Newest Tank Bib In Process

[Spinner]

"California"-style tank bib in process...full bottom wrap with Celtic cross design (customer supplied artwork). I almost hate to dye this thing red on black...antiqued browns would look sooooo cool!

[Casey Jordan]

I'm sure the end product will turn out pretty neat with the start you have. Can't wait to see pictures of it finished!

[Spinner]

Thanks Casey. This is the first of three that I am doing (different clients & tooling designs) and definitely the most complicated tooling.

First time I have ever done a celtic pattern so it was fun to do. The wet molding part is kind of a pain but looks pretty sweet when it's all said and done.

Edited September 7, 2010 by Spinner

[Spider]

Very cool. Keep us posted on the different ones.

[Fredo]

Spinner that's real nice work

I've never have been a big fan of those wrap around tank bibs. However you have done a real nice job of fit and trim on that one. The lower wrap under the compound curves looks very tight and evenly fit to both sides, they must have been a bear to get tight since most bikes dont sit level unless your ridding them.

The cross work looks great, I know your client will be very happy with this. I agree on the colors If you havet done it yet, show him the bib without the dye work, he may agree with you and let you go with antique browns.

[mastifflady]

Spinner ur work is great!

I myself have just started tooling a year ago & still a newb...

My husband has an older sportster I wood like to make him a bib for his tank & surprize him 4 xmas, but i realy don't know where to start...any suggetions?

[Big Steve]

Hiya Spinner, this will look good in black and red, i do a lot of celtic work, trust me it will look good, some time ago i did a seat for a V-Max with a Celtic / Trbal design, mate i kicked and squeeled all the way cos the guy wanted it black and red, when it was done it was amazin, there is a pic on my web site www.bigsteves.co.uk may give you an idea of the finished job, what i did was to do a decorative double stitch around the outside in red, post the finished pics when done,

Regards,Steve.

[Spinner]

Spinner ur work is great!

I myself have just started tooling a year ago & still a newb...

My husband has an older sportster I wood like to make him a bib for his tank & surprize him 4 xmas, but i realy don't know where to start...any suggetions?

Hey Lady,

best place to start is with cloth templates. They can be laid down on the tank without scratching it, marked on with fabric markers, cut, etc easily. the only issue you may run into if you're not handy with the tools & bike parts is getting the bolt holes & brackets marked out right. I specialize in bikes I either own or own the tanks for (yes, I buy spare gas tanks of different models) so i can pull them apart and get perfect matches for the brackets and such. Once you have a good pattern, the leather part is easy.

Many folks use heavy leather and such for bibs but it's not necessary. The best I have found is 5/6 ounce. It molds around curves easy enough but still have enough meat for tooling, lacing, etc. I use 1/8" kangaroo lace with triple loop lacing for the edges and then 3M 90 spray glue (the hardcore stuff - one step above 3M 77) to attach the felt liner to the back. I use the same pattern for the felt and then once attached will trim the excess felt away from the edges so it all comes out smooth and provides full coverage. many bib makers don't line under the speedo but I do. it's that bit of extra that separates!

When you have the pattern, cut the leather, lay out the holes and then do your tooling and lacing slots before molding it to the tank. It's a major pain to do either of those after the bib is molded. Once it's all tooled and punched, lay a piece of felt over the tank and then the leather on top of that and do any molding necessary. having the felt on the tank protects it from rubbing wet leather on the paint and also creates the additional space you will need for the liner which is the last step.

Once the bib sets up and dries, remove it from the tank, then you can dye, lace, finish and line it. hope this helps!

Here's a picture of what I mean by using fabric to do the template. you can see how I am laying out the center lines, pocket area and using a print out of the artwork to get everything lined up. Also notice the tape. It's blue "Painters Tape" available at any hardware store. Blue tape has a very low adhesive so it doesn't mark the paint or leave any residue. no muss, no fuss!

[Spinner]

Hiya Spinner, this will look good in black and red, i do a lot of celtic work, trust me it will look good, some time ago i did a seat for a V-Max with a Celtic / Trbal design, mate i kicked and squeeled all the way cos the guy wanted it black and red, when it was done it was amazin, there is a pic on my web site www.bigsteves.co.uk may give you an idea of the finished job, what i did was to do a decorative double stitch around the outside in red, post the finished pics when done,

Regards,Steve.

hey Steve,

Thanks, it did come out pretty decent. Funny thing is, this is a way old post. This was my first whale-tail bib and I'll be doing my 13th this week. here's how this one turned out way back when. Looking back I have found areas to improve on but it's still pretty good and the client loves it so I can't complain too much. I think I still would have preferred it saddle tan with antique over the black and red but it works.