ThisIsMyFirstRodeo

At this particular project, I guess the sanding is to level 2 layers for burnishing? I did get a pretty decent burnish with it, but I don’t know if that’s from sanding the edges or because I’m finally becoming more competent. Anyway, thank you for the various reasons to sand. When you do sand, is there a particular series of grits that you use? I feel like there’s a limit to how finely you can sand an edge before it’s pointless. I definitely saw results with up to 600g, but I don’t think I saw anything whatsoever with 800g/1000g.

Ok, so I’ve noticed that a lot of people recommend sanding your edges down, presumably for a cleaner, more professional look. But most people seem either to not sand, or they don’t mention it. I’m thinking there has to be an obvious difference between the two, but does anyone have a side-by-side pic or such to point it out to me? I have experimented, but I’m not sure what I’m really looking for… May you never burn your bacon, AZR

Thank you for the ideas, guys. I’ll start experimenting here.

Hey all, Okay, so it’s definitely a rookie question… I have yet to really grow my callouses on my pinkies, and my thread is starting to cut through my skin as I pull and tighten my stitches (I only hand stitch…). Any advice on how to protect my fingers while my callouses form? Thanks, and may you never burn your bacon, AZR

Thank you for all of your input guys, and Bruce, thank you for your cheat sheet with thread sizing. Absolutely not knocking your advice, but thread sizing is rather lost on me. I’ve never even used a sewing machine, and I hand-stitch with almost always .8mm Ritza, though obviously the same principles apply. Not sure right at the moment who mentioned the saddle creaser, but it’s definitely on my list of tools to get (and I know they’re generally pretty cheap). In the end, I actually had to rework the strap anyway because I trusted my cuts to be exact, which they weren’t, and I bonded it with another strap wider so I could simply trim to fit properly. It actually allowed me to sandwich a strip of cushy chrome tan, so added bonus on finish features. Thank you again everyone. I will definitely keep everyone’s advice in mind as I keep working and learning. Happy holidays to all, Preston

It’s not necessarily “personal” nor a “sale item”, but a gift for a friend that I hope will also give business leads as he brags about and shows off the bag, so that line of perfection lies in somewhat of a murky area. If it were the body of the bag (already restarted twice), it wouldn’t be a question, but it’s “just” the strap. I would hope that the bag will steal the show and nobody will notice the strap, but I know it can also be the difference between a $50 bag and a $150 bag. Again, it’s only a gift for a friend, but he’s also a walking billboard. I want to roll with it, but my unrealistic demand for perfection says otherwise… — AZR

I lightly case the leather and mark with my wing dividers, and typically run over the groove 2-3x for a nice deeper groove without cutting through, so only my irons (and maybe my awl) actually pierce the grain. — AZR

Hey all, OK quick question… Let’s take a hypothetical here: Let’s say that we’re stitching something long and straight like a belt or purse strap, and our stitch groove has a wobble or so. Is it aesthetically better to keep a straight stitch line, or to follow the groove that isn’t necessarily straight? May you never burn your bacon, AZR

If the header didn’t give it away, I’m back to my first rodeo… I haven’t worked with fur before. Are there any tips or tricks for working with a rabbit pelt? I’m making Dieselpunk’s elf hat, and I intend to use the pelt for the trim, so nothing beyond basic. I’m just unsure of new materials these days… Thanks, and may you never burn your bacon! — AZR

Guess I should add in that regardless of what kind of adhesive, I stitch everything…

So I didn’t get the lid closed enough on my cement (weldwood) and while attempting to thin it out with some acetone yesterday, it almost seemed to seize up on me. (Today, it actually looks quite usable though… 😉) Although I was working a different project yesterday (on a timeline), I still had to glue/cement/adhere a few pieces. But, because of the issues with the cement, I wound up using Gorilla wood glue. Seems like it did the trick in a pinch, even if less than ideal. Hopefully I’ll clear my production board so I can move back to my belt and keep going… Thanks guys, AZR

Hey all, So I’m making a padded belt, but I’m wary of getting cement on the face/grain of the strap. Is there a way to protect/prevent it? I had the thought of just masking it off with tape, but in the past, tape has seemed to deglaze the grain. Thoughts? Thanks, and may you never burn your bacon. — AZR

