TheCyberwolfe

From a kitchen hygiene perspective, anything that can't be thrown through the wash has a possibility of becoming the breeding ground for bacteria, so I would be very hesitant to permanently mount leather onto a cast iron pan. I would instead recommend a quilted slip-on or one of the silicone ones. We used to have a really big knife in our camp kitchen that had a bad habit of not getting washed properly before being stuffed back into the scabbard, and when I cut the old scabbard apart to make a template for the replacement, I discovered a layer of mold inside. Ever since then I've been extra-paranoid about washing anything I can't see into.

I was taught to oil before dye, and I haven't had much problem with edge curl. I don't do a lot of thins stuff, so maybe that's helped me. If that sheep leather reacts like that to surface dye, perhaps a dip-dye method would help.

I would have gone with an "X" stitch rather than the baseball stitch, myself, that would keep both surfaces of the band ends hidden. To do that you'd probably want to sew the band separate and then stuff the tassel into it with some glue though.

I would put resist on the fish and the two high ridges in the border and then antique with Fiebing's paste. ...or maybe find a way to thin out silver paint to put a silvery highlight on the fish. Hmm...

Atom Wax or Carnauba Cream, a couple of those sheep wool remnants, and elbow grease. Take picture immediately after complete

In my experience, changing the width of the gusset will not affect the operation of the bag. I can't imagine why they narrowed it - seems to just be a stylistic choice. The taper on the flap is to avoid being squished by the straps, as you suspected. While being able to do the front, back and flap from one piece of leather is impressive, doing it in sections makes it easier to get the piece out of the hide without any blemishes if you don't happen to be working with an A-grade hide. My only suggestion there is to not cut the end that gets sewn on straight across if you can help it - cutting that like a curly brace ( this thing: { ) dresses up the backside, especially if you're not putting on that back pocket. Do a matching curve on the bottom of the front side where it wraps back under, and that'll be snazzy.

I actually have the CCD-07 pattern from this supplier, and it uses the first method, giving you this result:

Chuck Dorset over at Weaver Leathercraft has your answers for most of the dye topic in this video. The 'stumbles' he has with "Pro Oil" and just "Pro" is that Fiebing's has dropped the word "Oil" from the name for some reason, but the formulation is the same.

USMC black has a couple of specific uses where it does a good job, provided you prep the leather properly. Dip-dying is really not one of those uses, unfortunately.

Buff the nubbly side with a shoe brush and that should help get the particles out of the fibers. If the project is already sewn, you might need to use a toothbrush instead due to space limitations. I'd do this outside if you can, and wear a carpenter's mask or respirator.

Seconded

Upvote for dampening the leather before dying. Dry leather is dense and will tend to prevent the dye from penetrating. If you dampen it, the fibers loosen up and that wetness helps the dye penetrate deeper into the leather for a better color. Spirit dyes specifically need a little help in this area. The Fiebing's Pro dye is an oil-based colorant in a spirit-based medium, while USMC Black and its brethren are essentially just a powder floating in the spirit medium. If you apply spirit dyes to dry leather, the dye won't penetrate and you'll get a lot of rub-off after it dries. The Pro Oil dye penetrates better, but I still get better results with damp leather. The guy who taught me recommended the Pro dye, and to apply neatsfoot oil the day before you dye, and let it sit overnight. Apply the dye, and let it sit overnight. Maybe go for a second coat on the third day if it needs it after buffing a bit. For the USMC Black, my best results were to use Dye-Prep, then add a few drops of a leather conditioner to the dye, and apply the USMC while the leather was still damp. The guys at Springfield Leather did a video on black dyes that went over this process:

+1 to Fiebing's over Eco-Flo, and everything @Bob Blea and @Boriqua said. One of the most-important ingredients in leatherwork is time, and I've always gotten my best results by walking away for a day after anything wet. Tool it, then let it dry overnight. Oil it, walk away. Dye it the day after. Apply resists the next day. Antique, wait 5 minutes, wipe away excess and buff with that paper towel, then walk away again. Apply first coat of sealer the next day. It's hell because I'm a computer guy and want results now, but it's the only way it comes out right for me.

Interesting that some of you apply neatsfoot after dying, I was taught to oil it, wait 24 hours, then dye (and use Fiebing's Pro-not-called-Oil-anymore Dye). I rub it down with an old T-shirt for a couple minutes before applying the finish coat. Oiling it first helps draw the pigment deeper into the leather.

Yeah, tooling the leather is going to warp it a little no matter what. I try to account for it with my borders (as in, don't take the tooling too close to the edges so there's room for edge trimming), but every hide and every section of hide is going to react a little differently. I do the same thing Bob does with the tape, and that keeps the warping mostly under control. I've heard people report good results with self-stick drawer liners as well, but tape's cheap.

The lead is softer than you think it is, and does make for a good backstop. That being said, lead is a very dangerous material and I wouldn't recommend it for use anywhere other than bullets and fishing sinkers. Considering the toxicity of a number of other products we work with, it would seem to me a better idea to try and reduce our exposure and not use toxic metals. Scrap leather does a fine job, and is a by-product of the project you just made so it's not like you have to go out of your way to get more. If one layer isn't thick enough, use several.

I use the border tool myself. I tend to sand the edge down to get a nice straight, smooth edge, but I cut the border before I bevel the outside edge to give the border tool a good 90-degree edge to rest against. Go slow, and if possible set yourself up so that you're pulling the blade toward you rather than sideways and you'll be less likely to wander off the edge.

I'm with Webicons, I think a narrower "V" cut and spaced more closely may help smooth things out. Typically when I do a curved seam I fold both ends to one side or the other instead of rolling them back to both sides the way you have, but that tends to make one side sit differently than the other, so it may not work for your project. As for the stitches showing, the only thing I can think of outside of using a welt or piping would be to not hammer the seam quite as flat. Or go the other way and use a nice contrasting thread and call it a feature

Or you could just buy the $15 hand sharpener at the craft store and not risk accidental death or dismemberment

I made a long wallet once with similar gaps and used pigskin to line the entire thing, it worked out pretty good. The pigskin was about the same thickness as canvas, so it added very little to the overall thickness.

Fist Bump to my fellow purist

Once you teach yourself the difference and see how it changes your arm's shape, you don't have to do the full twist to get it. I still wear the bracer anyway, I think it looks cool and sometimes I forget Plus it goes with the knuckle guard I wear when I shoot my English longbow with no arrow rest.

For many, a change in technique can save your arm (and the fancy carving on your arm guard): Hold your bow arm out straight, with the bow horizontal, parallel to the ground. Now bend you elbow just enough so you know it's bent and hold it there. Now rotate just your wrist to bring the bow to vertical. Voila. Never smack your arm again.

Another vote for airbrush. No streaks, no bubbles, apply several thin coats that dry quickly.

I made a long wallet on a whim, and realized I just can't use one on the day-to-day, so I made a bi-fold afterward. Then one for my brother's birthday: