azrider

I have a couple of cheap modeling tools. I spent some time with a buffer and jewlers rouge to get mine smoothed out. That helped a bunch with making them usable.

I just had two made by Bearman, a 14oz and a 20oz. The 14oz is wonderful for small intricate stuff, and the 20oz makes the rest of it go really fast. Don't know that I will use a mallet again.

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to pick up some deglazer when I back into town, and see if I can do anything for this, but have a hunch I will be remaking it.

Here is a picture of it. Would rubbing alcohol work?

Is there a readily avalible chemical that will allow me to strip the Supersheen off a project so I can reapply it? I had attempted to antique a project, and that didn't work, so I wiped off all the antique, which left the supersheen with some blotches. There is not a leatherwork supply store within an hour of my house, and I don't have any deglazer. Is there something else that might work that I could get at a grocery store or Home Depot?

So is there enough give in the small piece of elastic to be comforatable? Out of curiosity, what changes will you make on the next set?

The best thing about this forum is realizing how many cool things you can make! These are really cool. The arrow basket weave and ranger buckle sets really set them off.

I am working on a piece right now for my friends' wedding. It is a wall piece that will go in a 16x24 inch frame I bought. The frame will hang horizontally. The left side has their last name in old English lettering about 2 and a half inches tall. Under that in the same lettering but only and inch and a half tall it says Est. June 20, 2009 (Note to self, get this done soon...) Under that is their family Coat of Arms. On the right side, I made a Celtic picture frame based on the July/Aug Leathercrafters and Saddler's journal that will hold a 5x7 picture of them. (So basically it is a 16x24 inch matting for a 5x7 picture.) The groom was a groomsmen at my wedding, so I have some pictures of the couple, and it will be delivered with one of them in it.

Pictures? (I have been watching and learning too!)

I have measured out the curves or lines I want on a piece of paper near the edge, measured where the holes were going to be, and then placed it right next to where I wanted the holes on the leather. That way I could only mark where the actual holes are going to be punched with a stylus.

Thanks for the help Twin Oaks! I am going to do a little light embossing, just on the helmet once I get the rest of the piece finished. Here is what I have so far. I just realized as I was looking at this picture that I beveled the wrong side of the line on the knight's sholder. If I carefully cut a second line there, and beveled to the other side to give it a raised ridge look, would that help?

Because of the time constraint, and my previous history of really screwing things up when I try to dye them, I am going to simply antique this piece. The wedding is next Saturday, and this has to be done by Tuesday. How difficult would it be to emboss just the helmet? It is 8-9oz leather.

I am doing a gift for a friend's wedding that includes his family Coat of Arms. The full picture is below. The part I am not sure about is the helmet. How would you trace, shade and bevel this to get the right effect? (I have to have the piece done by Tuesday, so will be working on it today. Any help is appriciated.)

What type of leather did you use for the linning? It came out really nice, and the edge burnishing is awesome!

I ordered some from this place: http://www.uglyotter.com/ (Fair warning, if you like turquoise, this can be a risky website to get through with out spending money...) You will have to call and talk to the guy to let him know what you want. The ones I got were handmade silver tips made by one of the Native American artists he works with. I have ordered several things from him, and he is good to do business with.

Nice simple design. Tooling looks pretty nice too. Sometimes simple great.

I by no means an expert in this, but when I did the seat for my Yamaha, I assembled the leather pieces flat, and then folded them after they were laced. I used the Mexican Basketweave, which came out really nice. On two pieces layed side by side, it comes out as a wide and nice looking braid. To form the seat, a lot of people suggested wet molding, which will help conform the leather to the seat contours. I did mine dry, and just streched it out, but wet forming could have gotten all the wrinkles out. I attached the leather by drilling holes in the plastic seat pan, punching holes in the leather where needed. I used aluminum rivets to attach to the pan. I am not sure if I am picturing the seat on your bike right, but if it is pretty much a box, you should be able to make a box out of leather, using lacing for the seams, and pull it tight without wet molding it. The sides would be attached flat, and then folded over when you did the corners. For starting the lace, I just held on to the piece until I went through a few stitches, and then it held itself. I tucked it out of the way when I was done. The $7 book on lacing Tandy has has good ways to splice, start and stop this pattern. Hope that helps.

Thank you for the suggestions. I was planning on a resist. Is there a specific type of tape that could be used that wouldn't mark the piece? I have some Tandy Super Sheen, would this work as a resist?

I am doing a gift for a friend of mine, and need some advice on how to do it. Most of the projects I have done up to now have had the same finish through out. I want to tool a good sized piece of leather, and then dye some of the design, and antique some of the tooling. I shouldn't have any issues dying the part I want to dye, but how do I antique part of the piece while leaving the rest natural?

I am no where near good enough to have an actual business from my leatherwork, but here's my cent and a half. I have another hobby that got out of hand enough where I had to either scale it back or start a business: breeding and sales of freshwater ornamental aquarium fish. My brother and I started the business, and lost our targeted amount of money for two years. We both had day jobs, and did this because we loved it and the "business" paid for us to get large aquariums and very expensive and rare fish. The only reason we closed that business is that I moved to a different state. Most of the tools and supplies I have gotten to really get started on leatherworking have come from sales of items left over from that business. So far I have had two paying custom jobs. One has been delivered already, and one is still in progress. The money paid for these will barley cover materials, and not pay for time. I am hoping I can get my leatherwork to the point where it can pay for supplies and new tools as I get them. It’s something I really enjoy doing and I will continue to do it, I am just hoping I can get it to pay for itself!

I will get a picture tomorrow of the seat. I thought it was rub off, but the areas where it is fading the most are not seating areas. Any idea of how to prevent it? Topcoat or dressing?

I did a seat on my motorcycle that I finished in March. Have a few miles on it now, and have learned a few things for the next seat I do. 1) Fiebings spay sheen is not good for things (like seats) that flex a lot. 2) Skidmore's Leather cream will fill in and make the cracks from the spray on acrylic look better. 3) High gloss finishes look great, but with no sissy bar on the passenger pylon and a tendency to grab whole fist full of throttle coming off lights, they can be a little slick for the passenger... So one thing I have noticed is that the Fiebings antique I used for color has faded quite a bit. Is this just from sunlight? It isn't rubbing off on me, and in fact the worst fading is on the passenger pylon, which my wife has only been on twice. Has anyone else seen this? Is it from the sunlight? Any way to prevent it?

Looking for some mallets and mauls. Currently have the yellow polly mallet from Tandy. Would like some heavier mallets, and want to try a maul. Was hoping I might be able to find used ones for less than what Tandy wants. Can pay quickly with pay pal.

Thanks for the info every one. The desk I am using is causing part of the bounce for sure. I will be building a new bench in all the spare time I have... I have been using this table and set up for about two years now for tooling. The only issues I have are when I am dealing with the thin leather and the bigger stamps. 1/2 inch no problem, 3/4 inch problem. I thought I had it down, and skipped the makers mark on a piece I am working on now. I covered it, but it doesn't look great. I ended up stamping it on a pocket inside, and cut three pieces before I could get the impression I wanted. (BTW, this piece is for me at work so I am not as worried about perfection.) I am going to see about finding a better mallet or two. The two I have now were part of tandy kits, and have worked well, but I think heavier ones would work better some times. Thanks for all the thoughts and ideas!

I think yours came out looking good. I learned a lot doing mine as well.