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drphil

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Everything posted by drphil

  1. Hey Chris, I have used 'roon on a number of projects by brushing on liberally. You want to be sure that the entire thickness of the leather is wet with the 'roon. It will darken the piece all the way through. That way if you need to do edges later the leather will still be black under the removed corner. If you dont add it on liberally enough this might not be the case, too light and a scratch or two might show a different color. The leather will reach an even dark color when the 'roon has reacted with the tannins in the leather - this means no streaking and no uneven spots. Of course I suppose if you got a strangely tanned piece with more tannins in one place etc. perhaps you would have streaking in that case. I would think that would be a very rare thing! If the leather is just not getting dark (black) enough it may be because there are not a lot of tannins in your leather piece. Many people fix this problem by first running their leather through some water that is heavily impregnated with coffee or black tea. Like really strong coffee water, it will add more tannins which will result in blacker leather. Many people add this as a pre-step in the whole 'roon process. I haven't needed to do that though. I have always got good results without adding tannins. Sometimes I get more of a dark blue/grey color but this has always gone black after oiling. I am not sure you can buy vinegaroon anywhere. You can however buy the chemical that reacts with the leather tannins to produce the black color. Powdered 'roon if you will. The reaction is basically between the tannins and lron acetate. You can buy some Iron (II) acetate and mix with some water and you will have basically the same thing as homemade 'roon.
  2. That is a nice case. I have been thinking of making one almost just like that, with a pocket on the front. You did a good job! Love it. The handle looks nice too. I am surprised you didn't add a shoulder strap if you will be carrying heavy uni books. It looks more sleek without straps though. I like the way you put the interior dividers too. Did you hand stitch it or use a machine?
  3. From the album: Projects

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  4. From the album: Projects

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  5. From the album: Projects

    © © leatherworker.net

  6. drphil

    Tool Racks

    Looks great! A lot of good ideas here. Such clean shops you all have, some nice tools too! Thanks for the replies. I am considering getting an old end table and converting it into a tool rack. Although it looks like a peg board might be easier. Those are so useful for so many things.
  7. That is a fine looking piece you got there. Love every bit of it. I love to see traditional floral designs changed up. I can't say enough about how great this design looks. The usual stems but with leaves instead of flowers - Just great! The silver is a nice touch too!
  8. Absolutely outstanding! Great carving. It is great to see a mostly typical floral flow design with out flowers! Leaves look amazing! Very creative. Love the silver accent and how the decorative spine is attached!
  9. Wow, your decorative cuts on those flowers look great! I have the biggest problems with the decorative cuts. Your's are great!
  10. Hey John, I was looking through my catalog from S-T Leather last night and came across this page. That is, page 43 of their catalog. Those are "Figure Carving Patterns" books (item number M2660). It says they contain "detailed line drawings of popular subjects." You can get all those books (letters A-T) of different designs. Or you can even get the ones below (M2000) which I suppose are just a cheaper price because they are less popular, but that gives you about 10 more to choose from. Pretty good price too. I am finding that a number of things from S-T Leather are a good price. You can get Chan Geers Sheridan stuff for $8.95 instead of the usual $13. Anyway, just a thought if you are still needing those patterns.
  11. That's a great idea! That would make a great place to store some cash as well. What size of buckle is that?
  12. Looks great! I am assuming you hand stitched it. If so, how do you sew through the sting ray? Does sewing it work as well as regular veg tan? I like the design, very sleek.
  13. I think they look pretty nice! They need some work on the edges. One thing EVERY project should have is nice edges. They make or break a project in my opinion. Those fancy letters look to be done with a scratch awl. I have never done any projects using a scratch awl in that manner, but I suppose it could be used to make a design. The darkening of the letters looks great though, I dont think I could get that specific with just a paint brush. Maybe he used a small sharpie . . .? Anyway, looks like a good break down of making a sheath, if only I could read the comments/instructions lol
  14. I am getting ready to use my air brush for finishes as well. I would be interested to hear your report on the outcome of your experiments. Resolene can be diluted with water. Super Sheen can as well. Since TwinOaks said that leather sheen can be cleaned out of the airbrush with water I would say that Leather Sheen can be diluted with water as well. I have no experience with the Bag Kote so I can't offer any advise there. Sorry. When I use Resolene I always dilute 50/50 (1:1) with water. I would start at 1:1 with all the others too. Remember water is on tap so use a lot through your sprayer to get it clean! Nothing is worse that having a gunked up unusable air brush.
  15. I am thinking of investing in a tool rack. It seem that what is available for sale is not quite what I am looking for. I thought we should start a topic about custom tool racks. I would love to see what you all are using to hold your tools! That will help to inspire me to decide what I should look for when designing and making my custom tool rack. I have run into a few questions myself. Should it be slanted, what type of material, what size of holes, include a few bigger holes to hold my mauls, how about leather lining or maybe a nice carving on the outside? I am just looking for some creative ideas and am curious as to how you all store your tools. Thanks for sharing!
  16. I got some tracing paper from Hobby Lobby and it works ok as long as the leather is not too wet. If the leather is too wet the tracing paper will start to curl and get wavy. Not sure why it does this, but might be something you want to be aware of. It totally messes up the pattern and things never go on right. So, I am still looking for better options myself. Maybe just some plain old wax paper that is used for cooking?
  17. Doh! I didn't even think about it needing some grab. Totally understand.
  18. I really like the buckstitching on there! Nice use of color as well. I haven't done too many projects with different colors. That is something I would like to explore more. It is a nice feeling to have something functional once you are done too! I love leatherwork for that reason. One question for you, It looks like hair cell pig skin lining leather you used on the inside. I am curious as to why you put the "glossy" grain side in? The back flesh side is what is showing. Was the just preference or was it just some kind of split leather?
  19. Got home today to find my Sk-3 waiting at the door! First few cuts and my first impression is wow! So much better than all the Tandy stuff I have been using.

