Jbrandon

I'd like to see the mock up idea.

Ok so I've made several belts but only a few with names on the backs (centered). I made one for a Christmas gift this year and the name wasn't centered. The customer messed up a measurement but not by enough to throw the name off that much. So how do you do it? Center the name based on the measurement from the fold to the hole they use or based on the measurement from the buckle to the hole they use? Maybe I'm putting too much thought into this but I'm remaking the belt and don't want to mess up again.

It just goes to show that the human spirit, both hers and yours, is unstoppable. Nothing pleases me more than when someone is told that they can't or won't be able to do something and then they do it anyway.

One of the best things I ever did was quit a job I absolutely hated. I too sometimes struggle with multiple orders because it can get monotonous but if you keep several projects going at once you can start on one while waiting for another to dry. That's the only way I've found it to be profitable especially if you look at how much you make in leatherwork per hour. Having multiple items in progress helps me to be able to have some variety. Just yesterday I was working on three identical custom ordered pancake knife sheaths. By the time I finished tooling the second one, which wasn't very intricate, I was bored with it and the third one I had to talk myself into doing. I love it when someone comes to me with something I've never done before. Even though those tend to take longer because I have to start with nothing more than an idea or picture but that's part of the art.

Well here it is all finished up.

No specific topic just books that are useful in any and all aspects. I always need help with tooling patterns but I'm sure someone out there has come across one that they always refer back to for whatever reason. I'm just looking at buying a few for references. I recently redid my work space and with this new area everything is cleaner and more organized and I feel like it has already improved my work. Now I think it's time to have some books in there to maybe help with my quality of work as well.

So most of my knowledge/skills in leather work have come from trial and error as well as information found on this site and others. My artistic skills are limited but I can look up patterns and trace them to make fit my needs. I love to make my own patterns for things like wallets, sheaths, portfolios etc. My stitching skills are so so and finishing is too. My question is what book or books you suggest as absolute musts to have in my leather room?

Thanks. I'll post a picture of it after the dye dries.

I marked guide lines exactly the way you suggested. The angles are really close but I got off enough to not quite match up.

Yes I use guide lines. There was one just past that last row. It's just when you break to go around something that gets a little iffy!

Oh no...... This is where I always get nervous!

Has anybody used this product yet? Is it just resolene in a different package? 50/50 mixture?

Let me know what you think

I'd say your drawing is excellent. In my opinion the background to floral design ratio is perfect for this application, as well as the flow too. And the actual tooling is super nice. I dream of the day I can draw something out like that and tool it that well too.

Yes the corners stays fixed as shown. They have a single rivet in each corner. Thanks for the comments.

One of my latest projects.

I'm not sure on the mark on the table but that sheath is super nice!

Did you only use the background tool around the edge of the leaves and acorns? (It looks that way in the pictures) if so I like it? Heck if not I still like it! I've done many belts and when I see pictures like yours I feel like mine are never as nice. Awesome work.

Yeah I was in the Tandy store in Fort Worth a couple weeks ago and my wife spotted a purse she liked that was a display item. Turns out that kit has been discontinued. A few days later my phone rang and it was the guy that helped us that day, He said he ran across one of those kits and remembered we wanted one. It wasn't even in the system so we got it for like twenty bucks as a misc item. I've had good experiences with them.

Not to highjack your post but here is one I did a while back.

Not sure what everybody is referring to because we all face our own struggles but if you look closely at other people with real struggles (you have to define what that is) then yours probably isn't that bad. Try focusing more on the good and less on so called bad. Trust in God and all is good!

Yes it's saddle tan. It's almost an orange color but after I buffed it good and oiled it it turned out pretty good.

yeah one of the guys at work asked me to make them one. I've got a few orders in front of him though. Yours looks nice. Is that a patch?