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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Craft Works - Let's Get Creative!

    General Chat
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    • ChrisC
      Chris
      Raw and Unwashed
      Joined:

      Finally finished a home improvement project I've been working on intermittently for a few months now.  As with most of my projects, it didn't come out entirely as planned, and there are several things I'd do differently, but it still worked out ok.

      From this:

      To this:

      Color is most accurate on the last picture.  There's an outside chance I'll change the top, (I'm not in love with the plywood, aesthetically) but until then, I have a place to put my drinks…

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • JCMx800J
        JCMx800
        Raw and Unwashed
        Joined:

        My belthook did not fit over my heavy Samurai belt, so I decided to make something by myself. I also made a lanyard for my keys at my new job + a bracelet. Had a lot of fun, now I need more tools and more leather.

        Les Paul -> ProCo Rat -> Super HardOn -> JCM800 Low Input
        XXX

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • seawolfS
          seawolf
          Mod Squad
          Joined:

          That's a slippery slope!! Nice work 🙂

          “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

          @zeebeeleather

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • DionD
            Dion
            Joined:

            Great job :)! Looking awesome!

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • JCMx800J
              JCMx800
              Raw and Unwashed
              Joined:

              Les Paul -> ProCo Rat -> Super HardOn -> JCM800 Low Input
              XXX

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • GilesG
                Giles
                IHUK Crew
                Joined:

                The perfect bedside table.  Congrats….

                "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • JCMx800J
                  JCMx800
                  Raw and Unwashed
                  Joined:

                  @Giles:

                  The perfect bedside table.  Congrats….

                  I just need another box, you gonna get a mail in a month or so 😉

                  Les Paul -> ProCo Rat -> Super HardOn -> JCM800 Low Input
                  XXX

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • GilesG
                    Giles
                    IHUK Crew
                    Joined:

                    I'm here for you….. 😃 😃

                    "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Jordan23J
                      Jordan23
                      Joined:

                      …your trustful dealer [emoji16]

                      Enjoy ya addiction!

                      AE

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • JCMx800J
                        JCMx800
                        Raw and Unwashed
                        Joined:

                        Yeah, but there is still something waiting for my payment at the IHUK-HQ 😉
                        Step by step.

                        Les Paul -> ProCo Rat -> Super HardOn -> JCM800 Low Input
                        XXX

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • Jordan23J
                          Jordan23
                          Joined:

                          I am curious to see![emoji6]

                          Enjoy ya addiction!

                          AE

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • FinksterF
                            Finkster
                            見習いボス
                            Joined:

                            @Giles:

                            The perfect bedside table.  Congrats….

                            +1 !!!

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • J
                              jdl1279
                              Joined:

                              Old paracord + free time = a somewhat crafty bracelet

                              Bourbon: because living in Kentucky just makes you want to drink

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • JCMx800J
                                JCMx800
                                Raw and Unwashed
                                Joined:

                                Manufactum wanted 89€ for the matching board for my rail. I said feck off and bought some wood and did it myself:

                                Simple design, but very useful:

                                Les Paul -> ProCo Rat -> Super HardOn -> JCM800 Low Input
                                XXX

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • ChrisC
                                  Chris
                                  Raw and Unwashed
                                  Joined:

                                  @Giles:

                                  Tell us about the boots Chris….. 😉

                                  Since Giles asked so nicely… Back at the beginning of September, I decided to take a class to learn how to make cowboy boots.

                                  The class is taught by Carl Chappell, a master boot maker, in St. Jo, Texas, which is about a 5 1/2 hour drive from my home in Houston.  He teaches three classes a year, a maximum of six students per class and is assisted by another master boot maker, Mike Kearnes.  My class had three students, so we got nearly one-on-one direction.  It's pretty intensive, running from 8am to 8pm Monday through Saturday for two weeks.  At the end, you leave with a pair of boots that you made yourself and (theoretically, at least) the knowledge to make more.

                                  First, we learned to draw stitching patterns and then add in stitching, one row at a time.  The progression looks like this, more or less.

                                  Next, you make the vamps, which have to be soaked in water and stretched into shape.  Then, you stitch in the toe “bug”, which is a decorative design to help control wrinkling during wear.  After that, you attach the vamps and the heel counters to the tops

                                  The appeal of custom boots is partially that they are custom fitted, so we learned how to measure feet and build a last to match, which involved grinding down and building up the stock factory form as needed.  When that's done, you attach the partially made boot to it and then sew in a welt, put in a steel shank, and then peg the outsole onto the boot using wooden pegs.

                                  Finally, you stack the heels, one layer of leather at a time, then trim and shape it and do the final dyeing, inking and burnishing.  If you have some time left over, and your teacher decides your boots need additional personalization, you can even do some decorative tooling on the soles.

                                  It was a really fantastic experience, and I can't wait to build my next pair.  It was fascinating to build things the traditional way and to understand how radically different that is from modern factory methods of production.  We used techniques that often dated back a hundred years.  Most of the machinery was at least 50 years old, and I did most of my sewing on a machine that was designed in the 1890s.  Learning how to make something that is functional and beautiful and completely unique is amazing.  It's hard for me to express how much I loved the whole process, even the parts that were tedious and exhausting.

                                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • GilesG
                                    Giles
                                    IHUK Crew
                                    Joined:

                                    BOOM

                                    "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • rocketR
                                      rocket
                                      Joined:

                                      this is very very cool Chris, kudos….

                                      rocketrocksrox 🤙🏼🤙🏾

                                      It's all humbug, like everywhere
                                      R.I.P. Geo

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • GilesG
                                        Giles
                                        IHUK Crew
                                        Joined:

                                        It's so beyond cool…..I know that Chris knows there are things he could improve next time around, but I'd take those "heaps of shite" any day I was offered them.....

                                        "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • rocketR
                                          rocket
                                          Joined:

                                          yeah…

                                          rocketrocksrox 🤙🏼🤙🏾

                                          It's all humbug, like everywhere
                                          R.I.P. Geo

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • tmgT
                                            tmg
                                            Joined:

                                            Deeply impressive!

                                            So when will you be taking orders?

                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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