Stamped riflesling

[BruceGibson]

That's beautiful!

I don't see anything to agonize over. Mighty fine!

[craftsman827]

I realy like this sling ! ! !

GREAT JOB TOM.

I have 1 question.

How did you do the border design ? What tool did you use ?

Also I love the sylus work, Looks Very Pro....

[TomSwede]

Hi Tom, looking really good, i like the outside border alot.

Funny, things like this sling to my eye, need to be sewn as much for visual effect as for strength and "body" to the piece - but your "edge" pattern negates that in this instance, cool...

Some things i pick up on, because you've asked: and as always - all of this is in "my humble opinion", as there is no right or wrong in craft and art.

>the stitching channels are a bit too wide and deep - use a smaller head, or thinner blade...

>the brass rivets are too large in diameter - try #9/12 copper burr/stake rivets in this application, they'd be cool.

>the tri-weave looks good in the narrow portion of the taper, but in the wider portion of the strap, it looks lonely ,the pattern almost needs some transition to the "background"...maybe some stipling, or a light tap with a pear shader/crosshatch pattern..i dunno, just seems very stark to me, the tri-weave is just hanging out there with nothing to ground it

>consider a "bigger" edger to use on your strap edge to round it off more, looks a little hard to me in this pic

looks good man, i like that edge pattern, whats the trick to pull it off?

steveb

Thank SteveB!

Good pointers, think your right in all of them.

I have a long thread with my agony over that guided groover and I did go over it one more time and grooving harder to smooth things out. My supplier carry only one size of the groover blades so I'm gonna try harder to keep things straight on the first groover run for next one.

Oh rivets, I can get one size smaller and several above this one and a bag of those eats half my budget after getting a hide and still lots of tools on my needlist sooo..prioritys got me here but you're right smaller would be better.

You got my eyes open now to the single tri-weave. I actually set out to tri-weave all the surface but thought it looked good with the single row and still do but I see what you mean, I like the idea of a pear shader pattern. It can look darn good with the antiquing too. The way it is now is still better than going all over with the tri-weave so glad I didn't do that but next time I'm gunna try remember this pointer and think the design over once again when I make a sudden change in the midst off anything. Not very experienced with stamping so good advice is useful. I know your wild stamping (and colouring) allways had a huge impact on me. Love it.

The border thing was up for discussion a while ago when someone had seen a rifle scabbard with cool border and wanted to know how it was done. Sodapop came up with a test piece where he used the groover and laid the grooverlines with just enough space to fit his mule foot punch in between them so that is how I did it. At the narrow ends it accidentally happened so that the mulefoot fitted perfectly in the middle so I just flipped it the other way around. Oh, I used the overstitchers biggest wheel in between the grooves to mark out the points to put down the mules foot but it didn't match up all that well that I had hoped for but that is not noticed until you really study at detail level.

Hope that I made some sense here otherwise poke my eye bout it and I do some pics instead.

Thanks for some good pointers and observations, it's a good thing to jog the brain once in a while and break down composition and details.

Stamping is a discipline of its own and doing stuff for my heavy metal customers makes no practice with it so I'm thrilled to finally getting use for my stamps. I could have skipped half of them and got more rivets but sometimes you just don't know what to prioritize and Murphys law is allways there to set you in the right direction;-)

Tom

Edited September 30, 2008 by TomSwede

[TomSwede]

That's beautiful!

I don't see anything to agonize over. Mighty fine!

Thanks Bruce!

Delivered "eye to eye" with my customer this morning and his facial expression was enough to let me know it landed good and solid in his heart.

When selling to Swedes one can actually lower the garde a bit because slings like this is highly unlikely too see, especially stamped ones. Often they are too narrow and digs in to shoulders and the buckles are good quality but ugly and just clamped without a thought at all to the outside and really would poke any eye in here. I should have taken a pic of his original sling to show all in here. It was as customer put it "a very fine handcrafted piece but digs into my shoulder can you attach a fine looking piece of leather to make it wider" I replied that I won't crossbreed my work with that one but I'll make you a new one from scratch instead. Funny thing is that his original one had a machined stitched felt type liner and still it eats on his shoulder.. hmm now I put my set of buckles on the inside (to not disturb the stamped outside), they are beautiful to look at (a tad to wide really) and as far I can tell they wont bother his shoulder but I told him to use the sling and check out this for certain before I proceed with another one with this type of buckle setup (yes, it is a bit of a testpiece). I also set up the buckles so that they can swivel a little bit with the bodys motion in case they do touch the shoulder, the buckle is rounded smooth and quite flat so no sharp corners.

