FEAR CONQUERED

The Missus is happy to report that Mr. Legendary Leather finally

conquered his fear and finished the pair of half chaps/botas

requested by Mr. Chaps of Texas . . . .

 

 

That lonely single half chap viewed in the previous post that required

so much of Mr. Legendary Leather's patterning now has a matching partner.

 

 

When all was said and done, Mr. Legendary Leather had become

quite attached to the pair and was wantin' to keep them fer himself.

 

 

Many gratitudes to Mr. Chaps for his request for a custom pair of half

chaps/botas and for his unlimited patience in waiting for the finished product!

 

 



FEAR . . .

There's just something about a large piece of leather that gets

Mr. Legendary Leather all riled up. But if you take that same piece

of magnificent leather and ask him to begin a large project that requires

some major pieces of leather be cut from that hide . . . he freezes stiffer

than a wet pair of long johns hanging on the line in the dead of winter!

 

He has the most horrible fear of making that first cut . . . especially

if it's somthin' he's never crafted before . . . a pattern that may need

some adjustin' because it's the first time being designed.

 

 

Now don't be thinking that Mr. Legendary Leather puts himself

through this terrifying fear just because he has nothing better to do.

It becomes more intense if it's a special request by a stranger

who has put total faith in his craftin' abilities.

 

 

We've nicknamed the requester Mr. Chaps. A total stranger who simply

wanted a specific pair of half chaps produced by a company who no longer

carries that particular pair any longer. He came across Mr. Legendary

Leather's shop on Etsy and wanted to know if he could create a pair similar

 to what he had originally wanted. Mr. Legendary Leather accepted the challenge.

 

 

However, his worst fears were recognized early on. The leather weight

was too heavy and wouldn't sit right. Even after trying a lighter weight

leather, he continued to have problems with the chaps sitting comfortably

on the leg. After many months and with adjustments to the pattern and

weight of leather, he was finally able to come up with one half

of a finished product that he presented to Mr. Chaps.

 

 

Mr. Chaps had some mighty fine words and gave the thumbs up to finish

the other leg which would complete the pair for purchase. We'll be sure to

be postin' pictures of the finished set just as soon as they are completed.

 



BRAZEE'S SMOKEHOUSE BARBECUE . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all you varmints!

Yes, the Legendary Leather Clan has neglected our

blogging duties as of late, however we want you to

know that Mr. Legendary Leather has not been neglectin'

his leather crafting. Working on another large custom order,

we will be postin' some 'sneak-peek' photos real soon!

 

The Missus would now like to take a little detour off

the dusty trail. Never wantin' to miss a chance to

share news with yous varmints when we come across

somethin' worth shoutin' about! You might have guessed

that Mr. Legendary Leather is a real "meat-n-potatoes"

kind of cowboy . . . literally! And when the Missus

came home a couple of years ago with some "good eats"

from a local PTSA function, Mr. Legendary Leather couldn't

say 'nuff good words about "Brazee's Smokehouse Barbeque".

 

 

Situated in northern Orange County California, "Brazee's

Smokehouse Barbeque" is a small family catering business

that offers delicious smoked meats and assorted side dishes

that satisfy any craving for down-home comfort food. With

many catering events under their belt, "Brazee's" has also been

used by the Legendary Leather Clan for a family event and

they now come highly recommended by Mr. Legendary Leather himself! 

 

So if you are local to the southern California area and are

in need of some caterin' services for your next event,

contact "Brazee's Smokehouse Barbeque" . . . they are some mighty fine folks!



NO HIDE IS SAFE!

I have to be admittin' that Mr. Legendary Leather

has been burning the midnight oil out in his workshop.

Do you remember 'Slim Pickins' a few posts back . . .

filet knife with custom sheath sportin' a fish skeleton?

Well, Mr. Slim Pickins was so impressed with Mr. Legendary

Leather's craftin' that he ordered a few more creations.

 

 

Yeeehaaaw! That boy was so darned excited, he involved

himself in the creatin' process. Knowing that he wanted

a few custom gifts for loved ones, he picked out the bones

for the handles, the blades for the knives, and told Mr.

Legendary Leather how he wanted the leather designed.

 

 

The holster will be for Slim's pa who owns a Colt 1911 that

used to belong to his pa (Slim's grandpa).

 

 

 

Wantin' to impress his girlfriend's kin, Slim wanted to

give them custom knives/sheaths that they could use on

their monthly camping trips. Chosing zebra and impala

bones for the handles, Slim also requested initials be

carved into the plain and simple sheaths.

 

 

A mighty fine "thanks" to Mr. Slim Pickins for his enthusiasm,

generosity, and faith in Mr. Legendary Leather's creatin' abilities.

I have a feelin' that we haven't seen the last of ol' Slim!



