State of the Art in Case Making
- Thread starter JB Cases
- Start date
This is very cool. I'm never surprised by new additions brought on by the JB team. It just says that much more about the desire to provide a customer with a product they want no matter what it might be!
Here is one for you Doc. We have another Doc on this site, RascalDoc, he doesn't come around much these days but he is a real cool guy.
This one was done with his Combat Medic Badge on the lid:
Doc has some Oni on his back, literally, so we put them on the case and coming out from under the pockets:
This was the first case I blended the strap/handle retainers into the seam with a custom designed part:
And every Doc needs a place to keep some meds handy:
http://www.jbcases.com/doc.html to see the rest of this one.
I sense that they're plotting to get rid of the 洋鬼子.
Judging by the increase in people they definitely appear to be massing for a revolt. But I think my performance at Karaoke the other night will keep them laughing for another year of peace.
“The separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts for people who are trying to excel, who have dreams, who want to do things. Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft.
I’ve never really viewed myself as particularly talented. Where I excel is ridiculous, sickening work ethic. You know, while the other guy’s sleeping, I’m working. While the other guys’ eating, I’m working.
There’s no easy way around it. No matter how talented you are, your talent is going to fail you if you’re not skilled. If you don’t study, if you don’t work really hard and dedicate yourself to being better every single day, you’ll never be able to communicate with people - with your artistry - the way that you want…." -- Will Smith
Yes, Will Smith! Substitute practice for work ethic, if you'd like.....
Karl
I’ve never really viewed myself as particularly talented. Where I excel is ridiculous, sickening work ethic. You know, while the other guy’s sleeping, I’m working. While the other guys’ eating, I’m working.
There’s no easy way around it. No matter how talented you are, your talent is going to fail you if you’re not skilled. If you don’t study, if you don’t work really hard and dedicate yourself to being better every single day, you’ll never be able to communicate with people - with your artistry - the way that you want…." -- Will Smith
Yes, Will Smith! Substitute practice for work ethic, if you'd like.....
Karl
For this case we did a lot of innovative things:
Peter Main often tools the inside of his belts so I took that idea and applied it to a case.
This was the beginning of chalk holders inside the pocket which has become quite popular: (notice the tooling inside the pocket as well.)
We do a lot of uniquely shaped lids, this one made to match a flower tattooed on the owner's neck.
I think that we were the first to do the seam like this where the body leather wraps around and is joined by a thin strip down the side. The final sewing line has to be done by hand by feeling for the hole each time the needle comes from the inside of the case.
We started a trend of carving inside the lid:
And on a lot of the theme cases we will do something special on the bottom:
One of our customers asked for the chalk holder pocket to be combined with a JP pocket:
We often will make a custom stamp out of acrylic using the laser.
How to get this perfectly tooled with all the impressions lined up dead perfect without using guidelines scribed into the leather?
Very carefully...............
Actually we use the computer to set up the pattern. We have all the tools done in digital form so we can play with patterns. We make some up and then tool up an example and when we are happy with it then we use the computer to set up thousands of points to use to orient the tools. Then we use the laser to cut a piece of cardboard with those thousands of points cut out.
Then we put that on the leather and lightly impress each point.
Then we stamp it by aligning the tool to the points. This is a very meticulous process where no mistake is allowed or the whole piece is ruined. The tooler must be 100% focused in order to stay on top of which tool goes where to make the pattern come to life accurately. There is no recovery when a stamp is put in the wrong place with this method. The end result though is extremely precise tooling with no trace of the guide points left over. We got the idea from Paul Burnett's Creative Stamping series of books. We just took it to another level with the aid of the computer and the laser cutter.
Peter Main often tools the inside of his belts so I took that idea and applied it to a case.
This was the beginning of chalk holders inside the pocket which has become quite popular: (notice the tooling inside the pocket as well.)
We do a lot of uniquely shaped lids, this one made to match a flower tattooed on the owner's neck.
I think that we were the first to do the seam like this where the body leather wraps around and is joined by a thin strip down the side. The final sewing line has to be done by hand by feeling for the hole each time the needle comes from the inside of the case.
We started a trend of carving inside the lid:
And on a lot of the theme cases we will do something special on the bottom:
One of our customers asked for the chalk holder pocket to be combined with a JP pocket:
We often will make a custom stamp out of acrylic using the laser.
How to get this perfectly tooled with all the impressions lined up dead perfect without using guidelines scribed into the leather?
Very carefully...............
Actually we use the computer to set up the pattern. We have all the tools done in digital form so we can play with patterns. We make some up and then tool up an example and when we are happy with it then we use the computer to set up thousands of points to use to orient the tools. Then we use the laser to cut a piece of cardboard with those thousands of points cut out.
Then we put that on the leather and lightly impress each point.
Then we stamp it by aligning the tool to the points. This is a very meticulous process where no mistake is allowed or the whole piece is ruined. The tooler must be 100% focused in order to stay on top of which tool goes where to make the pattern come to life accurately. There is no recovery when a stamp is put in the wrong place with this method. The end result though is extremely precise tooling with no trace of the guide points left over. We got the idea from Paul Burnett's Creative Stamping series of books. We just took it to another level with the aid of the computer and the laser cutter.
Damn John...all this sweetness is just killing me!!
Thanks for sharing all the pics and knowledge :thumbup:
Clint <---really about to pop!!!
Thanks for sharing all the pics and knowledge :thumbup:
Clint <---really about to pop!!!
These are the cases
I would like to know cost and info on a lay-away if you have it
Thanks
John
These are type of bags I was talking about.We have worked hard to develop ways to do non-standard pockets:
Brought in techniques like filigree to cue case making;
I would like to know cost and info on a lay-away if you have it
Thanks
John
wow just saw this thread; didn't realize it was an old one. Thanks for the case making lesson; very informative and your cases are fantastic. Love to have one myself but quite frankly and unfortunately the places I end up playing at I'd have to guard it continuous or someone would certainly steal it. That's why I have sterling cases and sneaky pete cues. Great case; thanks for sharing this stuff with us.
Ed
Ed
Some more of our Firsts in case making.
They say people don't remember what you did yesterday. So to keep a record of it and make sure it's clear who was first (not necessarily best) here are some of the things we have done before anyone else as far as I know it.
Designs that flow all over the case. - 2008
Designs that flow over the pockets - 2008
Pocket shapes that flow with the design - 2008
Full inlay on back 2008
Tooled leather protection bands.
They say people don't remember what you did yesterday. So to keep a record of it and make sure it's clear who was first (not necessarily best) here are some of the things we have done before anyone else as far as I know it.
Designs that flow all over the case. - 2008
Designs that flow over the pockets - 2008
Pocket shapes that flow with the design - 2008
Full inlay on back 2008
Tooled leather protection bands.
L-Zippers on box pockets.
People like the pockets that look like a box with 90 degree corners. Traditionally these could only have zippers on side or on the top. But people like the top to be unbroken.
So I thought about it and figured out how to make the zippers come around the corner and yet still retain the box look.
We were the first anywhere ever as far as I know to do this.
People like the pockets that look like a box with 90 degree corners. Traditionally these could only have zippers on side or on the top. But people like the top to be unbroken.
So I thought about it and figured out how to make the zippers come around the corner and yet still retain the box look.
We were the first anywhere ever as far as I know to do this.
John...I remember the Instroke days from when you were in Greeley! Your innovations and accomplishments to case-making over the past 25 years are nothing short of astonishing. My compliments to raising the bar for case-makers everywhere!
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com