outcast Report post Posted February 20, 2008 (edited) I just finished this up for a prison Ministry in Ohio. It's going on an HD softail. He said he wanted to sit on a demons face so I gave him one that is demonicly possessed himself. Edited February 20, 2008 by outcast Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ETW Grumpy Report post Posted February 20, 2008 That's a really cool effect. I didn't see the ghosts in the top of the design until I looked the second time. Nice bevelling and shading. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardb Report post Posted February 20, 2008 Man this thing rocks!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drac Report post Posted February 20, 2008 5 demons on one skull. dagnabbit, now you guys are making want to do seats too! although I can't draw. and don't ride anymore. or keep in touch with any bikers. mighty snazzy seat though! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freak Report post Posted February 20, 2008 Nice and clean man. It's molded very nice too. Your artwork ?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outcast Report post Posted February 20, 2008 Nice and clean man. It's molded very nice too. Your artwork ?? Hey, thanx for the comps guys! Freak, I got the artwork off from google. The molding is pretty much a trick I figured out on my own a couple of years ago. I use to mold it as shown in Beezas tute with the leather for the sides cut out in the middle to exact dimensions of the the top piece which leaves it all one flat piece after lacing. You really have to fight with it that way when you mount it. Now I drape it over the top of the seat so the sides are hanging downward instead of outward then cut out the top, and trim carefully to a line I've drawn on foam. It takes a little more attention to the set-up, and just a little bit more leather, but really is a big time saver (and pain saver on my hands) when I mount it. It also wet forms to curvatures easier. Steve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCOUTER Report post Posted February 20, 2008 Awesome Job! When I first looked I thought it was a cut-out stitched onto a seat! WOW! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spider Report post Posted February 20, 2008 Hey I'm really diggin on your seat. Thank you for the explanation also. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bustedlifter Report post Posted February 20, 2008 Looks good, and I'm not even that crazy about skulls. Interesting art work there,you pulled it off ,nicely. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shirleyz Report post Posted February 20, 2008 Really nice clean design. It looks great! Shirley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outcast Report post Posted February 20, 2008 Really nice clean design. It looks great!Shirley Thanx Shirley! Ever since I first laid eyes on your work I've been a big fan. You're a master at what you do. Oh, and BTW congrats on the seat article published over at Bikernet. You really pulled it off even when yer ol man was sayin NO WAY! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomSwede Report post Posted February 20, 2008 I love it! Very intricate skull design with those demons. The shading is way nice. Is it sealed, antiqued and sealed again?? Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outcast Report post Posted February 20, 2008 Tom, I put Block Out on the teeth, then stained the artwork with X-1. Then oiled it with neetsfoot, applied liquid latex to the art work, dyed the rest black with Fiebings oil dye, peeled off the latex, and sealed it with Leather Balm w/ atom wax. Buffed it to a nice gloss, and applied Fiebings Aussie leather conditioner w/ beeswax. Pretty much in that order. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whinewine Report post Posted February 21, 2008 Outcast: I have a stupid question... How do you figure out how many lacing holes you need to punch to make them come out even when you come back to the starting point? (In other words, how do you determine the distances between the holes so that they are all the same distance apart?) Thank you. russ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bustedlifter Report post Posted February 21, 2008 X-1 ? that stuff's getting as rare as hen's teeth or frog hair. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shirleyz Report post Posted February 21, 2008 Thanx Shirley! Ever since I first laid eyes on your work I've been a big fan. You're a master at what you do. Oh, and BTW congrats on the seat article published over at Bikernet. You really pulled it off even when yer ol man was sayin NO WAY! Thanks Steve, I think you are my first official fan. Judging by that seat you are probably going to be a strong rival too, and that's great. While I have other great leather workers to compete against I have to keep improving. That way the standard by which we are judged gets higher. That's a good thing. Just don't get too good, hear? I'll have to send the boys over! lol Shirley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomSwede Report post Posted February 21, 2008 Tom, I put Block Out on the teeth, then stained the artwork with