gesmith40

I am dyeing a blank belt for a friend. No tooling, stamping, anything. Just cut, size, dye. Do I still need to case leather before dyeing or just go for it? Have always done something before (carved, stamped, etc) so the leather has been cased. But in this instance, not doing anything. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I have been using the Ecoflo Super Sheen as a finish for my projects since NeatLac is no longer available. Seems to work OK, but have been looking for something I can be sure will hold up for wear and tear. I got some Clearlac to try as this is supposed to be the same as Neatlac. Problem is when I apply, seems to thicken up before I can get single coat into belt. Maybe I am too used to Ecoflo being so thin since it is water based. I am just using old Tshirt to apply Clearlac with and not trying to go heavy at all. I talked to Kevin at Springfield who suggested trying the Clearlac thinner to cut it with. Was wondering if anybody had any experience with this as well? Also, if you used the thinner, what ratio? Thanks for your info and suggestions.

I know this has probably been covered somewhere on here before, but I could not find when searching. I was doing some detail background dying on tooled piece and got some dye on tooled section. Not much, but still noticeable. Would like to try and remove from tooled area if possible. This is Fiebings Leather Dye in USMC Black. I have had some success before with water when I used the EcoFlo, but the Fiebings is a little different. Any suggestions to what I can do that would remove dye where I do not want it, but not discolor leather, would be helpful. Thanks.

Great info JLSleather! Thanks. Sorry to hear about your computer. Been there - done that as well! No fun!! Would love to see some pics if you have a chance. Thanks again.

Does anyone know where I can find a pattern to make a weightlifting belt? Have looked all places I can think of and no luck. Thanks.

Ed, Absolutely beautiful! Question on construction. Did you skive down the leather where the spine piece and cover pieces meet? The coloring is gorgeous as well. Did you use dyes or cova paints for the flowers and leaves? If you have a cutting pattern that you can share, would love to see it. Thanks for sharing this with us. Greg

I am new into the leather staining/coloring arena, so please excuse me if this is a dumb question. Is it OK (and/or recommended) to clean and reuse the wool daubers or sheep wool pieces used to apply stains? If so, what is the best way to clean these? Thanks.