Three Mutts Customs

Rear Fender Bibs

Chris Wright — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:50:45 +0000

Here’s a few of the custom rear fender bibs I have done lately. The newest one was for a new 2011 Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe. With a little help from the owner I now have the pattern for the new Softail seat designs with the exposed rear brackets & bolts, check it out!

~Chris
http://www.threemuttscustoms.com

Flarecut Tank bibs

Chris Wright — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:55:07 +0000

Flarecut Tank bibs, a set on Flickr.

Well, I’m still trying to figure out a good way to get the website to display the photo sets correctly so here’s another edition of the photostream set extravaganza!

Whaletail Tank Bibs

Chris Wright — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:57:04 +0000

As I’m working on and getting increasingly frustrated trying to build/rebuild the photo gallery on the main website I thought I’d use some of the fancy web tools out there and load a couple of galleries into the blog. While it’s not official and all that, it was freaking easy and I feel somewhat accomplished so I can go back into the shop and work on orders without feeling guilty. Tonight I’ll start with the most popular, the motorcycle Whaletail Tank Bibs (aka California tank bib) Enjoy the pics!

Chris
Three Mutts Custom Leather

Whaletail Tank Bibs, a set on Flickr.

Leather & Titanium Wedding Rings

Chris Wright — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:56:40 +0000

Back in November I was requested to make a special pair of wedding rings for a very nice couple. They were looking for a local artist to make them a pair of rings for their upcoming wedding that incorporated metal but needed something that wasn’t a hard band as the soon-to-be-groom has serious carpal tunnel syndrome. They had found a ring online that was a sterling silver plate with a brown chrome tan leather band but the ones available were only made in a half dozen small women’s sizes. Aside from the size issue, the metal was a concern as well since these would be worn everyday and Sterling Silver is rather soft. I discussed their needs with them and after a few conversations they honored me with the job of creating their wedding rings from Titanium & black oil tanned buffalo. So now the task was to figure out the titanium part of the puzzle. I had never worked with the stuff and didn’t even know where to buy it. My first thought was to sub out that part of the job but in the end it was very cost prohibitive to have just 2 pieces machined. A quick internet search and I found Halpern Titanium in Three Rivers, MA. Marianne Halpern was a great help, pointing me in the right direction with info and they had just opened up an ebay store to sell their smaller off-cuts for those folks not needing full sheets. (I also purchased some from other sources but none went out of their way to help like Halpern did.) Long story short, in 3 short weeks I found the titanium, read a ton about it and then bought the bits and such for my TurboCarver II to machine the plates myself by hand.

The plates are 1/32″ thick titanium with a “brushed” top finish and the underside is mirror polished with the wedding date hand engraved into the center width. Two 1/32″ wide channels were cut into the ends of the plates to accomodate the oil tanned buffalo bands. I also made a special jig for my arbor press to curve the titanium plates just slightly so they would lay on the fingers more naturally than a flat plate would. The bands are one piece and looped in such a way as to create a solid inner band with the join at the outer band to make them stronger (rather than two pieces stitched together) they were then hand sewn through both bands with black waxed linen thread to blend the join as much as possible. The plate on his ring is 1/2″ square, the plate on her ring is 5/16″w x 3/8″L. (I had to buy a jeweler’s magnifying headpiece just to be able to see the marks on the metal to machine & engrave them).

We met once during the process to size the bands and then again to deliver them before the big day. Below are pictures from the wedding, taken by Donald Norris Photography.

Congratulations Eugenia & Richard and thank you for the honor!

Chris
http://www.threemuttscustoms.com

Showcase Project

Chris Wright — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:38:58 +0000

I’m starting a new feature on the Three Mutts Customs blog, the “Showcase Project”. The new showcase will highlight an over-the-top, extreme or challenging project with a full article dedicated to the item(s) and the bike. I’m hoping to update the article once a month or more often if there are enough projects to cover. So to start the show(case), here’s a beast of a project I took on Nov/Dec and took about five weeks to finish, six if you include the week spent without power!. Jim was fun to work with, this all began as a request to see some fender bib/tooling examples and off we went.

Starting with the tank bib, it’s Hermann Oak 5/6 oz veg tan leather with a custom “fierce Albert” relief tooled into the center, surrounded by a tooled Gator belly pattern. An inlay wouldn’t have worked but we wanted to continue the theme of the gator hide throughout so I tooled it in instead. Royal Blue kangaroo lace in a triple loop pattern for the edges round it out. The color is done using Golden Fluid Acrylic paints.

