WESTERNSPICE GETS IN ON THE ACTION . . .

Mr. Legendary Leather has been mighty busy filling 'special requests'. So much so that WesternSpice has finally put her spurs down on this one. You see, Mr. Legendary Leather promised WesternSpice that he would make her a lil' somethin' before the next big show in October. WesternSpice drew up the blueprints in June . . . where they have sat all summer waiting patiently for Mr. Legendary Leather to begin the first cuts.

The blueprints WesternSpice concocted were for a pair of half chaps/leggings  . . . western style, naturally. Now she's stuck her spurs in the door and demanded some action. Mr. Legendary Leather had no choice but to make the first cuts.

The Missus is mighty glad that all she has to do is report on the progress . . . cuttin' and craftin' all those pieces is out of her league!

WesternSpice has taken a likin' to the "fleur de lys" design in recent months. Are you as interested in seeing how this will play out in the scheme of her design as I am?

. . . AND THE WINNER IS . . .

Mr. Legendary Leather would like to congratulate Ms. Filly Hilly from Dublin, Ohio for her unusual suggestion that got Mr. Legendary Leather to thinkin' 'bout a way to redefine the buckskin addition on the elk handled sheath. Ms. Hilly's thoughts were totally out of the box on this one. Why should you varmints only have two choices . . . natural shaped buckskin or fringed buckskin? A nice combination of the two would be mighty fine, also. Ms. Hilly suggested creating fringe on the lower half of the buckskin . . . and in condsiderin' that suggestion, Mr. Legendary Leather decided he'd rather have fringe on the top half of the buckskin because he preferred the ragged natural form of the lower half. Either way, it was Ms. Hilly who got Mr. Legendary Leather's dusy old attic space to thinkin'!

. . . and for Mr. Jed Irons . . . here's how the sheath now looks if it were hung from a belt.

Thanks again to all of you who voted!

THE VOTES ARE IN!

Thanks to those of you who voted on the appearance of Mr. Legendary Leather's latest creation (Bleached Elk Antler Handled Knife and Primitive Sheath Set). We had several votes, both through the blog and through e-mail. Mr. Legendary Leather has made his decision, however you will have to wait for his next post to see new pictures of the alterations he will be making.

Now don't get those panty-chaps in a bundle. Here's a hint: Mr. Legendary Leather is considering a very unique option from a viewer, however it will most likely be a "reverse" alteration from their suggestion. Confused? Stay tuned . . .

YOUR VOTE IS NEEDED . . .

When last we left you, Mr. Legendary Leather was creatively thinking of a primitive sheath that would compliment the mighty fine knife he had crafted from Mr. Hot Tamale's generous donation of bleached elk antlers. Well, here it is and I think you'll agree that he was a crafty little devil at that.

Take note of the unusually shaped buckskin added to the right side of the sheath.

 

 

Mr. Legendary Leather crudely carved a floral design on the front of the sheath in keeping with the rustic look the bleached elk antler handle and primitive blade gave to oveall look of the set.

By "crudely" carving the design instead of "tooling', a more primitive and rustic appearance is given.

Now here's where your vote is needed. Regarding the buckskin piece that has been added to the right side of the sheath . . . do you think Mr. Legendary Leather should leave it the way it is (unusually shaped) or do you think he should cut it into a "fringed" edging?

VOTE!

ELK ANTLERS . . .

Mr. Hot Tamale from New Mexico was a little hesitant to ask Mr. Legendary Leather if he would be interested in some elk antlers that were discovered on his New Mexico spread . . . after all, Mr. Hot Tamale was a little worried that this sunbleached rack of antlers might not be any good. Mr. Legendary Leather informed him that he would be most gratified to take them off his hands.

The experts are still out on the best way to bring color back into sunbleached antlers . . . oil, stain, dye, soaking them in coffee, and even rubbing them with pine or aspen branches (the natural way elk take care of the problem) have been tried and true for some taxidermists. But for now, Mr. Legendary Leather has decided to stick with the old, rustic, sunbleached look for his next project. 

 After his first cut, Mr. Legendary Leather was happy to find that the antlers were still solid inside and look mighty fine with the primitive blade he picked out.

Once the hole was drilled to fit the full tang of the blade (using epoxy), Mr. Legendary Leather wrapped copper wire and a bit of solder to add strength and character to overall appearance of his new project. Are you as curious as I am to see what Mr. Legendary Leather envisions as his next step?

FROM BELTS TO KNIVES . . .

Well, Mr. Fur Trader from Georgia has agreed to hire Mr. Legendary Leather for retrieving the lost six inches from his well-loved belt. However, Mr. Legendary Leather will be using another method than the one mentioned in the previous post. Stay tuned for updates on the method Mr. Legendary Leather will be using.

Meanwhile, back at the shop, Mr. Legendary Leather is embarking upon another project whilst he eagerly awaits the arrival of Mr. Fur Trader's belt to be repaired.

Enter Mr. Hot Tamale from New Mexico, who came upon a nice pair of sun-bleached antlers on his property upon moving to the homestead. He knew Mr. Legendary Leather  . . . a scrounging varmint by nature . . . could put them thar antlers to good use someday.

Mr. Legendary Leather has made the first cuts and is eagerly crafting a new knife and sheath from the generous rack Mr. Hot Tamale so kindly donated. Stay tuned for more details on how this most recent project progresses!