GrayHallidayJr

Thank you! At least now I can call it by its proper name.

Thank you. Speedy biker was what I was going for. I took a hole punch bit of scrap leather from one of the the buckle holes on the billet and tried to mould the face around it by placing it underneath the leather, gluing it in there and then placing the backing liner over it. Made the nose on the face pop. I really should sign up for a class or watch some YouTube videos on how those guys are achieving them 3D effects.

I’m just a doodler. Nothing fancy like an artist.

Commission from @outlawarchive That’s the Straight Satans patch on the back.

I burn the uploaded artwork directly onto the leather. You can dial in and get so much more detail with the leather. The above fish scroll is a tad over an inch in height. You could never get scrolls that small with a swivel knife. Then bevel. I used to cut the art edges with a swivel knife, but it’s not necessary. It’s easy to bevel off of the laser burn. The artwork takes the most time. The laser is only as good as the artwork you are printing. You can upload any number of designs/images from the internet- some with photo like real ness. I once did a black and white photo of Hank Williams and the shading was perfect. Looked like the photo. Once the artwork is in the Glowforge system, you can just hit print again as many times as desired. Or resize it to a wider belt. Everything else before was just a one off. I never used stencils I just cut and drew onto the leather. I still do some “old school” carving. It took me a long time to self teach myself the Krita art software. That was a slow learning curve. All in all, the laser is a great tool for the artist/leatherworker. A paintbrush in the hand of a novice won’t produce a masterpiece.

I have a glowforge. I like it. Took me some time to learn the software stuff, converting drawings to digital art, editing, etc. Using Krita software cause it’s free and I spent all my money on the laser. You can really dig down on details. And torture rodents a la Goldfinger James Bond style.

Yes, I burn directly onto the leather.

Impressive! Super nice work.

Catch a big one! Add it to the long list of things to do when quarantine is lifted.

Thank you, Friend.

I’ve been studying some engraver’s work. Definitely has added depth and overlay to my simpler scrolls. Thank you. I forgot how good it can make you feel, those small moments of satisfaction it provides through the process. Good to be back at it a bit.

Thanks, Hoss!

Long time! Really enjoyed browsing recent Show Off threads, so many cool projects. I took a long break from any leather work and really enjoyed getting back to it. Here’s my latest, a hat band. I wrapped it around a cloth band I’ve been wearing on my sombrero- it’ll tighten down another notch for a perfect fit when the old band is removed. Taking it in to the hat maker to swap it out. Anyway, let me know what you think. Always looking to improve.

Thanks. Faces are tough when you’ve got 1.2” of height to work with. Those eyes are tiny!

Excellent! Anyone should be proud to carry that thing around.

Sergey Neskromniy from Bulgaria. Quality stamps for reasonable pricing. Thanks! I appreciate it! I use a Cobra 4. Any stitching machine can be temperamental. I’m always sure to give the old gal a pat when things go smoothly. I typically pair Ebay purchased vintage buckles with my straps. You can find decent brass from the 70’s in the $10 to $30 range. Thank you.

Made myself a new belt. Used the Glowforge Pro to burn in my artwork to exact dimensions. Japanese inks and some acrylic for coloring. Cobra 4 sewing machine stitched. Lined. Heavy Duty. Gary’s Casino existed for a few short years in the seventies. It’s a rare brass belt buckle- an eBay purchase. For Rounders, Reckless Gamblers and Honky Tonk Heroes Like Me.

Very cool! I too have a Glowforge Pro- on the pre-order. Still honing my skills but love the results.

Thank you! It’s such a generous compliment. It’s so gratifying when others enjoy your work. I feel like there’s still so much for me to learn. The work of others continues to inspire me to advance my skill. I’ll PM you, I’m open to any guidance/direction you might provide. That sounds like a dream. Thank you, Sir.

Haha, I feel a lot better about how long it takes me to do a belt! Thanks for the encouragement. Re: the tooled belt, I have one that’s all hand tooled with my name stamped across the back. Stitched too. I had it done at a state fair in Indiana, as I recall. I can’t imagine someone on site banging out belts that quick!

It’s time for me to make myself a new one. Been field testing my last one everyday for the last three years. It’s held up well, but my skill and tool chest has improved a bit since then. I like the way this one turned out. Maybe I’ll convert it to grown up size. Watch out for that kid. Haha.

Super nice!

Thanks! Made this one for my cousin’s kid. He’s a thunderball. I’ve still got my tooled belt from when I was a kid. Hope he keeps this one as a childhood momento. Thanks! I’m going to try to scale back production a bit to focus on improving quality. I got busy before trying to keep up with demand. It took all of the fun out of it, hurrying the artistic piece. Each one takes me a long time to make. A question for everyone; How owe long does it take for you to make a belt?

A badass kids belt.