Ellen

In my humble experience, unless this is a skin of baby stingray - thin, with small bumps, getting the even, straight edge at once is impossible, with common tools. It's like splitting hardwood log on each bump. On thick adult skins, my best was skiving the flesh (back side) as much as possible and cut through with either sharp knife or scissors, correct cut as possible than sand and paint the edge with Sharpie marker, let dry and apply finish on that edge. Certainly pain in the neck method. If somebody can share the name of supplier of fine baby stingray skins, not wholesale, it would help.

If I may: - this adds a bulk while usually the effort is made to make sheaths more slim and gracious without compromising function, - cut off edge looks better, personal preference of course, - more work than just cut off, sand and burnish. It carries certain personality, though. If you like it, it could be your signature method. Leather for a turn-over bound edge may look better if thinned more. Take a look (through the image search) on the top of the Paul Long sheaths, he splits leather very thin - but this is for lining, not a welt. For a welt the skiving should stop and leave a straight edge (without narrowing as wedge) that would stop the blade, tricky.

Thank you all! Kevin, BigGunDoctor, JohnBarton: sincerely thankful for your help. World needs more people like you. I'll look further into details of the advised. Some answers were just as expected. BTW, there is big difference between won't and can't. It's good if you didn't face this yet. Won't and shouldn't, won't and not be able to make even a minimum salary this way. I'm not looking for a hobby. A really cheap shot about being scared... Have more fun. Bye.

Tandy's ram foot and tabletop drill press here.

If you are using the same black Pro-Oil dye for both coats, and it is due to not so saturated dark color as it usually was, then you may apply the next coat of dye as soon as the first one had dried a little and you can see that the first coat wasn't enough. I don't buff between coats, tried, but it wasn't necessary. Before getting my last, very pale piece of the leather, the second dyeing by any Pro-Oil dye wasn't necessary: a good, even single dyeing always was enough for deep, even color. Including black.

... And a dissonant note: Tough times, high unemployment rate, the university education no longer works for your advantage, one has to look out for anything else. Then accidentally finding the leatherwork photos, while were looking for something else. Can, like, can afford (half of what is required though), all would be fine ... if not where I live. :Sigh:

Hi, if you make web search for leather thickness chart oz, it will show you such charts. 8 oz = 1/8" = 3.2mm 4 oz = 1/16" = 1.6 mm Vegtan (= tooling or carving leather) allows to do stampling, modeling, carving. And from the same not yet dyed shoulder or side you can make collars of different colors. Other, already dyed leather is of the same color for the whole side. Not a problem if you can afford that and have a space to store it. Harness and oiled leather are more weather protected. Latigo is more stiff. English Briddle looks really good, more hot stuffed than tooling leather and is stiffer because of that. Some tanneries may make leather thinner for you, otherwise you have to buy leather of required thickness. Difference between dye and stain: Dye is penetrating inside the leather, stain is more surface bound. In most cases a dye is preferable. Stains for antiquing, paints for surface application of color (it will come inside pores too, if they were not sealed). I'm not making dog collars, but likely you will need to make them more or less water resistant (Resolene, Sno-Seal or others) and lined. There is a lot of information here. Good luck!

Bettunsvillage had recently some glove leather.

Amm, you know, I didn't buy a sow's ear with a purpose to make a silk purse... I had heard a good things about English briddle leather, about this tannery, and tried to get a better leather. And these are not a deep gouges, just a fingernail marks...

My last leather from W&C was the same. It took 4x of normal amount of Pro-Oil dye to make it close to the usual color of this dye, second time dyeing and oiling after (Lexol for a light, and NF oil for a dark). Sorry, have no idea what else could be done.

Thank you all! I did as Wild Rose advised, bot this is very frustrating and only on third piece of leather it went in acceptable way. If they are not plated, maybe I should try to grind them on sharpening stone. By the way, I have no idea how to use 3mm (1/8") alphabet (from Lee Valley) that is made on beveled round metal bars, always a round halo imprint. I guess that letters are not made high enough for a leather.

Thank you! Anybody else to chime in? Anytime, I'm checking this thread periodically.

Craftool adjustable creaser is for a large scale work, for small scale the ruler pen (drafting tool, to apply ink on drawing, same principle) is better. Both do not hold distance permanent, any uneveness on leather makes ends come closer together - nothing in their construction prevents them from that. I'm speaking trom practice, believe me. But you made me think: grinding down the sharp ends of a drafting distance measuring tool and using it (two legs with pins and threaded rod between, for keeping distance permanent). Thanks!

