More Leather Practice

[BrokenolMarine]

Before I start on the sheath for my Tanto to match the Cocobolo grips for the match 45 or the holster for the Single Action, I wanted to get in a bit more practice. I use scraps that the Tandy Leather in Richmond gave me each time I bought tools or supplies over $100. A bag of leather scraps to practice on is priceless so you don't waste the leather you have to pay for. Even a small wallet sized piece allows you to practice borders or the carving of a Leaf or Skull.

I decided on a bull skull with barbed wire border for either the knife sheath, the holster, or both. Practice was important. You can see that getting the barbed wire to line up is not as easy as you might think. The skull will need a LOT of practice. The guys in the videos make it look Really Easy.

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Next I just worked on the various border patterns. Practice might not make me perfect... but it WILL eventually improve the looks of my borders, from Hack to not drawing the eye to my mistakes.

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Next up, to break the "Bore" dom I tried another Maple and Acorn pattern. First you transfer the pattern and carve it into the leather.

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Then you do your tooling and dye it. I used yellow, red, and brown dyes. Not real good at it yet, but I gave 'er a shot. Then set it aside to dry overnight.

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[BrokenolMarine]

This morning, the piece had dried and the leaves actually looked pretty good. I got everything set up, and ready to antique.

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I used to try and apply antique with a rag, but discovered the gloved finger gave me better control. I rub it into each section and cover the entire piece. Then let it sit for a while. I usually go fifteen or twenty minutes, but you can go longer.

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After rubbing off the excess, I dampen a cloth and wipe lightly over the higher areas where I want more color to show. If this wasn't practice, I might reapply antique to some of the areas that needed it. I haven't gotten this all down pat yet, but you get the idea. Allow the piece to dry fully then apply the finish coat. Dry, and another finish coat.

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Not too bad. If this was the top of a box, a cover for a book or whatever... I would have taken much more care in the layout, and all the cuts and accent. Of course, the leather used wouldn't be missing a corner. Far from perfect, but it's showing some improvement, considering I had to stop for a year. Watch more videos, more practice pieces. The Leaf and Acorns were popular on Gunbelts.

[RanchRoper]

Man that is some nice stuff, well done.

[BrokenolMarine]

Thanks RR. I watch these videos of the other leather workers, and the effortlessly carve, texture, stain and finish and the pieces come alive. Then I remember... Like athletes, they have been at it for years...

They are artists, I might never reach their level, but things WILL improve over time. It's something I can do at my pace, and sitting in my wheelchair.

[BrokenolMarine]

Heading to OKC tomorrow to a VA appointment. While there, I'll drive into downtown and visit Tandy Leather for additional tools and supplies. My list, including a big side of leather, looks like about $250. But that used to be the cost to get out of bass pro. Should supply me thru the summer and into winter with consumables, and the tools, of course, are a one time purchase. When I'm gone... One of the kids can use all of them.

[bikeridertim]

WOW!! Very nice looking. Looks like you have more experience than you give yourself credit for!

[BrokenolMarine]

I'll drive into downtown and visit Tandy Leather for additional tools and supplies. My list, including a big side of leather, looks like about $250. Should supply me thru the summer and into winter with consumables, and the tools, of course, are a one time purchase.

$265 But I got a very nice side of leather, and opted for the 32 ounce bottles of leather finishes. Two types, both high sheen and soft luster. Got paints for girlie designs, and a number of other consumables. I added a dozen or so additional stamps plus a few other tools, plus advice from a veteran leather worker. (Twenty plus years with Tandy.). plus an offer for free classes anytime I'm up in OKC.

[BrokenolMarine]

Got back from therapy today and got out in the shop to work before lunch, carved another leaf. After lunch, I went back out and did a bit more tooling. The key is to practice, practice, practice. Kind of like when I started tying flies. I realized I need better lighting on the leather bench. I think Miss T is going to check Hobby Lobby tomorrow for an LED hobby light to go right over the bench.... too much shadow... and old eyes.

There are some new techniques I have been working on, the lip along the leaf edge for one...
Still don't have it just right, and of course this leaf doesn't have stain or antique applied, but it's coming along.
I'll post the progress on this, and the next attempt if folks want to see it.

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I'll still be practicing borders, skulls, and the rest. Eventually, I'll make that sheath for my Tanto with the Cocobolo scales.

[Hatchdog]

Please keep posting your progress, it’s fun to come along. The 3D effect you are able to stamp into the leather is wonderful.

[daytime dave]

Awesome, just awesome! Keep up the good work and practice.

[Sir Henry]

Those are really good. You’ll be a pro in no time.

[BrokenolMarine]

Last night I got out in the shop and tested the new Double Line Cutter / Beading Line Cutter I ordered from Barry King Leather. It's a blade that fits the swivel knives and cuts parallel lines to produce a beaded border. NOT cheap at $41 with shipping, but the ones from overseas run about $60 plus shipping. This one produces an 1/8" border. Next month I might get the 1/16" border to have it available.

Then I pulled a new pattern from the Stohlman book, traced it onto the transfer paper and cut it into the leather. That process took me about two hours total. I was done.

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Errands today ate up the morning, including running to hobby lobby to buy a hobby light to put direct LED Lighting over my shoulder on the bench. Huge Difference.

Anywho, back out this afternoon and started the tooling on the new layout, first beveling the inner border and the edges of the leaves. Slow and sure, tried to do the best I could. You can see the pattern slowly began to lift from the leather with just this basic step.

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Next, I started beveling the inner portions of the leaves, the stems, the acorns, and putting the edges on the leaves. I put the background texture in place. My daughter calls that stamp "Ostrich Skin." It's starting to look okay.

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Still need to bevel the outside border and put the border treatment inside those bars... Had to stop for now to rest the hands.

[Dahliathemeh]

So pretty!

[BrokenolMarine]

Well, back at it.

I worked the outside border line, by beveling the lines. Note that I beveled the lines to the inside of the lines, rather than the normal outside of the line done on most patterns, I wanted them to look slightly rounded. On thicker leather, the blade can cut deeper and will round the bead when you make the cut. I then cut the border pattern itself. I went with the "Running W" or "Serpentine" pattern. I like the corner we end up with, I always think it looks like a Serpent's Head, so I put eyes on the head in each corner.

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Time to add some color. I used a yellow dye on the leaves and the acorn bodies, then went in with some medium brown. It was my intention to try a natural finish on the rest of the leather, but into all lives a little rain must fall. a large drop of medium brown dye found it's way from the bottle to the edge of the serpentine pattern. Blotch... ruined. New plan. Okay, I coated the entire piece in medium brown dye. Then I wiped the dye away. Taking a cotton swab, I wiped away the brown from selected areas of the leaves and acorns, highlighting the yellow dyed areas, I set aside the piece to dry for a couple hours.

Tick... tock... tick... tock. The waiting is the hard part.

I came back out and put a coat of finish on the piece to seal it and went away for an hour.

Tick,


Tock.

When I came back I coated the entire piece in dark brown antiquing paste and let it sit for twenty minutes and wiped it away from the high spots, then using a swab again, paid special attention to the leaves and acorns, highlighting the yellow.

Tick


Tock.

Drying time.

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Once this is dry, it will get a coat of finish and we'll be golden.

[BrokenolMarine]

The Acorns and Leaves were done and I had been toying with the idea of the Brand for the farm for a while. We had named our small farm in Virginia "Willow's Ridge" as the farmhouse sat along the top of a ridgeline and there were a couple corkscrew willows in the creek bed we really liked. My business cards in VA had the Willow on the edge of the card. When we got here, we planted a couple of nice willows, one by the pond and one down in a low spot in the pasture that holds runoff most of the year. So, this became Willows Ridge as well. Now that we have cows, I jokingly told Tina we needed a brand. (More of a LOGO.) I'll have Lee Valley make me one to use on my woodwork and my leatherwork.

I had been playing with the design for a good while, and I sat down in the shop and drew it out on a scrap of leather. This is the first cut.

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I went back after coating it in a sealer and antiqued it.... and will seal it today. It turned out pretty good for a first shot.
Tina likes it as is, but in some of the future renderings, I may put Willow's Ridge Farm around the perimeter with the barbed wire in the space not covered by the lettering. What do you guys think? Or maybe Under the patch like a rocker?

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Waiting the fifteen minutes for the sealer to dry, I practiced with the basket weave stamp. I am getting better with it, but not perfect yet.

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I have others to play with to give me choices in basket weave design when I make sheaths, holsters, wallets, etc.

[BrokenolMarine]

I have been practicing quite a bit, but not posting all the pieces as I didn't want to bore you folks. This last session, I practiced on a piece of thick saddle leather than had gotten wet and was all malformed on the edges. I had ordered, and received, a thinner beading blade for the swivel knife and wanted to try it out, plus wanted to work a bit more on the leaves and acorns and the bull skull. I did it all on this thick piece. Miss T is my harshest critic. She liked the outcome.

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I lost the pic of the pure leather, but the view above is of the first attempt at painting. She liked it, but didn't like the GREEN leaves. Even after antiquing. She suggested that I should put fall colors on the leaves.

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I went back out this morning and repainted the leaves with fall colors. The pic below shows that, but remember, the finish is wet and they haven't been antiqued yet. I'll show the finished PRACTICE piece when that is done. I am still working on the techniques and the painting, and finishing. I like the improvement on the bull head...

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The antiquing will Tone Down the orange and yellow in the leaves. I don't like it right now.
Where is the BARF emoji?

[Sir Henry]

The bull looks great. Keep it up.

[BrokenolMarine]

Out in the shop on a rainy day, trying to decide what to do. Not happy with the border on this one. Made the border too wide to use a running W, or barbed wire and not enough experience to make the geometric look decent. Decided to try the cowgal design again. This is an original. The first design I drew out was for a knife sheath (unused) for my Son in Law. This one, I enhanced, adding conchos to the hat, belt, and crop top.

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When I started to bevel and work the design after I cut it in, I remembered a technique I had seen on a video, and used it on the flagpole. I reverse beveled the flagpole with a steep angle bevel, made the flag pole actually look round...

Not great, but looks pretty good for a hack.... I'll try adding color. Denham shorts and top, color to the cowboy hat, and some hint of color to the flag.

[BrokenolMarine]

Out to the shop again this morning after coffee. Went to work tooling again, to sharpen some edges, soften others, and to eliminate the hard lines in the background using a pear shader. If you look you can see where the lines in the area above the Gal's head are mostly gone, blended. As are those beside her "thighs." These are mistakes people new to tooling make, and need to correct and/or avoid in the future.

Then, I started to paint. Old eyes/hands. I had to take my time and do the best I could. As you can see, I went with blonde hair, and there is detail there, it will pop later. The flag could have been more detailed, but this is practice. I just wanted a background. I let the paint dry, and went back out and put the sealer on the leather. Once that dries I can antique it. Just before the sealer I added some additional texture to the piece. Using a special tool I added some special texture to the gal's top that should make it look plaid when the antiquing goes on. We'll see. I could have dusted the shorts with a VERY light brush of white to make them "More" denim, but once antiqued they should look fine. We'll see. If it doesn't work, I can always clean up the antique and dust it, then antique again. I'll know better in the future.

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[BrokenolMarine]

Antiqued the piece. Most everything worked. Accents where I wanted, the hair came alive, the shirt toned down and looks worn but NOT plaid like I'd hoped. Now my critic said that the shorts still need to be toned down. After therapy tomorrow, I'll look at that... probably dry brush the shorts with black over the blue and see how that works out, and see if I can touch up the one lower right corner of the red in the flag I missed. Then touch up any Anti-Q I need to... add some finish... Then toss it in the practice piece bucket.

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