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No worries at all. In fact I was just discussing this very thing not long ago with another member. If you use dyes & antiques on the piece, do those first. If possible, mask off the areas to receive the acrylic paints prior to applying your resist for the antiquing so that you are able to paint on to the bare leather. Acrylics will still adhere to a finish if applied on top of it but they 'stick' much better if applied to the bare leather. Use the minimum amount of top coat for the resist possible so when you apply the overall finish to protect the acrylics it won't build up a ton on the previously finished areas under the antique. (build-up creates more shine...fewer coats, less build up, more natural look).

Ah, ok acrylics, etc. should be just fine for that. As for spray on finishes I know many people knock Tandy Super Sheen but I tell you what, it works extremely well when applied correctly and it comes in a spray can. As for application, it works best when applied like a car is painted. hold the can back 8-12 inches and spray in even lines all the same orientation, overlapping the last spray line 30% or so with the next. Let each coat dry completely in between and apply 2-3 or so coats this way. Start & stop the spray off the object, never in the middle. If possible, the item to be sprayed should be hung instead of lying flat to reduce the amount of overspray that lands on it, this will reduce any rough feeling and leave a nice smooth finish.

one more thought, if you use acrylics or the water based WaterStains, a different finish other than Neat-Lac will be needed as it's solvents can break up the acrylics if applied directly. You can either top coat the piece with an acrylic finish first and then neat lac or just multiple coats of the acrylic finish. Spraying is preferred when applying any finish over acrylic paints.

Hey Jon, What's the intended use of the item? You are correct, acrylics will be brighter & more vibrant with the possibility of more depth however they are not the best solution for an item that will be rubbed/abraded constantly like a holster, purse or backpack. Dyes penetrate better but this limits their light reflecting ability so they will be less vibrant but by being below the surface of the leather in the cells it will handle abrasion better. The other issue is the lack of a true white dye. A few companies make what they call a white dye but it is really an acrylic base with a higher medium content so it applies more thinly than paint but still has to be built up on the surface to display it's true color. Don't forget, there is no rule against using both dyes & acrylics to achieve the desired results. If there is such a rule, I break it all the time. Yet another thing to keep in mind, if you plan to dye using colors like bright yellow plan to lighten the leather first using pure lemon juice or oxalic acid. Bright color dyes will be muted by the natural color of the leather and by lightening the leather first as much as possible you will produce much brighter colors. Lightening also keeps the natural leather color from giving your dark colors a 'golden tone'. An lastly, in case you didn't know, the Tandy Waterstains can be brushed on just like paint and have a penetration that is about 1/2 way between dyes and acrylics with a good color range so it might help fill in some of the gaps. Chris

Looks good gorec, I especially like the way you attached the rings on the back instead of using grommets. Side note, a cloak is usually a back piece like a cape with a hood added to it. A better translation for these would be "cuff" or "bracer".

I agree for the most part, but the point was he went outside of his normal peer group, folks who mostly would not recognize a head knife and such, for unbiased critiques. I did like how a few picked up on the medieval and semi-aggressive nature of the logo. It definitely sends a strong and memorable message. I went a similar route and had an acquaintance who is currently in design school take some of my ideas to class for their open discussion time. Many great tips and ideas came out of it and while I went a different route than what they were thinking, the final result received high marks. The true test was wearing my jacket with the logo embroidered on the back to a car & bike show and having half a dozen people, all non-clients, recognize it and come up to say Hi and comment on my work. Objective met. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On a related note, I just came across Eric Luther's "Luther Leather" logo today in reading other posts and it is a good example of straightforward, simple design. Reminds me a bit of PJD's (Paul Jr. Designs) logo in the way the letters are simply stylized/reconstructed to create the idea of an alternate shape for their logo:

Not sure what the wattage is but the good folks at Chester Mox use a Epilog Legend 12 x 24 and it's awesome (they've done engraving for me on special projects). If I had to venture a guess I'd say a 60w but that could be wrong. Give the folks at Epilog a call, they're very helpful. From their website: Sales Questions Epilog's Sales Department can help you with questions about how the lasers work and pricing. sales@epiloglaser.com +1 303-277-1188 Receive a Brochure and Sample Kit Request a brochure on our laser systems, laser engraved and cut samples, and DVD demo. Request Page sales@epiloglaser.com +1 303-277-1188 Applications and Materials Questions Do you have a material you would like to have tested with the laser? pecks@epiloglaser.com +1 303-277-1188

