Steel Dragon

I haven't tried the colored Leather Balm with Atom Wax yet. Been meaning to though. Yeah I was really worried about over oiling the leather. Especially with there being oil in the dye. I was thinking of using Pecards instead. They say you can't over do it and maybe I just haven't tried hard enough. But the extra always seems to be left on the surface in the morning and I just wipe it away. Though putting it over the oil dye means hours of rubbing off dye.

I did a couple of pieces of leather (Herman Oak 7/8 oz) with the same bottle of dye before and after and they came out fine. Though with that oil dye (fiebings) I swear I can rub forever and it keeps coming off. One other thing I'm noticing is that this "import" tanned "domestic" hide is a lighter shade then my other hides. If I remember correctly the other one was lighter also. I'm gonna try that wet and smell test tomorrow. I was talking to John at the Tandy in Raleigh, nc (if anyone here knows him). He's had this problem also. He said someone thought that it might be when they split the hide. Something about the machine that splits it pressing down on the hide and sort of burnishing the leather.

Hi, A while back I tried using an imported hide from mexico since the price was right (as in cheap). When I went to dye it black it came out with a chalky and streaky appearance. So I kept adding more and more dye until it looked right. By that time the dye had soaked completely through the leather so it looked like it was drum dyed. I have never had that problem with domestic hides and I usually just buy the best grade they have. So I kept bying the best grades and haven't used imported hides since then. Currently I needed to do some cheap (as in almost free) stuff for some family members. I saw a sale and bought the hide thinking it was domestic. Turns out it is a "domestic" (USA) hide, but it was veg tanned in Mexico. Of course I had the same chalky problem. Dyed it black and in the morning it was chalky and streaky looking. I'm guessing they must go cheap on some part of the tanning process to save money and that is what's causing the problem. Anyway I noticed the last time that the hide didn't feel right, it seemed rather dry. This one felt a little dry too compared to some other hides I have. I usually apply some pure neatsfoot so I tried oiling it again and in the morning it looked better. So I put on even more neatsfoot oil and a little more Fiebings oil dye. It looks really good now. Nice shade of black. Just to make sure I cut off a piece of the hide and oiled it up heavy then let it sit for a few hours and then dyed it. It came out great. No chalky look just a nice even black. So ... Is the chalky / streaky look normal for these imported hides or is it just my luck with the two that I have tried? Is going heavier with some neatsfoot oil the fix for it? Oh and this was with 2 - 3oz, and this time 3 - 4oz, hides. Alex Steel Dragon Custom Leather http://www.steeldragoncustoms.com

Thanks Major Just the top of that pirate seat took around 12 -13 hours to go from from transfering the design, to cutting, and tooling. The lacing took almost just as long.

Something else to consider with these chemicals. I had purchased that can of Deglazer over a year ago but never used it. It's just been sitting on a shelf in my (home) office. When I opened it the other day it was half empty. So I'm assuming that it has been evaporating and passing through the can somehow. It had to go somewhere right? Well after thinking about that I just ran upstairs and removed the can and it is now out in the garage. Anyway, I thought this might be something else to keep in mind.

Hi, Thought I should add this... I emailed Fiebings yesterday afternoon. Turns out I did the right thing. The Deglazer was what they recommended. I also have to mention that I was wearing those blue nitrile gloves and by the end of the first set of arm bands my finger tips started to get a tingling / burning kind of feeling (which stopped after removing the gloves). A few hours later after scrubbing my hands and seeing how the first set went I tried the 2nd set. Fresh gloves on and went to work. Same thing happened to my finger tips by the end of stripping the Leather Sheen. So really heavy gloves might be something to take into consideration. These were the single layer nitrile gloves which worked fine in the past for gasoline and paint thinner.

There was not enough Leather Sheen to protect them from the water but it was enough to keep the dyes and antiques from working right. So I had to strip them and dye them black. This continues in my other post on removing Leather Sheen. Thanks anyway.

Well I used that Fiebings Deglazer #12. Used it VERY light each time. It broke down the Leather Sheen. At least enough for me to apply some oil and then some Fiebings oil based dye. The dye seems to have taken really well and the leather seems just as flexible as before. Thanks.

Thanks for the compliments. I fool around with the web site here and there at night when I have time. Guess it'll always be a work in progress. Alex

I have a couple of items that have two light coatings of Fiebings spray on Leather Sheen. I'm trying to remove it enough for a coat of dye to penetrate. So far I've tried nail polish remover and alcohol with no luck. I was wondering if there is anything else that I should try, or if I should just keep going with either of the two I have already tried. Thanks, Alex

Thanks Johanna ... something tells me your not really big fan of deglazing. The more I think about it the more I'm leaning with trying different dye solutions instead. Well that's why I'm here ... to get the benefit of everyone’s experience.

I just ran upstairs to my office and took a look. Sure enough in the back of a shelf I have an unopened can of Deglazer. It's been there for a year atleast. Bought some to try it out .... then forgot about it. I'm going to try to redo the antique on the Celtic band since it's only lightly faded. But the Dragon one has really changed colors. I'll try it, but I'm not holding my breath. I think I'll be deglazing that one.

Hi, I had some leather items for sale (on consignment) at a Renn Fair. Well the last day it rained really bad, as they were packing things up their tent collapsed. Two items got wet. Now before I dye both sets black or a dark brown I had a few questions. I guess I should say they were lightly block dyed with Fiebings dyes. The dragon with buckskin, and Celtic knot with saddle tan oil dye. Then they were both antiqued with Fiebings liquid saddle tan antique. Then lightly sprayed with Fiebings Aerosol Leather Sheen. I thought this finish would was more durable. I started using it because it sprays on and I had problems streaking the antique with wipe on finishes. This is the first time I have had something I antiqued get wet like this. The color appears to have faded away. Is this normal for this to happen? Should I have gone heaver with the finish? Would using a spray on water proofing be better over antiques that might get wet? Anyone know if I might be able to get the color back (with out a lot of work)? Or just give up and dye them a dark brown or black? Any tips would be much appreciated, Alex

Well lets see. My name is Alex Portanova. I'm 42 and originally from Brooklyn, NY but I moved to North Carolina around 7 years ago. I first started with leather when I was in the boy scouts. Just wristbands and things like that. I fooled around with leather here and there over the years with small items (kits mostly), but nothing serious. When I moved to North Carolina I started painting motorcycles and turned my garage into a paint shop. I only had one neighbor and there was 2 acres of land between us so it wasn't a problem with fumes and dust. One day I decided to make a seat for my bike and ended up making a tool bag and hand grip covers. Well people seemed to like it a lot so I got started making little things again. I moved a few years ago to a new area and now have neighbors all around me so I gave up painting and decided to work only with leather. I started off only making motorcycle seats but now I'll make what ever someone wants. I've been making journals, renn fair stuff, wallets, belts, phone cases all kinds of things. The business was named Steel Dragon Customs when I was doing mostly paint jobs. Now it's Steel Dragon Custom Leather. Here's a link to my site (it's still a work in progress) ... http://www.steeldragoncustoms.com/ Well I guess that covers it. I'm glad I found this list and look forward to being able to share ideas and learn more about working with leather. Alex