Beginner Made Some Lighter Covers

[Tyverus]

Hello all! I've been lurking for awhile and enjoying everyones beautiful work while also utilizing some tutorials as well. While these aren't my first projects, they are the first ones i'm proud enough to show off here.

these are in order of creation. The first (starting from the left) was too small, the second I had used rubber cement to hold it during tooling but the case was tacky on the inside and so the lighter wouldnt go. I've since learned that I can use talcum powder to fix this but I was naive. The third worked perfectly, during creation however I had it in my mind i'd avoid the effort of dying/tooling as i expected it to fail... needless to say it didn't so i made 2 more. The 4th had a corner I don't like so on the 5th I removed it and added a concho.

Not having lace i used artificial sinew to sew up the back.

While i like the idea of the concho, I dont like the space between it and the wall and I think I'd need a smaller one to make sure there arent any overhanging edges. On the next one i think i'll experiment with shortening the screw port to remove the need for spacers.

[Twofinger]

looks really good. I like that stitch

[Tyverus]

But wait! There's more! (I love that line...)

Being obsessed with all things medieval. I had to make a dragon themed one. The intent was to have it seem like there was an "inner flame" still burning.

Finally I bought some lace and found an old two-prong needle I had from a wallet kit so I tested it out. Learning from earlier I stained and finished it. I notice now after re-reading the lacing directions that I went through both sides on the back-loop so the lacing is a bit unbalanced. After showing some people at work they now want some and they're flying off the shelves metaphorically speaking. These are so much fun to make and seeing such improvement has been inspiring me to now try and make more with even fancier designs!

looks really good. I like that stitch

Thanks! I like it as well. The girlfriend doesnt like the white with the brown but the x's always are my favorite.

[Tyverus]

Probably should specify that in the earlier message I mean the x stitch, Gf and i are still together.

Onwards and upwards!

Had to do one for Mom, and a coworker wanted two with a star on the back. I'm impressed by the star as I think I've finally figured out casing.. But getting the lettering to look so crisp all the time is still proving difficult as Fuzz seems less defined. The customer was happy so I'm content..

Black and white being my favorite colors, did one that will not be replicated, was so excited to get it done that I forgot to burnish the edges.. Never again so it'll be one of a kind.

[Tyverus]

So after all day, I think I've finally perfected the process for the base concept. Next I'll start working on tooling them but I'm very proud with this last set. The goal of these was as stated prior, but also to test different color combinations (body color/lace color). I being a fan of the black/white and brown/black I also tested brown/brown and brown/white. Now that they're done I've noticed I need to work on my lacing as some look very good to me and others look rushed/too tight. This is mostly noticed on the brown/white near the bottom.

Notes:

1. A thing I've noticed is that even lightly wetting the inside of each case prior to lacing "hardens" them to some degree allowing them to hold their shape so much better and they grip the lighter better. However on other projects is there a way to prevent this? It seems to happen even with just the dye/finish but to a lesser degree and can be worked to loosen.

2. Folding the bottom edge up looks more professional and allows for a better grip when striking. This also ensures the lighter wont fall through the bottom.

3. I'm debating for those that like a key-ring on their lighters.. either to put it through the lacing or punching a hole through the lip. Both have pros and cons but other designs I've seen that allow for this generally have a tab that make it more bulky in the pocket and unwieldy. Also who wants to have to hold their keys when striking? I don't smoke so I don't know. And to think this all started from finding lighters in pockets at work...

To save space: http://postimg.org/gallery/3fzdatr2i/

For those interested in doing this themselves I use 2mm leather (5oz i think?) and cut it to be 2 & 7/8ths by 3" The rest should be self explanatory.

Thanks for reading! and from now on i'll just post the really fancy tooled ones.