My initial thought is you've created your business card, just need to add your phone number or email address. A logo is generally a simple graphical representation of your company's identity. I should be direct enough that a client looking at it can immediately identify it as yours. What you've created provides multiple identities that the viewer has to connect together to figure out what they are looking at. Here's what a first time viewer sees and has to identify: 1) FHL 2) Firehouse Leather 3) FirehouseLeather.com 4) Craig Ferguson * Leathersmith The first question I would ask if designing your logo would be, "which of these four entities is your main identity?" i.e. - what do you want people spreading word of mouth to call your brand? Once you figure that out, design around that and leave the rest for the website & business cards. Keep in mind also, that many good, memorable logos don't include the company's name at all or it is the logo by itself. Every design article will name the standards, Coca-Cola, VW, Nike, McDonalds, Shell Oil, IBM, Apple. Here are a few more industry specific ones you'll recognize as well: Danny Gray, OCC, West Coast Choppers, Harley, Honda, Indian, Jesse James' FTW, etc. think about what they all have in common. Heck, you can even look here on LW.net for some great examples: Bobacat & ARM Leather. Why are they great? Because I remember them off the top of my head and can tell you what each looks like without reference. In fact, a google search shows what extent Andy went to in designing his logo, he had his design critiqued by an actual logo/graphic design forum...now that takes guts as designers & artists can be brutally honest with critiques when they don't like something. http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-43249.html Also, check out some articles on best practices and common mistakes. It's OK to and sometimes it's advised to break a rule or two but you want to make sure you don't end up wiping your arse with the rule book either. Here are a couple of short articles that are a good jump off point: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/06/12-essential-rules-to-follow-when-designing-a-logo/ http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/25/10-common-mistakes-in-logo-design/ Hope this helps, it's definitely not an easy process but once you get it right it feels great. Cheers, Chris Three Mutts Customs

Thanks for the comments! Actually if you look closely at the third picture I did include this in the design only in a more weather-resistant style. The gussets were made to be the same shape as the inside curve of the flap when closed and fit inside the lacing when the flap is down. Being 6oz thick and inverted on a curved profile, they don't bend or move and very little can get it at all. If I had done flaps instead, combined with the fact that it sits at a slight upward angle on the bars, the flaps would have provided less protection and actually could have created a wind tunnel effect. I like the traditional designs but sometimes they aren't the best solution. Cheers, Chris

what kind of leather are you looking for instead?

Thanks, the background is a technique I call "Pebble Chaos". It's a style I use for very large open areas where the client wants "something different" than just flat smooth leather. I picked up about 10 of the PA004 and 1 each of the PA003 and PA005 pebbler tools from Springfield Leather and ground 8 of the PA004s into various shapes. From there I start with the edges and stamp along the border in varying spacing and grouping. Once the outer border is done, I then tool around the lettering in the same way. Once I have the borders & edges done I switch back and forth between the 004 and 005 just knocking them in at random intervals making sure to rotate the tool 90-180 degrees from the last impression. Once I have a healthy field of random spots in the middle, I then go through and fill & connect the remaining areas using the various shapes to create the chaotic honeycomb look. The trick is to keep the raised 'walls' from looking like there is a pattern to their layout while making sure no one section is too filled in or too unfilled as the lines can get too thick or you can get large backgrounded patches, both of which will throw off the balance & look. Folks really like the look and feel and more than once someone has asked a client if it was an exotic hide...pretty funny & cool at the same time. Here are a couple of others I did using it:

Stingray can be stitched on a machine but it takes a few considerations. First, use ball point needles instead of bladed or tri-point. The ball point has a pointed but rounded tip so it deflects off the beads slightly and penetrates next to them. They work very well on 'ray hide where the beads are smallish. In areas where the beads are larger, you can use the handwheel to advance the machine manually which will reduce the power & increase the torque allowing them to deflect the same way. Trying to power through the larger beaded sections using the motor will result in a few broken needles. Also, with the ball points & 'ray, if inlaying under veg-tan, use a needle one size larger than needed for the thread. Ball point needle holes tend to close around the needle tightly as it goes in and the extra size will allow the thread to follow. Otherwise, the thread can catch on the edge of a bead as the needle penetrates and can cut/fray the thread. The backrest pad in this photo was sewn 100% using this method. For Alligator back, using a standard LTHR needle is fine, just keep in mind as you move closer to the middle of the back the scales get thicker and harder so you may have to switch to manual to get through them. Even running the machine manually it's still faster than hand stitching if you're looking for expediency. Here's a gator back inlay (tail section) I did this way for a Harley rear fender bib. Both were sewn on a Techsew 2700 with 138 thread top and 92 thread bottom. Cheers, Chris

Cool deal, looks like the GW:Cs did the trick. Here is the fender bib I am working on, the pic isn't great but this angle shows some of the color detail. It shows up really nicely in person, in pics not so much.

Glad they worked out for you, they have an amazing color selection and their metals and metallics are sweet. I experimented a bit this weekend and found that the base colors will also go over black easily, the layer colors do not. I also love how they work like automotive paints where they go on flat & dull and literally pop when a clear coat is put over them. I'll post a pic of my latest which is using two base reds in layers with satin sheen in between to get a rusted/worn effect using the GW stipple brush.

Thanks Renee! Yeah, the biker crowd I mainly deal with 99% think there are two leather colors: black and everything else, so it's nice when someone wants to go that extra step and throw some colors in there.

Pete's on to it I believe, what you're seeing is likely that (not cutting deep enough/tooling deeper than the cut) and/or it could be that you're tooling on the cut line versus up to it. When you bevel in the cut, the heel of the tool separates the tooled area, pulling it away from the cut. If you work on tooling "to the line", meaning your tool is a hair behind the cut line it will depress the tooling like normal and the fraction of leather at the tip of the beveler will just barely fill in the line making it look very smooth and thin. Tooling 'to the line' takes quite a bit of practice but once you get it the difference is noticeable.

