New seat...called it Sturgis Cross

[Big Papa Leather]

Not a Skull guy??

Not a skull guy??

How can you not be a skull guy? Your skulls look great as does the entire seat.

For not being a skull guy... You nailed it. LOL

Allen

[David]

Not a Skull guy??

Not a skull guy??

How can you not be a skull guy? Your skulls look great as does the entire seat.

For not being a skull guy... You nailed it. LOL

Allen

When I say I'm not a skull guy, I mean that I think skulls have been WAY over done by bikers. I would rather do something a bit more off the beaten path. With the wide variety seen in the world of tattoo art, I find much more inspiration there rather than trying to do something unusual with a skull.

Dave

[Howling Wolf Leather]

Howdy Dave

Great looking seat.

One little note, be very careful of carving skulls with wings like that. It is way too close to the Hell's

Angels Logo. If one of the sees that seat they will cut it to shreads. I've done work for them in the past and had to have permission on their letterhead before I did the work. I've seen them kick the crap out of a guy who had a TAT the was not even as close as your carving to their logo.

Just a word of caution.

WC

[David]

Getting close to being finished now. The seat pan gets preped with washers and padding, then the padding trimmed to final shape. The seat back is riveted on and the seat front tied in place. Then the lacing starts.

David Theobald

[David]

Here is the final installment on this one.

Dave

[azrider]

Very nice work. How did you do the finish on it? Curious as to what will be durable as a seat and last for a while.

[David]

Dave, That tutorial is as awesome as they come! Seeing how you construct your seas and the care and attention to small details is fantastic!

You said you were waiting on the pan... would you mind sharing where you get your pans from? I've looked everywhere for a nice pan at a reasonable price, but can't find one I'm happy with yet...

Thanks for the advice and the inspiration!

Hey Troy,

I was waiting on the pan because the customer was sending it to me. The pans I use are the "West Eagle #632148 Slim Line S seat pan narrow". In this instance the customer supplied that exact pan to me. I think they retail for about $60 - $70 dollars.

I know they advertise in The Horse.

Dave

[David]

Very nice work. How did you do the finish on it? Curious as to what will be durable as a seat and last for a while.

The finish was all Fiebings spirit dye. A combination of medium brown, saddle tan and buckskin, Then Fiebings antiquing paste to accent the tooling. I think I used Sheridan paste for that. A final coat of Fiebings Leather Balm with atom wax and it is finished.

How long it lasts is kind of up to the owner. It will need cleaning with saddle soap and polishing with some sort of paste. I usually tell folks to use Kiwi neutral shoe polish. It is a product that they can find at Walmart.

Dave

Edited November 9, 2008 by David

[csmartin732]

If you look at the photos of my front and back leathers, you will see that they are NOT the same by any means. I arrive at my patterns by covering the front (including padding) and rear with tape. When removed and flattened out it becomes the shape of my patterns. I use 1/4" lace pulled through 1/8" holes. They are about 1/8" from the edge and about 3/8" apart. All my lace is kangaroo. Since the front and rear leathers are not the same it requires a very careful layout of the holes. Lay your holes out around a centerline on the front and back pattern. Measure twice, punch once!

My seat construction will allow padding up to 3/4" thick. If he is wanting a real thick padded seat, contact Roger Harris (Roger here on the LW site) for techniques. or look at the tutorial by Paul Cox.

http://www.bikernet.com/garage/coxseat.asp

Hope this helps,

Dave Theobald

Dave

Thanks so much for your help, I see have alot to cram in before he delivers the pan to me!!!!!

[TroyS]

Thanks Dave! I'll do some research... and, just wanted to tell you, that seat is awesome!