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  20. And for additional reference, methyl ethyl ketone is almost the same thing as acetone so it ought to work as well. They are both ketones the difference is that methyl ethyl ketone (butanone if you like) has one additional carbon atom. As far as the denatured alcohol, it is basically ethanol with additives to make it poisonous to drink. The ethanol has been "denatured" by the addition of small amounts of other alcohols (methanol etc.). In general this means that you can also use other alcohols for the same purpose typically. Be careful with this information though because a lot of other products are diluted with water which will change how they behave as solvents. If you are trying to use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) make sure you know how dilute it is. When you buy them at the store they come in different mixtures. I usually get 95% which means that 5% is water. Keep this in mind too if you are using it on metals as even 5% can contribute to rusting. Just a few thoughts!
  21. Thank you! Those look great. A fashion accessory I have always wanted to make. I might give it a shot now. Thanks for the inspiration!
  22. A lot of good advise on this topic! Thank you everyone. I am considering investing in a head knife now . . . Anyway, I just wanted to point out that leather can also be sanded. If your "straight" edge is not exactly straight, that is, just a little off, you can always sand you leather a little. Of course this only works if you overcut instead of undercut. Just wanted to let you know. A quick sanding can help fix a number of cutting problems. It is especially useful when using an x-acto knife since it is often hard to keep those parallel. Sanding those "corners" can help shape them up.
  23. Here is a similar conversation I had recently that might be of some help. Here is a good video from YouTube that addresses antiquing. The process in the video is basically the same as it is explained in the book Sheridan Style Carving which is one of the main resources for anyone who uses the Sheridan style.
  24. Just got an airbrush to do more even dying! This is probably the first time I am actually looking forward to coloring and finishing!

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    1. Nooj

      Nooj

      COOL! Be sure to wear a respirator- inhaling those fumes make you no feel good :-/ Have fun!

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