So good to get any criticism cause the only remark I'd get over here is maybe over the pricetags from people who can't appreciate the time and work behind.

I realy like this sling ! ! !

GREAT JOB TOM.

I have 1 question.

How did you do the border design ? What tool did you use ?

Also I love the sylus work, Looks Very Pro....

Thanks Craftsman!

I like the stylus too. I use the new one from Tandys wich actually has a quite nice touch with the leather.

The answer to your question is in my reply to SteveB!

Oh STEVEB!!

About the stitching you mentioned first. I did use groover design because I wanted to leave an opening for stitching later on. My customer were not sure if he wanted to go with or without a liner but leaned towards going without and I just don't really like to stitch. Rather do a mexican basketweave but it takes more time and lace is expensive so that comes down to customers wallet.

Finally, I don't have an edger I like so go after and sanding would be nice but costs time. The edge they produce looks very strange especially with this smaller one it seems but I might need more practice with it aswell.'

Tom

[abn]

This is one of the nicest projects I've seen posted recently. Kudos, Tom... This sling is superb.

-Alex

[TomSwede]

Oh thanks alot Alex.

Now I blush!!

Tom

[CollinsMS]

Very different for you but wow looks great. I agree the color is great. I also agree that it may have looked better without the rivets.

2 thumbs up

[steveb]

Tom- ive found that if you keep your groover sharp (bite the billet and buy a Bob Douglas groover, worth every damn penny), one good slow strong pass does it - unless your digging a trough!

Insofar as stamping around the tri-weave, my suggestion is to cut a strip for a belt - 1.5, 1.75" wide and use a compass to scribe a few straight lines - and leave it on your bench - whenever your just sitting there spacing out (dont tell me I am the only one!!) try a few new patterns and treatments - Ive come up with some good ideas this way..might work for you - and i save these pieces as prototypes for when i have a job to do and want to use that "effect"...i refer back to it for dimensions, spacing, etc..I am so busy knocking out customer work that i need to find time to do more of this, as I dont like to repeat myself... ad nauseum..styaing fresh and innovative and true to your own style takes work to do well....

I like that border effect you achieved. Although i sew most everything i make, you have me thinking of mixing it up a bit.... I have a few ideas I need to pressure test... Stamping can be a pretty cool thing if your into textures and patterns, which I am..I just follow my eye, make it up as I go along. Concpeutally, I always think of tattoos when i stamp a pattern..thats where my head is at.... I really see a canvas in my minds eye

And ya know Tom, I also want to applaud you for asking for input and then graciously accepting it. As a serious and committed leathercrafter who is doing paying /customer work, you need to deliver a quality good and you get that - and the only way to do that is to learn and gain experieince - both costly in terms of time and money. The best way to get leaps ahead in craft is via critiques, honest fact based reviews of your work. I know I LOVE when someone can give me a "hey now"..." and show me the light, and to them, I say "ya just helped me make my work better and me, more knowledgable - thanks". A meaningful critique is a gift, that takes time and thought

OR as many we would prefer, we can kiss each others collective ass, play it safe and quitely applaud each other on our fine taste and wonderful abilities and be none the wiser....and that would be one sad-ass pathetic world, I'd personally want no part of.... luckily for us that aint the way it is!

steveb

www.steveb.biz

Thank SteveB!

Good pointers, think your right in all of them.

I have a long thread with my agony over that guided groover and I did go over it one more time and grooving harder to smooth things out. My supplier carry only one size of the groover blades so I'm gonna try harder to keep things straight on the first groover run for next one.

Oh rivets, I can get one size smaller and several above this one and a bag of those eats half my budget after getting a hide and still lots of tools on my needlist sooo..prioritys got me here but you're right smaller would be better.

You got my eyes open now to the single tri-weave. I actually set out to tri-weave all the surface but thought it looked good with the single row and still do but I see what you mean, I like the idea of a pear shader pattern. It can look darn good with the antiquing too. The way it is now is still better than going all over with the tri-weave so glad I didn't do that but next time I'm gunna try remember this pointer and think the design over once again when I make a sudden change in the midst off anything. Not very experienced with stamping so good advice is useful. I know your wild stamping (and colouring) allways had a huge impact on me. Love it.