Don't forget about Bearman Mauls & Beary Mauls. I've had a Barry King, Al Stohlman and tried a Bob Beard and I like the new material Ed "The Bearman" & Beary LaBarre are using; it is better than any of them. I have a 28oz. for punching and have a 21oz and a 9oz on the way to fill some spots/replace others. Once my budget for them comes back up I'll be replacing my 16oz with one of their mauls as well. Here's a pic of the custom handled (Amboyna Burl) 28oz Beary made for me last year. Even pounding with nearly 2lbs on slot & hole punches, there almost no impact vibration. Ed's surprising me on the custom wood option for the two new ones. They can be reached at LeatherBurnishers@Yahoo.com I'm working on updating their website (http://www.leatherburnishers.com) for them to add the maul info so here's a little info in the meantime: Cheers, Chris P.S. - yeah, I know it's a dead old thread, but since it was revived it made sense to add recent info of one of our member vendors.

Nice! Now where's the cowgirl that fits in them?!

if it's just a normal use item that you're looking for everyday protection while it builds a patina, the wax should do the trick. Super Sheen & Resolene are simply sealers that take it one step further for when you need water/sweat resistance, etc. or when you need to lock in colors such as acrylic paints and such.

Are you using a dye prep or deglazer before dying? it sounds like a contaminant from the tanning or storing process. First suggestion would be to move to a more professional dye treatment like spirit or oil dyes, the solvent additives in them tend to allow for better penetration and coverage than water based do. As for this project, the combination you mentioned should work fine. personally I don't mix them, I use them as separate steps to maximize their working.

The 4000 is what I have in the shop and have used for many years to do some serious wood carving with (mass removal) and now burnishing and metal polishing. Don't know what they changed on it but it can take a heck of a beating. You're correct and that's where the difference lies. The inner race of the dremel burnishers is only about 1/4" - 3/8" diameter whereas the the drill burnishers have an inner race of nearly an inch. In theory that means that the dremels should perform the same at about 4.5k rpms (vs. 1100) but oddly enough, the reality is they need a bit more speed. Not sure what the physics behind why that is, just know from experience. Woodturners have to worry about SFPM quite a bit as the machines read-out shows RPMs at the spindle diameter but it's a whole different story when chucking up a 16" diameter bowl blank. Or, my craziest project, a 14" square (19" diagonal) x 4" thick blank for a solid walnut sink basin. Damn think was sending a serious cross breeze through the shop when it was spinning! The new Dremel 4000 series that Cyber mentioned is able to maintain it's peak torque performance down to about 1500 rpm, below that it drops incrementally. The older models would start to lose torque around 3-4k so they've definitely made an improvement there.

Hey Chavez, a handheld drill will work, although not quite as well. The smaller bits really need the extra speed of the dremel to do the job right. Most hand drills operate around 500-750 rpm. The drill press burnishers will work at that speed, it just takes a little longer for the heat friction to build up enough. As for dremel brands/models, there are plenty out there that will work (just need one with a multiple speed range and has a 1/8" collect option). I believe even Harbor Freight carries an entry level version that goes on sale for less than $15. I'd say start there and if you don't like it, HF has a great return/exchange policy. As for the last part of the question, "or would I be ok burnishing by hand?". Yes. Hand burnishing is a perfectly viable and still popular way to do it. In fact I do both, motorized burnishing for the beginning round over and slicking followed by the final polishing by hand. Best of both worlds...smooth, high shine without the sore arms.

I agree, Bearman & Beary Mauls are the way to go, just too nice not to have one. Just to add drool factor to the thread, here's a pic of the custom 28oz maul Beary did for me last year with a gallery grade Amboyna Burl handle (I supplied the wood).

Hey Pete, 1500 rpm is really slow in the dremel size world. For dremel burnisher bits like the ones from http://www.leatherburnishers.com, the halfway mark is good for burnishing. Due to the smaller head size, the higher rpm will help generate the friction heat needed (more speed - less pressure). Most dremels are rated at a top speed of 30-40k so you're likely doing about 12-15k at the halfway mark. On drill press burnishers, due to the larger diameter and usually larger channel width the recommended speed is about 1100-1500 rpm (second step on most pulley style drill presses). Cheers, Chris

Not a problem, glad to help. Be sure to show off the armor when you get it made. Side note, for making breast cup forms without doing a whole upper body cast you can fill a sock with rice or beads to the appropriate fullness and then wrap in saran wrap (to keep moisture from the wet forming out). The nice thing about that instead of a hard cast is that you can move the filler around, compress it, etc to get the exact style of cup you want (full cup, push-up, etc). By the way, the airbrush & airbrush set I was talking about is on sale right now: http://www.harborfreight.com/deluxe-airbrush-kit-95810.html http://www.harborfreight.com/1-5-hp-58-psi-compressor-and-airbrush-kit-95630.html