TomG

Found these on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/62827059/make-from-copper-8mm-x-8mm-anti-brass?ref=related-4 They had a few sizes. You might also check eBay. I had quite a few Google hits but not enough time to check them all Good luck Tom

Agree with Troy, except I almost always use a THIN piece of cloth folded a couple of times. a thick cloth holds more and I prefer to lay 2 - 5 very light coats allowing them to dry between. If you want to pray on a real budget, try a Preval unit. Tandy, SLC, eve Home Depot has them. Be sure to spry some cleaner -Alcohol - Watr through it when finished. If you like it, you can invest in an airbrush setup pretty cheaply from Harbor Freight

I just bought the old model and it's good, but the blade needs to be sharpened or at least stropped. I also have the "High Tech" splitter and the new one does require a different method of splitting the leather. Still experimenting with the best way to use it. But, I did do a tapered skive on some Latigo yesterday and my first ttemptswere pretty impressive.. At least or me.

Bwhahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa So many one-liners -- so little space <g>

No Prob. It's really not hard, just takes a little practice. Cut few pieces of scrap from the same piece of leather, maybe 8 oz. DIp them in water for 10 seconds, 30 seconds 1 minute, and until the bubbles stop. Let them dry to various colors, cut a few lines and bevel them You'll feel the differences and will see the difference in burnishing when they fully dry. Luck

Hey Foamer.... Bob has the excellent tutorial at the first of this thread.. Go to the first message in the thread and click that hyperlink that says Casing Leather. Basically, no you don't soak it, you pass it under a faucet or dip in a tank of water - BRIEFLY. Then set it aside for a while, until the top ALMOST returns to its dry color and it feels cool if you touch it to your cheek. You can then tool it.. The time it takes depends on the weight of the leather and how wet you get it. If you want to case it the day before, let it dry until jus a little wetter than "tooling ready" as above and seal in ziplock bag overnight. When ready, take it out and let it finish drying to "tooling ready". Use the fridge if you need to store it longer than overnight. Good Luck

Well, I think you are going to find that most folks would use a resist like Super Sheen or even better, Resolene, to block that tooled image. 2 to 3 coats, allowing to dry an hour or 3 between coats. Allow last coat to dry overnight. Dye the whole thing with oil or spirit dye using a sponge or dauber. Allow to dry overnight. Then you need to seal the top.. Some people use one of the Sheens, Some use Leather Balm with Atom Wax. The balm is what I prefer. Allow to dry an hour or 2 and buff. Apply the Antiquing gel with a dauber to get into the cracks and crevices of the design, and wipe off leaving it in the impressions. Let dry and seal with you top finish - Resolene seems to be the most popular. Good luck

Has anyone used a rotary engraver like they use to make plastic signs for leather? I have an old one and can't seem to hit the proper cutter size/depth, etc. to make clean letters. Thanks

Well, I hit a couple of small pieces with the steamer. Don't have photos, but the musty odor seems to be down and smells like leather now <g> Thanks for all the help. If anything changes as it airs out, I'll post about it.

Ahhh.. I have a heavy duty clothes steamer. I'll cut a small piece off and steam the hell out of it as a test. Thanks

Well, I think everyone is right on point. You have multiple factors against you at the same time. 1) Wobbly table - MUST be stable and sturdy 2) Thin leather- You can actually put a piece of 8oz scrap under it when you stamp and it will help it to hold a deeper impression 3) Probably not hitting the casing right for that leather - I've found that thinner leather needs to be SLIGHTLY wetter than the heavier pieces for stamps 4) That Poly mallet isn't gonna cut it for most 3D stamps. Get a 2 or 3 pound maul or a cheap Harbor Freight Dead Blow Hammer for the big stamps. 5 ) Last but not least - Some Tandy stamps - especially the new 3D ones are crap. Try all of this and I'll bet you get better results.

I have some dyed splits that have developed a little moldy/mildew smell. I know I can use vinegar or Oxysilic acid on veg-tan to kill it, but I'm worried about ruining the nap on the splits. Any ideas or suggestions?

That's interesting.... I had purchased the Tandy "economy" punch in 1" a number of years ago.. mainly because I needed it now and they were out of the "Pro" model. It was twice as sharp as the $40 version of my 5/8" punch. I dropped that economy punch and severely chipped the end so decided to buy the "Pro" model today. I almost broke my wrist when I hit it into a 10oz strap with a 3.5 lb maul. I gave it 2 quick, hard whacks and the damn thing actually bounced off the leather! I thought it was just me, but looks like it might be the product line. That sucks!

Why not take a plastic/Pleather case, cut it open and use it to make a pattern. You can modify it to fit and look however you wish!

And if you don't want to make then, look up Bear Man. He and his son make some nice ones from Cocobolo. I have a set and use them in a Foredom Flexshaft tool. Like a jumbo Dremel. Also, find a flex shaft for your Dremel and it will give you more control. My Foredom has foot pedal for speed control. The 4000 RPM Dwight mentioned is a good place to start. You may have to experiment a little. Depending on what you use to dampen the edge, you may need to speed it up or slow it down a tad. Be careful of too much speed. It will not always be better. You can burn the fibers before that mat down. Creates a dark edge with "hair".

You need to post pictures and/or lists of what you have.

Look for the Foredom flexshaft tool. They make some sort of chisel head for it, but have never used that one. I have the handpiece with a 1/4" chuck on it and mainly use it for edge burnishing/ Oh.. I think Harbor Freight has a version of it as well

What's a hessian sack? Good job painting the cat

Looks like a good one. There used to be a YouTube video from a guy in GB that showed how to do the mods for all sorts of adapters,and even snap setters and such If I can find it, I'll post a link. Has anyone ever made their own dies for snaps, rivets, spots and so on? they seem to be quite pricey...

Hi All, I use a lot o mink oil paste on the back of my collars and leashes. I normally use Kiwi Camp Dry as it is a very stiff paste, and it usually does not affect the front of the strap, as in color shifts or irregular staining/oiling. I had purchased some Fiebings mink oil paste some time ago and stopped using it because of the issues of it absorbing unevenly from the back to front and looking blotchy. It's half the consistency of the Kiwi. I was cleaning up tonight and found it, opened it and almost passed out from the smell. I think the mink crawled back in and died! Has anyone else ever experienced this?

Has anyone found a resist that will block the Fiebings black oil dye? I apply the dye with a sponge or dauber. I've tried --- Super Sheen, Resolene, Leather Balm, Blockout and even wood Shellac! I've seen Cyber and some others use Latex, but want to hear if it is a good choice for black before buying some, or if there is something better that will work.

Go back to Springfield and look for this item: Groover, Pro Stitching Set. I tried t insert a link but something is not working right and it won't let me right now.

They do make a white dye, but it doesn't work worth a crap on veg-tan. You have to put lots of coats on and I've never been able to make it look good. And, it STINKS....

Yeah.. the alcohol strips out the oils of the leather. Read through the posts here, and you'll find many ways to fix this. Lots of folks use a light coat of NFO before or after dying. Others use Carnuba, or RTC, for Bee Natural, or other products. Personally, I use Atom Wax with Leather Balm on top and just before shipping, I rub in some thick mink oil paste to the back. Not too much or you can change the color of the item. These are mainly strap type products. But this makes most of them soft and flexible. Take some dyed and dried straps to your local leather supplier and ask if you can try some of the products and buy what works best for you.

Amen on the Leathercraft Tools book. In my opinion, it is one of the "bibles" of this craft. And light taps are definitely the right way to start out. After a while, you can feel when the rivet is seated. I then give it one more whack and I'm done. As in every other aspect, practice is key.