Attache Case: Finally done!

[King's X]

For those of you who saw my portfolio case, here is the matching Attache case. I am sssoooo glad it is done. I am a hobbyist at this craft, but because a friend asked, I decided to take this commission. This was my first commission piece and probably my last. I am way to hard on myself. The front panel is the second one and almost the did it again after making two major boos. If you look closely, you will find them. I was not able to "cat scratch" them to cover them up. There is a big reason why the pictures are smal.

Oh, I almost forgot again. My black belt broken, so I made another one for myself. I used an old Tandy craftaid pattern by "Chuck Smith." This was a different type of project and my first belt.

Thanks for lookings. Please critique away, maybe I missed something.

Edited July 18, 2009 by King's X

[Luke Hatley]

Dont it make you feel bad when that happens..........

Well you almost got an A +................

[MADMAX22]

That looks really good IMO. I like the deep contrast you have going on with the floral pattern.

I see that you dyed the background, was wondering on the floral though did you dye some of it or did you use antique?

[King's X]

Yea Luke..beyond mad. I appreciate the A.

As for the process, here is what I usually do.

Case overnight with glass

carve and let dry

Olive Oil and throw it on the back of my truck for a short tanning session.

Dye the background Lt. Brown Fiebing's Oil Dye

Let dry a good day

apply RTC (Bee Natural) finish {really good} and let dry.

Then apply ECO FLO Antique Medium Brown gel

Final coat of Natural wax with soft towel.

The swivel cut areas, just get cased, craved and let it dry.

Apply RTC and make sure it covers well. That's it.

[Double U Leather]

King.....I sure don't spot any boo-boos. I did think I saw a splotch of dye on the edge that might not be where it should be, but other than that, I'm stumped. It looks real good. I really like the way the leaf from the underside matched up with the leaf on the front. That took some very careful planning. Good work. And, thanks for the "how to" concerning your finishing technique. That finish looks awesome. You did good.

[TimKleffner]

You did a nice job .. your fabrication and carving on the inside of the lid are great .... I applaud you for a brief case.

Glad to see you doing it

Happy Tooling

Tim

[King's X]

L/R & Tim: Appreciate the great comments. I thought the overlap leaf would be a good touch for the owner. The inside customized plate idea came from one of Al Stohlman's cases in one of his books.

Appreciate you.

[jbird]

Nice work Sam

it looks sweet you hit a home run

great work

Josh

[cem]

That's come up really nice King's X, the contrast sets it off beautifully.

[King's X]

JBird & CEM

I appreciate the comments. It was my first case, so it took much too long. I've got the admit that the Stohlman directions were A+, but I get Murphy's law got involved in the process. It was this project that made me think if I continue with commissions, that I better get a sewing machine. I went through about a dozen of my sewing needles. This finish is something that I picked up from George Hurst and I really like the way it turns out when I use Herman Oak Leather. The inside flap is a 3oz Tandy hide that they had on special that I needed at the last minute. Oh well.

Thanks.