Completed Leather Hatbox (picture intensive)

[Charlie Noodles]

Great stuff!

 

[SweetieStarr]

Absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Art Fawcett]

Holy Crap Magus!!!!!! Absolutely stunning. I don't know how I missed this thread but I did until your email.

Folks, I KNEW this was going to be good as I've seen Magus's work before but, I didn't expect THIS good. Thank you for the effort Sir. I will put the same enthusiasm into your hat as you did this box.

Yes Carter, I think this deserves an "Empire State" designed hat...

 

[John in Covina]

AWESOME!

 

[Magus]

(blush)

 

[HungaryTom]

Great work

Magus,

Your nickname makes now sense for me.

My uncle also did leatherwork. This box is pretty much amazing especially the etched Empire state building.

Leather work burns out people - I know a master leather worker in Budapest who said the same - a Gladstone bag took him hundreds of hours and he phased it out... now he makes nice belts.

What leather did you work with if I may ask?

Art, if you have the new design ready please let us know...


Tom

 

[GreyHat]

Holy crap indeed!

That's amazing
The work on there is simply incredible...

 

[Stoney]

A stunning piece of work

You rarely run across an item that was made with as much care as you've shown here. This hat box is an accomplishment that you can be proud of for the rest of your days. Congratulations on a job most well done. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap



P.S. I can't think of a better person to own such a hat box than you, Art. enjoy

 

[AlanC]

Very, very impressive, Magus.

 

[duggap]

Can I have one to? Please. Fantastic.:eusa_clap

 

[Aviator]

Wow.

Coolest. Hatbox. Ever.

 

[feltfan]

Extraordinary!

I feel like a real chump for not following up on a
hat box when we discussed it! I decided a nice hat
box was impractical for bicycle use (hate to have the
box stolen!), but a hat box that nice... I'd darn well
find a use for it.

Wow.

 

[univibe88]

He may be inspired to make a new Fedora, the "Empire State", in honor of the box.

It will have a 7" crown and a brim so wide homeless people can live under it lol

 

[Marc]

That is EXTREMELY nice!!!:eusa_clap In fact it's the nicest hat box I've seen to day! Is this something you're making for living? I mean, would you be willing to make more of these or similar designs? - Do you have a website? - How much are they *giddy, giddy, giddy*

HIGH regards,

Marc

 

[handlebar bart]

That is EXTREMELY nice!!!:eusa_clap In fact it's the nicest hat box I've seen to day! Is this something you're making for living? I mean, would you be willing to make more of these or similar designs? - Do you have a website? - How much are they *giddy, giddy, giddy*

HIGH regards,

Marc

How cool would a box be with the AB logo.[huh]

 

[Marc]

Get outta my brain, will ya' lol

Yeah, I've got a project that I've been working on for some years now (a vintage type of felt... EXTREMELY rare and even more expensive ). That would be the hat box to have for such a project

Regards,

Marc

 

[Marc]

lol No Panda Kabuto It's a felt that the grandfather of my felter made ONCE and than decided to let it go, as it would be too much trouble. I've been beggin' on my knees for half an hour to get a few of these rawbodies and even longer to make my felter agree upon making them again. The quote on these rawbodies however... well, I thought the price was per dozen when I saw it

Regards,

Marc

 

[cookie]

Thanks GWD,

Actually the strat top is much simpler, art deco, wind currents, asemetrical, and tough to do in leather lol. What is kicking my hinney with it is the unique body shape that I am persuing with it. Now that this one is done i will start fiddling with the strat a bit more.

I do have a pin-up idea brewing as well....

Magus

i was talking to someone at work about this who used to be an industrial arts teacher...he said his Dad did this stuff with a stylus from the rear of the piece of leather...what did you do?

 

[Magus]

A few answers

Hi all. Again thanks for the high praise. I VERY much appreciate it...still blushing a bit though. From reading through I am going to try and answer a few questions.

I don't do this as a profession. I would starve...eeeek! lol unless I could charge $3000 per box...or farm the work out to another country and stamp my name on it. And I am thinking that neither is a very viable or attractive option.

Would I make one for someone? Sure. If the idea interested me and they were willing to simply wait for it to be done when I could get to it. The price? I have no idea (seriously)

Art did want his initials in the design...and they are. I will let him share that with you if he chooses

As to achieving the design...I do nothing from the back. Before tooling it. I compile the sketch as a template...in reverse. Then transfer it to the face of the leather by sketching it again using the template...then the whole pattern is cut into the leather after its moistened....THEN I actually start to tooling of the design. No leather is cut away...its compressed with very small tools and a wooden mallet. Of course there is still the rest of the box to build as well ;-)

Feltfan Though I really enjoyed our conversations…please feel no chumpishness over things…as I wasn’t sure at all as how to achieve the bicycle-hat-box. Lol

The leather I used was 5-6 oz tooling grade taken from the piece called a “double shoulder”.

Feel free to ask any questions you desire...as I am happy to share information.

Thanks again all,
M

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

Very well done

Damn boy! Nice work! I've tooled a few belts and have dabbled in repairing horse tack, but buddy, that's DAMN good work. Well done.