For the fender bib, we started out simply looking at the “Gators” lettering and again one conversation led to another which led me to looking at alligator hide prices. The inlay is real alligator tail (had to use the tail for the back of the bike!) inlayed into the same 5/6 oz. Hermann Oak leather and lacing & paint as the tank bib. This one was even more challenging as I didn’t have the pattern for the 1800N yet so Jim and I coordinated measurements & photos via email, decided on a shape (pennant style) and then Jim crossed his fingers and hoped I’d get it right. I think it worked out pretty well…

That’s it for now, tune in next month for another exciting episode of Three Mutts Customs Showcase Project! It actually could be this bike again as in January we’ll be adding wrapped side covers with alligator inlay, a collaboration seat with Danny Gray and color coordinated lever wraps! I may have to do two features as Dave’s two tone Black & Plum Crazy Purple bib with applique lacing will be finished for his VTX1300 bagger. Stay tuned!

~Chris
http://www.threemuttscustoms.com

Shop update and new items for 2012

Chris Wright — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:17:52 +0000

Shop Update:

As some of you might know from Leatherworker.net and Facebook, Three Mutts was involuntarily shut down last week due to a 7 day power outage caused by the wind storms that hit So. Cal. I’m pleased to say that we have power and heat back at the house and shop finally and production has resumed on leather goods and burnishers! With that said, I’m completely booked through the end of the year, mostly Christmas presents that I’m now scrambling to complete and get into Santa’s bag for delivery.

I’ve started quoting and scheduling jobs for the new year and January is filling up fast (current delivery is quoted as January 15th on paid orders).

New Items for 2012!

2012 is going to be a big year for Three Mutts Customs as we roll out some new products that are currently in development. To help with that I’ve brought a new machine online! Next week, UPS will be delivery my new Techsew 2700 cylinder arm machine from Techsew in Canada.

So what are the new items being planned? Here’s the line up:

Tank bibs:

’95-’03 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 (3.2 gal. tank)
’97-’03 Harley Davidson Sportster 883 (3.2 gal. tank)
’97-’03 Honda Valkyrie (GL1500 series)
’08-’09 Yamaha Raider (dash opening insert)

Rear Fender Bibs:

’04-Current Honda Shadow Aero 750
’97-’07 Harley Davidson Fatboy
’07-’10 Harley Davidson Road King
’08-’09 Yamaha Raider (including S models)
’05-’08 Honda VTX 1800N
’02-’09 Honda VTX 1300 R

New 2012 Options/Accessories:

Leather bound edging (substitute for braided edges)
Decorative stitching (substitute for tooled designs)
2 new decorative lacing patterns! “Bricklayer” and “Applique”
See-through map pockets
Oil-tanned leather lever wraps (with or without fringe)

More information on the above new products to come in the next few weeks, stay tuned for updates and pricing! http://www.threemuttscustoms.com
Happy Holidays to everyone, ride safe!
Chris

Showing off…some recent tank bibs

Chris Wright — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:00:39 +0000

The Three Mutts Customs shop has been busy lately so I thought it would be a good time to share some photos of recent projects. 3MC leather owners are starting to get more creative in their photos as well so I have a couple of nice shots of the whole bike along with tank bib specific photos to show how a whaletail bib compliments the lines of the bike overall. Thanks for the photos folks! Looking for a standard or whaletail tank bib of your very own? Check out the offerings and prices at my main shop website: http://www.threemuttscustoms.com!

Here’s the line-up for the gallery:

2003 VTX 1800R Whaletail Tank Bib with chrome spots, VTX logo tooling and cell phone clip strap
2003 VTX 1800R Whaletail Tank Bib with chrome spots, VTX logo tooling and cell phone clip strap – overall bike view – nice shot!
2008 Honda VTX 1300C Whaletail tank bib with VTX logo tooling and red buckstitch lacing
2008 Honda VTX 1300C Whaletail tank bib with VTX logo tooling and red buckstitch lacing – overall bike view
2006 VTX 1300C Whaletail Tank Bib
2008 Honda VTX 1800T Whaletail Tank Bib with chrome spots & iPhone pocket
2008 Honda VTX 1800T Whaletail Tank Bib with chrome spots & iPhone pocket – side view
2010 Honda VT1300 Interstate Tank Bib with hand tooled & painted artwork
2008 Shadow Aero leather wrapped sidecovers with USMC two tone conchos

How to make a fender bib pattern

Chris Wright — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 05:10:28 +0000

I’ve seen this search/request come up a number of times before so figured I would put the information on the blog since I’m writing it up for an in-house project anyway. Enjoy!

