Thank you all for the well wishes and congratulations. What an outpouring!

We had a birthday party for him last night...broke out the Laphroig 15 and christened him (on the forehead and chest) with it.

We talked about getting him a kilt...I think that will wait til he's walking of course. Before then he'd forever be mussing the pleats or jamming his sporran up into his gut. But it's high the list...

His dad is a great strapping fellow...must go 6'6"...and if it were earlier times and he had had the physical training (wi' a claymore?) he'd be brawny too--you can tell by his bone structure. So Lucien might end up big...I mean big.

I doubt he'll be a boot or shoemaker, though. The 'rents are actually talking about moving to Scotland. Mom (Chloe) wants to get a doctorate at the college in Aberdeen.

If they go soon enough it might be excuse enough to pay a visit concurrent with 2009 Gathering of the Clans in Edinburgh...supposedly the first official Gathering of the clans in 200 years. Clan chieftains from as far away as new Zealand are supposed to be attending.

You can call me gramps if you want...I kind of like it.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

Maybe this falls into the catagory of "widdershins on a waning moon", but...

You know how some times you get asked to do a project that you have always wanted to do and just don't have the time? There's gonna be consequences. Well this is one of them. I really should have been making boots these past 3 1/2 weeks. But nooo...

The deal is I was asked by a decorator, to collaborate with the cabinet maker, and the coppersmith, on a wet bar for a couple from London. They are buying a huge house in Wickenburg, that is being especially decorated in a Spanish/Moorish motif. How could I say no? You wouldn't have, would you?

He's a hunter of game fowl and so it was decided to use quail and pheasants for the primary images. Ring Neck Pheasants were introduced into Arizona in about 1880. And, of course, there's plenty of Gamble Quail in the Wickenburg area. I chose to mimic the decorative iron work from the frame around the sliding glass door, which leads to the huge swimming pool, for the surround on the leather panels. The little cartouches (cartouchi?), on the drawer panels, are also found on the iron work, and I thought that design would transfer well to leather.

Deep embossing, the images are raised about 3/4" and filled with the rubber cement/leather dust concoction many of us have used before for such sculpting, ala Robb Barr. (Miss you buddy!) The whole project is stained with Sheridan Brown and top coated with BeeNatural's RTS.

I may not get to see the piece 'en situ', until it's featured in Phoenix Home and Garden, if that really comes to pass as I've been told. I may not even get any shots of the finished cabinet itself. Oh well, I'm told that comes with the territory with this kind of job. But here it is mounted on the door and drawer panels, in thier proper arrangement.

OK, back to the bench. This is, after the Honorable Cornwainers Company Annual Meeting.

Best wishes to you all,
Paul

Paul
Holy **** Nice Job!!
What kind of leather and weight? What kind of backing on the panels and how do they plan to attach to the front?
"Deep embossing, the images are raised about 3/4" and filled with the rubber cement/leather dust concoction many of us have used before for such sculpting, ala Robb Barr. (Miss you buddy!) "
I never had the opportunity to meet Mr . Barr could you elaborate?
I have incorporated leather with wood work but 'nuthen like that.
Enjoy the ARM and meeting wish I was there! Have a wee dram for me.
Regards
Brendan

Paul,

What stunning pieces!! How could you have turned down such a project. Did you put your name on the back so that in a hundred years, when the bar is brought to the Antique Roadshow they will know it's an original Paul Krause?
I'm also very curious about the technique of deep embossing with the rubber cement and leather dust filling. I would love to see some pictures of the process if you have any. The AGM is first but once you are back I love to learn a little more about it.

Have a good time in Guthrie

Rob

PK

Looking at the photo's the tooling the skills are getting better dispite your love for boot making,real good work.

Wow, Paul...beautiful work as usual. How many hours do you think you have in the panels?
Johanna

I'm on my way to Kathmandu, Nepal and New Dehli, India and Varanaisi, India.

Anyone know any shoe or leather related things I can look into while in the exotic east?

I'm told generally not to mention that I am a shoemaker as working with leather is considered lowly and unclean.

Rick,

Be on the look-out, if you will, for reliable suppliers who export "East India Kips" (naked, un-finished, native veg-tanned cattle hides, they run small footage, and are around 5 oz. thick). This is good firm base-leather for making "waxed-calf" boot leather. Get prices and contacts. Also, if you find any suppliers of c.8" or longer boar bristle (black preferred, but blonde will do), extra stiff, almost like the monofilament nylon fishing line everybody uses (outside of museums that is).

Have a safe and fun trip.

Rick,

I heard from a salesman of wickett-craig of a certain Iranian veg-tan kid leather, i know they have many goats there, if you come cross it, buy a skin or two,if you can. leather workers/ boot/shoe makers are considered lowly jobs in the east, among the Hindus i wouldn't say i am shoe maker, with Sikhs and Muslims, you are safe, but still considered undesired trade,BTW while in the "exotic east" you will be looked upon as the "exotic" and that's the nature of things.
Safe trip.

Nasser

Rick,

I think Kathmandu is the last refuge of the wild nauga (although domestic breeding programs have insure that the hydes are more readily available than at any time in history).

Nauga are notoriously elusive and almost never seen in the wild but if you can pick up some hydes, it is my understanding that they are completely waterproof.