I wish it was so. Try to do that without tools, materials and make a high end knife, not a sharpened spoon or hacksaw blade knife. :Sad:

Smaller sizes of vegtan leather are sold as single shoulders, also Tandy sells belt blanks - a narrow pieces of leather. At the end of year sales you can get your leather cheaper.

I don't know if this is the right place to ask, Business / Getting started. I'm considering possibility of making something for online sales and would appreciate advice. Apart from standing at the street corner and selling keyfobs together with pencils . - Who works from apartment with thin walls (I'm not, but in very similar circumstances) know their limitations: no noise (no pounding, or Tippmann Boss, or air compressor), limited smell (no dip dyeing, especially large surfaces). - For mailing there are size limitations (not much people will buy product when mailing is expensive due to size) and price limitations ($15 product is not worth the trip to postal office and waiting in line). Most will be international sales, not within own country. That excludes most of exotic leather. - Online selling: product price range is likely $50-150. Less is not worth your time, more most people are not willing to pay (my impression, naturally, not a hard fact). $600 bag is a too high risk in case of postal problems or PayPal fraud, the leather alone for it will cost $200, and shipping of a large bag or golf bag costs a lot, large package. - No flea markets, fairs or shows. Die hard introvert, not driving, and generally home bound. What types of product can fit the bill? Not much tooling (no pounding, thin walls, I can hear people talking). Modeling and painting seems OK, but that shouldn't take a long time (price should be not high). Wet forming by hand is possible, thin leather only (no brute force or vacuum compressor, personal and noise limitations), no airbrushing if you think of masks (noise again and this is a living room). Stitching long lines by hands, sewing garments for reenactors, archery items and dog collars don't pay for a time spent. Holsters are out of question for a legal and insurance reasons. I know nothing about bikes, have no dog, and wouldn't do equestrian for the lack of knowledge and insurance reasons. Seems that's all. I'm highly dubious that this is possible at all, but as a determined optimist I have to ask you before quitting. Note that I will be not a competition for you: each has own style, very different from others. Thanks.

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Thanks again! Good ideas to try. I didn't paint on oiled leather yet, only complete dyeing by spirit dyes.

Wow! This is a lot of information, especially about how Peter Main does this. Will try each of advices, thank you all very much! I got most of the required tools: 1/4" blade, ceramic angled, ceramic double, even swivel knife beveler, small Tandy beveler too. Did anybody try a very small swivel tip knife? Looks like Exacto knife's aluminum handle with trailing curved tip that is a trailing swivel knife. Vintage, not new.

They have the video for a gigantic 3D stamps only. :Sigh:

Nope, going there now. Thanks! I used a ruler, as it usually recommended.

26 views, 0 answers You do that only at large scale, right? This is a valuable information for me too. Thank you!

In the top right corner, near your name, is Help/posting/ How to upload attachment and others. You can either upload attachment or insert the image link in main editor tools panel. Not much help, but here is involved how the forum was set by administrator. Some free image hosts have thumbnail option too.

Looks like I'm resurrecting the old topic of acrylic paint dilution, I'm new to using it on leather. I have a problem of applying acrylic paint with maximum dilution (50%) evenly on fairly thin lines, 2-3mm (1/16 -1/8"). Tried both, artistic and hobby paints. Adding even an airbrush medium (= transparent paint) builds thickness in layers and makes paint more viscous than diluting with water. Have no access to Angelicus paints, didn't try Cova colors yet. Do they have the good solid brown, intense (not dark) red, green, yellow, blue? Art stores have also acrylic ink, airbrush paint and Golden liquid paint, can they be a solution? What do you use? Who used hobby paint, how does it hold after years? From practice, not theory, please.

Good ideas, than you both. A little more clarification, please: Bill, What kind of paint do you use in the ruler pen? Do you load it by brush from the side, without interrupting line? How better to do the 1/8" (3mm) line - it's too wide for normal procedure, inks ends almost immediately, and with each recharge there is a good chance to end with poodle of paint on the leather instead of line. Draw edges and fill inside using brush? I know how to use it on drawing paper and load it with drawing ink, but it's all. Also, ruler sometimes leaves mark on leather. What to do to prevent this? Lucas, the 10 hairs brush, even liner, holds so little pant that it should be recharged every half of inch (1 cm). Unless you have a rock steady hand and the eagle eye, return at the same place repeatedly could be problematic for most of the folks. What do you using, cova color, ink?