steveb leatherworks: the blather

Some of the bikes that came out and showed themselves this past Toys for Tots run typified the style I associate with home. Anyone riding a rigid in NYC gets my respect. I especially love the Shovel stylin with Moon floorboards and the Z bars…mmmm

NYPD Motor Unit duty is, I can only imagine – a good gig. You get to ride the streets, highways and byways on a classy ride, usually a late model Harley FLHP type of model. I have seen Dyna’s set up to handle police duty but for the most part, especially in the Northeast, the […]

Ever have a job sneak up on you?  What looks like a simple job…turns out to be a “not so simple” job? Tradesman know what I am talking about, its those “no problem” jobs that come to bite you in the arse, demanding special attention…Well Beau’s Fireman Suspenders turned out to be that kind of […]

Last Sunday was the annual Independent Bikers of Queens NYC, Toys for Tots Toy Run to benefit the Childrens Hospital in Howard Beach Queens…a super good kid-related cause. This is an annual rite for NYC riders, an end o’ season run and meet for me and my crew, right in the center of our old Hometown turf…Queens NYC, (yeah, thats […]

I am always on the look out for old stamps, and have a small but frequently used assortment. Cowboy stamps from the turn of the last century are a favorite..here are some of mine… These stinkers are really old and I try to use them as cornerstone images on pieces that it makes sense. I wish it made sense […]

You’ve heard me in past posts refer to the fearsome Splitter, the handy as heck (almost a necessity) tool for a leather-crafter to have, and as dangerous a neighbor as you’d ever care not to get close to.  This is a tool with a Dahmer/ Gacey like personality…. yet another tool that doesn’t come with an instruction book, rather, it should come with a “call 911” […]

Well for those of you fed up with my carrying on about the wondrous change of seasons here in the Northeast might just want to tune me out right here because I am back on the case, just cant shake it..kinda like a itch i must scratch. I know it gets tired, but tough. I will at least try and be witty. Operative […]

Clearing out some stuff in the shop…. like this beauty of a belt, worn once…really-> ONCE Black belt with red tribal graphic highlights – 1.75 taper to 1.5 wide, no wear, brass hardware, white stitching, fully lined as usual,  measures 43 based on this diagram. http://steveb.biz/belt-sizing.html If it fits, make an offer.

Big deal, this…mallet vs. maul question. I used to be a mallet man, then went full time maul for a number of reasons, ergonomics being one. Went so “maul” as a matter of fact,  that I asked Wayne Jueschke to make me two special mauls, a light one for beveling and lighter “detail-y” work, and a heavier one for pounding thick cow […]

The weather is changing fast. Mornings are cold, plain and simple, and it seems weekend mornings are always the cruelest, especially when your scheduled to meet up at 8a. But, you do what you have to do – double up the leathers,  long johns, soft lowers on the bike, electric jacket and big fleece turtle complete the super hero costume. Pray the […]

The Javier Belt done back in September 05 was the start of a run on flame belts that has not stopped. Folks love my flame belts! I’ve been through the gamut of flame styles, close C, open C, tribal, narrow, entwined, etc, etc. I never tire of flame belts, the forms are fun to work and its a […]

Got a gander at this tank panel/pouch i made 4 years ago, just the other day whilst visiting. This piece has taken a for-real beating and still looks more than pretty good. I tried a few new things when I made this unit, as it was for a friend – like the funky tail on […]

Freddy was coming home from a top secret rendezvous a few weeks ago, with some high ranking government official or head of state, or contractor i forget…anyway, minor detail..but, as he relates to me: “a big can of paint came off of a truck in front of him, exploded on the ground and narrowly missed him”. Now, […]

This Sturgis I had the distinct pleasure to meet and spend some quality time with Bryan Schimke, sole proprietor of TPJ Customs  located, in who-the-hell-knows-where Kalifornia…looks like a goddamn prison camp from what I can see by the pics he sends me, but then again, what the hell do I know, I am a New Yorker living in New England…ha       So anyway, Bryan […]

Straight up, I dont do repairs. Shit, I dont even repair my own stuff, i just make new…it is almost always easier. I pay props to those who get involved in repairs – from a bike tech to a shoe guy – repairs are a tough way to make your money, because in large part…the […]

My homeboy Freddy has a thing for convertibles, and has had a few TR6’s in the past. I think this 1972 vintage unit is number 4. This nugget came to him some years ago as a crazy pinkish purple – a stock color believe it or not. I think i have a pic of it somewhere in […]

Businesses like to target customer satisfaction as a metric that can be used as a marker to gauge success. They spend all kinds of money measuring from all angles, trying to break the satisfaction quotient into sniplets that allow them to cut anything that doesn’t add to this “quotient”. This is called identifying efficient spending […]

Sometime ago, I bought a splitter…someday i will address the Splitter, in all of its sharp bladed, bad tempered, hard to handle glory, but for now I will focus my attention on this strap cutter that i got as a freebie when i bought said Splitter. So the strap cutter is a handy device that […]

After blazing saddles all day up in the Northern reaches of our territory, I opted to continue Saturday’s hard riding theme by going to a party hosted by a motorcycle club named after a New Jersey city at their club house, located in that same city. Riding south towards NYC is something i try not […]

Oh, you poor pitiful West Coasters, stuck on that strip betwixt mountains and sea…oh the shame, oh the outright crime-of-it-all…that you are missing  one of the absolutely best pre-season shows of Northeast color, I’ve seen in years. Really beautiful. I got a whole slew of drivel to accompany these photos as I took a nice […]

  Big Bob wanted a big wallet. The Super Squire is the biggest wallet that I make, so we went with that. The triple 3 on the front was Bob’s request, the flame was my addition.  I really like the way the texture over the wallet came out, lot of stamping to get that effect…funny how the simplest things are often […]

Well if you’ve been keeping up with the adventures of the Shiny Penny, you’ve read my rant on the “quick release/ detachable” crapski that Harley sells us suckers who need this bit of convenience added to their already their hi-priced sleds…it aint pretty this whole detachable deal, but I’ve already covered this ground in previous […]

After a marathon in the shop i needed to bust out for a quick look-see at what was happening “color wise” out in the local environs, as the weather has been decidedly changing for the cooler, the mornings darker, the light showing the blue cast that is the harbinger of fall/winter.   I’ve said it […]

I work with a wide range of customers, really keeps things interesting for me…and alot of fun…OTR Drivers, Dr’s, Lawyers, Bikers (in all their glorious flavors), Criminals, Oldsters, Cowboys, Soldiers, Cubicle Jockeys, Cage Drivers, Construction Workers, Line Workers, Car Mechanics…ah, “auto repair technicians, sorry…..I just never know. Anyway, it was requested I craft this wallet […]