motorcycle sissy bar bag is 95% done.

[knucklehead]

all thats left to do is clean up the edges and finish sewing the top part of the bag.

there is one big flaw with this bag that i dont know what happened.
mabey someone here can tell me how to avoid this in the future.

this bag is my first bag ever. i expected some flaws but not like this.

the coloring went great, till i put on the sealer. i use the spray sealer from tandy leather super sheen.
it dried in streaks and looks like runs.

the bottom of the bag is a loop so i can slide it over the luggage rack.
the strap in back is to tie it to the sissy bar.
also the concho is too high. forgot to figure in the fold when i centered the concho on the lid.
shouldve centered the concho after i folded the top.

i will add some side pockets on this bag soon.

i will also be tweeking my pattern as the winter gets here and design another sissy bar bag.
hope to figure out what went wrong with the coloring and sealing so i can avoid that in the future.

my next bag will have many improvenments once i figure out what i want different in a sissy bar bag.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

That looks nice, Knucklehead. I like the size and how it fits on. The super sheen should have a solvent that would remove it or at least thin it out so it would soak in evenly. Perhaps alcohol would do the trick. I've never worked with it and have no idea about that but most things have something that will take it off. I'd sure start looking for something to even it out so you don't need to make a whole new bag. Can you take the concho off and put another set of holes just below the ones you have? They'd be out of sight and no one would notice. If you ran a thong through the holes, it could hang out from underneath the concho for another look, too. At any rate, that look great and what might look like disasters to you may have simple fixes. Keep the bag, it's a good one. Thanks for the pics.

[knucklehead]

Thanks for the advise Marshal,

i plan on keeping this bag.
i will also make me another one just because its something to do this winter.

cant move the concho cause i put bargs cement on the screw threads before screwing in screws(yep sounds bad)
i do this because i have lost conchos in the past due to screws falling out.

will do some research on the super sheen and what i can do to fix it.
may not use that product again if this is going to happen again

[Marshal Will Wingam]

You may want to take a scribe and lightly tap the screw threads next time. Not enough to bugger them but just make them tight so they don't back out on their own. Like self-locking nuts only on the screw instead. FWIW, I don't see a problem with the location of the concho where it is. You're always going to be looking at it from above so it will appear more centered than it actually is. My father used to mount drawer pulls on furniture slightly above center for just that reason.

[Johnny McCrae]

Howdy Knuck,

Thats an excellent design! You did real good. It will look great on your bike.

[knucklehead]

hmmm bugur up threads, why didint i think of that?

thanks for the advise again on alternative ways to fix screws from coming loose.


and thanks to all for the ataboy.

its true the maker of the item is the worst critic

[cowboywc]

Howdy Pal
You did a good job on the bag.
Did you buff the dye out before you sprayed the Super Sheen. The streaks look like the dye not the sheen.
Contact cement on the threads won't stop you from unscrewing it, just from coming off on it own.
WC

[knucklehead]

buff out the dye?

have never done that. how and why do you buff out the dye?

[Marshal Tac]

Knucklehead,
I have used the spray on super sheen in the past on holsters I make for concealed carry. Usually I don't have a problem with it, but on occasion, when I get in a hurry and put too much on too quickly, without letting it dry for a second coat, I have the same problem you have. You can use alcohol to strip it off. Be careful with the alcohol, though, as it will remove stain/dye from leather as well, and will dry it out if too much is used.

If you can strip the areas that look poorly to you, then you might want to use a wool dobber to re apply some dye. Once it's dry, buff it with either a scrap of wool or a soft, lint free cloth (I use micro fiber cloths for this). Once it's buffed and dry, re-apply the super-sheen in light even coats, drying between applications until you get the level of sheen you want.

Hope this helps.

P.S. Nice work on the bag.

[Dalton Masterson]

Buff the dye to remove the excess powder from the article. I may be wrong, but it seems that the liquid is just a carrier for the pigment particles. You need to remove the loose bits by buffing, before you add a finish. Black seems to be the worst to me for having excess.

Nice job on the bag! DM

[cowboywc]

buff out the dye?

have never done that. how and why do you buff out the dye?

Howdy Pal
If you used a bottled dye, You need to buff off the dry pigment. Then you can see if you have streaks in
your dye job. If so add a second coat, buff. Most bottled dyes need to set about 6-12 hrs before you buff
them. With most shades of browns if you buff them too early you stop the drying process and get a mottled
look to the dye. Sometimes it looks really good, old timey.
I'll post a pix of a rig I did a few years ago later.
WC