SOCIAL NETWORKING . . .

I'll be takin' a little detour off the dusty trail today

to gab a bit about 'social networking'.

 A mighty difficult subject to talk about for a cowboy

in this age of technology, but I feel it's time to

air my updated opinion with all you varmints.

 

 

Enter the 'Captain' from 'The Craftsman's Bench' (link)

What do the Captain and Mr. Legendary Leather

have in common . . . leather, good taste in vintage

advertising, leather, a love for crafting, social networking,

 and (you guessed it) leather! The Captain is stationed in

South Korea. With a passion for craftsmanship in both

 wood and leather, the Captain has created The

Craftsman's Bench out of his need to share his

love of crafting with those overseas who may

not have easy access to such creations.

 

 

Now, I have to be admittin' that it's taken me awhile

to adjust to the social networkin' scene. An old fuddy

duddy cowboy like myself ain't used to airin' his whiles

to the world. However, I have to be admittin' that if it

weren't fer this social networkin' business, the

Captain and I would never have met. Filled with some

mighty fine comments, the Captain came across this

here blog and asked fer some advice. A might proper

fellow who has a heart for creatin' and helping others,

I'll be admittin' that this here cowboy is very much

appreciative of the Captain's kind words and discussions!

 

As fer the young lady pictured above, the Captain informs

us that her name is Adelita, the archetype heroine of the Mexican

Revolution. He notes that she is smiling and that she is armed!

 

 

This was quite appealin' to myself since I

boast of my colorful Mexican heritage.

Learn more about 'La Adelita' (link)

 

 



THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS

BLESSINGS . . .

 

 

. . . AND PRAYERS

FOR A

MIGHTY

FINE

THANKSGIVING!



HOLD 'EM UP!

Well howdy, howdy you varmints!

The Legendary Leather Clan has been mighty busy

with the 'goin's on of life' as of late.

Fresh from vending at the "Gunfight Behind the Jersey Lilly",

Mr. Legendary Leather wanted to share one

of his newest creations with you all.

 

 

Well . . . what do you think about them thar leather suspenders?

 

 

 . . . all leather . . .

 

 

. . . hand made and hand stitched . . .

 

 

. . . and 'period-correct' for SASS and them thar cowboys.

 

 

PERFECT  for holding up yer grungy britches!

 



GONE FISHIN'

Well folks, the Missus just couldn't wait to add this post.

Special requests for Mr. Legendary Leather's craftin' are

always mighty excitin' and the household can't wait to see the results.

 

 

Mr. Slim Pickins wanted somethin' special to mark his

brother's 30th birthday . . . somethin' unique, yet utilitarian.

The request was for a personalized filet knife and sheath set.

 

 

Cow bone handles, stainless steele filet blade, initials of the

recipient, and the date to commemorate the occasion. Mr.

Legendary Leather sought the unique design that would

truly make this sheath set stand out from the rest.

 

 

 

 

Mission accomplished! The Missus is proud to report that

Mr. Slim Pickins was overjoyed with the result and is now

thinking of future projects for Mr. Legendary Leather.

Pictures just don't give due credit to this project!

 



WORD OF MOUTH . . .

There's no better compliment than 'word of mouth'.

Mr. Legendary Leather is much blessed to receive

special requests for custom work due to 'word of mouth'.

Mr. Hit Factor from Michigan has kindly requested a few

creations from Mr. Legendary Leather in the past and has

now been a might kinder by referrin' another kindly soul

who has a special request for Mr. Legendary Leather's talents.

The Michigan Kid (friend to Mr. Hit Factor) treasures a

family heirloom and wanted a left-handed replica holster to

match the heirloom holster, which currently holds a high

standard H-D military .22 pistol. Based purely on the kind

words of Mr. Hit Factor, The Michigan Kid put his trust and

faith in the abilities of Mr. Legendary Leather and mailed

the original holster for Mr. Legendary Leather to study.

As you've heard the Missus mention prior, it's always

hard to match the color of an existing piece, exactly.

Time and wear on the leather affects the coloring.

However, Mr. Legendary Leather did his best to match

the color as well as the design and style of the original

holster. Rumor has it that The Michigan Kid is mighty

pleased with his replica holster.

Many gratitudes go out to The Michigan Kid for his

blind faith in Mr. Legendary Leather's talents.



ANOTHER CHALLENGE . . .

Mr. Legendary Leather recently had another opportunity to

stretch his talents and add to the diversity of his work.

'Mr. Recruiter' approached Mr. Legendary Leather at

SASS's Ambush back in May with a special request for a simple

 sheath to accomodate his large scimitar-shaped carving knife.

