whinewine

I have some vegetable tanned shark that dyes very well with spirit dyes in the darker colors. Probably the eco flos would work also, but would need to be sealed against moisture that might cause it to run. russ

Hello: Neatlac has pretty much gone by the wayside. It is apparently no longer going to be produced. Neatlac thinner hasn't been sold for years, but some tandy stores still have dwindling supplies of neatlac itself, so one may be able to pick up a quart or a spray can or so. I think toluene (sp?) was the thinner/solvent used in neatlac. Unless the neatlac is very thick, there is generallly no need to thin it for use as a finish. The important thing is to not apply it too thick or apply too many coats. Generally a piece of clipped sheepwool is used to apply it. I hope this helps. russ (btw, I find kilts incredibly comfortable & look forward to wearing mine at the shows that we do.)

What everyone forgets is that we are still coming out of an ice age. When George Washington crossed the Delaware in the 1700s, it was truly harrowing. There were many ice floes that hampered the crossing; in reenactments today, there is rarely any ice to speak of on the Delaware River. The warming/cooling today is part of a natural cycle that, at some future point, will result in a (1) global warming and (2) another ice age. I remember in the '50s as a kid, people screaming that the weather change was due "to the ATOM BOMB". Today it's due "to cow flatulance...or car exhaust...or tandy spirit dyes...or barge cement...or maybe too many humans farting too much in concert with the cows mooing & farting"...

Tandy is having an end-of -the-year sale that, btw, ends today. They have lots of interesting & good stuff for sale (cheap). They have tandy dyes for $.49 each for 4 oz bottles of yellow, turquoise & green (not eco flo stuff, but spirit stuff), rawhide maul heads for $5.99 for a 3lb head, also 1 & 2 lb heads, holster patterns for $.99, conchos, craftools for $3.33 ea, lots of other stuff, etc. etc. I think you can access the sale through tandyleather.com or tandyleatherfactory.com. On a flyer, they also have a 50% off coupon on a single item (off retail price, but no gift certificates or machines). russ

Neatlac, saddlelac, pecards, aussie, sedgwick's, clear wax... any of those, plus all the others mentioned.

Chris: sheepwool scraps can be gotten through tandy, springfield leather... just about anybody who sells leathercraft supplies (perhaps, but probably not, through ac moore or michaels, though- but ya never know). I'd tend to stay away from auto parts stores, because their stuff is often synthetic & more often than not, is much more expensive than a bag of real scraps. It may work, but it'll be more $$ than a bag of scrap As far as # of coats, you don't really need more than 2, imho, at the very most, & that would be for a light spray first to set it so the color doesn't run. If you apply too many, it can crack if flexed or bent. While I have used super shene (which is water-based acrylic, as is satin shene) in combination with (but not at the same time) neatlac, I would really say: stick with 1 or the other! If you want to experiment, & can afford to throw away a project if you screw it up, yeah, go ahead, but if something is 'a labor of love', as you appropriately term this seat, I wouldn't. On practice scraps, yeah, go ahead & play & experiment, but on good stuff, NO. Stick with what works. good luck. russ

Chris: the spirit black is the only one that has the significant problem with crocking, the other spirit colors have little to none. It's a good idea to buff after using the spirit dyes anyway, just to remove any excess pigment that may remain on the surface. As far as I know, the eco flos don't have the same problem (I do like the black eco flo, btw, because it doesn't need to be buffed so damn much= almost none!), but they all will run in the presence of water- that's their weak point. Satin & super shene are fine finishes, also, BUT: because they are water-based, they will also cause the eco flo to run... Suggestion is to use the SPRAY versions (and spray a very light first coat, just to dry & seal the eco flo). Because of this aggravation, I prefer the lacquer-based finishes. Neatlac (which is being discontinued) has a spray & a non- spray version; saddlelac, as far as I know, has only the spray version (at least, that's all that tandy sells, anyway). The non spray neatlac version is applied with a scrap of sheepwool (trim the wool close & MAKE SURE all the fuzzies are off, otherwise they'll end up embedded in the dried finish (no matter which finish you use). And David is correct= do all your dyeing before finishing with neatlac, saddlelac, super & satin shenes. All these things work as a resist & prevent the additional dyes from penetrating. russ

TinyL: Some people use other stuff to seal the blacks (both eco flo black{=water-based} & spirit black{=alcohol/spirit based}). but my own preference is either neatlac or saddlelac. It prevents the eco flo from running in the rain & prevents spirit black (like Fiebings) from crocking (rubbing off on his butt). I would generally follow with a top coat of Pecards or clear wax or Sedgewicks or Aussie. Very nice work, btw! russ

Think FAT! When one gets fat, it is in the belly region. One doesn't grow longer when one gets fat. So the stretchy part would be in the belly region & the backbone along to the tail would be least stretchy, and as Clay said, going from backbone to belly would go from least to most stretch. russ

