Double U Leather

Here's the latest off the bench. It turned out really well I think. As always, there's some things I wish I'd have done a bit different, but all in all, I'm way happy with it. Thanks to a good friend of mine for coaching me through the construction process, the finished product looks pretty nice. I haven't worried alot about my tooling for a while, but when it comes to construction issues on bigger items, I struggle. He taught me tons that, hopefully, I'll be able to remember the next time around. I've also attached a pic of the first briefcase I made about 4 years ago. That was when my screen name was "leatherrookie". Bob Park, a.k.a. Hidepounder told me then that if I made a briefcase I wasn't a rookie. Looking at the differences in tooling, I'd say "rookie" wasn't even close!! Dead Cow Molester would have been better. Anyway, take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for your time, and stay blessed.

Egraham....I've built lots of them. In fact, I'm working on one as we speak. I typically use Barge on them, and will sand the lid some just to rough up the surface. Most of the cans I done, the customers wanted some sort of conchos. In that case, I just drill the hole through the lid and put the screw through the can into the concho. One thing to be aware of....be sure the conchos are in a place that can be drilled through the lid and not hit a support or brace. The cans I use exclusively are the Smith Bros. cans. I get them from Willard Ropes. Those cans have a center circle for powder, etc., and I just about jacked one can up putting the conchos where the circle was. Anyway, I hope that helps. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. Bruce Johnson on here does a lot of nice cans too. He may have some more insight also.

Looks real good Volpert. You did well.

I'm with Bob. I get skeered when it's time for the construction phase. Especially if it's something big like a briefcase or purse or something. Gussets make me tremble. Oh and zippers in things like notebooks kinda make my palms sweat a tad. Like Bob, I love the carving part, and am getting much more comfortable with dying and finishing. But ask me to put a zipper in or make something with a gusset, and I don't like it one little bit. I'm grateful I've got some folks around me who are far more skilled at that stuff than I am, and I can go pick their brains when it's time to put stuff together.

Horrrk....thank you for the compliments. I'm sure if I can figure out how to make things that look relatively nice, anybody can. It just takes time...and of course being rather obsessive doesn't hurt either...LOL

Thanks guys for the compliments. Dennis...I appreciate that would even put me in the same library that contains the same book, that contains the same chapter, that contains a sentence with those other guys. I, personally, don't think I'm there yet...not really even close. But, I am striving to get closer. Oh, and I forgot some of the new young guns like Brody Bolton, Travis Stillson, etc. Safe to say I'll always have something to shoot for. Anyway, thanks for the compliment. It means alot to me.

Thank you Volpert. I appreciate the compliment.

LNL....Well thank you very much. I'm glad my stuff is pleasing to the eye. I'm still not sure the term artist applies, and besides what would all of my rodeo buddies say if they heard that I was an artist?.....LOL. Anyway, I appreciate your compliments very much. Maybe if I'm an artist, I can get an afro haircut and have a TV show on Public TV.....LOL.

Thanks for the nice words. I really do appreciate them. Again, I have to give credit to the Lord for my abilities...not only in leather, but my other gifts also. David...I kinda have the patterns in my head when I start....sorta. Basically, I have some sort of idea what I want it to look like when it's done. I know where the names or whatever will fit, and then drop in flowers around it. I do sometimes find myself painted into a corner on some things though. LNL....I don't know if I'd go so far as to call myself an artist. It seems like I just get lucky and stuff kinda fits when it's all done. Blind luck is actually much closer. But, thank you for thinking I might have some artistic ability.

RW...I don't know if I ever got to the place where I thought I was getting things figured out...LOL. I know that every time I stumble across another little tidbit, I figure it might get me that much closer to tooling like the guru's. Speaking of which, I just ordered Bob Park's book the other day. I can't wait to browse through that and see if I can't learn something. I told him that if nothing else, maybe by osmosis, I could gain some insight...LOL. Anyway, thanks for the compliment. I wish I had the funds to get one of Cary's videos. He's ridiculously talented. Him, Bob, Don Butler, etc., etc., sometimes make me want to melt my tools down and hammer 'em into fishing lures.

Thanks all for the kind words. Pete...No it's not a binding. Simply a beveled line dyed and then stitched. As for background, it's dyed with a Feibings brown and then antiqued in mahogany. LNL...I found that 7 to 5 ratio surfing thru FB. I found Cary Schwarz page and was looking at pictures and there was a close up of a couple flowers and he asked for any guesses to the ratio. The more I read, the more it sorta made sense. Thanks again everyone for the nice words.

