Gray Report post Posted October 1, 2007 ]just finished these two...critiques welcome... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted October 1, 2007 Looks good guy, I love seeing all the biker "stuff". David Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leatheroo Report post Posted October 1, 2007 love the celtic design, i use them all the time on my quivers cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steveb Report post Posted October 2, 2007 nice work, but thats not what you really want to hear from this crowd! ya get that from your customers!! my experieince with Tank panels: I avoid them as much as I can - they are too much work to try and do to the level they need to be done - braiding/lacing adds a layer of complexity an difficulty in mounting to the tank and acheiveing perfect symmetry - any and all bike parts have to be as near to perfect as you can make them - especially anything on the tank -that is a focal point and only the best can do for that location - so, with that said -shapes have to be perfect - this is not the place to freehand cut anything - every piece is mating to a metal piece that has a perfect geometry to it - so every piece has to be a++, same goes for lacing - does it tuck up under the dash or does it end prematurely and you see scribe lines? does the design float in the visual center of the piece when it is mounted or the mathematical center of the panel? better to be in the "natural/visual center" IMSHO\ - that takes some more time an care, test fitting things to see they fit to the eye - this is a big pain in the ass for rhe money with that said i have made every piece for a bike twice, once to get my ideas out of my head an the second time for keeps an pay - the second one ALWAYS comes out better and thats what my customers deserve. anyway - i do some points covers and have done a bunch of tank panels and misc pieces like that and have always had my leather shrink over time with exposure to the sun and repeated dousings with gas and water - so i tend to preshrink my leather before i cut it to final shape... and seal it to death anyway....nice work,, dig in, experiment and give yourself permission to try new things - thats the stuff you give to friends...!! this is a tank panel i made for my dresser, designed to accept an eyeglass case an fashoined after a civil war pistol holster...the case is reinforced and given rigidity by gluing and sewing polyethelyne plastic sheets to the individual panels an mounted to an 1/8 inch piece of rubber poundo board - talk about making stuff up...Ive had it on my dresser for 3 years - through all kinds of abuse - and it still looks new... the points covers are for my bikes also steveb Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beaverslayer Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Gray, Looks good to me buddy. I also like the Celtic design. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beaverslayer Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Steveb, I also like yours as well. Thanks for sharing both of you. Ken Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gray Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Thanks for the kind words, everyone...much appreciated. Steve, that's exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for. I'm usually my harshest critic, but I have to start somewhere or I'll never do anything. I see the flaws in the lacing and centering, the tooling, and symmetry. It'll be a while before I can invest in a clicker, and you're right, it may not be worth it. It may be posted elsewhere, but I haven't found it yet...can you tell me more about pre-shrinking the leather? Just like it sounds? Where do you get the polyethylene sheets for stiffening? Is there a finishing process or product that you've found works best over time and exposure? Thanks for the tip on using poundo board...hadn't thought of that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steveb Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Gray - you dont need a clicker to get parts perfect insofar as a cut - you just have to start with a good clean template and follow the lines....Poly sheets - i got from a local plastics guy - shouldnt be hard to locate online.... preshrinking? wet/dry wet dry a few times and leave in the sun -that will shrink it - trick is to keep it flat whilst your doing this ...as far as finishes go - i keep it simple - tankote, neatlac, atom wax, RTC or neutral shoe polish work for me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gray Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Thanks, Steve...yeah, I'll make up some templates when I get the specs worked out. MSC lists polyethylene (LDPE) sheets in a 1/16" thickness...I'll order a sample, but should work fine. Problem is, I usually end up ordering too much other stuff...<sigh> Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steveb Report post Posted October 5, 2007 hey - if you order too much - I'll buy some from you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
