wintermte

I think it was your bag that I saw. I'm not sure what you mean by a stitch marker. Can you post a link to where you bought this? I have an overstitcher that I use as a guide for sewing, but the marks are much too close for the size holes I would need to lacing. I used a quick template that I made on the computer, just to make sure the holes were spaced the same all around.

So I tried this, and I am very happy with the way that it turned out. I ended up going with the copper and black. What I did was just do a dry brushing over the carving details with the copper paint to get the effect. I also ended up doing it over the lace. Thanks for you help figuring this out. I posted some pics in the "Show Off" section, but here is one of the pics of the bag.

Thanks for the suggestion. My one regret with this bag was that I didn't use a wider lace, basically for the very reason you said. I think it would have made the braid much cleaner looking. Oh well live and learn. Maybe I'll get motivated one day to re-braid it with wider lace.

Thanks! The braiding is the Mexican basket weave/Round braid. I saw someone else's project on here a couple weeks ago that used this, and now I think this will be my first choice for lacing. The inside is some scape that I found on Ebay. It is a burgundy colored gator print on pig skin.

Thanks. Here a couple of it on the bike.

I don't post pictures often, but thought I would show this bag I just finished. Someday I'll get better at taking pictures of these things so that they turn out a bit better. This is a sissy bar bag for my cycle, that I'm using to cary my laptop in.

I'm curious about what the difference is in the various "types" of lace, and what application there is for each type. There is a significant difference in price between latigo, suede, buckskin, and regular cow lace. Thus far I've been using regular cow lace, but for no good reason other than it was available. Is the suede not as strong as the others? Would suede be suitable for motorcycle bags and the like? Also, I purchased a lace cutting tool so I can cut my own lace, but I'm not sure what would make a good stock of leather to cut it from. I tried cutting from some 4/5 oz tooling leather, but that didn't turn out very well. The lace seemed to be too easy to break. Are there any recommendations for what kind of leather I should use to create lace? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Thanks a lot. I'm going to order that. I've been using a book called Leather Braiding by Bruce Grant. It is pretty decent, and has lots of different braids in it, but I just didn't see this one. Thanks again, Dan

I love that braiding. Do you have a reference somewhere as to how to do that (book or web site)? The braiding book I have doesn't have it in it. Thanks Dan

Thanks again!

Thanks for the information, I really appreciate it. What kind/brand is the copper paint? I don't see it mentioned in the thread anywhere.

Do you need to apply a sheen or neatsfoot oil over the entire project then to protect the copper? I love these colors and am going to try this for a sissy bar bag, so I want to be sure the copper paint will hold up to the elements. Not to ask a stupid question, but I've never used a resist before. You said you applied the copper paint like you would apply a resist. How do you apply a resist? Thanks, Dan

Those are very nice. I really like the christ themed one.

It would have been nice if he had put a ruler or scale on the pattern page, so we know how big to print them. Another alternative would have been to use PDF for the images, as that has the paper size in the document itself, so when you print it, it will be the correct size. Otherwise the pack isn't too bad. Dan

Thanks for the advice. When I was posting the picture, I was thinking the holes looked to be a bit farther in than they should. Is that guideline pretty much universal (lacing size should equal distance from edge and each other)? Is that distance measured from the bottom of the hole or the center? Thanks, Dan

I thought I would share some pics of the bag I just completed. There are a lot of firsts in this project for me (first braiding project, first bag made, etc). The picture quality isn't the best (I took the pics from my phone). I may be taking the snap off and putting something more decorative in its place, I just haven't decided yet. Anyway here it is:

Another great seat. How long does it take you to do an average seat, start to finish? I'm just curious.

Thanks! I ordered a braiding book last week called "Leather Braiding" by Bruce Grant. I had found a copy at the library, and there were lots of interesting braids in it so I ordered a used copy (it's been out of print for a long time). The only downside of the book is that it is illustrated, so the braids look different in photographs than they do in the drawings in the book. This makes it harder to identify what the braids are. Anyway that is probably more info than you wanted. Thanks again. Dan

What is the braiding technique you are using on the ends? I'm a newbie, and I would like to learn to do that. Did you sew the sides on as well or just do the braiding? Thanks, Dan

What are the weights on those made out of? They look like oversized hockey pucks. Dan

Not to ask a stupid newbie question, but I'm going to anyway. I'm using the cheap wooden hammer that comes with all the beginner kits. What is the advantage of using the rawhide mallets or the poly mallets over the cheap wooden ones? Thanks Dan

You could try here: http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php...amp;action=file You have to pay for the originals, but for our type of work, the picture on the web site is generally good enough. Dan

That is awesome! The faces inside the flames, the bit of red in the eyes, all of it. Very well done. Dan

Thanks for the links. Leather unlimited has really great prices on oak tooling sides. They are cheaper than any others I've seen.Dan That's a great tutorial. Thanks!Dan

Does anyone know anything about the tool that is being used in this video or where I can get one? Thanks Dan