TomG
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Posts posted by TomG
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Well, fact is, wet leather stretches, so any bending while it is really wet will likely deform.
With the understanding that I have never actually tried this, but have stamped leather for about 15 years or so and I can suggest a couple of things to try.
I am not sure if you are trying to form it around the rope as you stitch or not, but I'd suggest you not do so.
I would do my stamping and then let the leather dry thoroughly. Then use a dowel rod just a tad large in diameter than the rope and use that as a form.
LIGHTLY mist the back side and let it sit for a minute or 3.
Then do your forming and sewing. Let it all dry before you thread the rope through the handle and then curve it. Again, if you have a problem curving it, you may have to to the light misting on it again.
Remember, this is just ideas based on straps that I've have to curve from time to time, so it may not work.
But, it can't hurt to tray.
And maybe someone who has actually done this before will chime in and help you out.
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I've had one for years and love it. I do a lot of straps and 2 quick pulls does the job.
The 4-cutter version is much more expensive and for my need was not worth the extra money.
I've also read that the 4-cutter version can be tricky to adjust for even cuts, but don't have hands-on to confirm. -
21 hours ago, bruce johnson said:Here's my experience. I don't seek out craft tool stamps to resell, but still over the course of the year in buying sets and estates we end up with about 800-1000 of them. I used to list some on my website but it was not worth the time and effort to break them out even in the small sets for what they returned. Even in a small set someone would just want some one would just want one stamp and ask that we break the sets. It wasn't worth it for a five dollar tool, and then kick about the shipping costs. There are a few rare and collectible craft tool stamps, but not many. Jim Linnell usually buys those that we have. Otherwise it can be a tedious experience to catalog, take pictures, deal with buyers and shipping.
Thanks. I am not looking forward to the cataloging and selling.
I do have a few people who I will be donating some to. My mentor was generous with me years ago when I started and I am going to honor that by helping a newbie.On 2/8/2024 at 5:38 PM, DieselTech said:Tom I'm no expert on this, but some of the vintage tandy stamps on pro leather carvers. Are priced from $30-$50 each depending on what stamp they are.
There is some older tandy stamps I would like to find. They made nicer stamps back then.
Wow. Not sure which stamps would carry that price tag, but I'd love to find a dozen or so of them in my collection, LOL.
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23 hours ago, Sheilajeanne said:I acquired a large number of stamps from a pawn shop back in 2019. There were quite a few duplicates, and some were not Tandy, but a cheaper brand made in Taiwan (Ivan).
What I did was TEST THEM ALL. The older Tandy stamps were not always the best, and the newer ones were not always the worst. This could be due to the amount of use some of the older stamps had over the years.
As for the age of the stamps, Tandy stamps with no letter are the oldest, followed by Craftool Co. with a letter and number, then Craftool Co. U.S.A. The most recent stamps are Craftool U.S.A. As a rule, the first two types of stamps listed are considered to be much better than the newer ones.
I charged $4.00 per stamp for the Craftool Co. stamps and $3.00 for the newer ones and Ivan stamps.
Thanks. that's kind of the ballpark I was thinking, but was just not sure.
NOW, for the task of cataloging them all and do the listings. I'm going to put them here on the Leatherwork section first. eBay will be the absolute LAST place I'll list them. By the time you pay the fees, you get a buck a tool, it seems. -
I am starting to downsize, and I'm beginning with some of the extra hand stamps that I have accumulated. I'm not sure how to price them fairly.
They are 99% Tandy, but span years.
How do I tell which are the older, better tools from the newer, not as sturdy ones? And what pricing for the different ones?
Thanks
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If you haven't found this yet, it's worth a read.
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Good Morning Dwight. Been a while.
I am by no means a pro on this, but I can relate my experiences and what I was told back when I tried using this method.
I did the same. Soaked steel wool in white vinegar for about a month. Then, drained it into a clean jar and started playing with it.
I did get some nice blacks, but also got the greys that you mentioned. I was told that it depends on how much tannin is in that particular piece of leather.
I stopped using it for 2 reasons. One was this inconsistency in color and depth that I never figured out how to cure.
The other was the smell. Now, I was told to use a mild baking soda rinse to neutralize the Vinegaroon, but the smell never left. At least not in the time I had to let it sit. (Someone had said that the smell goes away with time).
I really wished that I could have figured it out. I make a lot of collars and leashes in black and the dyestuff residue on the leather after I dip dye is substantial. I have a power buffer from Harbor Freight with double wheels on each end. I buff the hell out of the straps, but usually still have a little bleed when I buff the out by hand after the Leather Balm/Atom Wax treatments.
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Check out Beilers. 717-768-0174.
They don't have a website, but have an extensive paper catalog that they will send you. I just ordered some solid brass in medium and long lengths and they were about $3 - $4 and some change, per hundred.
You write up the order in Word or PDF and fax it to them.
A bit more effort, but great customer service and some of the best prices I've found. -
15 hours ago, fredk said:All the crystals I have have short stems, good for just about 1.5mm, 2mm max leather.