Thanks Bob. I learned something with that spine part. I had drawn the lines where the beader blade would run before I did the circles. Oops...circles had lines in them. So, I just pebbled the circles to cover the lines. The whole circle part itself was an adventure too. Large circle=large snap, medium circle=medium snap, smaller circles=various hole punches...LOL. Sort of redneck way to do things, but that's pretty much who I am. Thanks again for the compliments.

Here's the latest from the bench. I tried something new regarding flower sizes after reading about the "7 to 5" ratio. It turned out pretty sharp. I'd liked to have thought through the flower sizing a bit further to alleviate two big ones at the bottom, but the customer is thrilled so that's all that matters. Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks for looking and stay blessed.

Pete, Thanks for the compliments. As for the patterns, yes they're my own...sorta. I really don't draw a pattern. I simply place the circles where the flowers will go, and then start carving. I'll sketch the flowers themselves and stems with a styllus so that I know the direction of the flow, but really it's just grab my swivel knife and go. I probably should draw out the patterns before hand to alleviate any oops's, but for the most part I've minimized the oops factor down to neat nothing. Hope that helps. Thanks again for the nice words.

And yet some more bronc halters out the door. The ropin' that is giving these away aren't necessarily "politically correct" as evidenced by the Top Chick halter....LOL. But, they are a good bunch of folks, and they were well pleased with how they turned out. Let me know what ya'll think. Thanks for looking, and be blessed.

Very nicely done. The tooling is top shelf. I've tried a couple horses, and they turn out looking like Welsh circus ponies!! Good job.

Thanks all for the nice words. The customer received it on Saturday, and was very pleased. In fact, is wanting 3 more like it and an IPad cas too!!

Here's the next item to ship out. I like how it turned out. I tried something a bit different with the top border. I kinda like it. Anyway, let me know what ya'll think. Keep being blessed.

Wow Crystal....that is a slam dunk. Love the colors and the finish work. Exceptional job.

Finally read through this post and figured I'd post my story too. I started in leather when I was a kid in 4-H. Worked at the local saddle shop while in high school. However, the rodeo bug had me bitten pretty bad and that's all I wanted to do. Went to college out of high school. Stayed for 5 weeks. Hit the road to become a big time bullrider. Too bad I didn't realize I couldn't ride a stick horse through K-Mart. Rode bulls professionally for about 6 years, taking any odd jobs I could find along the way (picking oranges in FL, working road construction, working for stock contractors, etc., etc). Each job lasted just long enough for me to get enough money together to hit the road again. Discovered another talent along the way...announcing rodeos. I figured I could announce some small rodeos, earn some money, and keep entering. Not too bright. Finally realized that I was getting paid everytime I picked up a microphone, and was never sore afterward. Hung up my bullrope in 1986 and turned my attention to announcing full time. Been a professional rodeo announcer ever since. I now announce rodeos, horse shows, bullridings, etc.. Anything that comes with a check. However, because of my inability to "play the political game" I found myself still not really making much of a living announcing. Maybe there's still too much bullrider left in me...LOL. Anyway, about4 or 5 years ago I started getting back into leather a little more serious. Since then, I've gotten lots of orders and now the leather business is becoming a nice second income for me. I don't know if the combination of rodeo and leather will ever make me rich, but for now it keeps the lights on most of time. I'm blessed to have always been able to chase my dream with the help of my family and friends. I'm also proud to say that I've instilled that in my kids too. My oldest son is in college in TX on a full ride rodeo scholarship and is wanting to chase his dream too. Hopefully, I can share my knowledge with him (and he'll listen) so that maybe he won't take all the dumb detours I did along the way. Be blessed everyone.

LNL....thanks for the nice words. I appreciate it. Horrk....it was dyed with Fiebings brown dye. Thanks also for the compliments.

Ferg, Bob....I appreciate your input, and I see what you mean. I never was one to color much inside the lines...LOL. But, those kiddos that did sure had nice looking pictures!! Maybe it's high time I buy a book that someone is selling so I can learn how to draw patterns the right way:whistle: . Maybe it might even be time to actually draw a pattern first instead of just making circles and starting to carve. Anyway, I do appreciate what you guys said, and I'll mentally try to think about that on the next project.

Benlilly, volbert.....thanks for the compliments. I appreciate them very much.

Thanks for the nice words.