bison

Hi Niki, I like Fiebings pro oil stains. I thin them with denatured alcohol about 2 parts dna to 1 part stain. I always use several coats and almost always use 2-3 colors to get the depth and complexity of color I want. Sometimes I'll go over it with Ecoflo antique after staining to add some depth as well, or I might use Fiebings antiquing paste. Also be sure to oil the leather at some point. I usually do it after cleaning and before staining. I use pure neatsfoot oil. Others do it after staining. It helps replenish the natural oils lost when it is tanned and then cased and worked by you. I oil with a sheepskin scrap, a light even coat all over, both sides then let dry overnight before proceeding. I have also oiled before and after dying when the leather seems particularly dry. You'll sense it as you get more familiar with the leather. I hope it goes/went well for you at the craft fair. These events are always fun and a great way to meet people who will be really interested in your art. David

I've seen leather pens and other items made from leather that's been chopped (in a blender maybe) and mixed with epoxy. It can be shaped before it dries, then worked like wood when it is dry.

Hi Niki and welcome to the site. I'm no expert on solving dye problems, and it sounds like you've been doing leather work for a while, but I might guess that there is a residue of some sort on the leather that could be removed by cleaning with oxcylic acid (wood bleach) or denatured alchohol. The other possibility is that you are using a bad batch of dye. A possibility if it is a newly opened bottle and you've not used it on anything else. Try it on a scrap of leather and see if it does the same thing. Remember to shake it well before applying and see if it works properly. Then try cleaning a scrap of the leather you are currently working on, then dye with that same bottle. Perhaps also try another bottle as well just to see the difference. I hope you get a better answer that will be more helpful. Best of luck. David

Might make a really nice looking, classy cover for notebooks/portfolios with a stiffener and lining.

HI Tina, I use Fiebings liquid glycerine saddle soap (as Hidepounder suggests in his tutorial) on a piece of canvas. that gets a really nice burnish going, then finish with Fiebings saddle soap paste. Once I found that method, it really transformed the quality of my work. Dave

I've not done it with any of mine, but I've seen folks who do a braided edge on their binders...check out Hidepounder's gallery. I usually do a saddlestitch 1/8 inch in from the edge when I'm lining my pieces. Good luck!

Manu Forti!

Steal away, my friend!

I don't skive it. That's the end of the hide where it gets thin and pretty hard. Perfect for what I was doing with it. Thanks for the comments, Bob.

I just finished these two. The first is a small executive portfolio, designed to hold s 5x7 notebook. I used the European tanned leather from Tandy for it. It tools very nicely! After oiling, I applied several thin coats of Acrylic Resolene as resist, then antiqued it with Feibings mahogany antique paste. Finished with two more coats of A-R, then two coats of Tan-Kote. It's sewn with natural colored thread. The second is a sketchbook/journal, made with that really torn up leather I got on sale from Tandy. I tooled in a Celtic knot and then dyed the background. Finished with four coats of Tan-Kote. Hand sewed the paper, Canson 80 pound art paper using a long stitch. It measures 7.5x10 and holds 240 sheets of 6x9 paper. Any critiques are welcome. Dave

I've had that happen before and waited a few days for the oil to fully absorb into the leather and it was fine. You might try oiling it before you cut and sew it next time. That works for me with the thin leather. Good luck. Dave

I think it looks good. The only thing I noticed is that the flower on the bottom right doesn't seem to be connected to anything. It's missing it's stem, I think.

Hi Ellen, I play the Bodhran and have never used a strap. I'm not sure I've seen any other players use a strap either. I guess I'm not much help in your quest! Dave

Hi Alan, I'm pretty sure that skiving won't be a problem...should be able to do it with a nice sharp tool. The molding will be a problem more than likely. To mold it you will need to wet it, then form it. Upholstery leather has been dyed and finished so it is unlikely that it will mold well. There are others on the forum that have much more experience with molding than I do, but I'd suggest using a veg tanned leather to mold, then dye and finish it yourself. Good luck.

At this point I'm ready to believe anything!

Hi Bob and welcome to the site! There are some real experts here so you'll probably get some good answers to your question. I'll take a shot at it for what it's worth. I think you are on the right track for forming the leather, but my experience is that you have to wet the whole piece in order to form it properly and avoid the water stains. I wrap my knives in plastic wrap...several layers...then form the dampened leather to it. Once it dries, you'll get a good shape and fewer water stains. i say fewer, because if your water is hard like mine, the minerals seem to leave a bit of themselves behind. I think you could clear it up in your case by wiping the leather with oxalyc acid diluted in water (it's wood bleach, butr you probably already knew that). I do that anyway before I stain to ensure a clean, consistent piece of leather. I'd suggest looking for tutorials on the site about casing leather, wet forming, sheath making, holster making, that sort of thing. And good luck. I used to do a lot of woodworking before the leather bug bit me...now, not so much! Dave

Well, this is a new one to me. I got a piece carved and stamped for a portfolio cover. Dyed it with Fiebings pro oil as usual, got the color I wanted and let dry for 24 hours. Then applied Acrylic Resolene as a resist...three thin coats, allowing time to dry between each coat and then another 24 hours for the last coat. Applied Fiebings Antiquing past, same as always, the wiped off the excess. The piece looked good, I went to bed. This morning I came back to it and it looked like the cat had licked all the antiquing off the piece! Not possible since she can't get in my shop, so where did it go? Just a few places where it lingered, but for the most part completely gone. I'm hand dying the background now to give it the depth I want since I need to finish this piece and move on, but what happened? I've used it plenty of times, in fact, antiqued another piece last night, along with this one, and it turned out just fine. It's a puzzle to me, so I hope you all have some insights so i don't repeat what I'm sure is "user error"! Dave

Well Josh, I guess now I need to buy a horse so I can convince my wife that I need a saddle like that! Seriously, that is a fine saddle, just beautiful craftsmanship. Dave