For those of you who are familiar with the scimitar shape,

you know that the curved shape and width of the tip of the

blade might prove difficult to fashion a sheath for a blade

that retreats from the sheath at an angle due to the curved

tip. However, after trial and error, Mr. Legendary Leather

was able to adjust his calculations and create the

sheath that 'Mr. Recruiter' had requested.

Many gratitudes to 'Mr. Recruiter' for puttin' his trust in

Mr. Legendary Leather's many talents. He's always up for the challenge!





IT WAS AN "AMBUSH"

Well, howdy folks! Mighty sorry for the lack of

bloggin' here as of late. Lots goin' on in the

Legendary Leather household and the Missus

has some catchin' up to do.

The end of May found Mr. Legendary Leather

selling his leather goods at the "Ambush at Mill Creek".

This year's theme of  'for a few Bandidos more'

had Mr. Legendary Leather bringin' his sombrero out

of moth balls once again. It was good to see our

cowboy friends and hear them brag about their shootin'

A good time was had by all and we look forward to seeing

everyone in October for the "Gunfight Behind the Jersey Lilly".

THE DIVERSITY OF SASS . . .

Some good readin' . . . .

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/cowboys-352653-action-shooting.html?pic=2

HOW DOES HE DO IT?

As sure as Mr. Legendary Leather has continued his creations,

I have to admit that the Missus has been resting on her behind.

However, she promises no disappointments in this post.

Take a look at this here gun belt. Mr. Legendary Leather

aquired it from a box of leather goods given to him by

Mr. Hit Factor. WesternSpice took a likin' to it as it seemed

to fit her quite well. However, it was missing the holster.

Not a problem for Mr. Legendary Leather.

Why not create one to match?

Mr. Legendary Leather was able to create a pattern

that matched the beauty of the original belt.

In working with different grades of leather, the dilema

has always been matching the color of the new with

that of the old and original.

 

Wow! No problem here! I'd say these two pieces look like

they were made at the same time as a matching set!

 And WesternSpice is pleased as punch . . .

a perfect match with a perfect fit!

GONE NATIVE . . .

Some of you varmints may remember that a few posts

back Mr. Legendary Leather was working on a project

that involved the beaded medallion pictured above.

That project is now finished  . . .

. . . and waiting for just the right cowboy to mosey on

along and snatch up these mighty fine spur straps!

CURIOUS ABOUT THAT FIRST JEFF MORGAN?

I know some of you varmints have been curious

about that first Jeff Morgan custom knife that I

mentioned in the previous post. Purty darn near

impolite of me not to include a picture of that one.

Let me give you some details prior to the unveiling.

Mr. Legendary Leather had a vintage sharpening

steel with an antler handle that had come loose.

Now that brain of his is a wee bit small, but full of

creativity. He knew this old handle would make for

a great lookin' knife handle. Being a big fan of

Jeff Morgan, Mr. Legendary Leather approached

him with a sketch and specifications on how he

wanted it to look. Mr. Legendary Leather loves

the look and feel of 1095 carbon steel that

Jeff Morgan uses in his knife blades.

Upon receiving the finished product, Mr. Legendary

Leather was excited to craft a sheath that would

bring out the best in his new custom knife.

Very much obliged to Jeff Morgan for creatin' his

knife, it's no wonder that Mr. Legendary Leather

has no hesitations on askin' Mr. Jeff Morgan for

another custom set. That's just what he did yesterday.

The Missus thinks that Mr. Legendary Leather

and Mr. Jeff Morgan are a pair of mighty fine

crafters. Their work paired up together makes for

a highly sought after piece of craftsmanship. You

all will just have to wait along with the Missus

to see what the next creation will behold.



KNIFE EXPO 2012

Mr. Legendary Leather is anticipatin' his trip to the next

Knife Expo being held March 23-25 in Pasadena.

As you know, Mr. Legendary Leather is a big fan

of Jeff Morgan, a master knife craftsman who remains

under the radar . . . no website, simply an address.

At the last Knife Expo, Mr. Legendary Leather spoke with

Jeff Morgan and requested a specific blade

be made and fitted to a handle that he brought

along with him. Mr. Morgan was very obligin'

Why didn't Mr. Legendary Leather simply buy the blade

and afix the handle and guard himself? After all he has

done so many times and came up with some

mighty fine creations in the process. When asked

this very question, Mr. Legendary Leather simply

explained that Jeff Morgan can do a better job

than he ever will be able to and at a mighty fine price.

With the mind already creatin', Mr. Legendary Leather has

already been sketchin' his next Jeff Morgan request.

With dimensions of his previous Jeff Morgan carbon steel

blade, Mr. Legendary Leather will be requesting Mr. Morgan

to add merino ram horn scales for the handle.

The Missus will be sure to post pictures of the finished

product when it arrives in a few months. Meanwhile,

on to the next project . . .

 . . . what in the world is that cowboy up to now??