Showing Chaps

[Cowboy Crafts Online]

Instead of starting alot of different post I thought I would just start one post and add to it when I get different things made up in the shop for everyone to see. I hope this works out better. To start off with I made up a couple pair of Shotguns. I really need to fig out a better way of taking pictures of my chaps. If anyone has any ideas I would like to hear them.

Here are some Bulldog Taps I also made up this week.

Edited June 20, 2007 by snakehorse saddler

[Johanna]

Put you and Mrs. S in the chaps and take pics of each other. Or find handsome people down the street to dress up. Chaps display best on a person or mannequin. not hanging, and not on a table.

Good idea to start a thread like this, too. Not only will we get to admire your work as it's produced, we'll rag you unmercifully when you're slacking off. Really nice work, as usual, thanks for sharing.

Johanna

[abn]

Wow. Impeccable work.

p.s. I also like the idea of starting one "Show Off" thread and adding to it over time. Bright idea!

Edited June 20, 2007 by abn

[bustedlifter]

Instead of starting alot of different post I thought I would just start one post and add to it when I get different things made up in the shop for everyone to see. I hope this works out better. To start off with I made up a couple pair of Shotguns. I really need to fig out a better way of taking pictures of my chaps. If anyone has any ideas I would like to hear them.

Here are some Bulldog Taps I also made up this week.

Great work! What oz. leather are those taps? As for pics of the chaps, find a hot chick and have her wear just the chaps! Sales would go through the roof.

[Cowboy Crafts Online]

The taps are made out of boot sole leather. I go to the warehouse and get the heaviest I find. Since boot sole leather is measured different I dont know the oz. Since they are made out of sole leather once they dry they are very hard and hold up well.

Ashley

[mulefool]

I bet those taps hold up good. To display my chaps I went to a used mannequin store. That was a trip. Imagine this house chock full of naked people. Anyway I got a half man from the waist down for about $40. He works pretty good for display at shows and also for taking pictures on. We call him Dwight. One day my friends cow dog came into the shop wanting someone to throw him a stick. He dropped the stick at Dwight's feet and sat there waiting. Hey, Bud, you're gonna be waitin awhile there!

[Cowboy Crafts Online]

I thought about getting a used mannequin, but do not know where to find them.

Ashley

[MatthewD]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Female-Fiber...2QQcmdZViewItem

or this is a total search from ebay

http://collectibles.search.ebay.com/manneq...32QQsacatZ10797

Edited June 21, 2007 by MatthewD

[mulefool]

This is where I got my mannequin. www.northwestmannequins.com. This was about 15 years ago, at that time all he had were old used ones. Seems like the old ones are best. The new ones are kind of weird looking.

[Cowboy Crafts Online]

In between working on some saddles I have been able to make up a few small things. A floral Dayplanner for my wife, which I need to take a new picture of. Also a belt and a check book cover for a local customer. Lastly a medium basket stamped Dayplanner for my shop. Hope everyone enjoys. One thing Ill add on all my small goods I sew using 10 to 12 stitched per inch and no larger than 138 thread. I like the looks of things that way. In my opinion it looks better than small things stitched with a saddle stitcher.

Edited July 18, 2007 by snakehorse saddler

[abn]

That's about the finest execution of basketweave I've ever seen. Truly beautiful work, Ashley.

Alex

[skipj]

In between working on some saddles I have been able to make up a few small things. A floral Dayplanner for my wife, which I need to take a new picture of. Also a belt and a check book cover for a local customer. Lastly a medium basket stamped Dayplanner for my shop. Hope everyone enjoys. One thing Ill add on all my small goods I sew using 10 to 12 stitched per inch and no larger than 138 thread. I like the looks of things that way. In my opinion it looks better than small things stitched with a saddle stitcher.

Is that hand stitched? It is so uniform for hand work, judging by mine.java script:emoticon('', 'smid_1')

Who made the basket weave stamp you use?

Great work,

SkipJ

[Luke Hatley]

Is that hand stitched? It is so uniform for hand work, judging by mine.java script:emoticon('', 'smid_1')

Who made the basket weave stamp you use?

Great work,

SkipJ

I really like the color....would you share with us ?

