bex DK

Not enough experience with stitching vs. rivets. sorry. I think stitching is prettier if going for looks. Our dogs current collars are riveted. We have the fold on the underside but it extends quite far, because it also holds the keeper. On the one it is long enough to help secure the lead ring as well.

Thanks. IT gives me some confidence, but I will have to do some experimenting. Maybe a very decorated pair of spur straps for my husband... lots of wear there with pants on the boots and boots in the stirrups, so I can see if it holds up....

If I had that project in mind, I'd go to the local thrift shop and pick up a cheap fanny pack around the style and size I wanted. Then I could cut that apart at the seams and get a good start in shape and size of the various pieces. To make it to put on a belt instead of with a built-in belt, I'd use a stronger and stiffer backpiece to help it keep its shape and cut slits into the backpiece a ltitle in from each side so the belt could slide through. Then a second inside backpiece in a thinner and lighter leather. Could easily imagine lacing or handsewing the edges and I've handsewed zippers in several times. So no pattern to point to, but maybe this idea helped.

When worrying about the strength of the leather strap with a slot in it, have you considered the strength of the buckle itself? Our experience with horse tack, bridles, etc., is that regardless of the material used for the main body, it is usually the metal parts that break under stress. If you're going to worry about it, you're going to need to find tested metal parts that have a proven breaking strength. We've used regular buckles for hobbles without giving a thought to the strength of the leather after the holes are made. If anything is going to go, it will probably be the buckle itself! Many people prefer collars with a guaranteed low breaking point. So that the dog has a chance of getting out if it gets hung up on something. This may not be much help to you, but not sure if you considered the other side of the issue.

It sounds like they hold up then. Do you remember if you thinned the acrylics extensively before painting?

Right. I am pretty much using everything as a wash.. building it up a little at a time I guess. But are you finding that the colors applied with washes hold up well over time? Or do they suddenly fall off the leather or crack or fade or anything? My assumption is that cova is basically the same as artist acrylics but made to be more fluid. Since it is more fluid to begin with, it doesn't need as much water to work as a wash. Of course the covas I have are pretty ancient and may be unreliable to begin with for that reason. If I have to switch to a thinner, I will probably just go back to work on mastering the spirit dyes. No idea where I would obtain a thinner here (no art stores within reasonable driving distance). I feel like the acrylics are easier for me to control for detailed work and water-based clean-up is an advantage too. If no one has experience, I will have to make a couple test projects to try to wear a little harder to see how they hold up.

Got some tips from ClayB on coloring leather and one thing he mentioned was having heard that they shouldn't be thinned more than 50% with water--to thin more than that, you have to use thinner products. I'm pretty sure I've been thinning some of the artist acrylics more than that for what I've been messing around with--a lot more--so I am wondering whether anyone has experience working with "overthinned" acrylics and how well they hold up on leather? I've tried googling on it and what I can find out is that at some point (which isn't usually defined very clearly and may vary extensively with different brands) the water will break down the cohesion in the paint: its ability to create a "film" and bond with itself. But this leaves me wondering whether that might even be an advantage on leather. If it doesn't have a film, it can't crack, can it? I remember my mother using a glass casserole lid as an acrylic palet when I was a little kid. She'd just let the paint dry when finished and it would peel right off, so the lid could go back on the casserole without a problem. This peel-off effect is what I worry about with using thicker acrylics on leather. That you'd nab an edge somehow and the whole painted area would peel right off... I am basically working with most things thinned to the point of being more like a wash than anything else. So it just barely changes the color and I can put on several layers and get shading effects with a single color of paint. This also allows it to still feel like leather rather than paint. I've used some thicker colors for small effects (like white markings on horse heads) but I prefer the thin stuff so far for most of my experiments. At this point, I am topping the acrylic colors with a layer of supershene after they've dried completely, so that should give some protection in case that is lacking because the colors are so thin. Does anyone have experience with "overthinned" acrylics and know how well it holds up to wear and use? I am hoping to get selling a little bit of work and would hate to sell something only to find out that the colors don't hold up to use. Messing up my own stuff or gifts isn't so bad... Thanks for any more advice anyone can give me. I don't doubt ClayB, but am wondering whether the negatives of overthinning are that serious on leather. I can see it being a problem on canvas or something else nonabsorbant, but it seems like the superthin acrylics practically absorb into the leather. Also, if it is a problem, does anyone know how to tell how much is too much? From my reading, it really seemed like 50% was a pretty random figure for it. I could probably stay within 50% if I stuck exclusively to cova colors, but that is a much more expensive source for paint. Right now I am using a mix of really old Cova's that my husband has had for years (before they were ecoflow) and stuff bought in Danish stores along the lines of Walmart. Thanks for any experience you can share, good or bad!

What I've seen in tack with white edges is usually a lining with folded edges as opposed to a dye. In this case, you'd use a red piece in the front then white lining and the white would have folded/rolled edges that extend a little beyond the red. But that might not be what your customer means. Probably a good idea to have your customer provide pictures or examples of the desired effect. Otherwise you could consider acrylics on the edges but I don't know how well that would wear.

Very nice! I can't help but admire and envy your artistic talent! Wish I could draw that well. Gorgeous!

Your edges won't be colored. at least not evenly. Maybe if you soak the entire hide in dye... but then you'll spend hours buffing to eliminate rub-off... do you plan to tool? Unless you want the weird effects of uncolored cuts (something i want to experiment with sometime just for fun), you want to dye after you tool. once you dye, you can't undo it. so any extra and all the scraps will also be dyed, limiting their potential uses in the future. i never dye more than absolutely necessary and as one of the later steps so everything is covered. It is also easier to get an even color working on a smaller area. At least for someone wiht my level of experience.

I had no problems printing them but whether the sizes that resulted are perfect, I don't know. It was a while ago though. No spur straps around you can compare with?

I know that letting the leather dry more definitely made a difference for me. Also some bevelers I have are worse than others for it--the narrow undercutter is the worst. I keep working to get better but have decided that if I do start managing to sell any leather work, I will invest in a higher quality set of bevelers so the edges are more rounded.

I've tried searching, but not much luck finding answers I can use. Some mention of tan kote and lacquer, but I am still in doubt. Most of my work so far I've finished with a product that is probably similar to Fiebling's Aussie. It is the old standard here in Denmark for maintaining saddles and other tack. Basically a leather balsam or cream with beeswax. I've been messing around more with color (a mix of spirit dyes and thinned acrylic). I've got some of the Eco-Flo Super Shene and I've used that some for adding more shine to some projects with good results. But right now I am planning to make some coasters, initially some as gifts but with also an eye on making some in the future for sale. Although I am very happy with the beeswax cream on most things and even on our saddles when riding the horses into the sea. But I am afraid that having a wet glass standing on it for a few hours is more than the beeswax can handle. It also requires follow-up treatments, which is fine for people who have saddles and tack that they're used to maintaining, but not so good for people without that. And as gifts and potential sales item, they need to be easy to maintain for people not used to treating their leather every few months. I've only done a little with the Shene but I don't really feel like it will stand up much better than the beeswax,a lthough the two in combination is probably better than either alone. So this leaves me as a loss as to what to get. The local place is closed, so anything I try will have to be ordered. All I can find in Denmark is Super and Satin Shene and what I think is an equivalent product. This leaves Tandy in England and I can't really afford to buy a bunch of products to experiment. I am hoping I can get some good advice here. As far as I can tell from the catalog, Super or Satin Shene should be water repellant. And there is another Eco-Flo product, Block Out Resist Finish, which sounds a little stronger from the description. Then there are the Fiebing's Tan Kote and Resolene. I am guessing the Resolene might be a little stronger. It is also a question of how mcuh it is a good idea to mix products, but everything I have is quite a mix already. We have a small amount of Cova colors (quite old.. they don't even say eco-flo on them). Then in Antique both some Eco-Flo and some Fiebing's (which oddly enough doesn't seem to be in the current Tandy catalog at all. But this was from the local shop before it closed). My spirit dyes are the ROC "Narvsværte" products, but I doubt most of you know what those are. The thinner is ethanol. So any suggestions or experiences for any of these products? I haven't compared prices, but so far I am leaning a bit towards the Resolene, but without any good reason really. I am assuming multiple layers will be needed. Would the leather benefit from leather cream with beeswax in addition to the finish? I know that the spirit dyes dry the leather quite a bit. So should something be done to improve that before or after applying a finish? Can oil be used before applying these types of finishes? I worry that using oil would make it harder for the finish to bond with the leather and seal properly. I've heard metnion of other products, like Sno-Seal, but I have no idea where I would get such a thing. I would be afraid to try to get such a thing from the US, because components might not be allowed here. Additionally the tariffs on import can be quite expensive, as is shipping. Thanks for any advice you can give me. This forum has really helped me a lot in developing my skills.

