Penden

We've tested out koolaid dyes on kids' work and that turned out pretty well. With kids projects, do you finish it with anything after that? I see low VOC acrylic finish from Tandy Leather. I'm wondering if painting the acrylic finish is the same level of risk as painting with plain acrylics. Is there anything else I should look at?

I have the round hole punch like used for belts, so I was planning on using those because they are indeed easier to lace through. Thanks. My mind is a little boggled. I've always used the stitching pony! I figure a very small project like a coin purse and whip stitch would be a good start. I can have it precut and mark where to punch holes or prepunch them. I'd want hammers for stamping... So I guess mallets and extra needles and daubers. That's not too bad.

I have a related question about stitching and lacing with middle schoolers and up, and classes in general. If I have 5 students, do I need 5 stitching ponies to do lacing?? What tools do I need multiples of besides hammers? For the dyes I was thinking low VOC dyes and they can dye a small project like a bracelet.

Thanks, every one! Cutting it out afterwards is a great idea. I may have to try that! The dead weight looks ingenious, too, so I don't have to worry about scuffing up the leather with the weight. I had the beveler correct/not backwards I believe. I had just watched a video showing how to hold it and the tapping you guys described. I'm just new at it and hand trouble getting it to skip...and carving the lines how I wanted them. For dyeing I saved and cut up card board boxes, and put those on top of painters plastic... The dyes can even dye concrete. Ask me how I know! It is really nice not to have to worry about any spilled dye.

Thank you! How do you keep something this small still while you work? I had a rubber mallet resting on it and it still moved and was trouble to work around. I might do some celtic knot work next so I can follow a pattern and I think that might help. I agree that the legs stand out too much. The image I went off of only showed the two because the others are behind the wings. It looked OK in the drawing but really stands out here. I made it into this bag:

My first try for carving and beveling

My first try for carving and beveling

Thank you so much. The red is redder and the liquid frisket is amazing!

Thank you! I will definitely be trying their red dye next. I have used a paint brush for small areas like blocking in letters, and I've liked the results of that.

I am getting back into leatherworking now that my kids are getting older. I feel like there are some things I've forgotten, and/or I'm unsure that my old methods are acceptable to me now. Attached is a picture of bracelets I'm making. I am using fiebring dye with those little applicators that come with them and in small packs (a white puff on a little metal rod). I'm thinking that at the very least, they could be a little wider for my wider products, so I'm swiping over the leather one time. I'm reading now that some of you dilute the dye and dip for a better coat, so if you do that, how do you lay it out to dry or hang it without marring the product? I suppose I could apply some sort of resist in the letters? So, after it dries, I'm using Fiebring sheen for the finish, which is a flexible acrylic. I feel like I am wasting/spilling/soaking more of the sheen into the cloth than actually gets on the leather. Does the type of fabric I use make a difference? I also find that it pulls more of the dye off even if I've already rubbed the leather with a wet cloth. Am I doing something wrong? I used to use a spray but I don't remember what it was and I'm not sure I want to use something that might be more toxic and require a mask. What are my options for a good finish? PS. I really wish the reds were less pink! It's a beautiful color but it annoys me that I can't get true red

Thank you, I will try that because if the finish is not the problem then the paint application most likely is.

I used a waxed-based spray coating on these bracers and the paint started to chip off almost immediately: http://picasaweb.google.com/mr.mulington.the.3rd/Leatherwork#5510793450096814370 (before use) I am painting on top of dye, with the acrylics from the leatherstore, and then coating. Is waxed based coating not going to work or am I maybe applying it wrong? I also have acrylic resolene that I've used but of course the spray is easier to apply. How should I be protecting my paintings?

Thanks, guys! I did actually make a mistake on the coasters with the pattern. I traced something wrong when I was transfering the pattern to the tracing paper. Whoops I usually design the knots by hand if I'm not pulling them directly from the celtic knots book we have. That program looks interesting

I dye mine with spirit-based dye and/or paint them with acrylic, then cover in a coat or three of resolene.

http://ketlin.deviantart.com/#/d2wa833 Some of the stuff I've been doing lately