Made a Petal Lifter, Carved a Leaf!

[YinTx]

This is my third oak leaf effort, this time I decided to make a couple of petal lifters from some freebie screwdrivers using an old 25 cent file I bought at a yard sale.

Lesson from Ed LaBarre on making oak leaves applied, tell me what you all think!  Still wet in the photo, but excited the tools seemed to do their job...  Also, used my new Robert Beard basket weave stamp, I think it does pretty good...

YinTx

[JD62]

Wow you keep improving like that and you'll command the real big bucks! They are nice tools too.

[Sompla]

That is wonderful! Lots of neat details in the leaves

[Bodean]

Nice job.

[Rohn]

Absolutely beautiful. Great work.

[spacedog]

Excellent results! Really nice tooling.

[alpha2]

It looks like with a slight breeze, it'll blow right off the project! Well done. That basket-weave stamp is really doing the job, too.

Silly me, I bought my lifters...and I've got plenty of old useless screwdrivers around to make one out of. 

(Unrelated: I don't know why I throw away other stuff that wears out and is unusable, but I swear I have every screwdriver I've ever owned).

[Bob Blea]

Both the leaves and the basket stamp look great.  You've got really nice dimension on the leaves.

[YinTx]

Wow, came home today to all these great comments!  Thank you all for that!  It is encouraging. The tools were just a proof of concept, and I think they worked ok, so I'll clean them up some, maybe rework the contour a little bit, and give it another go on another practice piece.

Alpha, I too have a ton of screwdrivers, they never die, I don't sell them, never threw one away....  So these finally got repurposed.

JD162, I sold a checkbook wallet for $125.. is that big bucks?  I'm never sure what to charge for my work... try to get my $$ out of it in terms of leather, thread, dye, etc., but this craft is not a speedy one, so I never really get the $/hour out of it.  Bring prices up too much, no one is willing to spend on it... leave it too low, don't make enough to make it worth while.  Figure one day I'll determine the fine balance!

Bob, I can't take credit for the pattern, it was from the Lone Star Leathercrafter's Pattern Pack, and a drawing of corner designs by George Hurst.  But I can take credit for carving and tooling it!  Which reminds me, I forgot to stamp initials in there... gotta do that!

NOW, if I could only figure out how to correctly apply resist and antique without ruining my pieces, I'd be in good shape.  About 75% of the items I have tried to antique I have ruined and tossed into the bin.  I think I've followed every suggestion I could find on this forum, manufacturer's directions, Youtube hints, even got to attend a class on antiquing at the IFOLG show.  Tried them here, fail.  So frustrating.  The only way I've been able to get an even color is just mix antique with Tan Kote, smear it on with no resist, and wipe it off.  Which gives no variations or contrasts.  I'm tired of wrecking my tooling, and don't want to repeat the same results on this piece.   Resists I have used are:  Neat lac, Tan Kote, Resolene, Angelus Acrylic finisher, and Eco Flow Professional Matte finish.  I've tried em thick, thin, two coats, one coat, painted on... all to no avail.  Anyone have a foolproof method they care to share?

YinTx

[JD62]

YinTx, 

I feel your pain, I go thru the same thing with saddle stitching. I think I've watched every video on the tube about 4 times and even sew along with the tutor. I get about 6 stitches that look good , and then......... everything goes straight and flat. Oh well at least I quit using Tigger thread to practice with before I went totally broke;-(

And yup that's gitin up to good bucks

[Rolandranch]

YinTix,

Now that's what I call being creative! Great work and let me know when you come up with another way around buying expensive tools! I mean, a screwdriver?! Who'da thunk it? I wonder what my dad will say when he discovers a missing screwdriver from his toolbox... 

