steveb leatherworks: the blather

Got a real nice chain Squire available.

I am calling it the Hairloom!
The chain doesn’t come with it, but we can figure that out…

click on the link above!

Say hello to the Birdseye Fin…a sweet chain wallet (chain not incl)

got around of new wallets hitting the street, this bunch is available on Etsy…

this is the last of the new chain wallets out and for sale!

oops, it’s GONE!

like I’ve been saying, a new round of black wallets is out and this is one of them…get ’em now!

a new round of black wallets is out and this is one of them…..

a new round of black wallets are ready for purchase, this is one of them

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfd1mLxBFfE[/youtube]

During July 2010, I stayed  in the Villa Malpensa in Milan, near the airport. Upon further investigation of the grounds I saw what were abandoned stables and a compound that at one time must have employed hundreds in farming, livestock, raising horses and other farming pursuits. Interesting area that also claims to its fame, to be the home of Italian aviation!  An ancient estate, something not often seen here in the USA.

Thanks to Pirelli for making it possible and to Chris Wall, most especially

i was hunting Freddy down and thought I’d stop by and see if he was home….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lm7Sakh9Mw[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF_38-iOTfs[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jylooUE2kqc[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87Zq0xXwW_Q[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqJR-DLiqB8[/youtube]

I put this together rather than do my homework. Hope you like!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=091u0Yonqns[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JadI3xPcTUI[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq3U0xqO1eU[/youtube]

Made this new sheath for MYSELF out of Manta Ray scraps gifted to me by Paul Cox, leather-craftsman of great repute. I really haven’t ever done much with skins, other than using them as a decorative inlay at odd times, but Paul gave me a bag of scraps and so i thought i’d play.

The skins came to me in this weird pale yellow, natural color, so i went to town and came up with this as a first experiment. The sheath is fully lined with cow and the binding along the edge is deerskin.

The blade was made by none other than “Halecky”, bladesmith of note, as payment for a barter deal. I make the sheaths for him when he gets a “fancy” order.

Something different for me, for sure.
Hope you all like.

So, the last time I checked in – I was pissed. Well, I got this missive from Tempur-Pedic based on their seeing my post…

Dear Steve,  My name is Margaret and I work for Tempur-Pedic.  Part of my job entails working through social media; Facebook, online submissions, etc.  This morning, I was made aware of your Customer No Service rant.

First, allow me to apologize for the service you received.  Please know that it is not the service we strive to provide to each and every customer. Our pillows have a 3 year warranty, and as such we should have investigated every avenue to replace your pillow because of the faulty bag.

It would be my pleasure to send you a new travel pillow, free of charge, if you would be so kind as to email me your mailing address.  Once I enter it into the system, you should receive the replacement in 5-7 days.

Again, I apologize for the lack of service you experienced previously and hope that I can, in some small way, restore your faith in Tempur-Pedic.

Thank you,  Margaret

to which I responded:

Hi Margaret: Thanks for following up.

Really, I don’t need a new pillow, simply sending me a case (or 2..lol) will suffice. I am not looking for freebies or glad handing, but I appreciate the gesture and will certainly get good use of it if sent.

In closing, I am a fan of the product, it has always delivered.

regards:

to which Margaret responded:

Good morning Stephen,

Thank you so much for responding to my email.  I appreciate the fact that you weren’t really looking for anything, but the truth is, you were entitled to a replacement.  However, for some crazy reason that I cannot fathom, we do not make or sell the bags separately.  I am very happy to send you a replacement and in the future, if the zipper breaks again, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I have entered an order for your replacement pillow under the number <snip>.  In addition, I am sending you our Travel Comfort pillow, a travel sized version of my personal favorite.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Again, I apologize for the lack of service you received earlier, and hope you have a terrific day. Thank you, Margaret

So there ya go, Customer-no-service turned around into Customer-Good Service!  Well, it is a shame that we’ve got to go through all kind of machinations to get a Company’s attention – but it is also real nice to see that there are people, thinking people no less,  behind the office park glass. Thanks Margaret, Thanks Tempur-Pedic, in the end you acted stand-up!

Customer-no-service from Tempur-Pedic…

OK, here is a rant for ya!

So, its like this see….I purchased a Tempur-Pedic travel pillow a year or so ago. Having a screwed up neck combined with regular travel, meant I had to do something as most pillows would leave me feeling “not-so-good” the next morning and to tell the truth, I am not crazy about using another persons’s drool-sponge.

So I bit the bullet, spent the $80+ for the pillow and found that it worked well. It did exactly what I needed it to and it was worth the investment. It saw lots of road time and was always part of my travel kit.

You’ll notice I said “was”. You see, the cheap, flimsy bag the pillow rolls into and transported in broke – the POS zipper gave out. One must remember that the pillow is compressed into its travel bag, and expands into the bag, giving it a very packable profile. Well with the bag out of commission, the pillow takes up 5x the room in the bag, making it “not roadworthy”.

So I thought, easy – a call to Tempur-Pedic will make it all right again. Not so. I diligently went to the site, downloaded the forms and sent them in BY MAIL as requested. Well, Tempur-Pedic customer-no-service, returned my form saying I needed to attach the original receipt. Well who the hell saves the receipt for a pillow? Not me, that’s for sure, my life is already swimming in pieces of paper and of course, Tempur Pedic doesn’t email you a receipt so you can save it electronically (like Apple does). I thought – this is silly, in this day and age – who doesn’t offer options or recourse.

crappy bag construction

I gave it further thought  …..OK, let me contact the good folks in Kentucky, they’ll make it right…. Well a call to Customer-no –service got me a zip, “you get nothing without a receipt and NO we wont even sell you a bag ala carte if you’d care to pay for one”. Huh? No only do you tell me I have no recourse without a receipt, but you wont even sell me a damn new bag so I can use this $80 POS as it was intended?

Tempur Pedic – I got this to say about your customer-no-service –IT SUCKS EGGS. I will also say this, making a good product is not enough these days, you need to back it up with accountability and service – two things you seem to lack. Thinking isn’t a bad thing to add to the mix also…

Pfeh, I am going to buy a Bob-O-Pedic when I go mattress shopping later this year.

Holy Shit – this is what I got in my inbox yesterday…talk about ending the week on a sweet note!!  Thanks Mike a great, repeat customer…. 

Steve,  This is an outstanding piece of wearable art.  First of all, let me apologize for the blade being so sharp that you cut yourself. (I do with nearly every sheath..lol..steveb) In every piece of art you create, you impart a little piece of yourself, and in this case you literally did so.  If you are considering commissioning Steve B to create art, you cannot comprehend the exemplary quality of his detailed art unless you are holding any of his other works in your hands.  His art is functional, practical, yet overall, there is a simplicity to the design that is elegant and purposeful yet executed flawlessly.  While this may be an overstatement, Steve’s work is a refinement beyond what others make, and this refinement makes his work stand out immediately from anything you have ever seen before, or frankly will see again, unless you decide like I have to commission further functional art from him.

The closest explanation is that a artist begins his career emulating the designs and techniques of others whose work he respects in hope to discover their own “Style.”  He pays his props to those that have gone before him, and in time the artist begins to get a sense of “Self” that he imparts to his work.  Later, this style often gets progressively more complicated as he increases his skill and wants to justifiably show it off.  Finally, in time, when he masters his art with over 10,000 hours of work in his area of endeavour, he distils his work into art that is devoid of useless ornamentation and excess fringe.  He creates a object that, at its core, is a truly beautiful work that is simple, yet is expertly crafted with the highest of technical expertise.  Steve, You have truly outdone yourself.     Vr, Mike