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!
