Three Words: Tooled Leather Countertops

Tooled. Leather. Countertops. Did you ever think you would see such a thing? I definitely didn’t. Marty Kosel of Kosel Saddlery has set the bar very high for my dream kitchen now.

“Kosel Saddlery is owned and operated by Marty Kosel since 2009. Marty specializes in Custom Saddles and has built over 170 top quality saddles. Chaps and Chinks are also available and can be special ordered as well as Breast Collars and Bridles. There are always a few saddles on hand for sale and if you don’t see something you like or have something specific in mind, Marty can custom build a saddle to fit both you and you horse.

“Marty was born and raised in Montana in the middle of ranch country. Making saddles, a songwriter, and being the lead singer for the High Country Cowboys fills the days with busy hours! Marty is also a 2 time Yodeler Award winner! He and his wife Maggie both reside in Central Montana with their dog Rio and 4 horses.” -koselsaddles.wixsite.com

“Starting with high quality trees, good leather, and attention to small detail the saddles are 100% customer satisfaction guaranteed! From a fancy tooled show saddle, to a rough out ranch working saddle Marty does his best to beat customer expectation. 

“I started my countertop using 3/4″ plywood as the base layer. I doubled the plywood making it 1.5” thick. I glued the sheets of plywood together then fastened it to the cabinets. Next I took 9 oz, Hermann Oak tooling leather and covered the plywood, glueing the leather down with Barge contact cement. 

“I had to use four sides of leather to completely cover the countertop. After it was covered in leather I cut my border lines around the edges and began drawing out the designs on the counter. I had no patterns for this so everything was drawn out free hand, just seeing how it would look as I went along. 

“When I finished drawing out the designs I cut the lines with my swivel knife then did all my basket-weave and geometric stamps in the areas I wanted them. The next process was the longest, and that was doing all the floral and leaf carvings as well as a little figure carving.

“When I finished the carving I oiled the leather, then dyed the background and un-tooled areas of the leather a dark chocolate color. 

“The next step was staining the countertop using Sheridan Brown antique stain. Then I applied two coats of lacquer to seal the leather. 

“The next and final step will be applying the epoxy, to give it a hard, smooth finish. I started my countertop in November of 2017. It has taken close to 3 months to complete.” -Marty Kosel