LB, I'm not sure about the Osborne/Wiss shears, but anything's better than tandy's "PRO SUPER SHEARS" which were a knockoff (& a VERY poor one, at that) of the Gingher shears. In fact, Tandy is once more selling the Ginghers, after all these years. The Ginghers & 'PSS's are not serrated, while this Osborne /Wiss is. Tandy right now does not have a comparable serrated shears so one cannot make a valid comparison of the osborne vs the TLC one. I do have an old pair of serrated shears similar to the one pictured (I bought mine years & years ago) & I almost never use it as I don't like the marks it leaves as it cuts. I prefer my Ginghers. For something that would require a serrated edge, I feel a head knife would be better, IMHO. russ

The ruby is REAL ruby (just grown in a lab, rather than in nature). The ruby blades are discontinued. If the nick is not too deep, someone who can facet gemstones can probably keep the same approximate angle & just facet it shorter (or, perhaps that person can facet a new one for you). I used to cut stones, but I never learned to facet- I only cut cabachons. Bottom line, if the ruby can't be re-faceted, it'd cost more to have a new one cut than to keep searching on ebay (& there's one up for bids right now, btw). russ

It might be clogged. Some dyes seem to have a lot of pigment & they'll clog easily (& make sure the unit is THOROUGHLY cleaned after every use). Take off the little filter on the end of the tube & try it. If that doesn't work, try to see if you can spray clear water through it. If not, it's a defective unit. Return it & raise hell if you need to. russ

I was also an English major & it does greatly grate on my nerves to see this. Tom's (possessive, NOT plural- plural would be Toms- with no apostrophe= more than one of them) work is really very nice, and very saleable,but the bottom line is, if I were in the market to purchase one or more photo albums, I wouldn't/couldn't buy these. For exactly the reason mentioned. Tom, Tashabear and I don't wish to offend, so please don't take offense & don't take it the wrong way. Your work is good, you have good command of coloring, but when you put something in writing, you are judged by that. russ

I haven't used rubber cement as a resist, but I have used liquid latex when using all-in-one to block certain areas in order to use a hi-liter after I've removed the dried latex. A spray, such as neatlac or perhaps saddlelac or supershene would probably work also, but just make sure: it's fully dry, and try to avoid getting any of the spray up under the edges of the border area of where the resist begins... if it creeps underneath & you are going to apply something like a hi-liter after, it'll be splotchy. russ

Hidecrafter's sells them, as does Springfield Leather. russ

I believe that Kelly is no longer in business, as are Baron and Basic Tools also non-existent. The '70s were the heyday of the many leather tool manufacturers who made a variety of stamping tools that don't exist anymore today. They are as non-existent as fur hippie vests and wooden clog soles, except that they occasionally show up on ebay. russ

There's one offered right now on ebay. russ

I have the olfa cutter. It's decent, & very good for thin leathers, but it tends to creep wider as you turn it on thicker leathers, so you often don't have the beginning cut and the ending cut meeting together. russ

I just made a tandy run this morning. Picked up the last gallon they had in the Tandy store in Delmont (Pittsburgh, PA). Got a good price on it, too.

Ed, I think it is the nice luster. But to consider it for anything that might get wet or spot, I'd stay away from it. I know there are members here who swear by it... (but I swear at it). I know it is often used to dilute fiebings' shoe polish- type antique, and it is OK for that task, but again, both those products are neither waterproof nor water resistant. russ

Nice, Randy! (Now I need to get my kid, who, btw is a web programmer, to get my site up... russ)

Additionally, there is: supershene, leathershene, satinshene (a satin version), neatlac,... also in spray form, and saddlelac spray (I don't know if saddlelac comes in a non spray form). Some people don't like the high gloss finishes. Pecards is also good, as is Sedgewicks. Some of these finishes are not compatible with antiques, some are. Best to read labels. And experiment on scrap. Some finishes will smudge the underlying effects if applied with an applicator (especially a water-based finish over a water-based dye or antique), in which case it would be best to use a spray. russ

Tan kote is, unfortunately, NOT water resistant, so if you're using tan kote over a water soluable dye, like the eco-flo series, any water will cause both to be removed & probably cause the eco flo to smear. If you are using spirit dyes, then Rawhide is also correct, especially with spirit black. Yes, it is a top coat/finish, but not a good one, nor a durable one, for anything that will end up outside in the weather.

use primarily neatlac, also spray neatlac or spray saddle lac. All good stuff. I have supershene in quarts & spray. I don't like it as well, but it is compatible with some stuff that I can't use with neatlac or saddle lac, so I need to use it whenever... I have a business account so I don't really know if it is being totally discontinued. good luck. (you may want to double check that out- that it's being discontinued! I don't know if that's only for calif???) russ

Ray: Not being an art student, I (obviously) don't know what the hell I'm talking about, but to venture a guess like everyone else, the designs appear very 'Moorish' in style, such as one would see on various buildings in those areas of Spain that had a lot of Moorish influence. I would opt for powder or shot flask. I would also tend to believe it's leather, rather than rawhide: I know rawhide can be molded, but I don't know if it can be tooled. Anybody? russ