Hey all! Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving yesterday. Well, I was using a scrap of veg-tan (from a mixed bag of remnants) that I believe is heritage based on the color and texture. Anyway, as I was buffing it to a high sheen, the pebbled texture became smooth. I haven’t yet worked with heritage, but is this normal and something I should expect? (I’m hoping the side-by-side pic actually uploads this time…) Just my first rodeo with heritage leather, AZR IMG_7951.HEIC Ok, not how I was hoping it would upload, but I’m not gonna troubleshoot anymore this morning…

Well, I admit that stitching the strap by hand took considerably longer than I expected. Yesterday I finally finished the other piece of the strap (2pc for a crossbody bag) with only a few more snafus, but it’s done, and it’s for the missus, so the flaws aren’t a concern. I hope… Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving, and may you never burn your bacon! — AZR PS ok, well 3 times I attempted to post a pic of the final piece, but I failed. There’s some irony here…

I’m calling a Mulligan. Just pierced my thread on the first backstitch. Im going back to bed… Catch y’all on the flip side, — AZR

2 follow-up questions: — After thinning, do I need to wait before using it? — And should I expect any difference in how it works? I added acetone to the cement can, and I *think* I stirred it in well enough, to an even consistency with no liquid pooling. Definitely thinner, though I am on the fence about thinning further. But, as a tester, I glued up a small tab for a box (maybe ½ sq.in. if it matters), and something seemed… different somehow. Wish I had the words to describe it. Thanks again, — AZR

So solvents in general it sounds like. Well, I have acetone on hand, so I’ll give that a shot and see what happens. Worst case, I lose a couple dollars worth of cement. Thanks guys! — AZR

Hey all, Ok, at least it’s not a completely noob question this time… I’m using weldwood as my contact cement, and as I reach the bottom of the can, it seems like it is much more viscous and more difficult to use for small/delicate/detail places. I’m sure that this is from not having stirred the can enough when it was full, but it is the first canned cement I have used (previously used the squeeze tubes of Barge). Learning curve and all… Anyway, is there a way to thin the cement to a more desirable/usable viscosity? TIA for the advice, and may you never burn your bacon! 😉 — AZR

That’s really awesome for the inmates (aside from the program being scrapped…)! While I was living in Washington, a penitentiary in Oregon had a similar program, but textiles. Great jeans and flannel. Pendleton something or other... I have no clue if the pens down here have work/trade programs like that. — AZR

I haven’t seen a bag like that before. Very cool! Maybe Tandy’s mini saddle template could be incorporated? (I have no clue about the size of the finished product) — AZR

Springfield Leather Co has a free template for a mini-saddlebag-type purse. I’ve recently made a couple bags from the template, and personally, I think it’s a cool design. It is reminiscent of motorcycle saddlebags versus horseback, but check it out, maybe it’s up your alley… Hope there’s no copyright issues here, but it is free… — AZR MiniSaddleBag.pdf

As always, you come through with some great insight. And yes, the airbrush is a light-duty cake decorator, but maybe it’ll give her a gift idea. After all, Christmas is coming 😉 I think (hope?) I have finally made my case to spend the extra $15 on the Pro Dye to not stress over the potential for bleed, and to skip the topcoat step and save time. Regardless, I still want to explore the airbrush application method. My initial project resulted in a halfway decent sunburst, so I’m excited to see what I can do with a little experience. — AZR

Will do, and thank you for your input. I did use water to dilute, but maybe there’s enough of a difference between Resolene and Pro Resist to give different results. I haven’t worked with Resolene yet to test/experiment… The wife did give me her airbrush though, so I’ll probably set the Preval down. But I have started to cut the resist with water instead of using full-strength, and I cut my dye to various dilutions with 91% iso alc. I have yet to put it through the airbrush though, so I’ll find out soon if I should or not. General question for the audience though: Has anyone sprayed NFO? And how were your results? — AZR

Note to self: Just don’t. Basically my experience was from attempting to spray a 50% dilution. The resist started gumming up into the “white glue”-type sludge, clogging the nozzle. Another sign of a mistake is the freeze warning on the side of the bottle. And the propellant in the cartridge is well below freezing as it’s released. I was doing my best to use short bursts to prevent the nozzle from freezing over, but who knows how successful that was. At least I’m only down a cartridge and some time, though what did spray seemed to lay down surprisingly even. Perhaps an airbrush is still a possibility for application, but definitely not with the Preval system. (It did work wonderfully for my dye though!) Learn from my experience so you don’t have to make the same mistake 😉 And may you never burn your bacon… — AZR