RidgebackCustoms

Thank you

Thank you! The brass knuckle design is more form than function lol. A little uncomfortable and probably not reasonable for someone petite. I have another version that is a more traditional handle and I include a removable shoulder strap with both designs. Biggest problem I've heard back on (from family) is that the bag tends to pop open when overfilled because the handle closure is magnetic. Not a deal breaker, but been thinking of upping the magnetic force on the standard handle and seeing if that helps.

Just finished the latest tote bag. The construction design is my own. I wanted something I didn't have to sew; someone without extensive leather skills could build and therefore repair; something unique; and something that gave me a large blank canvas to tool and experiment with. I've sold a handful of them, but they didn't get as much traction as I would have hoped. If there's interest, I've been debating whether it would be worth the time to digitize the pattern and provide it to the leathercraft community. Thank you. -Ben Little Ridgeback Customs

Looking forward to it! I'll swing by and say hello.

Quick break down on how I would progress through this drawing. Rushed the pear shading and hair work, but hopefully this is helpful.

Update to conform to rules: 162 patches total. Patches are shown below Quantities vary per type, but approximately 3 per variant. Retail value of patches is between 5 and 15 dollars per patch. PDFs are exact patch part numbers and retail values. Asking $165 firm. Invoice will be conducted through square using an email address. Includes shipping, hanging displays as shown in the photos, and all inventory. Please let me know if I've missed anything from the rules or there are points of clarification. Thank you. Scan_20240428 (2).pdf Scan_20240428.pdf

I charged $5 per patch plus the cost of the patch if they bought one of mine.

I'm no longer going to motorcycle shows to sew leather vests. I have quite a bit of inventory in patches remaining. They're all Patchstop brand patches (patchstop.com). I'm hoping to get 1 dollar per patch for my remaining inventory. Over 100 patches. I believe 173. with retail values between 5 and 15 dollars on their website. Can provide more information and pictures to anyone interested. Thank you. -Ben

With my first bullet point, I was saying that the line that goes from 1 to 3 transitions from foreground to background along the line which is a little more difficult. I'll try and find some time this weekend to sketch it out.

I'm sorry you're having trouble with your hands. Couple ideas that may help: You can try wrapping your stamping tools in a wrap to increase the diameter. That can make it easier to hang on to for longer periods of time. I've heard some people have success using rubber pencil holders. I've seen, but haven't personally used, a leather tattoo machine. Thicker handle and no cause for pounding /using a hammer. May be worth a look if the hammer strikes are causing problems. https://www.blackflagleathergoods.com/leather-tattoo-machine-21grams-leather-goods/

Not bad. You're off to a good start. Some suggestions: The boundary between the hair and shoulder is probably the only thing I would tweak on the image you showed. Picture shows the shoulder in the foreground, but the beveled image follows the perimeter of the figure and has the hair and shoulder in the same plane. Push the hair to the background. If you're not going to add color, recommend running smooth bevelers and checked bevelers. The checked bevelers go where there is background and provide a sharper contrast on what is background and what is figure. This is a gross oversimplification Would also recommend backgrounding if not adding color. It's an easy way to get the eye to see what is figure and what is background. If you're running background, no need for checked bevelers. The fringe/hands could be cut in with a swivel knife to try and duplicate the effect and then blend that into some background matting. This is probably the most difficult part of the design from a skill perspective. For a design like this, pear shaders are your friend. A set in several sizes, smooth will show the flow of the blanket she's holding as well as the dress. A set of modeling tools would be good too, but one or the other would suffice. The ruffles on the dress I would separate the layers with an undercut technique if you have that tool (pro petal tool or undercut modeling tool) Keep going! A design like this doesn't come alive until after pear shading and then you really start to see it.

Oil tanned leather doesn't tend to wet mold well. Usually veg tanned leather is the go to for wet molding. There are knife sheath patterns that don't require wet molding though.

I would think a good contact cement plus velodon would minimize stretch. It really does depend on the application / expected use of the belt. If this were a heavy duty gun belt, I would probably do a veg tan backer and then the 5 oz outer. If it's more a fashion accessory you'd be okay. I've also seen polyester ribbon as an intermediate layer to prevent stretch. Again, secured with a good contact cement.

Difficult as the burnishing process darkens the edge. Edge matching can be done with edge kote or edge paint, but if you want the burnished edge, maybe dilute down your dye significantly with a solvent before application so it's more of a water color type consistency before application. Fiebings dilutes well with Isopropyl alcohol.

https://www.springfieldleather.com/Maverick-Trifold-Wallet-Interiors These are ready made wallet interiors, which may be a good starting point if you're new to leatherwork. For outer leather try to stick to vegetable tanned leathers or latigo/combination tanned leathers. Rocky mountain leather supply has a good assortment of leathers, you can sort by firmness, and they will split down the thickness to whatever you need. I'm partial to the Italian veg tans, but lots of great options. https://www.rmleathersupply.com/