X-1. Then oiled it with neetsfoot, applied liquid latex to the art work, dyed the rest black with Fiebings oil dye, peeled off the latex, and sealed it with Leather Balm w/ atom wax. Buffed it to a nice gloss, and applied Fiebings Aussie leather conditioner w/ beeswax. Pretty much in that order. Thanks Outcast! Very helpful info that I can use to convince my supplier (best and about the only one in Sweden) that there`s more to the leatherworld than Supersheene and acrylic spray finishes! You also reminded me that I forgot to buy Fiebings black and latex on my trip there a couple of days ago, well it got expensive enough as you probably know, he he Thanks a bunch for the nice help and time given to explain. And once again, Maaan that skull is nice, makes me (almost) regret having all my tattoo viking themed. Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outcast Report post Posted February 21, 2008 Outcast: I have a stupid question...How do you figure out how many lacing holes you need to punch to make them come out even when you come back to the starting point? (In other words, how do you determine the distances between the holes so that they are all the same distance apart?) Thank you. russ Whinewine, thats not a stupid question at all. In fact the layout can be very important to the overall look of the project. This is what I do. First I measure from the edge the distance I want my lace holes to be from top to bottom. I always go with 3/8". Scribe or mark a line as shown in the next pic. Then I measure the distance around the scribed line. I use mig welding wire & tape it down right on top of the line all the way around. I use the wire cuz it's easy to work with, and I have plenty of it in the fab shop all the time, and it won't stretch like lace or thread. See the next pic. You might not see the wire but it is there. After I untape the wire from the template or leather I measure it's length. This one measured 37.75" around the lace line. Next I decide how far I want the holes to be apart. IMO 3/8" looks good, but ends up being a lot more holes, & more time lacing. So, on the bigger seats I go with 1/2". I never go over 1/2". Next I take the lace line measurement (37.75"), and divide it by .5 (1/2"). I come up with 75.5 holes. Mr. Monk wouldn't like that, so I round up to an even number of 76. Then I divide the lace line measurement (37.75") by the number of holes (76), and come up with .496". That's pretty darn close to 1/2", so thats what I will set my dividers to. I always mark a center line on the flesh side of the leather, straddle the line on both ends, and make my reference marks. That makes it all symetrical. Then I just step it off, and make my marks as shown in the next pic. Works out pretty good for me, hope it helps you too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whinewine Report post Posted February 22, 2008 Whinewine, thats not a stupid question at all. In fact the layout can be very important to the overall look of the project.This is what I do. First I measure from the edge the distance I want my lace holes to be from top to bottom. I always go with 3/8". Scribe or mark a line as shown in the next pic. Then I measure the distance around the scribed line. I use mig welding wire & tape it down right on top of the line all the way around. I use the wire cuz it's easy to work with, and I have plenty of it in the fab shop all the time, and it won't stretch like lace or thread. See the next pic. You might not see the wire but it is there. After I untape the wire from the template or leather I measure it's length. This one measured 37.75" around the lace line. Next I decide how far I want the holes to be apart. IMO 3/8" looks good, but ends up being a lot more holes, & more time lacing. So, on the bigger seats I go with 1/2". I never go over 1/2". Next I take the lace line measurement (37.75"), and divide it by .5 (1/2"). I come up with 75.5 holes. Mr. Monk wouldn't like that, so I round up to an even number of 76. Then I divide the lace line measurement (37.75") by the number of holes (76), and come up with .496". That's pretty darn close to 1/2", so thats what I will set my dividers to. I always mark a center line on the flesh side of the leather, straddle the line on both ends, and make my reference marks. That makes it all symetrical. Then I just step it off, and make my marks as shown in the next pic. Works out pretty good for me, hope it helps you too. Outcast: I don't know what I did (or didn't do???), but I can't get the pictures to show for some reason... dammit! I'm sorry. russ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whinewine Report post Posted February 22, 2008 Outcast: I don't know what I did (or didn't do???), but I can't get the pictures to show for some reason...dammit! I'm sorry. russ Sorry for bitching, Outcast. I just couldn't get the pics to show or open. While I am primarily a 'show me & I'll learn easier...' type of person, I know I can do this with your excellent directions (it's just a good reinforcement for me to see the photos, too). Believe me, I am greatly appreciative of your help. Thank you. Sincerely, russ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites