Krab,

Leather work, like guitar playing takes practice. It has been awhile since I have done this but I did a lot of it when I was younger. I can't tell you how many keychains, bookmarks, wristbands and etc, that I threw away Tell her to try out a floral design that uses the the small tools like the beveler, veiner, camoflage, seeder and background. Using the stamps of things like letters or small 3-D pictures like horses, wolves etc is MUCH harder. The loose handle and the wide stamp area make it very hard to get a good image. Often you will get a double image, uneven depth from side to side or a mark from the edge of the stamp. I don't use them because I can't get a good image with them.

I recommend she get a larger piece of leather like a billfold kit or even just a 6x6 inch square piece. Floral designs and other more intricate designs look more difficult but they really are not. I think it is easier to make them look better because you have multiple chances to cover up your mistakes with the different tools. Also, tell her to work on it for a half to an hour and then quit until the next day.

How cool would it be to have a custom strap that your girl made for you VERY

_________________
'09 Am Deluxe Ash Strat
'09 Mex Standard Strat
'10 Mex Standard Tele
Champ 600
Blues jr.
'65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue

she got the big kit with eh key fob the belt wallet check book and something else. She just gave up after the first one.

_________________
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.-Khalil Gibran

Thanks for the update, that is looking really nice! Thumbs up!

Cheers

Nutter

How did I miss this?


great work, tres cool!!!

Now I realize that I go past the Tandy store on my way to work every day, I guess it is only a matter of time, since I have no resistance to ideas like this.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

The messy part begins. I put the first coat of dye on tonight. The color I used is kind of a red even though it is called saddle tan. This color is actually an "antique" finish. It is designed to be rubbed into the tool impressions and then if you want you can use a damp sponge to remove some of the color from the surface. I am going for a darker color so I didn't wipe much off of the surface.



I will let this dry until tomorrow night and see if the color is what I want or if another coat of this color. I also picked up a black antique color called smoke black. I'm thinking to rub the black into the tool impressions and wipe the rest off of the surface. I guess I'll just have to see what I think tomorrow.

BTW: I practiced on a number of scrap pieces before I dumped a bunch of dye on this project. Like everything else with leather you don't have the option to erase it and try again. Even though I don't have a lot of time invested in this project; it sucks when you put dye on it and then don't like the color.

_________________
'09 Am Deluxe Ash Strat
'09 Mex Standard Strat
'10 Mex Standard Tele
Champ 600
Blues jr.
'65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue

That looks really cool

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Well it is finished. The last steps were to spray on a couple coats of sealant called super shene, buff it with a cloth and put it on the guitar. The leather is stiff for now but it will soften with a little use. I pretty happy with how the color looks on my guitar. What do you think?

_________________
'09 Am Deluxe Ash Strat
'09 Mex Standard Strat
'10 Mex Standard Tele
Champ 600
Blues jr.
'65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue

FF1,

Indeed you are correct. It took about 8 hours of work not including the time spent waiting for stain to dry etc. The reason I made it is because leathercraft is another hobby that I enjoy. I find that I can only play or practice guitar for about an hour or so a day before my fingers and muscles need to rest so I tend to have a little extra free time in the evenings. I really don't watch much TV and haven't for quite a few years. I have found that at least in my case, I have a lot more time to do things I that enjoy on the days when the TV never gets turned on. I posted it here because I though it was something different. Thanks for reading the thread.

_________________
'09 Am Deluxe Ash Strat
'09 Mex Standard Strat
'10 Mex Standard Tele
Champ 600
Blues jr.
'65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue

But there is something about making stuff with your own hands. It's part of being an artist.

_________________
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.-Khalil Gibran

typing that was a waste of time. Making the strap was working on another hobby.

get the difference?

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Howdy!

Wow! What a cool thread!

T'is great to see how this sort of craft work is done. The end result looks the business!

Briese, Award yourself 50 points for a job well done and thread nicely posted.

Cheers!

Andy

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Pending Greatness