I would put the rivets on strip or strap of the thickest leather that can take them then glue & sew the strip to the main collar leather. Just working the other way round; thin backed by thick rather that thick backed by thin
Thanks to all. Yeah, I figured I'd wind up using layers.
I was trying to avoid that because the collar has stamping on it, and the design is going to make it hard/impossible to sew the edges. So, they will likely be glued only.
I'm going to do some experimenting later today. I may have to widen the collar and put a grove and stitches outside of the scrolls.
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It's been a minute since I had to decorate with the post style crystal rivets, but I have a customer who wants them on a collar for her dog.
It's going to be 8-9 oz and the crystals I've seen have short posts.
I need some ideas of how to do this.
First, does anyone know of a source for rivets with longer posts?
1 solution I think of is to use a thinner leather with a backing to add thickness, but I haven't done any backed items using anything thicker than goat/lamb or 1/2oz VT. Since this will be a fairly short collar (15" neck size) I would think using anything thicker would stiffen it up too much.
The other idea I had is to somehow punch each rivet hole and then, somehow countersink the back of the hole to let the cap seat the rivet properly. My question is how to do that so I still have enough leather to seat the cap and not pull through to the front.
So, any and all suggestions are appreciated.
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3 minutes ago, SUP said:@TomG does it prevent bleeding of Eco-flo dyes as well? I can find a color that I want only in Eco-FLo but it bleeds heavily the moment it comes in contact with water. Still trying on scrap, luckily. If not, will have to compromise and move to something else.
I really don't know. I have only used Eco-Flo once, that I can recall, and it was not on an item that I needed anything blocked out. But, considering that it is basically a rubber coating, I would assume that it would.
Now, I only used it on stamped lettering and can tell you that you do need to get it down into the depressions around the letters. Otherwise, the dye can seep in at the edges and stain the letters. It IS tedious on longer lettering strings. -
12 minutes ago, hylander said:So I guess the answer is there is no good resist to the Fiebings Pro dyes.
No, The liquid latex that I mentioned will block all of the dyes. You may need a coat or two, but it will work.
One caveat is that if you are using it on things like stamps letter, such as in my photo, you need to make sure that it gets down into the grooves around the stamping.
I haven't used these brands and my local store no longer carries the one I used, but either these or similar ones should work.
Just do some research and experiments would tell you.
https://www.smooth-on.com/tb/files/HX-LIQUID FRISKET.pdf
https://www.michaels.com/product/lq-acry-maskng-fluid-118mlus-10648713?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_US_N_Art+Supplies_N_PMAX_BOPIS_N-_-&Kenshoo_ida=&kpid=go_cmp-18514199888_adg-_ad-__dev-c_ext-_prd-10648713&gclid=Cj0KCQjwr82iBhCuARIsAO0EAZwjrxgSAiYqkkbRnIc14WS2qm2aH5Uq3lDSGbgKO9aNLxDJD4Q0xroaAvjSEALw_wcB
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21 hours ago, hylander said:Thanks! I had successfully used the resist with acrylic dyes, but I got tired of the inconsistency of acrylic dyes and the inconsistency of the availability of them as well.
I've never heard of 'acrylic dye'. Acrylics are paint. Paint is not meant to be used with resist.
Resist CAN and IS used to block both Fiebings dye and Pro dye. Do a search in the DYE section of the differences and you'll get a bunch of info on it.
I use resist all the time. I don't the the Fiebings resist, but I've used both Resolene and Acrylic floor as resists successfully. Now, if you are applying your dye with a dauber, sponge or other wipe-on method, it usually works well. With dip dye methods, results are not as pronounced as a rule, because the immersion in the vat of dye saturates it. Also, if you do a wipe of the item after dipping, you an get smear in all directions, as you will be rubbing the dye onto the resist aggresively and resist onto the dye..
I do most of my stuff via dip, and if I need to remove some dye, I blot it off with a cotton cloth, quickly.
Just understand that the blocking effect can be suble.
Is you want a total blockout, the only thing that I've found is a liquid Latex that you have to paint on. It's a little pricey unless you will use it a lot, and it stinks like ammonia.
Good luck
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Try sewingmachines.com. Mel has been in the biz for a long time and used to have a whole bin, full of them.
Now, they recently moved so they may have scrapped them, but it's worth a phone call.
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The back and edges look exactly like I need. Thanks.
Did you have to dilute it?
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12 hours ago, blue duck said:Far from a color expert, but have you tried adding white to your red instead of diluting it?
I have used Orion calf's pink and it works well. However I think they may be out of business. So that probably won't help much.
The only white leather dye I've ever sen is the Fiebings version and it not only stinks to high heaven, it does not appear to be an alcohol based dye. So, I'm not sure how that would work.
But, in theory, it makes sense..
what did you use?
I'll search for that Orions Calf Pin.
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I've been using highly diluted Fiebings Red to try to get good pink, for years. All o can get is a light, washed-out looking color before the red takes over.
Angelus has a Light Rose that they say can be Pink.
