happycat

Anybody here ever try hair dye to dye leather? Im having a hell of a time getting the real thing out here Any thoughts?. I know I canh get it online but I hate waiting and paying for shipping.

Thanks everyone! Chuck, that bit of advice just made my day. I just took an electric toothbrush to it and WahLa, my dark brown is back! I may still have to get in there with alcohol in some of the nooks and crannies, but the tooth brush seems to be doing pretty good so far. Anybody have suggestions on what I should put on a belt to finish it? By the way, I am familure with Chuck's work from Bladeforums. Beautiful frontier stuff. Chuck not only are those sheaths inspirational, but the knives rock as well. Keep up the great work! Ed

Thanks Kate. I'm not crazy about having to order something special, but if alcohol or acetone won't do it, I'll be ordering me some deglazer. Thanks for the advice, Ed

Hi, I just did my first belt with a celtic knotwork pattern. I very carefully painted the knotwork green and the rest brown (suing fiebings leather dye). Afterwards, I was in a hurry and wanted to wear it. I put johnson's paste wax on it and it seems to have done something to the dye as it now has all sorts of places that look like it was never dyed. I had just spent an hour with a fine brush going over and over it to make sure it was all even and I had total coverage with no undyed leather peeking through.....So, on to my question... Is there something I can do to get rid of this wax so I can go back and touch up all the parts that now look like crap? If this looka a little familure its because I posted in the how to forum before I realized there was one devoted to finishes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ed

I just finished my first belt. I did a celtic knotwork design and painted the knotwork green (green dye) and the rest medium brown (brown dye). I went to extraordinary lengths to make sure that there were no light spots where the undyed leather showed through. Hours with a little paint brush....several coats... Then I threw a coat of Johnson paste wax on it becasue thats all I had (and apparently becasue I'm an idiot). I really should have waited. Now it looks like crap. The brown around the edges of the knotwork where I beveled it and in a lot of the textured areas inside the knotwork has lithtened up to where it looks like I missed it with the dye. So, my question: Can I get rid of the paste wax and touch up those areas? If so, how and with what? Any advice would be appreciated. I was so happy with my work and how it turned out, until I did this to it. Thanks, Ed

Thanks for the welcome and advice. I used an A 104 and a 104 and a smooth beveler smooth on the outside and 104's on the inside last night. Got most of the inside backgrounded. I like the suggestion of using a textured beveler on the knotwork to highlight where one line passes under another. Think I'll try that tonight. After I posted that request last night, I started poking around here and found a nice "stamping tool index" database over on the "tools" forum. It is exactly what I was looking for. Heres a link: http://www.pslac.org/stamp0001-0500.html My thanks to the kind folks who put that together and to whoever posted it in the tools section. Ed

Thanks for the advice. However lets, just for the sake of argument you understand, assume that I don't know an A 104 backgrounder from an A 10 Tank Killer. I think I've got a catalog somewhere in the depths of my shop, but aside from resorting to digging through the rubble, is there a resource here that I can see what these arcane numerical tools look like? I guess I could go to the Tandy website. I'm just wondering if there is some listing here.... Thanks, Ed

Hi, I am making a celtic knotwork belt. This is my first belt and I am just starting with leather carving. I've done a couple knife sheaths (I'm a bladesmith), but thats about it as far as decorative leather work. I've got the pattern cut into the leather with a swivel knife. My question is, Where do I go from here? My thought is to use a beveling tool on the outside edges of the knotwork and then I get a little fuzzy. I'm tenpted to use a fine checkered texturing tool (not sure of the name of these) on the areas inside the knotwork. Does that sound about right. Any suggestions? I'm going to be dying the belt a dark brown and the knotwork green (its a two line pattern and I'm also toying with the idea of green for one and purple for the other.) Sorry I don't have pics available yet, I'm at work right now. I can try and post some when I get home. Any suggestions would be appreciated as I'm just knid of winging it so far. Thanks, Ed