Grace

Do y'all know how to strip Cova Dye? It, or something like it is totaly covering a using saddle I have. This is a great sealer. No saddle soap or oil is going to get past that stuff. So far I have tried: Isopropal Alcohol: no results at all. Denatured Alcohol: very little if anythign. Acetone, nail polish remover: limited results. Any ideas???? Grace

There is a simple dye that works and makes for a nice natural looking finish. Coffee or tea. Make a strong (or not) solution. Dampen the leather post carving and allow the work to sit in the fridge till you are very sure the moisture is even throughout the project. The more wet the project the less the dye will 'Take'. Apply solution to taste. If the work is carved you can pour the brew over the entire work allowing it to "puddle" in the depressions. Let it sit. It is going to soak in more in the cuts thus accenting them. Once dry I like to saddle soap the piece and buff to a low luster. That is just my preference. Caution: If you have many pieces you want to match it is best to do them all with the same batch of 'dye'. I have done no work in years but that was an old trick when money was tight. There are many natural dyes. Grace

Jessica ? your post says you are in NY. since you are stateside consider Tandy. Try searching Tandy Leather or American Handicrafts. I am not sure of their new name. Yes, I know these are the people who make the little kid projects but they used to have some very good books on floral and figure carving. The holster set I saw on another post here used to be available as a kit from them. The same belt was featured in a floral carving book. These books lay the work out in steps so that one tool is not "stepping on" another tool. It has been too long, i do not recall the order. For figure carving the books covered a good many projects and the aim was to achieve a carver who could take a photo and make leather art. Many excellent carvers were trained with these books. They are not bound books but rather more like "How to draw" books. If they no longer sell these books you might check ebay or Amazon. I have quite a few but do not have access to them for a few months as I am working out of country. Just a thought Grace

Very nice work.