McJeep

Wow! Nice first seat. I'm digging on the skull and the intricacy of your lettering. Great work!

Nice! But I may be a little bit biased as I have some of his work on me - from wayyyyyy back in 1980! ;0)

Nice :0) Love the fact that you cover in detail some pointers that many leave out (cuz they seem obvious) but that newbies like me - haven't done any shaping yet - really need to know Thanks much Rob

right clic,, save as ;0) Thanks for that Troy

Yup, the plastic reinforcement around the edges of the bag (front to back like a big "U" - the piece that wraps around the whole bag front to back) will keep the bag from collapsing by keeping the face of the bag, and back square to each other. It's all about which look you prefer - some like the saggy weathered look of classic design saddlebags. Me, I like leather but like em to retain their form at the same time. Some of the folks who actually build bags all the time will hopefully chime in here with regard to weight selection. Cheers Rob

When you say double thick "sides" do you mean the outboard sides (the part you see when facing the bike from the side) or the sides that wrap around the bag? (what you would see from standing behind the bike - I usually call it the edge) If you mean the edge, I would use the stiffener. The thisk sides will keep things from bulging outward, and the stiffener around the bag will keep it from accordion'ing when the bag isn't packed full with gear - I hope this makes sense - hard to describe :0/ My store bought leather bags have a stiffener panel inside and the way I pack em sometimes, I'm glad its there or the edges would accordion and the bottom would bulge eventually. I would just go to any plastic shop and pick up something stiff but not brittle - then use a heat gun to mold it to rough shape of the bag - then force it inside the bag and put a couple rivets at the top edge front and back so it can't move around anywhere. Your mileage may vary ;0)

Patrice, I order from the states a fair amount (jeep & bike stuff) and have found that the best way to get it done is to use a Canadian shipper that has a US drop off point. I use these guys http://www.seawings.ca/ ... no way that you could use them but it gives you an idea of what to look for in a shipper. I get all of my stuff shipped to me c/o their Blaine WA address, seawings picks it up and brings it to Victoria, I get paperwork from them and go to customs to pay the taxes etc, then back to seawings to grab my stuff. It's all pretty easy as these guys are almost always located at the airport and customs is usually very handy. So I would think that if you phone around to shippers on your area, it shouldn't take long to find one that offers this kind of service. Get familiar with the duties etc associated with whatever you're bringing in. Do NOT use ups or fedex or the brokerage fees (pure robbery) will put you in the poor house ;0) Good luck with it Rob

Real clean work - like em all!

Nice site!

Ohhhhhhhhhh it's not just Yamahas ;0) But I think the manufacturers scrimp on seats because they know that people will swap em for individual tastes/needs anyway. I'd rather see em save a buck on the seat and NOT the drivetrain ;0)

That's what I end up doing as well, but use mostly round braids so it's easier to hide the tail.

Wow - as a newbie t the whole deal I would've never guessed so many steps but it's obviously worth it as your work is absolutely flawless. Thanks much for sharing - you've just saved guys like me years of trials and definitely errors ;0)

Cuz some of the do tend to be a little thin skinned at times don't they

Yup, was just gonna mention that - burn it good and then just swirl the remaining ashes around with small needle up inside - works like a charm (says this ham fisted, impatient, pulls too hard on stuff newbie ;0) apparently it took me almost 5 minutes to type this as Jo's reply wasn't up when I did ;0) I use permalocks when I can but for real tight edge braiding I tend to use the pronged ones as they leave the braid less disturbed when going back through stitches and I can bend them when necessary for basket weave - I like my braids tight tight tight ;0) That and they are easier to grab with my pliers ;0)

Very cool Phil - heckuva job!

So I finally got this thing knocked together I did end up using a double ply of latigo for the main panel and glued it (after a very good sanding - thanks hidepounder). I also found a new contact cement that I really like the properties of - Lepages blue. I also found a really good use for old toothbrushes ;0) As I wanted to really work the glue into the sanded area on the first coat the toothbrush worked way better than a brush which I find tends to drag the glue across the surface vice driving it in. After a good second coat on everything I used strips of paper between the layers till I got everything lined up perfect (the backing panel is cut to very tight tolerances so as to support the top panel right to the lacing) and then slipped one strip of paper out at a time pressing the panels together as I went. Fairly happy with the result and being as the panel is going to be screwed to the bike dash there's no chance of it ever coming off the bike. All other pieces are joined with either snaps or heavy velcro as suggested. Still have to mold a weather flap but buddy wants it now so we'll deal with that bit in the fall. It'll be a molded piece of veg tan, stitched at the top and with a magnet sewn in at the bottom to hold to the bottom snap on the ipod panel. Sure would've been a lot easier if the guy had let me use the whole dash - he wanted to keep his funky pewter eagle medallion at the bottom of the panel. Note: I really like the double thickness of the main panel with the backing piece trimmed to fit inside the lacing - once its hammered down a bit to set the cement and flatten the lacing, it gives a real nice almost upholstery look (as if it's cushioned like a car dash) Pics are here - thanks for looking http://mcbearcat.shawwebspace.ca/pages/view/leather_bits/

Always interested in new products - especially good glues that are more forgiving (slidable ;0) Unfortunately googling this one comes up with all UK or Euro sites so I'm wondering if we can even get it in the colonies ;0)

I'd use contact and clamp guide edges to it when mating the surfaces so it's easier to be accurate when placing them. Would definitely do a test piece on a scrap of cedar first tho as the properties of cedar which make it so aromatic and long lasting in weather conditions (the oil) "could" cause adherence problems I'd think - kinda like the fact that it's nearly impossible to get paint to stick to it in an outdoor situation. I would think that glue might have the same difficulty adhering long term.

Does it make the burnishing any smoother when heated? I usually play with speed/pressure of the dremel (how i burnish) when burnishing. More to get the smoothness than colour as all o my stuff is blllllllack at this stage ;0)

I figured that was it but have learned a couple times here to never ever assume ;0) Thanks

(enter the newbie ;0) When does one use a creasing iron? Is this a decorative thing or does it help crease a fold in leather - say when doing wallets out of heavier material for example?

I think I'm going to try a method with my glue brush that I've used for paint brushes in the past. When waiting a day or two for second coat of paint I just wrap the brush in saran and toss it in the freezer. Keeps paint from drying and ither than waiting for a few minutes for it to warm up before use, it sure saves on a lot of brush cleaning ;0) Hoping this will work on glue brush as well BTW - does anyone here thin their CC prior to using it? I get having to thin occasionally once it's been sitting. Just wondering if making it a thinner consistency helps or hinders the adhesion. Rob

Kewl setup - I think I'll steal that idea for making presses for ipods, buck knives, etc Only thing I think I'd do different is to use "T" nuts on the underside of the base to allow using regular bolts for clamping down Thanks for the idear!