Members jhatchell Posted August 11, 2021 Members Report Posted August 11, 2021 I made this chess board and case for my son for his birthday. The inside of the tube and the underside of the chess board is lined with pig suede. I did not make the pieces. The piece bags are calf skin. I am somewhat new (a year or so) to leatherwork and this project took a long time. I am proud of how it came out, although I know I could improve it. I have been too intimidated to post things I've done - everyone's work is so professional! Quote
Members Scoutmom103 Posted August 11, 2021 Members Report Posted August 11, 2021 Very nice. I hope he likes it. Quote
CFM chuck123wapati Posted August 11, 2021 CFM Report Posted August 11, 2021 That is awesome friend Quote
Contributing Member fredk Posted August 11, 2021 Contributing Member Report Posted August 11, 2021 That is very nicey indeedy Quote
Members rleather Posted August 11, 2021 Members Report Posted August 11, 2021 No need to be intimidated, your work is great. You can see the love and craftsmanship put into it. That will be with him for many years. Thanks for sharing. Quote
Members jhatchell Posted August 11, 2021 Author Members Report Posted August 11, 2021 Thanks all! I appreciate the kind words! Quote
Members battlemunky Posted August 11, 2021 Members Report Posted August 11, 2021 Yeah, you have nothing to be bashful about, that is really nice work! Quote
toxo Posted August 12, 2021 Report Posted August 12, 2021 Great job! He'll have that forever. Made me wonder if the white squares could be made lighter without painting. Can veg tan be bleached? Has anyone tried it? Quote
Members PastorBob Posted August 12, 2021 Members Report Posted August 12, 2021 Very nice. I have not tried sewing a round case like that. Well done. Quote
Members jhatchell Posted August 12, 2021 Author Members Report Posted August 12, 2021 I did several tests before I settled on what you see above. One of the tests was to leave the light squares the completely unstained natural leather and use the super shene as a resist on those squares. It produced a very white vs. dark appearance. I settled on the colors above (staining the entire carved board first with tan, then using Super Shene as a resist on the parts I wanted light and then coming back over it with Dark Brown Gel Antique), because I wanted it to have an antique kind of look. I tried on one of my tests to apply the finish coats of Super Shene with a sponge, but ended up having to purchase a cheap air brush kit to keep it from smearing and becoming ruined. The bottom picture is probably closest in color to how it actually looked. The top 2 pictures make the light squares kind of look yellow. I didn't try painting each square. I could maybe try that with some Angellus paint. Quote
Members JayEhl Posted August 12, 2021 Members Report Posted August 12, 2021 I think your work is most excellent. And as mentioned above, your love and craftsmanship going into the project shows and will remind your son of you. As far as folks posting things here that are "professional looking", we all started somewhere. We only get better if we help each other get better. Please continue to share!!! Quote
toxo Posted August 13, 2021 Report Posted August 13, 2021 17 hours ago, jhatchell said: I did several tests before I settled on what you see above. One of the tests was to leave the light squares the completely unstained natural leather and use the super shene as a resist on those squares. It produced a very white vs. dark appearance. I settled on the colors above (staining the entire carved board first with tan, then using Super Shene as a resist on the parts I wanted light and then coming back over it with Dark Brown Gel Antique), because I wanted it to have an antique kind of look. I tried on one of my tests to apply the finish coats of Super Shene with a sponge, but ended up having to purchase a cheap air brush kit to keep it from smearing and becoming ruined. The bottom picture is probably closest in color to how it actually looked. The top 2 pictures make the light squares kind of look yellow. I didn't try painting each square. I could maybe try that with some Angellus paint. I hope it didn't come across as a criticism. Many people like that antique look, especially for decorative sets. Does it lay flat easily? Quote
Members jhatchell Posted September 16, 2021 Author Members Report Posted September 16, 2021 It does lay flat easily. I didn't take your comment about the colors as criticism at all. My reply was just an explanation of what I tried. Quote
Members BrightBear Posted September 29, 2021 Members Report Posted September 29, 2021 I think it is awesome just as it is. No need for an Angelious coat. If it was given to me it would be one of my most cherished possessions just because of all the thought and time you invested in it. Quote
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