Also pigeon blood rubies are supposed to be abundant in that area...and cheap.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

Rick,

Have a great trip. It should be really interesting. Have you ever traveled there before?
We all look forward to a report and pictures.

And, please excuse me, but if I may...I'd like to answer the questions from above which I missed due to traveling to OK.

Brendan,
This was Wickett and Craig's milled carving leather, at 6 to 7 ounce. As for backing, the panels are mounted on the cabinet doors and drawers, as you see them, however the work was accomplished with the leather mounted on Cresent's Dry Press Illustration Board(from my local art supply store), with a mylar film glued on for ease of release after tooling. This technique was taught all around the world by world traveling leather artist Robb Barr, a big fellow in heart and body. He passed away several years ago, but his techniques are recorded and sold as DVDs by Tandy Leather Factory, amoung others.
Rob,
I hope to get to take pictures in the days ahead. And I did sign them. But I don't have any pictures of the process right now. I'll keep it in mind for the future though. However I am willing to go into detail if you want to contact me.
Thank you Ed, Good to hear from you.
And Joanna, I appreciate your comments as well. I didn't track my time really, but I do know I was off the bootmakin' bench for about three weeks, researching and working on this before we went to Guthrie.

Paul

Paul,

Thanks for the offer. It's mostly curiosity, it'll be some time before I will attempt any type of embossing. I have much to learn before I start ruining a perfectly good piece of leather
For now I'll stick to making shoes and admiring everything else. I do look forward to seeing some detail of the process but no rush on that.

Thanks
Rob

Sometimes people bring me work other than shoes or boots, this chair is the last of set of 4 i put leather on, it's veg tan Spanish tan shoulder, the stitch is hand work, the chair is very comfortable to sit on.
DW, thanks for providing us with the off-topic thread.

Nasser.

Nasser,

You're welcome.

We do taker on some strange projects now and again. I built two butterfly chairs some years back. I was provided the iron frames and I had the original canvas slings...all I had to do was duplicate them in leather.

One of them is still around...after what must be 25 years.


Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC

For those interested; the stove is installed and producing serious heat.

burns compressed sawdust pellets

80 pounds of fuel is stored in the unit, feeding the fire on demand.


No need for sweaters in the shop anymore

Rob

Rob,

Nice looking stove, Thanks for showing it to us, Is there a chimney to let the smoke out? and i was wondering about that electric wire coming out of the unit. your timing is good, we had our first snow fall here last week and the temperature was close to -20 last night.

Nasser

Rob,

Good for You! You may have to change to a "summer" wax now!

By the way, we have a pellet factory in Mountain View, AR now. I believe they have hired 24 people.

Stay warm!

Nasser,
It's a fireplace insert. They come free standing as well but this one was the better one as I had the fireplace in my shop. It wasn't working cause the chimney needed work, now it's lined and all set. The electric wire is for the fans inside the stove and the feeding mechanism for the pellets. All the heat is blown into the room. In fact the top of the stove stays reasonably cool, I can lay may hand on it while it's running. I can't hold my hand in front of the glass for more than a few seconds!
Nice job on the chair, that would look really nice in front of the stove
It's getting cold here as well. Only -8C last night but still a good test that was easily passed.

Jake, summer wax and inseaming in shortsThe pellet business is indeed a growing industry. I heard that up to now most pellets came from Canada but US production is increasing. It's a great way to recycle the sawdust wast from furniture operations and it creates domestic jobs!

I'll be staying warm and cozy.
Rob

Speaking of doing other things for therapy (among the many reasons to do them)...

Here is a couple of photos of my fourth sgian dubh (Scots sock knife).

It is Gabon Ebony and warthog tusk ivory with a silver celtic knot on the ivory pommel and a pewter celtic knot inlaid in the handle. The bolster is pewter and the damascus blade is inset in the bolster.

(I also made the box...it is covered with iron black dyed veg tanned sheep)






We don't quit playing because we get old, we get old because we quit playing.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

Oh...I forgot...The sheath is elephant (CITES legal) and the tie holding the sheath in the box is not part of the sheath. Also the knife actually is seated in a depression in the box.

I was almost as tickled with the box as with the knife...although from what I learned doing this one I know how to make them even better.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

What the hack is going on! First the fighting Knob Stick than sock knives with Damascus blades, what's next, a Sword? I wonder if Rob is really thinking of building that ARK.
Good job on the knife.

Nasser

Hmmm, come to think of it a nice basket-hilt broadsword might look pretty good in my opinion.



Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

Not to be worn on the foot, of course I just made one of these for fun, and took it to the outdoor market where I normally sell my glasswork (beads) and the occasional leather bag. The first mask sold that day, so I have made another, and this is it. Painted in many layers of acrylic paint. I will seal it when it's completely dry.

Athan,

That looks great! And how affirming to have it sell so quickly.

It has a kind of copper finish to it. Is that what you were going for or a result of how the color translated from the computer?

Paul

The copper color is the result of several layers of different 'copper metallic' acrylic paint shades, in some cases underlaid by black, in others by the green you can see on the surface. Yes it was very affirming to have it sell so fast!! I didn't know if anyone would be interested, though I've always kind of liked masks, and own a couple of them from various parts of the globe... I do process my photos w/Photoshop--I love that program & play with it a lot--but the color on this is pretty true, I just changed the 'levels' to sharpen it up a bit.