Jack1970

That is really, really cool! Beautiful work!

Beautiful work!

Hey Leland! That looks great! Yes, I was using the matte finisher as a resist. Great job on the lettering and you nailed the fouled anchor! The stitching and color looks great as well. That's going to be one happy ITCM and I'm sure it'll be a hit in the mess! You may be getting real busy making those real soon. Jack

I hear ya. I was not particularly clear. I don't think a bunch of irrelevant stuff that a customer has to sort through is a very good strategy either. I was thinking of something like you've done with your site. I wouldn't say it's just about the leather. A person looking at your site knows not only that you use quality leather, they know that you're a one man shop, they can discern your guiding philosophy (quality over hype and no BS), and that you know and can articulate what a person should be looking for in a leather good (educating your customer).

And yet, the front page of your website has exactly what I'm talking about.

I like it! One thing that might be good is to expand your "about us" section a little. Maybe you could sell yourself as an artisan in that section. You're work is beautiful, btw! Very clean!

I think it looks great!

Thanks, @Ragingstallion Thanks, @Rohn Thanks, @JLSleather! I've seen your work and I'm a fan! Thanks, Gary @garypl Thanks, @ScoobyNewbie! Yeah, it's definitely white! Thanks, @Mattsbagger! Thanks, @bdpeters! I just used orange cova color from Tandy's for the flower center. Yeah, I agree, Don's patterns are great for lots of contrast. Thanks, @BlakesBlades! Thanks, @mike6642! Thanks, Rusty @rustyj58! I love his videos and instruction, too! He makes it look easy! lol! I just lined it with 3-4 0z vegtan. You should totally make one for yourself! I've made 3 different belts for myself and I'm always switching around and wearing a different one to work everyday. Be sure and post pics when you get it done!

Hi folks, Thought I'd share my latest belt. It's a Don Gonzales pattern that I had a great time tooling and putting together. I thought it turned out pretty decent. White thread was all I had on hand and I thought I'd like it. I thought it would pop...but I think I'll be happier when it picks up a little dust and dirt. It's a little much. lol

I've done that myself. I pitched 3 belts before I finally made a nice belt for my brother in law....and it was totally worth it! I learned a ton and he got a nice gift that he didn't have to like just because I'm family. lol

Hang in there! You'll improve faster than you realize. For holding the leather down while you bevel, try a bag full of BBs. You will get a feel for the dampness of the leather with time just paying close attention to the way the leather is responding.

Those are some super slick notebook covers! I especially like the one with the red stitching but I think all of them are really cool! Nice tooling on the tooled one, too. I see you got your initial worked in there. Nice work!

Nice belt, Chaz! I like your creative approach!

Hahaha! Yeah, I kind of put the project off for a while because I didn't know if I could tool it and make it look like the original, or much like anything at all. Finally, I just bit the bullet to get it done and took the risk of ruining a big piece of leather. Thanks again for you comments!

When I first saw it I was going to recommend buffing it like crazy but it looks like you got it all worked out. Nice work! Turned out great!

Thanks, @Bigfoote! I appreciate your comments! I got curious about that stitching and apparently that pic was before I hammered the stitches flat. I found another pic where it didn't look so tight there on the bottom left. I fussed with that thing quite a bit before I took it to work. lol Thanks for the kind words @ScoobyNewbie! Thanks for your kind comments @Riem! It's weird that he doesn't have eyes, isn't it? lol! I carved the letters. I copied and traced them, along with the logo, from my friend's website.

I went swung by there a few weeks ago after visiting the Tandy headquarters and museum. I picked up a 2 lb maul, too! Of course, I enjoyed myself at both places! lol

Thanks @Leebroox for your kind words! Sure! After tooling I oiled it real well with olive oil and let that dry out some. Then, I used two coats of Fiebing's dark brown dye mixed with Fiebing's dye reducer. I just used a paint brush and a dauber. When it was dry, I buffed it like crazy with a soft cloth and a soft brush. Then I used Angelus Matte Finisher followed by Angelus Med. Brown Antique. After all that dried, I used leather sheen as a top coat. The interior is just Fiebing's dark brown with a dauber and Angelus Leather Balm. Thanks for the encouraging feedback @battlemunky!

Sorry folks, here's a pic.

Hi folks, I thought I'd share a picture of a portfolio for a scheduler that I just finished for a colleague. Definite flaws in it, I especially need to work those eyes a little more, but all in all, I thought it turned out ok. Jack

That's a nice looking belt! Great job!

@JazzBass I couldn't agree more! That has been my exact experience as well. I've been surprised at how things turned out in the end after I thought I'd totally messed a project up. "Keep on keepin' on" ~ Clark Terry Jack

I really like that! Very nice design and well done!

Very nice work!

Thank ya'll very much!