Cattleman

Lol... It only took me hand stitching ONE belt for me to decide I needed a sewing machine... My hands were blistered and bloody for days after stitching that first belt, never again!!!

Roper Wallet. It looks very nice.

Very clean tooling, really like it. Dons patterns can be a challenge to tool so clean... Hes really good at getting maximum detail into a given area.

Absolutely beautiful work! Knives, wood, leather.... Is there anything you DON'T do??? Lol

I would wear that all winter while working out in the wind and snow. Very nicely done, really like the underarm ventilation... Nothing worse than having soaking wet armpits when its -10F.

Yep that would be the stuff.

If it were me I'd be looking for Golden Sheerling. The same stuff saddle makers put on the under side of saddles. If you have a saddle shop nearby you may go ask if they can tell you of a good source. But be very cautious doing this, as saddle makers especially older saddle makers are not always known for being helpful. It's kind of an old timer thing... They dont always like sharing thier secrets.

Interesting design. Really like the Nordic vibe... Which I generally don't care for, but yours is very nicely done... And subtle.

I second Tim at Steel Stamps.... Very nice work. This is mine... 1 inch.

Glazing is usually an intentional process done to seal the leather... Alot of exotics are glazed. More likely is that at some point that leather was placed on a surface that had something on it that transfered to the leather and acted similar to a glaze or sealer.

What I'm curious about is what caused that funny egg shaped discoloration on your tooling rock? Is it just a reflection from the lighting???

That turned out very nice. As others have said, the splotchiness really looks good... Gives it a unique character.

Those are all amazing! The hands are nearly perfect... The only critique id give them is to make the crease between the thumb and fingers slightly less defined, kinda look like chicken drumsticks. Aside from that, finominal work.

That looks awesome to me... The fish being up a little high just gives the impression that its really jumping, I like it.

That is a very clean looking piece. I personally don't care for bi-fold wallets, instead I carry a Roper Wallet. But I do very much like the design... It might just find its way into my portfolio of products that I offer... With a tooled body though.

You would hate riding in my truck... LOL! From my rearview mirror I have a garter from a good friends wedding, a fake Hawaiian Lae, my HS graduation tassel, a leather necklace with a pewter pendant my sister gave me decades ago, and a set of large earrings I made my wife.

+1 for christmas ornaments!!!

Thank you, but I'm still aspiring myself. Believe it or not ive only been doing leather work for about 4 years. Completely self taught, with many hours of watching true masters either in person or on YouTube. It all started with a simple belt I made my young son out of chap leather. I had posted some pictures on trucking forum, that I'm a member of, where someone noticed the very even hand stitching. They wanted a good heavy duty working mans belt, I offered to make it in exchange for some materials. From there its just gone up, slowly but steadily. Apply yourself and you can make anything you set your mind to. I love to see customers eyes light up when I can personally hand them thier finished order. And then when they give me feed back like, "I'll never buy another belt from a store again. Yours is just so much more comfortable." Or, "I will use this until I'm gone, then my son will have it... Probably until he's gone. You really do make a quality product." Thats what I strive for... A usable product that will will become something that is passed down.

Thank You. I do items for family as gifts as well. My dad has a rifle sling I made him for christmas 2 years ago. It would have been in the $300 range as a custom order. My brother-in-law jas a pocket knife belt sheath I made last Christmas, it would have been around $100. This purse is by far the biggest ticket item I've made to date. But I've done several wallets of various types that range in price from $100 to $300, a few belts in the $200 range, and several knife sheaths from $75 to $150. Custom work can indeed bring a pretty penny. But more often than not, someone really likes something I've made and wants to place an order... Until I give them a quote, then they get all huffy and start talking about how they can get it on etsy or some other place for alot less. I tell them all the same thing, "You're not buying the leather, or even my time. You're buying the art and the quality." Sometimes they reconsider after I explain some things, other times I know its just a waste of my time to try so I send them on thier way with, "If you change your mind you know how to find me." Ive never had a customer complain about the final product, or the price once they have the item in thier hands. And many of my customers have become return clients that order something from me once or twice a year.

Something I have done, and still do on occasion, is when a customer wants to order I will ask them if they are willing to place an order for some materials in lue of payment... And have them ship it directly to me. I always give them specific links to products and quantities that will ensure I have materials left over to build another. This often times gives the customer a bit of a discount, but I can make another for sale at full price. Most of my clients really like this form of payment. It's quick and easy.

I apply antique after all my dye & oil work is done and a resist has been applied. Then antique and top coat or seal.

I sell my belts for $100 (slickout) to $300+ (full floral carved and tooled)... So yeah its possible to sell for a decent price, but I wouldnt go near etsy. Anyone who is looking for a belt on there isnt going to pay what I need out of them... And they aren't going to get a good quality belt either for those prices.

That will definetally help I'm sure. Im so used to using and seeing horse hair macates that I forgot that they dont have to be made of horse hair.

I think aloy of folks here are going to need picture illustrations to fully understand what you said... Lol. Growing up and having lived and worked on working cattle operations I'm very familiar with the setup you describe. Never really cared for a mecate on a bit myself, but always used a mecate on my hackamore.

Are you oilng before antiqueing??? If so what are you using for oil??? Extra virgin olive oil will occasionally leave a white/gray residue after a period of time.