Cig box for a lady

[TomSwede]

This is basically two tubes whereas one slides over the other. I did make an error with the outer tube and cut it too short. That's why there is a double braid at the back.

I'd very much like to hear criticism on this point. Rather than go back and start over with tooling I just felt it'd be a good learning experience to try and salvage the current won't in some way and I'm happy with the result. I put two hardware hangers to pull focus off of the small leather strip that holdes the double braid together. Ths strip is eviden at top and bottom but was more noticeable at the bottom so the hanger covers that one. I figured a non leatherworker eye will probably not think of this a "salvaged" at all, hope I'm not fooling myself by reasoning like that??

I made it like two tubes beacuse I wanted better tooling area for her initials ( I K )This was the first time I had a go at closing a roundbraid (this is the simplified mexican basketweave/roundbraid as ShirleyZ originally posted it). It came out allright on the top one braid and so so on the others.

It's a tad to much orange I think. Anyone got a tip tip on a better sealer/antiquing solution than Fiebings leather sheen/Tandys saddle tan stain that CAN BE DONE INDOORS WITHOUT HARMFUL VAPOURS I'd be a happy chap to know about it. Just better hope we have it on the Swedish shelfs! I'd liked to have kept this leathers very pale look and just have had the antiquing blotches wich reminds me of an birch tree and they are white.

I used another leather at tops and bottoms wich was harder and keep the shape better to explain the colour difference. IT doesn't bother me particularily.

The fingercuts used at the top is in the same style as from Clayb's (or was it ClayM..hm?) example for the August flex your fingers challange but not nearly as good.

Any critics is welcome and useful, thanks for watching!

Tom

[Spider]

TOM THIS IS AWESOME!!! I love the look of it. Great Job on the colors and construction. The leters came out great also. Thanks for sharing this.

[HandyAndy]

I'd say that that was a happy mistake because that stitching looks awesome!

[tashabear]

I love the "grunge" look of the black on the yellow leather -- how'd you do that?

[MADMAX22]

That looks great man, I love those red lettering with the designs in them, looks great.

[leatheroo]

another great piece ....cough cough cough...Tom, those ciggies sure look happy

[Hilly]

Tom, you are an amazing artist! You make me wish I still smoked (kidding)!

Hilly

[rdb]

Okay, I'm impressed.

The braiding looks perfect. The colors unique, and the tiny knifework in the letters works beautiful.

Nothing I make is perfect. It's a good craftsman who can fix his own "mistakes".

I don't use sheen. I switch between Leather Balm, snow proof or pecards, sometimes harness dressing.

[TomSwede]

Thank you Spiderbro! I'm gonna post not a tut but some pics explaining the work behind in How do I do it!

Thanks Andy, yeah that mistake made way for a fat braid;-) One concern I had before fixing this braid was that I'd get an eggshape to the cylinder but it's not.

Instead there is a little "bump" to the shape there so when the the outertube has been slid on you turn it until you feel a "click". That's when the outer/inner tube seams overlap and it's actually quite locked in this position but the fit of the tubes is very tight (with a tendency to overtight) anyways so this was just a side effect I didn't really plan for.

To do this braid one simply have to use a strip like this to achieve if not applied as applique on an allready fixed surface.

Thanks Tashabear! I think you're talking about the black spottyness right? This leather is a very smooth allmost glassy surface as it comes from the tannery so I just applied a coat of Fiebings Leather sheen acrylic sealer (after I've done the colouring of black and red to tooling) and let it dry over night. Then I put on a good layer of saddle tan antiquing stain from Tandys and let it dry completely. For the letters I wrapped a dry not too soft square sponge with a damp cloth and very gently removed antiquing from the letters so that I would not rub it out of the letter decorations. The decorations were made with the stylus applied to the transferfilm, no swivelknife.

Then I used the damp cloth just curled up in my hand and gently remove more and more of the antiquing from the untooled surface until I got this effect but I've only managed to get this effect with really smooth high gloss leather. The normal leather I use has to much texture to it so the antique sticks to much to get this effect.

Thanks MadMax! Well I also have bikesites planned but just never get to it, lol.

Cough cough, thanks Roo! They do sit nicely there. These are longer than the ones she smoke so her ciggies will sit better in the tube. I just used the longer ones to illustrate that you could even put longer ones in there and you still have a fully functional cig box with this tube system but of course i tlooks best when the lid/outer tube is fully slid down.

Thanks Hilly!! What a wonderful comment but I would not endorse any action of that kind. The box off course can be used for other stuff. For example if you were a hole collector it could hold your whole hole collection and as many more holes as you wish to collect;-)

Thanks rdb! The braiding is ok. I did actually use some cheaper slightly thinner lace to the bottom lid and the back double braid and used black background on the leather to hide the shine trough and make it look more even. I'm giving a good price with small profit to this customer (as usual, lol) so figured I rid some cheaper lace where it would not be noticeable.

