RedDragonShoppe

I am most interested in complex armor pieces. Helmets, elbows and the like. I'm building up my own pack of them because I'll be teaching some kids how to play vikings this summer and part of that camp will be helmet building. Getting more data points would be great though! Other than that, shoes are another big thing.

I do indeed mean soaking in water. I wet stitch my stuff, and even if the dye work is a little splotchy at the start, by the time I'm done stitching, after repeatedly submerging my piece, the dye is a lot more evened out. I also use almost exclusively the old Fiebing's Dye. I have found that the new green label Fiebing's acetone based dye migrates much more when the leather is soaked in water.

I do all my dye work dry. When I want a solid color I cut a piece of sheepskin that is as wide and tall as the belt is wide. I then trim the hair down to about a centimeter and use that as my applicator, just rubbing in small circles down the length for the first coat, and then in long passes from tip to end and then end to tip to even it out. I have found that soaking the leather afterwards also evens out the color.