croc inlayed/celtic eyeglass keeper

[sodapop]

ok folks...since some of you encouraged me to put something together instead of just tooling on scrap etc...so heres my first attempt at a finished item...i made this eyeglass case for myself as practice...this is the first time braiding anything other then some holes in scrap and the inlay is a first as well under the olde english V for my last name...

what did i learn this round...well lets see..."HOW TO SPLICE LACE" not just ONCE but TWICE!! hehe...also i started the braid on the wrong side and was too far along by the time i noticed...so watch that next time...theres some other little details i need to be careful of...but theres always something to be gained by just "doing"...the braid is the 8 string round braid...

and look tom swede...i made it around the damn corner lol

i'll give kevin king some credit...cuz seeing his stuff is what really motivated me to try an inlay...

thanks for looking and critiques always welcome!!

darryl

front

back

Edited June 29, 2008 by sodapop

[wildrose]

Those are both really great! I can't pick which I like better.

[sodapop]

thanks alot wildrose!!...i added an edit now...cuz i see i'm not so clear, sorry bout that...its actually the same one...just front & back...

darryl

Edited June 29, 2008 by sodapop

[Storm]

Very sweet Darryl,

I really like the entire piece.   Love the job you did on the lacing too. Each piece is getting better and better. Keep going Bro! You are on a roll.

Storm

[sodapop]

sloooooowly but surely storm hehe...glad you it!!...now i gotta think of something else

darryl

[TwinOaks]

Darryl, very nice work! One thing I'd like to critique, which I did on my first Mex. basketweave braid. The holes for the lacing need to be the same spacing as the lacing width. That will help eliminate the gaps between the laces on the sides. I knew mine looked funny, all spaced out the way it was, and someone was kind enough to explain it to me. Interestingly enough, I had to learn how to splice into that braid twice also!!

Keep up the excellent progress.

Mike

[Beaverslayer]

Great looking case, the lacing turned out real good.

Ken

[sodapop]

much appreciated mike for the critique!!...i did not know that...definately do that my next shot at it...what i did know it wasn't pretty...i got a overstitcher comin...is that what i should be using for my spacing with the differnt wheels it comes with etc??...and i drilled the holes out with a drill...well that wasn't too pretty either ...but i did learn how skive & splice hehe

thanks for the kudos ken!!...i struggled with the lacing abit of course...not enough length, the dreaded corner on the bottom...superglue is my friend now lol

darryl

[leatheroo]

i think its a great piece..love the colors and lacing

[sodapop]

i think its a great piece..love the colors and lacing

thanks a bunch roo!!...one thing i've grown fond of so far is antique...the cognac color of the croc, oil + anitque and some aussie to finish'er off...just all went together nicely...some roo lace would of been even better...but i didn't want to use perfectly good roo for a practice piece...and the caimen croc was from some remnants i bought so wasn't no biggie with using that really...

darryl

Edited June 29, 2008 by sodapop

[TomSwede]

Way to go Darryl but I never doubted that. I'm impressed with the clean lines in your carving!

Good going with the corner, it's only hard when you think about it, sort of...you know what I mean.

About that overstitcher, you can use it whenever it fit's the width of your lace. I use it for alot of my lacing. The Laila purse was about 1/10" lace and I used the wheel that is about 1/5" to space it. That's not a tight as it can be but since the background is dark/black I used that width to save time and lace, mostly time. I think there's quite a difference in making a really tight basketweave and a little looser one and also I wanna keep something for one off special work to dazzle a bit extra with.

Looking at that braided bracer I put up recently I used same overstitcher size but about 1/8" lace and same size for the holes and the braid got a much more snug look than Lailas purse but don't compare them side to side, Lailas purse is the simplified basketweave.

Experiment a bit back and forth with hole sizes and spacing and you'll get it.

Tom

[sodapop]

hey tom...i appreciate the info with the overstitcher...just got it today as a matter of fact...so i'll have to fart around with it...glad ya like my tooling...i'm getting more comfortable & "oneness" with the tools...so i'm able to relax/calm down a bit while doin it...sure makes a difference...imo it about "finesse"...now just to get my overall construction & braiding with the same smoothness i'll be in business lol

darryl

p.s i do tend to overthink things ;0)

[carr52]

I really like the whole project. I like the Celtic design. Mainly because of it's degree of difficulty and it's olde world charm. I would like to learn how to do that type of lacing. It looks nice.

Tom

[chocolateducttape]

very cool! I like the Celtic designs.

[sodapop]

tom & choco...thanks for compliments on my tooling/design...the antique really sets the tone with it...that celtic pic reminds me of something you would expect to see on a very old leather book from waaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day...

darryl

[Crystal]

Great job, Darryl! The celtic design is really nice.

My first lacing came out half decent entirely by accident - I accidently picked the right spacer.

Keep up the good work!

Crystal

[Hammerhead]

inlay i've not tried yet, looks cool, it's nice to splice and use up the little pieces, and you dont have to pull 5 feet of lace to do one stitch

[sodapop]

thanks much crystal...now that i know what i need to do with spacing etc...hopefully my next braid attempt will be a little prettier...and no more using the hand drill...i have a dremel and tried that for the holes and works mucho' better/cleaner...but hell just gettin the braid done in a finished format was a milestone for me lol

appreciate it hammer...imo inlays just add that lil extra element to pieces, even if its small...something i'll probably incorporate quite often in my stuff...& i agree with the splicing...cuz its annoying as hell pulling a hundred inches though every pass/over/under & through keeping it from gettin twisted uhhggg

darryl

[ETW Grumpy]

Good looking case. I did that same Celtic dog pattern for a seatmaker in Ohio. Yours looks better. Nice clean lines. Very nice work.

[steveb]

dang darryl - your inlay is smoking, love it - i am more impressed that you had the guts to try it - inlay aint so easy - and your first attempt came real cloe to nailing it, next one will be even better - i also like that your really working clean and careful...bodes welll for future work....

what else ya got?

[sodapop]

i appreciate it grumpy...i really like that particular celtic design as well...just might see it again in the future ;0)

thanks for the encouraging words steve...thats my only finished piece so far...i get stuck on stupid with knowing what the hell to make...still trying to figure out what direction i want to go with it all...so i just sit and tool on chunks and braid holes lol

darryl