steveb leatherworks: the blather

Winter in NYC these days aint shit. Back in the day, a snowstorm shut it down Getting shut down was a pretty normal event growing up. Typical scene here. You can see my car buried in front of the house, while my old man’s had 4+ feet of snow on top of it drifting off […]

You believe in ghosts?  Well I do.  I grew up with them in the pictures that I saw as a kid, in the stories that I heard the adults in my family tell and now, in being the guardian of their memories. Ya see, in my heart of hearts, I am afraid that all of […]

I dye alot of belts and use an airbrush when browns, reds or any fade is called for. Great way to make a big mess.. using airbrushes and not having a spray booth or backstop. I needed a way to secure a belt in a spot that I could dye it. ..minimizing over spray, maximizing […]

As I have mentioned in posts past, making a set of leather goods is a kind of special affair, most folks buy one piece at a time, so getting the chance to do a few pieces for one person at one time is cool – i enjoy tying a belt and wallet together with a […]

Fortunate to have family members that live in fairytale film sets (see example below), I spent the Holiday here with part of my clan. Funny how being in a place like this puts you in the mood to eat vast quantities of rich food and burn plenty of wood. Of course, I would be remiss […]

Sitting here with a full stomach, visiting relatives on Xmas day with snow on the ground, it feels like the last time i was on a bike was a year ago. Looking at the shots on my camera, i must admit that this is not wholly true. Only 24 days ago Shank, Dan-o and me […]

After nearly 20 years of faithful service my novelty jockey helmet needed a rebuild in a pretty big way. Back in the day, most any self respecting NYC biker wore a jockey helmet – this was most certainly a *club* style influence.  Growing up at ground zero in the moto scene, there was never really […]

Spending a full day in the shop under fluorescent lights standing on concrete was enough to send me out into the snowstorm pummeling the area today just to get some air and move my body to an area larger than 15sq.ft. Heard on the radio there are 6 hour delays at the airports. I feel […]

I love logos. I have a thing for graphic design. My specific interests are in logo’s, identity’s, brandmarks – whatever you might want to call ’em. I like the idea of distinguishing ones self and services through a graphic mark or device. If designed, with knowledge and sensitivity of the subject matter – a logo […]

It is not too often that I start a project without a clear idea of the “desired end-state”. Usually with customer work, I attend to the details in a number of emails or conversations that drill down into the  specific colors, design and hardware they’d like me to use. I don’t ever cut leather until […]

Looking at these two pictures of Dennis’s bike, I think to myself – “oh man, what is up with you? Featuring a bike looking like this – a powder puff pimp queen?”  Forever and ever, I’ve been a 3 shades of black guy (wrinkle, gloss, satin), my fxr best personifying this ideal, as that bike […]

One of the rules of taking care of your tools is to use them correctly. Screwdrivers should’nt be used to pry or be pounded on with hammers (unless they are someone else’s), ratchets are not breaker bars, knife blades are not screwdrivers, etc, etc. In the leathercraft world we dont use metal hammers very often, […]

A picture tells a story – and this one has a happy ending. He’s humbled and wiser, but ok. As you most probably know, tough guys hate it when they get it in the nose. Lesson learned – watch where you stick it.

Anvils are one of those tools – you don’t know how much you need one, until you’ve got one at your disposal. I punch a lot of slots, tips, holes, etc – and find my anvils essential to a clean, neat and safe punching job. Nothing provides a more stable surface and you want a […]

Some years back i was given a scrap of alligator to play with. I don’t work with hides or skins much, so put it aside, knowing that one day when i had some idle time, I’d get to some experimenting and see what I could do with it. Time passed, and lo and behold, I […]

blue suede paisley.. Found some really different and exceedingly expensive leather suitable for lining wallets. Both pieces are a matte finish suede and sport cool paisley/ bandanna. type prints. Both colors are outstanding, both prints are really something different. I was only able to find a small piece of each, so this is sure to be […]

My grandfather Max, had a thing for cars. Being a traveling vaudevillian entertainer traveling the USA from the mid 1920’s (see the caravan pic with my Mom holding the dog and my grandmother in the back car) through serving in WWII in the USO, he knew that transportation was pretty important to his ability to […]

Just scanned some shots from attending the Toys for Tots Queen NYC run,…back in I believe, 1991 or 1993. I remember this particular ride, whatever year it was..lol.. as being brutally cold..no fairing, no windshield, no full face helmet -and an hour on the slab to get to where i needed to go…ah yes – the good old days. […]