Tales from.. ..The StrapLab!

[TVvoodoo]

Today I started a tooling job, a custom for a tall fellow. Patrick has a really swell wine red paul he wants so sling on a wide padded custom strap. However, he maintains me he needs up to 67" long, but 63 is his home position! That's extraordinarily long!

and after some discussion... my old Ace of spades series tickled his fancy, with some modifications something like this one... something I made quite a wayws back in 2021 - This new one now would be #9

So, here we go! First some technical stuff. He wanted my Ace of Spades sawtooth to stop before it hit bottom, like the others do... and for me to tool in a much larger version of the stamp as beste I can requiring a bit of computerin'

digitally enlarge it, so I can trace it onto the leather. Then commence with the arbor press - I actually need this 2 ton press to get the impression... hammering alone just won't do it with stamps that have a lot of surface area. and I gotta put a snipe on the press handle besides and put all my weight on it too! It's actually pretty hard work.

Then, trace in and swivel knife in the larger representation...

While it's still sligtly damp... first dye stage. My red dye seems to be getting a bit old, I think it might take a couple of applications. I want it richer yet. It's gonna darken down with antiquing, some black burst effects and clearcoat too. But overall, the plan is to creep up on the right colours and how he wants it.

New in the store today, another Shakey, this one with super faded denim. 45-62" wide and padded.

Happy hump day!

 

[TVvoodoo]

The work on Ace of Spades #9 continues...

Later last night I hit it with red dye again, then neatsfoot oil to drag it a bit deeper into the hide
at this point when it's wet with oil you can get a nice preview of the colour when clearcoated...
but this is still way to bright for where we are headed-

But... it's far easier to darken leather shades than it is to lighten them!
This morning I commenced to shielding all the items I wanted to stay this colour with a resist coating - this means all the tiny little skulls the sawtooth down the middle, and parts of the front carved element. Let that dry for a few hours then hit it all with the darkest antique paste I have

Yechh!

Scrubbed it into all the nooks and crannies, waited twenty beats then wiped it all off.

I let that dry a set for an hour and a half, buffed it out, then started with some black over-dye lightly by hand to bring it even deeper/darker/scarier, and get into the tooled aces a bit better along the sides.

Discussing with Patrick, we have decided I need to darken it down just a tad more, which will happen later tonight after I run some errands. It's all burnished now too, the edges.

today new in the store is another Shakey - the Indigo one. 44-62" wide, long, luxuriously padded.

More to come tomorrow... weekend is coming! And so is my wife... I've been batchin' it since Sunday, but so far I've watched Robocop, The good the bad and the Ugly, and last night Bloodsport. a bunch of movies I've never seen, but it was time to get the off the bucket list LOL.

 

[ᛗᛜᛜᚺDᛜᎶ Ꮤᛨᚳᚴ]

That Ace of Spades #9 is going to be the BOMB! Cool shit!!

 

[Frankencat]

That Shakey is looking very nice as well.

 

[TVvoodoo]

A couple of Hipsters entered the Well-Hung Reverb store today...

Hipster #1

Hipster #2

this is old reclaimed leather from my "leather library" salvaged about a dozen years ago, from a ladies skirt. I don't know what guitar it might go on, but it's got all kinds of earthy vintage mojo that I'm sure folks are gonna ask you about!

Went a step darker yet with Ace #9 - still waiting to hear back from Patrick on where we are going with it.

I think I'm going to resist going any darker at this point. But it's pretty dang cool!