Tools: straight rule or yard stick, tape measure or cloth tape, tools to remove your seat and paper & pen to make notes. (Optional: piece of posterboard to make your pattern).

Step 1) Measure the distance from the back of the seat to the rear pillon bolt (if you have one). This measurement tells us the maximum length of the ‘visible’ area of the fender bib.
Always measure to the center of bolts/holes if possible.

Step 2) Measure the width of the fender from each vertical side to the other. Now, from that measurement we’ll subtract 2 1/4″. This determines the maximum width of the bib also allowing space for the 1/8″ thickness of the edge lacing. I have found that leaving about an inch exposed on the sides of the bib leaves a good amount of fender showing to help “frame” the bib.

Step 3) This one will take both hands but you won’t be holding a camera so you have an advantage already…measure the curvature of the fender itself by laying a ruler from the back of the seat to the seat bolt (measurement from Step 1) and then use a second ruler/tape measure to measure the height of the curve. This isn’t necessary if you’re making your own bib, it’s for those folks that want to have a custom one made by me. This tells me how much to roll the bib after it’s made so it lays on the fender a bit better out of the box.

Step 4) Remove the seat and measure how much area there is from where the seat ends down towards the engine. It’s nice to be able to secure the from of the bib somehow so either pressure fit, velcro, existing bolts, etc. can be used. Notice on mine, I added three inches to the step 1 measurement to get the overall length (the back of the seat is 1″ away from the card holder). This is because I am planning a custom seat pan and may move the back of the seat forward an inch or so. Leaving room for changes! Note the position of any bolts/ holes, etc. if there are any so they can either be avoided or used in the bib design.

That’s it. From these measurements & notes a custom bib can be designed for any bike. All I need to know after that is what kind of profile to give it; triangle, U-shaped, rectangle, spade, etc.

Now, for those folks looking to make their own bib and have their measurements and a blank sheet of posterboard…MOST IMPORTANT THING: fold the posterboard in half and only draw one side (left or right lengthwise) of your pattern. Layout all of your stud holes, lacing holes, buckstitch, etc. with it folded in half. Why? Because by folding it first and punching all of the holes, cutting, and so on with it folded in half it will automatically make a mirror image on the opposite side. All of your curve, hole placements and the other details will match exactly. Nothing looks worse or distracts an eye more than that one chrome stud that is off by 1/8″ from the rest. Make the pattern right and everything else is a piece of cake. (For those curious, the picture is of a tank bib but the rule is the same…fold in half first!)

Now, what about those fancy curves. Well, best way is to buy a French Curve set from your local art/craft store. They’ll set you back about $10 for a plastic 3-piece set and are well worth the money if you want to draw smooth flowing curves and change directions mid-curve. If you’re too um, “frugal”, to buy them then many things like coffee cans, soda cans and packing tape rolls make good circles and you can use them in conjunction with a straight edge to make transitions. Honestly though, just spend the $10 bucks especially if you even think you’ll want or need to make another pattern or heaven forbid, replace the one you’re making now.

Have fun with it and feel free to post questions/comments below. For questions on pricing or custom designs click here to contact me.

~Chris

1999 Shadow Aero 1100 tank bib

Chris Wright — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:45:54 +0000

I’ve been busy with getting bibs out to folks lately so I’ve been a little behind on blog posts but I thought I would share this one as it’s the first set of pictures that have come back from an Aero 1100 owner. This client went all out to personalize her bib and requested custom tooling of a design she came up with for a T-shirt she had made. The floral part was a bit bland so I added some Sheridan style details to it which worked out nicely. As you can see in the pictures, she also added chrome spots to match her saddlebags and decorative buckstitch lacing.

Enjoy!
Chris

For more information & pricing check out the 3MC website: http://www.threemuttscustoms.com!

Steampunk Adornments!

Chris Wright — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:06:38 +0000

Finally, a company has come out with a belt buckle and conchos to address the needs of leatherworkers & makers in the area of Steampunk gear. No, they aren’t quite as innovative as using actual clockworks and such to create a piece but for those that are on a budget, creatively-challenged or simply want something quick, easy & ready-to-use, Tandy Leather Factory has stepped up. Earlier this year they came out with their Steampunk craftaid set for leather stamping. Now, 6 months later they have filled yet another niche with a clockwork belt buckle (upper left) and 7 different concho styles, three of which have 2 different mounting methods. With Halloween, Con Season and Christmas either here or coming up, this is a good thing! Here’s a pic of the entire collection that should be hitting stores in the next two weeks: