Shovelheadscott69 Report post Posted April 24, 2012 Hello and greetings from North-Eastern Indiana! I am a biker for twenty-plus years now and hate trends and fads. The bagger trend turned me off to full-dress bikes (which seem to be all the rave these days) and I recently sold my brand new Harley-Davidson Street Glide for a thirty-one year old Shovelhead (always dug that legendary sound). My taste in retro-nostalgia and the need for something different amidst a sea of cookie-cutter dealership-boutique over-the-counter patches sent me looking for a few unique leather patches to sew on my leather jacket. Imagine my surprise when I searched the internet and came up pretty much empty handed! A few old threads on some tired old forum advertising a couple of patches posted years ago were all I found. I was quite disappointed! Having seen a few pathetic examples online and having tooled a bit of leather in middle school in the 70’s got me to thinking about doing my own patches! I am an artist and enjoying air brushing, tattooing, pin-striping, pen & ink, water color and acrylic painting. I also indulge in wood-working and have been a musician for twenty-five years, so arts and crafts and creativity are in abundance! It got me to thinking about trying my own hand at leather-crafting! If I can tattoo, airbrush and paint and draw, why couldn’t I do leather-craft? A trip to Tandy Leather provided me with a beginners kit and a few pieces of cheap scrap leather to practice on. My wife scoffed at me for indulging in yet another random and fleeting interest, but I dumped the cash anyhow, and to be honest with you, found myself quickly becoming addicted to the craft! Included are a few examples of some patches I designed from the single piece of scrap leather I purchased about a month ago! Granted my skill-level and technique leave a bit to be desired at the moment, but much like every other interest I have, practice makes perfect and I will persevere until I get it “perfect”! http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad299/thenotoriousbassman/577.jpg http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad299/thenotoriousbassman/453.jpg http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad299/thenotoriousbassman/5665.jpg http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad299/thenotoriousbassman/978967.jpg http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad299/thenotoriousbassman/4545667.jpg http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad299/thenotoriousbassman/6467787.jpg http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad299/thenotoriousbassman/47467567.jpg http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad299/thenotoriousbassman/get-attachmentaspx.jpg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted April 25, 2012 Looking good Scott. Were those pictures posted in order of when you did them? You're flying right along, but it looks like you may be having some consistency problems with your casing (or it could just be the Tandy leather). Check out Bob Park's tutorial on Casing Leather on the top of the page here, as well as anything else that might interest you. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showforum=36 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shovelheadscott69 Report post Posted April 28, 2012 The pic were in no particular order...just posted as I could find them on my computer. Not sure what casing is of why I might need it yet, but have already sold all of the pieces to several guys I ride with. Anyhow thanks for the comment and I plan on keeping at it until I get it all figured out! Persistence pays off! Looking good Scott. Were those pictures posted in order of when you did them? You're flying right along, but it looks like you may be having some consistency problems with your casing (or it could just be the Tandy leather). Check out Bob Park's tutorial on Casing Leather on the top of the page here, as well as anything else that might interest you. http://leatherworker...hp?showforum=36 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
benlilly1 Report post Posted April 28, 2012 Very cool patchwork! Hi, I'm from central Indiana. We need to see a photo of the bike! My husband is building a shovelhead and posting photos on his own blog of the progress www.anythinggoes74.com if you're interested in looking. Good luck on your leather work ahead! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted April 28, 2012 (edited) I'm on a phone, so linking is a pain. Under the "how do I do that" section there's a guide to casing. Basically it's properly wetting your leather for tooling . Casing is definitely something you need, it just takes some time to get the hang of it. See - I hadn't even realized that I already posted the link to casing. Edited April 28, 2012 by Cyberthrasher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shovelheadscott69 Report post Posted May 8, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the encouraging words benlily! Good to hear from a fellow Hoosier! I grew tired of all the trends like the chopper and bagger craze and bought the Shovel in an attempt to be anti-trend while still getting the much needed wind-therapy (and to satiate my love of American v-twins). The Shovel is an '81 FLH that I've done some extra things to. Thinking of selling the '04 FLHTI and going with a Knuckle or Pan! The pix of the bike with the hard bags is how it looked for awhile, but I've removed the bags, swapped the pipes, and tried to clean up the profile a bit! Very cool patchwork! Hi, I'm from central Indiana. We need to see a photo of the bike! My husband is building a shovelhead and posting photos on his own blog of the progress www.anythinggoes74.com if you're interested in looking. Good luck on your leather work ahead! Edited May 8, 2012 by Shovelheadscott69 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tenpoundsledgehammer Report post Posted May 9, 2012 Gorgeous bike! I don't ride myself, but I know a good looking piece of machinery when I see one! Doing well with the patches. Cyber is right though. In order to get those "perfect" lines and the most definition, you've got to case your leather before you tool it. After you do it a few times, there's nothing to it. You have a damn good eye though. After a while, you might want to look into making custom saddlebags and other accessories. A buddy of mine owns a bar down here just east of Baton Rouge, and he rides too. He told me over the weekend that I should get into making leather bike accessories and what not. He said that he and his buddies can't ever find exactly the right piece they really want. Just a thought... So, you're a musician, huh? What do you play, and what kind of music? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
