Leatherman/Trapper Combo

Here is the latest out of the shop.  It will hold a leatherman and a 4" trapper all in one handy dandy little package.  The sheath a working man needs.  If you haven't yet, make the journey over to facebook and become a fan of the shop.  Join now so when we're famous you can tell your friends that you were one of the first.  Take care, RW

Facebook

Well I finally broke down to the pressure of social media and put the shop on facebook.  Look me up, become a fan, and keep up to date with the shop.  I will continue to update this blog with pics of my projects and maybe more tutorials, but the facebook page will have more little tidbits of life around the shop just to keep the masses entertained.  Hopefully we'll get some more exposure over there and have more projects to bring out soon.  See you down the road, RW.

Good Looking Sheath, Terrible Looking Picture

I had a customer bring a knife that needed a new sheath.  The sheath will sit vertical on a up to a 2" wide belt, dyed light brown with a snap to hold the handle.  Of course, new camera and all, I didn't get a good picture of it and didn't realize these were this blurry until I loaded them up.  Well, better than nothing.  Hope you enjoy.  RW

For a more mouth watering photo (yet still blurry, better camera, worse picture, go figure), I'll add this.  Single serving pineapple upside-down cake hot off the grill. Homemade cinnamon whipped cream on top.

Reflections

From time to time it's good to look back and see if you are improving in your craft or art or life in general.  I have kept the first few carvings that I ever did and I have wanted, for awhile now, to go back and tool the same pattern just to see the differences.  I like to keep my old stuff to show people that may be interested in doing leatherwork but are discouraged because their work may not look as good as some others that they see.  My tooling is still not where I want it to be and I believe that is the beauty of a craft that is also an art form, you can continue to grow and learn no matter how long you've done it.

One of my favorite leather carvers, Don Butler, told me at the show in Colorado that it was only the fifth purse he had ever made.  The project actually made him sit back and study the finer points of creating a great handbag.  This is coming from a guy who has done leather for over 50 years.  There is always something to learn, always a way to hone your style and craftsmanship.

The piece done in early 2003 was the second flower I had ever tooled.  The other one was done today, a little over nine years later.  The pattern is more of an old western style instead of the Sheridan style that I normally do, so it's not my best work.  The western style flower is built more for a larger pear shader but I did it with the tools I had.  Hopefully at least you can see the difference in crispness and depth.  The leather was obviously cased better on the new one because it "took" the tool better.  The imprint burnished the leather when stamped causing it to darken the leather more.  Casing is an issue for a lot of new carvers I believe.  Most folks get in too big of a hurry when you are new.  Early on, casing the leather is the far most important thing to learn, right there with keeping your swivel knife sharp and at the correct angle.  Fading bevels is something I've tried to pick up over the years and I'm still continuing to learn how to keep everything clean looking. 

2012 vs. 2003

2003

2012

I debated putting up this due to the fact of showing early work that was severely lacking any talent.  As Cash told me when I brought my first Bible cover in to be sewn; "It looks like a cabbage patch threw up on it", keep practicing, keep learning, and don't let others work discourage you,  use it to strive to be better.  Until next time, RW

ACM 2012 Purse

After the long post about the trip, I guess I should show my entry.  The rules stated "any purse smaller than 10" by 14" and not made from a kit".  Pretty broad range and it brought many different styles to the table.  Here's what I came up with.  It was my first purse so I learned a lot for the next one.  It was a carving contest so I tried to cover as much as possible with tooling.

Under side of the handle

Interior

The purse will be showcased with other entries from the Art of the Cowboy Makers contest at the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs from now until September.  If you are in the area, drop by and check it out in person.  As always, critique and comments welcome.  Take care, RW

Home from the Road

We just returned from The Art of the Cowboy Makers contest in Loveland, CO.  We had a great time and met some wonderful people.  It was an amazing display of many different artists in categories such as braiding, chaps, engraving, spurs, hats, saddles, boots, cinch making and of course leather carving.  I decided to enter this year even though the project was building a purse, which I had never done before.  Mainly it was a good excuse to go to Colorado. 


We stayed in Fort Collins which was having a huge forest fire.  Not knowing what to expect when we arrived, we took off early morning and made the long stretch to Amarillo the first day.  Had a picnic at one of the coolest roadside picnic areas I've ever seen right outside of Guthrie (home of the famous Four 6's ranch).  We hit a lot of picnic areas along the way and I believe they are a dying breed that needs a resurrection. 

Once we made it to Amarillo, I went out and branded the Cadillac Ranch with the ol' BR.  Teaching the kids the fine art of graffiti, I'm sure that will come back to bite me when they get older.

On into Colorado and a view of the smoke from our hotel window.

The makers competition was a good one this year.  I was really impressed by the talent showcased, especially Don Butler (woolies) and Nancy Martiny's (chinks) entries into the chap category.

The prizes were custom buckles for 1st place and people's choice.  I wasn't fortunate enough to come home with one this year, but it means improvement for next year's go around.

There was an entry in the braiding category that had everyone talking and gawking.  It was a miniature bit and reins that a gentleman in the Arizona State Prison had sent in.  He ended up taking the people's choice award for it.  It was well deserved, the picture doesn't do justice to the detail in it.

Here's a picture of the maker's that were able to be in attendance.

I would like to thank Casey and LeEllen Jordan and Dave and Kristi Wilson for their hard work putting this show on.  Hopefully it will continue to grow every year.  Check out Art of the Cowboy Makers website for more pictures and information about the event.

After it was all said and done, we were ready and thankful to see this sign:

I love the mountains, but it's nice to be home.  Thanks for putting up with the long post and check out my post that focuses on the purse I made for this event.  Take care, RW

Pair of Legal Pad Covers

The latest out the door is a set of padfolios.  These are border tooled with barbed wire.  The inside matches the other one I have posted on here.  Let me know what you think.  Take care, RW