[bruce johnson]

Ashley,

Good looking work. Meticulous basket stamping, and good finish. Like Luke, I am curious what you used for the antique and finish. With all this stuff changing, it is going to take some time to get the effects we are looking for with the reformulated stuff.

[mulefool]

Really nice work.

[Johanna]

Oh, tell the truth, Ashley. You have a two ton press with a basketweave plate in your garage, and you are cranking this stuff out for mass production in overseas markets!

Seriously, that is really pretty work, excellent stamping and coloring. Thanks for sharing. Now I'll go wipe the drool off of my keyboard.

Johanna

[Cowboy Crafts Online]

Thanks everyone for the response's.

Skip - I use a consew 206rb for my small items that I sew. As for the stamp on the medium dayplanner I used my Robert Bread basket stamp and on the belt and check book cover I used a Barry King. I would recommend anyone looking to by tools call up Barry and get his.

Ill go though the finishing that I use. First off if you dont have 3 days to do this dont try to rush it.

step 1 after you get though stamping or carving let your project set over night to get completely dry. I do not want any moisture at all in the leather.

step 2 I use either olive oil or Bee Natural's #1 SADDLE OIL with NATURAL FUNGICIDES use a light coat over your project top side and bottom. I can not really tell you how much it just comes with doing it. Then let this set over night.

step 3 After you have let the oil soak in over night put on a very light coat of neat lac top and bottom. The reason I put it on the bottom side is that if any antique gets on the bottom you can wipe it off without leaving any behind. Now let this set over night.

step 4 now your ready for antique. First off cut about 6 or 7 wool pads. I use fiebing mahogany antique I put it on thick as in I cannot see the tooling. you should use on wool pad for this step. let this set for at least 10 min no more than 15. Next start wiping off the antique I use one wool pad to hold down the project so I do not leave any finger prints. one might use the wool pads in this step. After all the antique is wiped off let it set for about 20 min and buff

step 5 After about 2 hours I put a coat of TanKote on and buff and the finish is done.

If I remember next time I finish something I will try to take some pictures of the process

Ashley

[Go2Tex]

This is where I got my mannequin. www.northwestmannequins.com. This was about 15 years ago, at that time all he had were old used ones. Seems like the old ones are best. The new ones are kind of weird looking.

Uh oh, the gay mafia strikes again!

[Alan Bell]

Hey Ashley, really nice gear and I, like the others, am really impressed with the basketweave. I don't know if it has been mentioned on this board before but each basket weave stamp has an angle associated with it. If you were to scribe a horizontal refrence line and then make four rows going up consisting of 2 stamps, 2 stamps, one, and one you will create an angle with the top end of your basketweave stamp to the horizontal line. Not sure if I am describing this correctly but if your stamps are going in the pattern lets say 2 stamps (left to right) and then the next row up 2 more stamps (left to right) so as to make like a stair to the right and then one more stamp on the 3rd row and one more on the 4th row and take a straight edge and line it up just so that it touches the top left corner of each stamp and scribe that line then measure the angle you could use this to make all your stamp rows not "run off" the page or in this case the cover of your planner. It looks like if you had rotated the whole pattern a little clockwise you would have avoided this. Since your spacing is impeccable doing this one simple thing would give just that little "ummph" to send you over the top! I have a scrap piece with all my basketweaves stamped and the angle drawn in and the actual degree written there as reference. My wife is suffering through a vacation in Hawaii away from me and the kids so I can't take a digital pic to post but I learned it from one of Tandy's Craft Aid pages.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

The bars could not hold me, force could not control me now!

Bob Marley

[abn]

Ill go though the finishing that I use. First off if you dont have 3 days to do this dont try to rush it.

Well, that eliminates those of us with little or no patience (including me). Frankly, I expected this finish to be meticulously and painstakingly applied, since it's apparent that your basketweave was done the same way. Congratulations on a couple of really amazing projects.

Alex

[Doug C]

Ashley, I admire your work. I have a question about the order of construction of your dayplanner. Do you put the finishes on after sewing? Where do you purchase the conchos?

Thanks, Doug

[Cowboy Crafts Online]

Doug,

I do apply the finish after the sewing. I buy most my conchos from HideCrafters. I might also add that on my dayplanners and checkbook covers I cut them 1/2 " oversize then once they are sewed I trim down to final size.

Ashley