size. I'm also not to sure of zipper terminology. do I need a separated zipper?

I'll assume from your name you are in Newfoundland. have you gone to the motorcycle section in the forums? there are some "pinned" how to sections there. so it depends on the seat you are going to do. there are a few different techniques some are better for certain seat types. check those and it will help you decide which style you want.

John, thanks for the tip. I like that idea for magnets especially on a sketch book etc... Also you make sweet cases Scott

I have checked hardware elf but they don't carry the entire product list that OTB does but thanks for the suggestion

This is a simple sketch pad cover I made. I neatsfoot oiled and saddle soaped it. I liked the closure except I wish the bottom of it was supported by rivets on each side because the way it is one side "floats" I see OTB has a lot of closures but alas I have no tax I.D.

back yard metal casting Check out this guy. Hours of information for the novice metal caster. lots of How-to stuff

Since this thread is still going I'll add my 2 cents. I think this is a fine idea. First it is INEXPENSIVE, which is good for most of us "hobbyist" leatherworkers. I tend to give a lot of my stuff to friends and family or charge enough to cover the cost of materials because I enjoy doing it, so if I can buy a hide cheaper that is still usable then I'm happy. Second, if you go to Tandy's site you can see that they are marketing to this niche somewhat also. they have eco-leather marketed from S America not raised in the rain forest and tanned in an environmentally friendly tannery. A bit different marketing plan but still trying to get the "eco-friendly" market. Third, I would personally use these for a lot of things because I like to keep the drag marks, brands, and wire burns in my work because leather has character and I like the flaws. And Last, Steve, I have been to your site 3 times and cannot find these hides. Am I Blind? Scott

Billio8, I did a quick search using the advanced search under motorcycle gear forum. I know there are topics about what you are looking for try this link. basically it says if the pan is covered with 3/4 inch foam (that's almost 2cm) then he makes his leather 3/8 inch larger than the pan (or half of the foam thickness) and the top and bottom are the same. this is how I understand it. Maybe Dave will chime in here, since this is not my seat style. hope this helps but I'm not sure if this is what you are asking http://leatherworker...rn&fromsearch=1

go to the top of this forum and check out the "pinned" posts. a few different styles to look at. Davids "Christian seat" with a "top and bottom" leather piece or I believe the others are for wet formed seats with a "top and sides"

I meant oil Based. thanks for the link. I have since tried some minwax puritan pine that seems to work well. not quite the color I want so I'll have to try another. It definitely takes longer to dry than the spirit dyes. Scott

That's a tough one. I'm no Tandy basher because I buy a lot of my stuff there but I find they don't carry all of the colors from Fiebings. I found springfield leather has a lot of dye choices. Unfortunately the computer color charts are so hard to match but you might find something you can thin down.

has anyone ever used a wood stain like Minwax on leather before?

depending on what color you want you may want to dye, resist, antique and finish. This day planner I made is an example I of that. using an airbrush is easiest. for the planner 1st sprayed saddle tan on entire piece. 2nd on the edges sprayed med brown and chocolate brown to "fade" 3rd sprayed "leather balm with atom wax" over entire piece to seal in the stain and prevent the antiquing color to penetrate. then after its dry I rub antique paste on it and wipe it off with several clean cloths. need to wipe flat so the antique color stays in the depressions. then let it dry well before applying your final sealant (atom wax for me) I use Fiebings dyes available at tandy because they aren't water based so less likely to be effected by rain, although I use tandy's eco-flo antique med brown. very lightly damp paper towels are good for getting the excess antique finish off. I use several flipping or folding each wipe so I always have a clean side. I have to give credit to David for posting this method a while back for his motorcycle seats. hope this helps Scott

OK here it is finished. pics make it look more red than it is. Dyed with med and dark brown and antiqued with tan then finished with leather balm. the antique helped take away that waxy look.

Thanks for all the positive feedback. The pics do make it appear waxy but it is not that shiny. I still have some finishing touches to do. slight antique in a few places and finish the strap it's going to be adjustable for a long shoulder strap or a short handle. It is for my sister who is in to skulls and day of the dead stuff like I am. Scott

Well it's taken me awhile to finish this one, since I had to move back to Maine from NM. This Bag has been a real pain in the A@{:content:}nbsp; It's dyed with light brown and dark brown and finished with leather balm. I still need to attach the clasp. I wanted it to look real Frankenstein/leatherface like so the lacing is uneven. Let me know what you think Scott

Nice job as always David. I got to see some of your seats in person at the SPS tent at the Smokeout east. Scott

Nice and clean Roger. Don't see you do to many stitched seats.

I did a similair seat with a plastic pan. I used a crafstsman staple gun the "new" shaped one that shoots staples and very small brads. it worked ok for temporary holding until I was satisfied with the placement of everything and it was stretched well. Just easier to pop a staple to re-stetch than it is to remove a rivet.

When you say you are having a hard time figuring how to not get wrinkles on the "underside" do you mean under the pan? the very bottom. The seat you showed looks like a wet formed seat. Wet formed seats have a "top" and "sides" See the tutorials at the top of this forum by Roger and Kevin King. The only way I've seen with no wrinkles is the way David makes his seats with a "top" and Bottom" 2 completely different styles. If you can't see the underside then a wet formed seat will work just fine. Scott

I use leather balm for a resist before antiquing. I spray it on with an airbrush, also using spirit dyes. I was having that problem before too. put on the resist and some of the dye would lift when applying by hand. not a problem any longer. I can spray leather balm and in 30-60 minutes I can buff and add another coat usually.

I like that design. I always like to see skulls incorporated into things so that you have to give it a second look to notice them.

Well I shiped the mustang out. I boxed it myself and took it to fed-ex 28.00 much cheaper than the 76 at UPS and fed-ex was 3 day delivery as opposed to 10 days UPS. Scott

For anyone who does a lot of knot work patterns I just recently found this and bought it. it's $20 but I figured it would save me some time in the long run. quite easy to use and good directions. I am not affiliated in any way just thought i'd pass it on http://www.clanbadge.com/ Scott

Thanks all I'll give it a try. cant use the wifes pffaff sewing machine on everything. Scott