The border thing was up for discussion a while ago when someone had seen a rifle scabbard with cool border and wanted to know how it was done. Sodapop came up with a test piece where he used the groover and laid the grooverlines with just enough space to fit his mule foot punch in between them so that is how I did it. At the narrow ends it accidentally happened so that the mulefoot fitted perfectly in the middle so I just flipped it the other way around. Oh, I used the overstitchers biggest wheel in between the grooves to mark out the points to put down the mules foot but it didn't match up all that well that I had hoped for but that is not noticed until you really study at detail level.

Hope that I made some sense here otherwise poke my eye bout it and I do some pics instead.

Thanks for some good pointers and observations, it's a good thing to jog the brain once in a while and break down composition and details.

Stamping is a discipline of its own and doing stuff for my heavy metal customers makes no practice with it so I'm thrilled to finally getting use for my stamps. I could have skipped half of them and got more rivets but sometimes you just don't know what to prioritize and Murphys law is allways there to set you in the right direction;-)

Tom

[TomSwede]

Very different for you but wow looks great. I agree the color is great. I also agree that it may have looked better without the rivets.

2 thumbs up

Thank you very much Collins!

Hopefully as I get more projects going I'll be doing more varied stuff than those bracers I just plowed through. I still have some orders fpr bracers that will prolly come through.

Tom- ive found that if you keep your groover sharp (bite the billet and buy a Bob Douglas groover, worth every damn penny), one good slow strong pass does it - unless your digging a trough!

Insofar as stamping around the tri-weave, my suggestion is to cut a strip for a belt - 1.5, 1.75" wide and use a compass to scribe a few straight lines - and leave it on your bench - whenever your just sitting there spacing out (dont tell me I am the only one!!) try a few new patterns and treatments - Ive come up with some good ideas this way..might work for you - and i save these pieces as prototypes for when i have a job to do and want to use that "effect"...i refer back to it for dimensions, spacing, etc..I am so busy knocking out customer work that i need to find time to do more of this, as I dont like to repeat myself... ad nauseum..styaing fresh and innovative and true to your own style takes work to do well....

I like that border effect you achieved. Although i sew most everything i make, you have me thinking of mixing it up a bit.... I have a few ideas I need to pressure test... Stamping can be a pretty cool thing if your into textures and patterns, which I am..I just follow my eye, make it up as I go along. Concpeutally, I always think of tattoos when i stamp a pattern..thats where my head is at.... I really see a canvas in my minds eye

And ya know Tom, I also want to applaud you for asking for input and then graciously accepting it. As a serious and committed leathercrafter who is doing paying /customer work, you need to deliver a quality good and you get that - and the only way to do that is to learn and gain experieince - both costly in terms of time and money. The best way to get leaps ahead in craft is via critiques, honest fact based reviews of your work. I know I LOVE when someone can give me a "hey now"..." and show me the light, and to them, I say "ya just helped me make my work better and me, more knowledgable - thanks". A meaningful critique is a gift, that takes time and thought

OR as many we would prefer, we can kiss each others collective ass, play it safe and quitely applaud each other on our fine taste and wonderful abilities and be none the wiser....and that would be one sad-ass pathetic world, I'd personally want no part of.... luckily for us that aint the way it is!

steveb

www.steveb.biz

Nope, you're not the only one but most of that time goes to LW I think;-) but it's a good idea and I have some samples like this but not strip style so gunna cut a few strips to get ideas flowing in another direction but I do have a problem with poor imagination when I sit like that at my workbench. Without orders and a bit of press my mind has a tendency to turn blank (well, it usually is just like that;-)

Darryl aka Sodapop thought out this border design wich really came from a beautiful rifle scabbard when someone was trying to figure the design out. Needless to say Darryl has the groover you mentioned;-)

What you say about "seeing a canvas in my minds eye" is also a prob for me. I just don't have any visions to guide me for stamping patterns but that will prolly come when I get used to the tools and be more familiar with using them, A leads to B, B leads to C and so on.... I have those visions when doing bracers and nowadays a new bracer design most often gives itself and I just have to sit down and try to get it onto paper from that vision to make the transfer for leather.

I hope we get a debriefing of those pressure tested ideas later on.

I was going to post this one in qritiques board really but bad habit had me putting it into show off. Did same thing with last bracers set too.

Critiques can really propell things forward so I always try to embrace it.

I think now those strips i cased a while ago is ready for some stamping action so I'm gonna leave this topic for now with another very good quote:

"ya just helped me make my work better and me, more knowledgable - thanks"

Tom

Edited October 2, 2008 by TomSwede