Blank to Finished tooled Belt with Lexi Brunson

Date: Saturday November 7th

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Time: 9:00am to 5:00 pm 

Room:  2

Instructor: Lexi Brunson

Create a beautiful, handcrafted Wyoming Rose belt from start to finish in this hands-on class with Lexi Brunson.

Students will begin by creating a Wyoming Rose tap-off, learning how professional makers use tap-offs to save time, maintain consistency, and efficiently reproduce clean, repeatable tooling patterns. Once the tap-off is complete, Lexi will demonstrate how to use it as a practical production tool to lay out and tool an entire belt.

From there, you'll move through the process of creating a fully tooled Wyoming Rose belt, learning techniques that improve flow, consistency, and overall craftsmanship. Lexi will guide you step-by-step through pattern placement, swivel knife work, beveling, shading, and decorative tooling while helping you develop confident, repeatable skills that can be applied to future projects.

To finish, you'll complete your belt using professional finishing methods including edging, burnishing, and applying oil, resist, antique, and topcoat—giving your belt a polished, professional appearance.

By the end of class, you'll walk away with a completed Wyoming Rose belt, your own Wyoming Rose tap-off, and the knowledge to confidently create and reproduce professional-quality tooled belts in your own shop.

What You Will Learn

·        How to create and use a tap-off to speed up production and maintain consistency

·        Techniques for laying out and tooling a full Wyoming Rose belt

·        Swivel knife, beveling, shading, and decorative tooling techniques

·        How to maintain clean flow and consistency across an entire belt design

·        Edging and burnishing techniques for a clean, professional finish

·        How to properly apply oil, resist, antique, and topcoat

·        Steps to achieving a professional-quality finished belt

Projects Included

·        Wyoming Rose Tap-Off

·        Fully Tooled Wyoming Rose Belt

What to Bring:

• Swivel knife
• Wing dividers
• Stylus
• Basic stamping tools (bevelers, shaders, backgrounders, etc.)
• Mallet or maul
• Spray bottle
• Rock
• Notebook and pen for notes

As part of this class, students will receive lifetime access to Lexi’s Master Belt Tooling & Tap-Off Techniques course on Learn with Illume, so you can revisit the techniques and continue building your skills long after the show.

Lexi Brunson, of Burns Saddlery, started as a leather tooler for the company in 2019 and by August of 2021 was made Tooling Foreman. In addition to being the foreman, Lexi is a contributor to Illume magazine and Learn with Illume, an online learning platform for leathercrafters. She is a life-long lover of horses and an avid hunter and fisher.

Start your day right
We always offer a complimentary breakfast bar just outside the classrooms. This is free for all students—please enjoy it before class! The coffee is amazing.

 

CLASS REFUND POLICY:

100% refund through Oct. 1st

80% refund through Oct. 20th

No refund from Oct 21st through the end of the show