-Ryan

[mikesc]

YinTX
Get an airbrush..something like a paasche VLS won't ruin you..ideal for applying dyes, colours and finishes , will allow you to do "even" all over, or sunburst and shading and depth effects..The VLS is a "double action" with a bottle that screws on ( avoids spills ) under the airbrush to hold whatever liquid you are spraying.Run it at between 1.5 and 4 psi..get a spray painters mask too most of what you will be spraying through it is very bad for your lungs.

Edited October 27, 2017 by mikesc

[Bodean]

11 hours ago, YinTx said:

Wow, came home today to all these great comments!  Thank you all for that!  It is encouraging. The tools were just a proof of concept, and I think they worked ok, so I'll clean them up some, maybe rework the contour a little bit, and give it another go on another practice piece.

Alpha, I too have a ton of screwdrivers, they never die, I don't sell them, never threw one away....  So these finally got repurposed.

JD162, I sold a checkbook wallet for $125.. is that big bucks?  I'm never sure what to charge for my work... try to get my $$ out of it in terms of leather, thread, dye, etc., but this craft is not a speedy one, so I never really get the $/hour out of it.  Bring prices up too much, no one is willing to spend on it... leave it too low, don't make enough to make it worth while.  Figure one day I'll determine the fine balance!

Bob, I can't take credit for the pattern, it was from the Lone Star Leathercrafter's Pattern Pack, and a drawing of corner designs by George Hurst.  But I can take credit for carving and tooling it!  Which reminds me, I forgot to stamp initials in there... gotta do that!

NOW, if I could only figure out how to correctly apply resist and antique without ruining my pieces, I'd be in good shape.  About 75% of the items I have tried to antique I have ruined and tossed into the bin.  I think I've followed every suggestion I could find on this forum, manufacturer's directions, Youtube hints, even got to attend a class on antiquing at the IFOLG show.  Tried them here, fail.  So frustrating.  The only way I've been able to get an even color is just mix antique with Tan Kote, smear it on with no resist, and wipe it off.  Which gives no variations or contrasts.  I'm tired of wrecking my tooling, and don't want to repeat the same results on this piece.   Resists I have used are:  Neat lac, Tan Kote, Resolene, Angelus Acrylic finisher, and Eco Flow Professional Matte finish.  I've tried em thick, thin, two coats, one coat, painted on... all to no avail.  Anyone have a foolproof method they care to share?

YinTx

I wish I could offer some advice to help you, but I too am in the same boat most of the time. The most stressful part is when it is time to apply the color and finish. One false move and BAM, it is ruined. 

I am the same way with charging for my projects as you. I charge what I think is fair to me and low enough it might sell. I do mostly custom work, so an estimate is given up front. It mostly works out. I didn't get into this to make money, it just happened. I still have to pinch myself at times to think someone wants to buy what I do.

Quick question. What tool was used to do the background around your leaves?

Again nice clean work you did there.

Edited October 27, 2017 by Bodean

[YinTx]

Mike,

I have a few airbrushes, I tried the Iwata that I have, but I wasn't very good.  Like the rest of this leatherworking craft, it is a skill I need to spend some time developing, so I hope to get there when I have an opportunity.

I think I may have unreasonable expectations regarding the outcomes from antiquing.  But I hope not, I hope it is just simply I don't have the technique down yet.

The backgrounding tool was just a regular A104 Craft tool stamp.

YinTx

[plinkercases]

As had been said... very well done. Can see your lifters up close?

[garypl]

Really nice work on those leaves!  Looks like you attached the leather to a backing piece to prevent stretching.  May I ask what material did you use for the backing and how did you attach the leather?

gary

[YinTx]

plinkercases, the second photo is probably the best photo of the petal lifters up close.  also see this one, as I was filing it down.  Recommend putting something under the file to make sure it doesn't bend and snap on you.  Nothing fancy, just a gradual curve along the bottom side, just like a petal lifter you would purchase.  Comes to a sharp edge, I finished it on an oil stone.  I suppose the next versions will have a bit more of an abrupt curve, and I'll finish the sharpening a bit more, perhaps with a ceramic stone, then strop.