No tiny knifework in the letters. Just the stylus through the transferfilm and antiquing.

Snow proof and Pecards is not available. I have recently found a Fiebings product that might be leather balm. It has only Swedish text to it so I gotta check out just what it is but it contains beeswax.

Thanks all! Wish I could do more stuff like this but bracers seem to be in high demand right now.

Tom

[Crystal]

Wow- awesome, Tom! Everything looks great! I'd have never known the double braid wasn't intentional. I think the colors are spot on. I'm ready to see the "how to" pics! Either that or, since I need a vacation, how about I come to Sweden for a lesson or 2? (Yeah - I wish!) I love the inside piece's birch effect - that is just too cool!

I used the saddle tan on the doggie photo album. Since I don't follow instructions, I didn't put the sheen on before the saddle tan. I just put it right onto the bare leather and gently wipe off and keep reapplying until it gets darker. (Fine line between getting it darker and it wiping completely off.) I think I ended up with more of a red than an orange. Not sure if this helps answer your question. I think the colors that you do have ended up perfect.

Crystal

[TomSwede]

Thanks alot Crystal! You're very welcome to stop by anytime, there's so much to leather making that when two crafters meet they can always learn from each other. That's why I'm on here so much.

I hate to tell you this but I'm doing development and consultations with a customer back and forth with e-mails so I post when I can but really need to work his deal as soon as possible because of the narrow deadline. I hope to get it up today but gotta fix and resize pics go and get food and go to work in about 4½ hrs aswell and I really would like to carve the first bracer tonite. I had set the design and bagged in the wet leather when I found out I must make a stonestructure to the background aswell...ah help how do I do that? Think I got a solution and more for DIY section too ;-)

The doggie album looke great anyway, like you say. I only thought the colouring was intended that way!

Talk atcha later, gotta run off for a while now.

Tom

[Hilly]

Thanks Hilly!! What a wonderful comment but I would not endorse any action of that kind. The box off course can be used for other stuff. For example if you were a hole collector it could hold your whole hole collection and as many more holes as you wish to collect;-)

Tom

Wow, what a great idea! And to think, I would have used it to collect tracks for track soup. It's a tasty dish we have almost every year around the end of November/early December. Thought I'd start collecting them a little early so I have enough to make a big batch.

Hilly

[bustedlifter]

Elcoolioamundo! A little Spanish lingo for you.

[TomSwede]

Wow, what a great idea! And to think, I would have used it to collect tracks for track soup. It's a tasty dish we have almost every year around the end of November/early December. Thought I'd start collecting them a little early so I have enough to make a big batch.

Hilly

Elcoolioamundo! A little Spanish lingo for you.

Thanks Busted! I just enough Spanish to make it out that I'm recieving a very positive comment and that makes me happy

I do know Spanish is the most outspread language of the world today but don't notice too much of it in Sweden.

Tom

[Tina]

Another awesome work Viking Tom:-)

You have really created your own look, the rustic/rugged one and it fits your creations to a tee

[TomSwede]

Another awesome work Viking Tom:-)

You have really created your own look, the rustic/rugged one and it fits your creations to a tee

Tack Tina! I sure appreciate it from a Swedish friend, it's so nice to have somearound to exchange some svenska sentences with!

I did just work quite fast without thought and just relying to the techniques I practised over the last year so colouring and design off course comes as no surprise but rather a bit of a manifest of how I do things (like messing up measurements, lol).

Viking hails !

Tom

[ArtS]

That really looks cool Tom. Your "mistake" makes it even better in my opinion. I really like that double lacing. The colors and antiquing look great.

ArtS

[The Major]

Very cool. I love the look of the lettering.

[sodapop]

heya tommy boy!!...looks all just fine & dandy now that its done...ya pulled a rabbit out your @ss, i mean hat & made'er work even with the ...good show!!

take a break tom and grab a cold sierra nevada and i need to ease up on the fishin & slackin and get somethin done around here hehe

Edited September 12, 2008 by sodapop

[CollinsMS]

Looks like it came out of the 16th or 17th century. Very cool, great hand on the lacing and bradding.

[TomSwede]

Thanks a bunch you all!

Thanks ArtS! It can be hard but in this business one really has to try and turn the disadvantages around. Loosing both leather and time is not good.

Thank you Mayor! This font is really great looking so I want to share it with y'all http://www.dafont.com/royal-initialen.font

Sample of I K attached to this post too.

Thank you Darryl! Hush about the rabbits, I often get in trouble over this when rabbithunting season starts;-)

Well I reload my guns and I've allready set the design for next two bracers wich look the same and are for two guitarists of the same band and have nailed a solution for the stonestructure they are happy with. Hm with this pace I'll be missing ice-fishing aswell.

Thank you CollinsMS! Told you this project would suit you better. Those letters enhances the "old feel" aswell I think.

Tom