brettra

Thanks Tugadude, I didn't put too much effort into this test piece as I was mostly look to fix tear out. I have some leather cleaners so, I'll look to prep the leather a bit better on my next actual piece. I know I get better penetration of the dyes with the other dyes but still am looking to get the best I can from the antique. Thanks for the advise on applying wet. I'll try that for certain. Thanks for the compliment on stitching. This was still pretty rushed so I know I wasn't fully straight when pushing through. Again, I know I need to slow down on things so I can get the best out of the lining up of the stitch..

As I indicated, here is a photo with a test piece. I used three layers of the the same 3-4 oz veggie. Applied a neatsfoot oil with two nice coverings and allowed it to sit 24 hrs. I used the same antique dye and awl to test this. The only thing I did not do is apply a finish coat for this testing. I think the tear out has been brought under control. It looks like my dye may be too thick as the two applications are not penetrating very deep into the leather. Any recommendations on how to thin? (I really don't want to throw away dyes if I don't have too" The awl blade is sharp and is 3 mm across. I'm using Tandy's large roll of "Sewing awl thread #1216"

Thanks Michelle and Tugadude, I figured the awl may be too big (as to why I included a pic). I'll check my kit as I' certain I have some smaller awl blades. If not, I'll look to Dremel out one. Very nice stitching Michelle, if I can get mine half that clean I'll be pleased. I'm still certain now that the low humidity of the NWT has contributed significantly to my leather drying out. House humidity gauge bottoms out at 15%. Guess what it's showing . I'm coming back from traveling and had a chance to stop in at both Buckskin Leather (in Calgary) and Halford (in Edmonton). Halford is in the middle of reno's so it was a bit difficult to see their leather stock. Limited in veggie tan but absolutely every other leather imaginable. I picked up a beautiful side of pull-up leather with a glossy finish at Buckskin. Nice to see both places and have another option for ordering. I'll be able to work a test piece soon so I look forward to layering up at least three pieces, applying neatsfoot, antique dying and then post my results. I will run this test from the same hide as my original pics. I will post back the results. I'll use the same awl for the test as well so that I can first fully test the humidity/oiling issue. Again, thanks for all the feedback and support!

Thank you again TInkerTailor, I will see if I can connect with Halfords.

Northwest Territories.

Agreed. One other thing came to mind as well. Where the leather is stored (cold storage porch) our humidity is about 15% so, the leather is likely extra dry. I appreciate all the tips and advise! Aesthetics goes a long way.... so does helpful advise from people willing to share. Thanks!

Thanks for this TinkerTailor, yes, I rushed this more than i should have. I placed down two applications of the antique dye but most likely did not work it in as well as I should have. I appreciate this, a very good reminder to me.... dye properly and stop rushing! Thanks Thanks Boriqua, I 'm limited to Tandy as a provider due to being in the far North of Canada. Shipping costs are prohibitive by other leather providers so Tandy is my choice. I do have some neatsfoot in my kit so I obviously need to start making better use of it. Thanks for the advice.

I used Tandy's Antique Mahogany. Didn't think to oil afterwards so I appreciate that advise as well. Thank you. Tugadude, Yes, this was the main reason for using the awl. Ran into this one already on a previous project lol.

I don't have access to the chisel and number right now but a standard Tandy 4 prong chisel. I didn't show it in pictures as it was on the inside and used to guide the push through process. This was the outer side of my awl pushing. I used the chisel on the inside and then pushed the awl through to the outside. I think I understand what you mean by marking. I'm taking this that I should be assembling, cut mark, then back to chisel from any face side of leather. Sounds like a few assembly/dis-assemblies but should improve the look on the face sides of leather.

Hello Folks, Looking to pick at the knowledge base. I did up a long wallet from template and used my diamond hole chisel on the inside and then used the diamond shaped awl to push through the remaining layers. (Up to 4 in some areas). The awl pushed through easy enough but the end project obviously had ascetic issues due to the tear out on the leather. Awl was sharp and did not really bind up as I pressed it through the layers. Leather was very low in the stitching horse. I wanted to ensure minimal movement. I had concerns with the holes lining up on the various thicknesses so I was of the mindset, this was the way to best line up my holes. Any suggestions to keep this from happening again? Thank you.

I used the tape once to do a checkerboard pattern. I did up the pattern with alternating white black blocks and I would say it came out well enough. If you look close, you can see some smudges and slightly less than perfect lines but, all-in-all I was happy with the results.

Are you saddle stitching? This is a good time to find out how strong the saddle stitch holds. I run my stitch until I run out of thread then start my next thread length one stitch back from the area I just stitched. After going over the end run of the last stitch, I'll cut the ends off the first stitch series that I had just ended.You don't want to cut your first run until after doing this as you may need to snug up the ends after running the new thread through. You'll end up with a stitch hole that has a doubled thread on top and bottom but this is not very noticeable and helps lock in the end of the next thread run as well. This is similar to back stitching on the last hole of a project. Hope I made sense with the explanation.

Ok, tried creating a jig for wet molding leather for a multitool case. The block is hollow core but 5 mm thick for the sides and face. The outter shell is 5mm bigger than the core on the inside diameter to allow for 3-4 oz leather to fit between. I used a scrap piece of leather and simply placed the leather on the block and pressed in the outter cover. I did not really form the leather around the block. This is the main reason I think I had the leather pucker around the bottom side. I could not really pull the sides as they were too short. I did cut a few pieces of leather for the bottom to allow the leather to form around the bottom of the block a bit better. I would take a bit more time to better form the leather for an actual project so I think I could get rid of most of the puckering on the leather if I really tried. All in all I think this will be a useful tool to assist with jigs and templates. Word of caution. It takes quite some time to do up these jigs. I'm getting a bit better on the 3D software for creating the virtual jigs. That was probablly about 2 hours and the print took 4 1/2 hours to print. Also, don't play with the prints while they are on the platform (fully applies to me) as you can (and will) knock of the precision of the prints by moving it slightly out of alignment. Some lines were noted on my jigs that I had to sand out because I tried removing the block portion of this jig while the outter part was still in print. Had to hand sand out some lines that formed by the print going slightly out of alignment. :/ Anyway, a fun process. I will be using this jig to make an actual multitool case as I do think it will be effective.

I purchased a Dremel Idea Maker. So far a nice little unit. I'm working on a jig right now for use on wet molding a multi tool case. I'll report back on how it works and some pics of it (maybe in action). The unit prints to 1/10th of a mm. Fairly fine detail. I think a press type stamp would work fairly well I'm impressed with how strong the plastic is at a 40% fill of line material. I use 4 layers for wall construction on the 3D prints. I may try a simple stamp and see how it works. Test it with the stamp press as well as with a maul. Will report back on the success of that as well when I get the chance.

Still becoming familiar with 3D modelling. I was also thinking block and outer rings for things like box molding (wet molding). I like the idea of just the outer ring. Save a lot of filament this way. Very useful tip. I feel like the kid in a candy store right now. A lot of ideas coming to mind, it's almost overwhelming. Need to make sure I'm still working on my leather though. I feel your pain Cole.... I wish I had your leather work talent! Some really nice items you have on your site