I am sure I have seen a free moose somewhere. Probably on Jim Linnel's site in with some of his free patterns. Might not be the whole animal, but maybe it will at least help you work out how to convert another photo or drawing to a pattern.

Thanks. It is especially helps to have specific prep directions, since I only knew generally what was done. Now I just have to finish coloring that project so I can put it together. First must make the man finish deciding what colors he wants.... My lace is tandy rawhide lace, so probably not top quality, but hopefully it'll do. Then I can look into better stuff if I like the results.

gorgeous. the sort of work i wish i could do. even without the age contribution, my hands just aren't what they ought to be (along with all the rest of my joints), so i know how hard it can be sometimes. better get off the computer and back to the leather if i want to get anywhere with it...

Hope no one minds me bringing up this old thread, but what do you recommend as finishes for coasters? I am thinking of making some as a thank you gift for someone and also they'd be a good candidate for "practicing" patterns and coloring. I hate to throw practice pieces out if they end up looking good... I'd rather have them at least look like something. I am only used to leather cream with beeswax (much like what is sold in the US as Aussie) but don't feel confident that that would work well enough for a cold glass on a hot day... Tips to things more readily available than the various made-for-leather finishes would be appreciated. I can't always get everything here and shipping from England can get quite expensive. All I have right now is a small bottle of the Eco-Flow Shene and I am not sure that is a good choice either for something that is expected to get so wet. I bought it in the hopes of using it as a resist for antiquing.

I have two books that include directions for a variety of lacing patterns, but neither discusses using rawhide as the lace. I know that for braiding the rawhide is usually worked wet and maybe even soaped, but I'm not planning to braid it. I am used to working with regular leather lace and glueing splices. But rawhide is totally new to me. I have a request for it as edge lacing on a leather belt buckle (my husband) and I'm toying with some ideas for using it for decorative applique lacing. Have a purchased breast collar with that that we really like and I'd love to be able to make some stuff with it myself. Attempts to find answers searching the forums and with google haven't been successful. I am mostly just finding sources for the lace or info about cutting and prepping rawhide lace for braiding. I'm not ready for that yet. I use two-prong flat lacing needles normally. Skive it a little thinner and cut on an angle to put the needle on. Can I do that with rawhide? Thanks for any advice you can give me. It can get quite expensive (and frustrating) if I have to work it out by experimenting. Thanks! Rebecca

Maybe you could hide the sitching with some decorative lace work?

How much water protection do you need? We ride often in the sea with our saddles that are only treated with the beeswax without problems. We don't have the tack swimming, but it gets splashed plenty. Water usually just beads up and drips off. No signs of damage. We rinse when we get home with fresh water to remove the salt. You do need to use a good bit of it. Put on a good layer, let it sit so it gets absorbed, then buff well. Some risk of extra wax settling in the tooled areas, so you may need to buff a little more or consider other options for heavily tooled projects. You could say it is water resistant but not water proof.