Double U Leather

Sylvia...I feel for you. My old shop was in the big garage. I tried to enclose an area with plastic tarp to keep some heat in the close proximity of where I was working. Didn't work too well. At that time, I worked in Carhart's constantly. Wasn't much fun. Thankfully, I didn't have the volume of orders I do now. My shop now is about 12' x 25' ish, and separate from the garage. When it gets real cold (I live in Colorado) I run a couple of electric heaters. To take the early morning chill off, I'll fire up the propane heater for a while. Yea...propane heaters, coiled extension cords, fumes, etc., are probably not up to OSHA standards, but I used to ride bulls so I'm not really too afraid. I do what it takes to work for me. I will not work cold and miserable. If I wanted to do that, I'd sign on to dig ditches or punch cows.

Generally 8-9 oz. HO.

Chad, I've made lots of bronc halters. I line mine with 2-3 oz. Royal Oak leather from Tandy. I line everything I make with it.

Sorry for the delay in responding everyone. I truly am appreciative of the compliments, and quite humbled. I will certainly try the Bee Natural saddle oil when I get back in the shop. Right now, I'm in OKC doing my "real" job of announcing rodeos and horse shows. Once I get back home, I'll be holed up 'til Christmas in the shop. Stay blessed all.

Thanks Bob...I really appreciate your kind words. I'm not sure I'd say I've mastered it, but it's getting better. At least now my flowers and vines don't look like tumbleweeds like they did when I first started a few years ago. I look at some of my old stuff and just chuckle. Anyway, thanks again. Stay blessed.

Thanks gang for the compliments. I'm truly honored by your comments. I think the worst part of the order was hand carving each of those letters. Dadgum those were painful. Rosiart...I wish I could tell you I sell patterns, but to be honest....ummm....I don't even have patterns. I simply lay out where the flowers go to establish the flow, and start carving. I don't draw up any patterns beforehand at all. Sorry.

Here's the big order I've been working on for the past month. My hands are doing a happy dance that it's done!! It turned out pretty nice. I'm delivering the order today. I can tell you this...there were many days of beating on dead cow for 12-14 hours at a time. The only thing I didn't really like was on two of the briefcase bags, the Neatsfoot Oil really darkened a couple flowers more than others. At any rate, I am very glad to be done with the order, and very grateful to God for being blessed to get work. Take a look at the pics, and let me know what you think. Have a good Thanksgiving everyone. Be blessed.

Odd that this post came up when it did. I just had an issue with a Sharpie myself. Was tracing around a piece onto some liner leather and it jumped up onto the project itself. Luckily, it only marked as far as the stitch groove and border. I tried the oxylic acid route...nadda. So, instead of scrapping the piece, I just decided to have a wide dyed border on the project! Dyed right over the oops, and no one knows any difference. When the whole order is done, I'll post pics and you'll never tell which piece is partially Sharpie dyed.

Good work.

Thanks all for the nice words. I appreciate them. Deb...I really appreciate the "de-vine" humor. I'm a bit of a quick wit (some would say a half wit!), and that was a very good remark. Well done!

Here's the latest. I was able to squeeze this order in the middle of the monster job I'm in the middle of. It turned out semi-okay. There's a hiccup in the stitching that I sure don't like. Oh, and this was the second attempt at this order. I tried to get "creative" on the first try and do some different vine work and I just wasn't happy with how it turned out. Anyway, have a look and let me know what you think. Be blessed gang.

Wow.....what a timely post for me to see. I got an order from a horse show association about 2 weeks ago wanting 4 messenger/briefcase bags and 2 notebooks to give as awards. With my schedule and their awards banquet, I've got until Thanksgiving to finish them. Of course, they wanted alot of lettering and some floral tooling on them. I've been tooling between 10 to 14 hours a day, everyday trying to get all of it done. And my left thumb feels wrecked. Same tingling, nerve feeling that's being described. It feels like a sliver or something the size of a postage stamp. I can push on it and it doesn't hurt, but if I slightly rub it, pains goes half way to my elbow. I've been putting horse linament on it and it seems to be getting better. The thumb, along with my shoulders, neck, right forearm, etc. get real sore by the end of the day. But such is life. I'll post pics when the order is all done. They're gonna turn out real nice, but I may be a cripple when it's over....LOL.