Does anyone have experience with it and can you post photos of the pinks that you have gotten?
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Glad to hear that you have success.
I make lots of straps.. Belts, dog collars, etc.
I dip dye 99% of them. I have Rubbermaid, seal-able tubs for each of the main dyes that I use. I stir before use as the dyestuffs can settle.
Then, I drag the strap through it slowly (about 1" per second), and hang it to dry. I have a rack that hangs from my garage ceiling. I punch a small hole in the scrap end of the strap to hang it from, before dyeing.
Except for black, I have very little rub-off.
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After lots of trial and error, I found that if I take an old Phillips Head screwdriver and from the back side, punch it into the cap with a mallet. Smack it good. If done right, it will pop the cap off and in many cases, leave you with just the post. If not, than all you have to deal with is the internal part of the cap and can peel it off with some side cutter pliers.
No damage to the leather. -
8 hours ago, nrk said:years ago i started the same way, but quickly found out that reaching a colour uniformity requires some practice and methodology.
dip dying is one of the ways to reach uniformity in colour compared to daubers. this has 3 cons imho: 1 - requires more dye, 2 - it gives all the pigments into the leather, 3 - a limitation in process - you will get one colour (no antiquing or playing around with colour combination - exclusion is paints, such as angelus). did not work for me most times.
so i came up with getting hands of using sponge technique (you can control the sponge size and surface square).
personally never liked the idea of dilution (just because it is not a wood/metal paint which is required to be diluted), but it works of course.
now working on airbrush technique
1) Yup - it does take a little more dye, but if you have to keep going over areas to get uniform coverage, I'm not so sure that this is valid. But, in either case, it shouldn't be a lot.
The second reason I dip, it that I primarily make straps, such as dog collar, leashes, belts and bracelet type of goods.
Third reason is that I often get batch orders that need to be uniform and dip dying is the way to go.
2) I'm not sure why you would want all the pigments to not go into the the leather, unless you wanted a fade, highlighted or variegated effect. In those cases, I do use a sponge or even block dye the piece.
3) Yes.. sort of. You can still use antiquing with a dip dyed piece. I use Leather Balm after the dye dries, let it dry, buff it out and then apply the antiquing gel. But yeah, for multi-color, if you are painted with dyes, like Al Stoehlman or Peter Main, it's the only way.
I do use a lot of paints for stamped letters and such. In most cases I use the small needle tipped bottles to apply the surface and a different color to the channels.
Dilution is about the only way that I have found to get a true color with dip, and even sponges. My first attempts as dauber and sponges using Saddle Tan resulted in a medium-dark brown.
I have airbrushes, but seldom use them. It's mainly a lack of a spray booth for now. But, it can produce some terrific effects. The only drawback is very little penetration, so I've found it prone to scratching more than other methods. -
10 minutes ago, nrk said:how exactly do you apply a dye?
I started out with sponges and daubers many years ago, bug now, 99% of my stuff is dip dyed. More consistent color, a bit more penetration depth and overall, easier.
I use the long, tight sealing rubbermaid tubs to store it.
And for besthorsegear, you will find that almost all of the Fiebings dyes will need to be diluted to show the true color. At least in my and many others experiences. Some, as much as 75% dilution. -
47 minutes ago, fredk said:I use my local version of 'Mop & Glo'. My version is water-thin but I think the US version is thicker and needs thinning with water. About 3 thinned coats will do. Any more than that and its starts to be too thick
I used the same as a sealer. Thinned 50/50 with water.
But, I stopped using that as I had a couple of reports that the paint flaked off with flexing. Now, I never was able to determine if it was from that or if I missed something on surface prep. I generally use a Q-Tip and some DA to clean the letters and let that dry thoroughly. I've also been known to lightly scuff or sand the tops of the letters to give the paint a place to grip better. -
What can I use to 'harden' acrylic paint? I use it to highlight stamped letters on dog collars.
I realize that no paint will withstand scratching and such, but I'd like to make it as durable as possible.
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I tried one many years ago, but didn't like the bounce that it introduced. Especially for stamps.
I also like the 'crispness' that I feel using a mallet or maul. My main stamping whacker are the poly-headed ones.
Dye Mixing
in Dyes, Antiques, Stains, Glues, Waxes, Finishes and Conditioners.
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Like Dwight said, you can dilute Black with thinner or 99% rubbing alcohol. But, you need to remember. Dyes are made from Dye Stuffs, which are mainly dyed powders. But, they never actually totally dissolve, in my experience. Black is by far the worst, which is why it is so prone to rub-off and transfer.
I use dip dying for 99% of my stuff, and even though the tank that I use gets stirred real well each time. you still see tiny particle on the surface as it comes out of the tank.
I ramble about this, because in my experience, with any dye the more you dilute it the fewer dye stuffs you have and therefore, the less color penetration into the leather.
I, and many others, always dilute dyes 50/50 with alcohol to get the actual color it says on the bottle. Except for a 'true blue'. I always struggle to get a nice, rich blue color without it looking too translucent.