Drygulch Leatherworks

This will be my centerpiece for the Maple Leaf Festival this year.  I did the design and carving, and Baldwin Motorbike Saddles did the foam and upholstery work.  Its on a steel Mustang solo pan for a 2000-2006 Softail.  It has high quality foam and a gel insert as well.  I am happy with the way this came out, and hope it sells quickly so I can make another one.

One of the things I learned quickly with leatherwork is that you need sharp knives.  I thought I knew how to sharpen a knife before, but I was wrong.  The last step in getting a knife scary sharp is to polish the steel with a strop.  The strop I had been using was a four inch long scrap of unfinished 2×4 with a piece of 14oz saddle skirting nailed to it.  Over the last few years I have worked quite a bit of jeweler’s rouge into it, so it worked pretty well.  It just wasn’t pretty. 

Earlier this week, my friend Mike Black approached me about needing a strop.  He is an incredible craftsman who makes mandolins.  Check out http://www.threebeansalad.net/Mandolins.html or http://www.facebook.com/Mike.Black.Mandolins for some of his work.  I offered to make him a nice horse hide strop, and realized he might have some nice looking wood in his scrap bin.  He supplied two strips of maple, and I added the leather and rouge.  These are horse leather, which is harder and more durable than cowhide.  I burnished the edges and cemented them to the wood. 

To make a strop, you need a piece of leather on a solid surface.  With the horsehide glued to the maple strip that was covered.  The next step is working a polishing compound into the leather.  I crushed red rouge, and put it into denatured alcohol.  I then brushed this on to the leather.  As the alcohol dissolved, the rouge was on the surface of the leather, and just under it.  I worked it in more by stropping my knives.

I am happy to report that they work really well, and my head knife and swivel knives are nicely polished right now.  This strop actually looks nice, and does a good job.  Not sure if there is enough interest in making some of these for sale, but I might try it to see.

Today I received wallet chains from Hawkwolf’s Armory and Accoutrements.  www.Hawkwolfs.com  These are chain mail style chains.  I hadn’t been able to find nice wallet chains for the biker wallets I am making.  Problem solved.  There are four different types, and will be available on all of my biker or trucker style custom leather wallets.

It’s been a busy few months.  My wife and I have relocated from Lawrence to Baldwin City, Kansas in August.  In October, I had a space in the Maple Leaf Festival, http://mapleleaffestival.com/.  That was a blast, and the first big show I have done.  I met a lot of great people.

I opened a store on Etsy, http://www.etsy.com/shop/DrygulchLeatherworks.  I will slowly be adding inventory there, and linking to it from this shop.

The remainder of my inventory is currently on consignment at American Leatherworks, in Leavenworth, Kansas.  http://www.americanleatherworks.com/ They have quite a bit of other stuff, including duty gear as well.

I have also been working on custom orders, including a motorcycle seat, custom cuff, and wallets.  I am currently working on a bunch of wallets, to offer on this site and Etsy.