Congrats. This is an excellent piece of work, and the dying is fantabulous!! Very nicely done.

Thanks Bob...I was pretty happy with it, and the customer was ga-ga over it.

Thanks Office. Bob...It's just tooled and beveled. Used some font off the computer, cut it, and beveled it. Then dyed it with Angelus Jet Black.

Thanks again for the compliments gang. I do appreciate it very much. Tobin...Sorry I haven't gotten any drawings sent to you. I've been CRAZY swamped since we talked. As for the sketching the pattern out...umm...I didn't at all. I just got lucky that they landed that way. The only time I draw flowers and patterns is when I'm bored announcing a horse show...LOL. Those patterns don't belong to anything...just doodles. Dink...I appreciate the nice words. I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

Very nice Bob. It turned out amzing. You really knocked this out of the park. Good stuff.

I'm gonna throw my 2 cents in here. For me, my leatherwork isn't always about the bottom line profit. If I lose focus on why I ever began dabbling in leather in the first place (it was fun), and start worrying about the profit only, I will become a slave to the leather business. And, I've never heard of too many slaves having fun. Don't get me wrong, I want to be able to make money doing what I do. I've invested alot of time in tools, learning the skills, etc. However, if money is my driving force for doing this, I lose the sense of freedom I've fought to maintain my whole life. That brings me to my next point. I'm blessed? to have been able to be self employed almost my whole life. My "real" job is being a public address announcer at rodeos and horse shows. I've been doing that for 26 years. Prior to becoming an announcer, I rode bulls professionally for 5 years. I have always cherished the freedom to basically do what I want, when I want to do it. That's just the path I took as a young man. Many of my friends from high school took the "career" path, and have done very well for themselves. I guess the bottom line for me is this...I could give two pinches about being rich. I just want to be able to pay the bills every month. Between my announcing and leather, I'm able to do that. Do I have a retirement plan or alot of stocks and bonds and investments? No. Does an ol' cowboy really need those things? In my opinion, no. So, for me, the leather business is a source of cash flow when my announcing gigs slow down. I've been able to turn out enough nice products that people from all over the place are ordering from me on a regular basis. That keeps some money rolling through, and when I'm on the road announcing, I give leather customers my turn around time factoring the road into it. All in all, God has blessed me to chase my dreams my whole life. I'd much rather be happy than rich. Wow...that was a long rant. Sorry folks...LOL

Wow gang...I'm honored and humbled by your compliments. Thank you very much. Apparently, God has blessed me with a gift that I didn't even know I had until a few years ago. Again, thank you all for your nice words. It means alot to me.

Another order out the door. This one turned out pretty nice I think. There were a few things that I wish I had a mulligan on (like always), but overall I tihnk it worked out okay. Hopefully the customer likes it. Take a peek and let me know what ya'll think. Thanks for looking and stay blessed.

Pete...do you have a pic of it by chance? I'm needing to get one, just not sure this is what I'm looking for. I like the OBO part too...LOL. Maybe we can do some bargaining and/or horse trading.

Thanks Phil...I truly appreciate the compliment. And, I like your quote i.e. "being defeated...". How true that is.

Thanks guys for the compliments. They always say it's better to be lucky than good....LOL

Here's the latest from the shop. I think it turned out pretty sweet. The customer was thrilled with it. It was kinda cool how the pistols seem to be shooting the flowers. I wish I could say that I meant to have it turn out that way, but alas, it was simply luck. Certainly no forethought on my part. Anyway, take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for looking and stay blessed.

Thanks gang for all of the nice compliments. They really are truly appreciated. I've been blessed with a smattering of talent and a whole bunch of good folks who have been willing to give me pointers along the way.