Garypl,

Again, tricks I learned at the IFOLG show for a backing.  Used 3M clear packing tape on the back of the leather, apply rubber cement to it, let it dry until barely tacky.  Then, apply rubber cement to the back of a plastic place mat that you would buy at WalMart or the Dollar Store. (.89 at Walmart, $1 at the Dollar store... your choice. :))

When it is dry also, put them together.  Don't peel anything apart until after the leather is completely dry.  Place the leather face down, and peel the plastic then the tape off of the leather.  This was the second item I had tooled with that process, seems to work ok.  Hope I answered your questions?

YinTx

[plinkercases]

Thanks

[garypl]

Thanks YinTx!  I am going to try this out - looks like it works great.

[Reegesc]

YinTx, have  you seen this  Don Gonzales video?   Just ran across it and as such haven't tried it myself, but it seems like a good antiquing approach.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2017 by cseeger

[YinTx]

Cseeger, I have seen this video, and watched it many times and tried to duplicate his results without luck.  Tan Kote is not really a resist as such, and will allow the color of the antique to reach the leather.  It is also considered a solvent for antique, and I have ended up with sticky, blotchy messes on large projects trying it this way.  I have even tried to let it dry over several days, considering the humidity in this region of the country, to allow it to be truly dry.  I am more than certain it is my method and my expectations of the results that are flawed, I am just not sure what it is.  One individual who has been doing leather successfully for many years showed how to do this with very little resist, and very little antique.  HIs came out really nice.  Complete opposite of the slather it on process everyone else emulates.  Sadly, I couldn't get that to work for me either. Eventually someone like you is going to suggest something that finally clicks for me and I'll get the process to work.  I have yet to study the Sheridan Carving book that has been suggested to learn that techniqe, so I still have hope.  I have so many tooled bits ready for antique, but now I am afraid to ruin them so there they sit - including this fourth effort at an oak leaf!

I must be doing something right, one guy asked me how much leather I had to waste cutting the leaves out and attaching them to this piece of leather...didn't believe me it is one piece of leather!  I think I still need to improve the center midrib, it is coming out much thicker than I'd like..

YinTx

[Reegesc]

I dunno man, it looks pretty damn good to me as is.   Your tooling is awesome.   For me finishing in general is voodoo.   I don't have a set approach at all.   I just wing it.    If it turns out awesome, I don't write it down or remember it .   If it doesn't work out, I dye it black,        I've gotta lot of black projects.

[retiredff]

On 10/27/2017 at 7:23 AM, mikesc said:

YinTX
Get an airbrush..something like a paasche VLS won't ruin you..ideal for applying dyes, colours and finishes , will allow you to do "even" all over, or sunburst and shading and depth effects..The VLS is a "double action" with a bottle that screws on ( avoids spills ) under the airbrush to hold whatever liquid you are spraying.Run it at between 1.5 and 4 psi..get a spray painters mask too most of what you will be spraying through it is very bad for your lungs.

+1 on the airbrush!

 

[bikermutt07]

Y, your work sure has come a long way in a short amount of time. That looks awesome.

[YinTx]

Cseeger, I finally turned off my brain and just did the antique.  Came out pretty good I think, no dye, no resist, just Fiebeng's Antique Paste, followed with Tan kote then an acrylic finisher.  Now I'm excited and can't wait to stitch it all up, but its going to have to wait until I can plow my way through some orders...

mike and retirediff, I have several airbrushes, but lack the skill as of now to utilize them.  I tried to airbrush the backside of a large piece of leather with the Iwata airbrush, ended up with zebra stripes.  Perhaps it was a bit too fine a pattern for the task.  Another learning curve for me, and a skill I look forward to developing as well.  One thing at a time.

bikermutt,  Thanks much for the positive encouragement!  I get frustrated sometimes, so its nice to know I am still moving forward and improving!

sorry the lighting isn't so good on this picture...