Schno

Nice work! I like that you've left a lanyard on the end. I've found that using the lanyard makes them a lot faster and a lot more accurate!

Great work! Innate artistic talent definitely shows through. Leather is just another medium to explore! Welcome to the addiction.

If your other work on here is any indication, this is going to be awesome when you're done. It's always interesting to see these photojournals people put together. There's so many different ways people come to the same kind of end. Are you tracing straight from your printout there? No tracing film? Or is that some kind of special paper...

There seems to be such a science to dying and coloring that it really is a distinct discipline in and unto itself. I've avoided picking up a book on it, assuming that the techniques therein would be based on the pre-VOC-prohibition days. Since I live in California, a lot of the solutions they describe are now considered contraband. Feibings Dye Prep... sounds intriguing. What does it do? I notice that you don't use the carnuba cream at all. I'll try that route on my next piece. I'm trying out different finishes. At first I was using Supersheen. That, like the carnuba cream, tended to smear and streak my dye job when I brushed it on. On recommendation, I tried Feibings Resolene with an aerosol spray nozzle gig. That sprayed very uneven and clogged almost immediately. I finally resorted to applying the Resolene with a brush, and that took me back to the smeared and streaky debacle. I'm unfamiliar with these other solutions. Are there any that would spray on easily and be available in California at the same time? Yep. I'm new at this, so I don't really know any better I'm going to try it out some day, and I'm sure that when I do, I'll wonder why I waited so long. Here's some examples of what I've managed with the dry dying so far. They turn out okay-ish, but only after quite a bit of adrenaline pumping oh-@*%! moments and a lot of TLC afterwards. So I'm sure there has to be a better way! Thanks for your help with this, guys!

I've had a couple of requests for leather journals, so I thought I might make my maiden voyage with my own. Better to make all the mistakes on mine before putting a pricetag on it. The journal is intended for meetings at work, where as a telecom project manager, I spend my days herding geeks. I wanted to mix a bit of my love for knotwork with a bit of circuitry and here's the result, front and back. Let me know whatcha think: good, bad, constructive, destructive, etc!

My name is Schno. People often ask me about it, where it came from, what it means. I have a short answer that I throw out in most cases, because people are usually hoping for a great story behind the name and I'm rarely inclined to explain the real reason. I simply tell them that I have hippy parents. (And that's true... it just has nothing to do with my name.) My name actually came from taunting I used to get as a kid. Thanks to genetics and nocturnal proclivities, I was never one to tan and get color and all. So the kids in my neighborhood took to calling me 'Snowman', 'Snow White', 'Frosty', etc. As I got into my mid-teens and discovered punk rock, I decided to take the moniker as a badge of sorts. And just to make sure that I wouldn't run into someone with the same name, I did a little creative spelling to make it unique. The name stuck and I went for a number of years with 'Schno' as a nickname. Finally, I decided to make it legal once my mother started calling me by it. I figure that the Indians had the right idea anyway. Parents should name their children, but those children should find their own names upon reaching majority. Ever wonder what you would have named yourself given the chance? Oh, and the last name is Mozingo, and that one I was born with. But that's another story...

Hey guys, I'm having a bit of trouble with my dry-dye technique and I know this is a great forum for answers. You people are incredible! Okay, so... the dry-dye technique I was taught is: 1) apply a very small amount of light color dye (red in my current project) to a dry sponge. 2) brush the dye into the leather 3) repeat steps 1 and 2 for the dark color (black in my current project) 4) apply a coat of carnuba cream to the dyed leather 5) let the carnuba cream dry (~10 minutes) 6) buff with wool scrap 7) repeat steps 1-6 until you achieve the desired effect My problem is that, seemingly, no matter how much or little dye I apply, or how long I wait, when I do step 4, the carnuba cream gets the colors all mixed up and sometimes gets streaky. I see the beautiful gradients that some of you guys get on your bike seats, and I know that's what I want to achieve. Are those dry-dyed or is that from air-brushing? It would be great if maybe you guys could post some pics of dry-dyed examples and techniques you use!

