robs456

Dammit, should have known before doing this:

First off, get rid of the nail polish remover and get real acetone. Usually nail polish remover has added chemicals and/or is weaker than just acetone.

Make sure it's dry then buff the dye to remove excess. Then you can seal it with a finisher if you wish but the acrylics should act as a sealer. Put a light gray base coat. I tend to always do this but it's very important when painting white. Make sure the base coat is dry then start putting thin layers of white, drying thoroughly between coats. Keep going until happy. Finish by putting on a few coats of clear or regular finisher if you don't have clear acrylics. This may not be required if the item won't see any use and abuse... I use an airbrush so the multiple layers don't add up a lot of thickness, if you use a brush make sure you make your coats as thin as possible and don't build up brush marks. Here's an example of some cardholders I painted with this technique, note that I added a tiny bit of yellow to the white, otherwise the white shines too much I think. (The left one sold, the right one seems to be 'too violent'...)

Oh, and watching movies on the job, wearing only underwear (pref when working alone perhaps, and maybe not while using extremely sharp cutlery), checking relevant forums during drying times etc...

1. Went to Lineapelle Milano. 2. Talked to the croc/gator/lizard companies. 3. Said "Thanks, I'll get back to you". 4. Never got back to them. Soo expensive compared to the local cow...

Dudes, excuse my absence in this very important thread. But let me end the artist/artisan confusion forever: Artist -drinks wine, eats oysters and/or foie gras. Artisan -drinks beer, eats fried chicken and/or fish.

Right now experimenting with CMC (synthetic Gum Trag) and I can't find anything cheaper per liter. I'm sure there are better things out there but CMC gives a lot of bang for your bucks.

So the dude is rocking two different signatures? I guess he didn't feel like signing 1000 copies with the 'artistic version', even though that one is much cooler...

Thanks for the heads-up. Didn't buy anything from them for a couple of years now, good to know. Their stuff looks nice, but I've only bought some foil in small quantities from them. They're nice to deal with though.

Nice, you're copying a Chinese copy? Like a revenge rip-off. Like in Ocean's 12... Seriously though, no joke, I wish you luck. Give'em hell....

For trying out making stuff etc buy smaller quantities, try Tandy or https://leather4craft.co.uk/

Good thought. The bottom pocket is squeezing the cards around the T-pocket 'body'. Make the T 'arms' shorter. Skive down the T to a feather edge. Use thinner leather. That should help a bit.

Neatsfoot oil will go through anything! Ok, maybe not. But I once managed to get a finished piece (super sheen I think) stained by accident by neatsfoot oil, so another time when after finishing with Angelus finisher (by airbrush) I noticed that the piece was too stiff so I put a thick layer on top of it and had it on overnight. Then in the morning most of it was still there but enough had seeped through to make the piece pliable. Removing the left over neatsfoot oil took a while and a few rags but in the end it worked. The piece was black, and I didn't notice any dark(er) spots, but I wonder how a lighter piece would look... If this is all rambling and no sense please excuse me, I'm hopped up on Taurine and vitamin B...AKA energy drinks...dangerous things...

Yes, I got it! The first time, as well. Do I get a prize? Also, you are correct. Too bad you're leaving, but I understand, hope to see you in a while. As a parting gift I give you the root of the issue: . . . sorry...

He's talking about Angelus dye, not paint. The Angelus paints are nice, but now when I use an airbrush I'm switching to Jacquard.... Edit: Ohdammit, replying to a 6 mts old post, soz....

No, I was referring to the vile practice of actually using a drill to make holes for sewing or lacing. Which removes material. I can't really tell if chiefjason meant that he actually rotates the awl, but thinking about it that would mean that the hole gets burnished and probably won't close much or at all, and would make the leather smooth so that the thread doesn't grip all that well. Ya, I do too..OK.

Gaah! I say again: I took it to mean that he mixed up drilling with a drill press, using a sewing machine, and using a drill press equipped with an awl. Maybe I was wrong about him referring to drilling. The rest of the mechanics I'm very familiar with.

I read this to mean 'if you drill holes' and in that case it is totally right as the drill removes material. But then needles and awls get into the mix... Yes, going back to what Stohlman said ("The smallest hole, possible, for needle clearance is most desirable.") he means NOT to push the needle or awl all the way through as it will leave too big a hole to grip the thread. If you need the strength don't shove your awl all the way, just the tip will do. And never cross awls...

Yeah, I tried once. Doesn't stick, for long anyway. It will bubble and roll off. It was a trick question, sorry.... But are you using lining or are you painting the flesh side? While I personally wouldn't want to wear a mask that reeks of leather conditioners, except beeswax or flaxseed oil, perhaps there's a way to get it beneath a lining? That's a value-add to sell right there, mask maintenance, only available with the pro-plan...a la software support...

Yes. In the A.S. hand sewing book most newbies get he writes "The smallest hole, possible, for needle clearance is most desirable." I'm guessing this is for practical reasons to make the leather 'grip' the thread to make a real tough stitch and by experimentation I know this creates a more straight stitch line on the back while you still will get the slanted stitches on the front of the piece. Many amateurs and some pros don't want/need a tough stitch, or don't have the patience to learn to use the awl, so they use stitching chisels that push the diamond shaped prongs all the way through the leather. This will give a nice slanted stitch on both sides which looks good on small leather goods like card holders etc. Hammering the stitch line after will close the leather well enough for it to grip the thread as well. There's no 'only' way, but different ways are good for different things...

Do you apply oil to the mask before painting? In that case how much? With enough oil the mask should last quite some time. On the other hand if you water form the mask you may not want to oil them?

Yeah No...I appreciate your enthusiasm for a cool project but this leatherworker can't make the deadline as there's no spare time.

Cuts too deep? Leather too wet? Pounding too hard? Holding tool tilted?

Damn, I missed this! Now I don't have time, will join after the summer if you go again. Isn't this what the old leather 'trading cards' used to be for? Kinda like?