TomG

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

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.

The back and edges look exactly like I need. Thanks. Did you have to dilute it?

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. Thanks

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What the others said. Properly treated and stored leather last many, many years. I have a bunch of belts that i friend let me have and they have been in storage about 15 years. Still good as new. Since you used Mink Oil Paste, I'd use that to give them a fresh coat.

Even if you can find the white dye, don't waste your time. It has an extremely bad smell, and it would take many coats to get even a grey color. Just buy the drum dyed white Veg-Tan and save yourself the frustration and effort.

If the leather is soft, as it appears it might be, use a little rubber cement and glue it to a piece of backer board or bag stiffener. Or even a manila file folder cardboard. Use a pair of wing dividers to mark the exact same distance from each end. From the photo, it looks like it's actually punched off.

We can see the photos now. I. for one, have not solution for you.The only latex coatings that I have used were used as a resist on black dye projects and it was peeled off after. It's almost like you are going to need some sort of vulcanized coating, but not sure how or where to do that. If I want to waterproof leather, I use SnoPruf, but that has to be reapplied from time to time. And, to my knowledge, washing it would take it off or at least weaken it. I've also use Mink Oil paste, but the same caveats apply. Maybe a saddle maker has an answer for you. But, I think the washability factor is going to be your stumbling block here.

Download the Fotosizer program. It's free and does a great job of resizing without loss of quality https://www.fotosizer.com/ Max file size is 1.46MB. Not sure of what photo formats this site accepts, but .JPG is always a good choice. Not sure what you are doing to post the binary type code, but it won't work. Just click on the choose files at the bottom of the message and pick them from your folders

Called Vinegaroon here in the states. Like other said. Avoid Tandy if you want a good leather. I buy from Thoroughbred on KY. Always got good stuff.

Your photo didn't show up. Please repost.

A lot of folks have easily modified these to act as a manual clicker. They add a cutting block and plates. This is the 20 ton press. They have a 12 ton for less. At one time, they also had a pneumatic model, but I didn't see it on my quick search. But, it sure would make it faster to do repeated cuts. https://www.harborfreight.com/20-ton-shop-press-32879.html

I could be wrong, but I think is needs to be an odd number of strands. I've seen YouTube vids for 5 stand and I THINK there was one for any odd number. Have you tried cutting 6-strands and just using the same groups of 2 and do it like a 3 strand? I'm not sure what it would look like, but pretty sure it would be weird, LOL.

A lot of it is strap rings and end pieces. The ones with the prongs should have a matching backplate the the prongs go into on the inside of the bag and then fold over. the ones with the 2-3 holes mostly go onto an edge or slot in the bag and are secured with screws from the inside. A couple look like that would go on the ends of the shoulder straps, one or 2 might be magnetic closures. They look like nice pieces, and gives you a good excuse to make some handbags.

Maybe remove the metal pull and tie some leather lace in its place as a pull.

Message sent

I have an acquaintance who is looking for someone to possibly make some camera cases for him. I am not a case maker and really don't have the time to get up to speed on learning how to do it right. I've made a few fairly simple ones, but am no way a pro at doing them. If you might be interested and can do it for a reasonable and fair price, PM me and I'll forward your info to him.