Very well done! I love the Celtic basketweave. Where does that stamp come from?

That's gorgeous stuff, Anne! I agree with 'roo on that tree to the right. It's really well done! Looking forward to the other panels!

Stunning work! The vikings gave us such a rich array of artistic material to work with... well worth the price of a monastery or two, I say!

Wow! I agree, they're both very inspiring. From the design to construction and color, really well done!

Not really. When you strap it on your leg, the sleeve tightens just enough to poke the arrows in, while holding them steady. The idea of the design is to hold the knocks in the right position so they can be pulled out and placed on the string with the cockfeather facing the right way without requiring the archer to look at it at all. This enables the archer to keep his eyes on the target and loose arrows more efficiently. The front of the pocket is roughly 6 1/2" by 6 1/2", while the backside is 3" longer at 9 1/2". The only downside is that it only really works when you're shooting from the line. It's not something you can walk around with, unless you like beating yourself with your own fletchings. I typically throw my arrows in my back quiver for walking around and transfer to the ankle quiver for speed shoots and such.

It was my friend's birthday, so I put together a belt pouch for her using her tattoos as a pattern.

They're hosted off my website, which was having some trouble around the time you guys were looking. They should be visible now

Wow, those are sensational cuts! Cheers to your artistry!

My friend is a bass player who is very proud of his Scottish ancestry, so he approached me about this project. It was my first attempt at a guitar strap and my first bout with padding. The pigskin presented a bit of a challenge when it came down to the hand-stitching part. I'm sure there's a more elegant way of doing it, but I ended up just kind of pushing the needles in and pulling them through with needle-nose pliers. Yep, I'm a newbie!

Gorgeous work, kimberangel! I really like the color work on the first piece. I think you've got three very happy lads in the last shot!

Certainly, Mike! It's a bit rough, but it was my very first project. The really shiny blown out stuff on the crest is silver gilding. I learned that at our last SCA event. The inside of the quiver is lined with a bit of foam core around the sides and bottom to keep the pouch open a bit.

Thanks, Drac! I definitely have a question, right out of the gate! I've managed the leatherworking part of the paddles well enough, but the construction has presented a challenge. I can't seem to find the right kind of thing to spine my paddles with. I need something that will be strong, yet light, resilient, yet easy to cut and work with. I've been trying to run down spring steel strapping, but it only seems to come in bulk and it's quite expensive. Any ideas? I'll try to track down Johanna about the adult section. Thanks again! Schno

I've recently begun my foray into the very satisfying and rewarding art of leathercrafting. This all began with my first SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) event, the 'Estrella War' of February 2008. I emerged from that very rain-soaked and muddy ordeal as a fledgling archer. A very decent fellow there helped me out quite a bit with my form and my aim and all. He also introduced me to a marvelous accessory: the ankle quiver. This is a bit of leather that buckles around the ankle and serves to hold the arrows close by and in proper position for speed shoots, when you're trying to loose many arrows very quickly. Well, I was certain that I needed one of these nifty inventions so I went about making one. And I was hooked. Since then, I've been voraciously pursuing the techniques, tricks, and arcane secrets of leatherworking. I've found the artisans of leather community to be not only very approachable and helpful, but simply good, decent people as well. Some other craftsmen jealously guard the 'secrets' of their trade; not so with you lot, as clearly evidenced on this website. Cheers to you folks for your generosity. I hope to return the favor as I discover some tricks and techniques of my own. I've been an active part of the local BDSM community in LA for over a decade, so a lot of my projects focus on paddles, restraints, collars and such. Of course, the SCA is another outlet for leatherwork. I've only made a couple of accessories so far, but I want to be able to make armor eventually. The very thought of starting that makes me nervous, though I know it shouldn't Anyway, that's pretty much it by way of introduction. I look forward to being part of this community!