alyshae

I don’t like using dyes on backs but I do like Tandy’s waterstain. It’s no bleed and I don’t get any rub off with it.

I’ve used it on everything, including bridles that are still looking good at four years. My lesson horse uses the first one I made with no cracking, peeling or yellowing, so I get to track it! Like everyone says, 50:50 dilution, several light coats, unidirectional swipes, not circular, and I use a sponge. It is a bit of an art but I find it worth it.

Fiebings cordovan is much darker than on the swatch. I love it for dying edges but would recommend diluting it got all over dyeing

I contacted fiebings after accidentally mixing oil and spirit dues and they said it's no problem, mix away

Thanks Grampa Joe but I meant how to secure just the drops when dismounted so they don't drag or get stepped on

I am doing my first pair of shotgun chaps with a heel drop and would like some opinions on the best way to fold them up when off the horse. Snaps, Velcro, button? Thanks in advance

I have a Stohlman guide to dyeing, and when doing multi-tone pieces he suggets having a piece of scrap available and always going dye - touch to scrap - apply to piece. This allows the first "burst" of dye to go on the scrap. There was also a post on here some time ago where a fellow said he had accidentally left a little dish of dye uncovered overnight, and it thickened on him. He used it anyway and found out that it was great for small areas - the thickness reduced the spread.

Dyeing finished leather like that can give weird results. Tandy flyers have shown them using their Waterstains on white deerskin, but I haven't tried it. I do know their claim of bleedproof seems to be holding up for my tooled leather stuff, so that might be an option worth exploring. The other is to use this lace for something else and just invest in a properly dyed skin / spool of lace in the color he wants, if there isn't a sentimental reason for using this particular hide.

Funny, I just emailed Feibings this week about the oil dye, after I accidentally mixed the dark brown oil dye with the medium regular before noticing one was oil dye. They are compatible and can be mixed, happily. They said the dye material ( I guess he meant pigment) is oil based, hence the name, but the solvent is pretty much the same as the regular dye.

Thanks for the quick reply, gentlemen. That's what I thought the answer would be, but figured it would be worth asking as it would save me some time and her some bucks! I had seen both done, but pics on-line don't always give enough detail to determine the quality of the product and we all know price isn't always an indicator, either.

Hi all. I'm doing my first set of chinks in which the fringe is sewn on, not cut in. She also wants spots along the stitch line. I'm curious as to whether the spots would go through both pices as an added anchor or be set in the fringe leather before stitching? If they go through, would one stitch line be enough enough in addition to the priongs? I hand stitch. Thanks!

I'll flex the leather a few times during drying, too. Seems to help. I also use the resolene 50/50 on bridles and chap yokes and it holds up well. I can track it since I ride at the stable where most of my stuff is being used.

I use the 50/50 dilution and love it. I apply with a piece of sponge, and immediately after I whisk a dry end of the sponge very lightly and quickly, back and forth to even it out and pick up any thicker areas. Do two - three coats like that and I've never had streaking or tacky areas since I started. Works for me

Just thought I would update this post regarding the chinks, 2 years later. Hubby loved them, and so did the wife as she took to wearing them even though they were too long on her. I just made her a properly fitted pair which she told me she has worn at full day cow-working clinics and doesn't even know she's wearing them. The hide adjusts for temperature more than most so even on hot days she wears them all day without really noticing, they are so comfortable. They aren't stretching, at least not noticeably. Full disclosure we don't have a lot of heavy brush here on the prairies but the hide is holding up beautifully. I'm beginning to think the rarity of them is more os a practical thing, as finding two large hides, with few holes, that match color and thickmess is a pain.

Could you line the collar with a softer leather (oiled utility, for example) so the part touching her dog is soft but the main collar is the stronger stuff?

In my experience the deertan is a bit thicker and a little less stretchy and soft than the deerskin. I think kip is goat instead of cow.

Great advice from all, especially the fiberglass tape! I was also wondering about the clients definition of "oiling". When I first got into leather and decided to research it, I found several people advising to soak new bridles in oil overnight. Serious over-oiling could have produced the stretch and the appearance of dye running out of an undyed collar.

I have that little tandy splitter too, and was ready to chuck it until I got a $10 sharpening done on it. It still isn't great on anything ove two inches wide but I do mostly straps. It's very handy for skiving down the buckle end. What I love it for is the backs. I'll set a piece in the splitter, adjust to that thickness, then take out the piece and notch it a shade thinner. Run it through and fuzzies be gone! It makes for a nice clean back

Tandy has a pile of craft-aids for belts, at least three of them are acorn leaves.

Try http://shop.cottonon.com/size-guide/. I used a kid's height, who I had never met, and found all the corresponding measurements on the chart "body dimensions for children 1-8". I used those to make a pattern based on the adult shape, and kid measurements. Everything was a perfect fit except length, which I purposely over-estimated knowing we could always hem or trim. Good Luck

I was asked to make matching chinks for a friend's husband, who I know, and her stepson, who I had never met. I was running on "he's about this tall". I found a great site - http://shop.cottonon.com/size-guide/ that has size charts. Using the "body dimensions for children 1-8", I used his height, got typical measurements for everything else, and ended up with a perfetc fit sight unseen. The only thing off was length, but I intentionally added a few inches knowing they could hem or trim. Good luck and have fun

I got one of those stones for about $10 at Home Depot

If you really wanted to use a slightly thicker leather, you could try using a V-groover at the folds. That's what I did when I made my hubby a bookjacket and it worked well. Good Luck

Hi There I was just asked to make a pair of deerskin chinks for a friend who fell in love with a pair someone else had. I double checked that it was deerskin ( I thought it might be too stretchy and thin, too, and maybe it was elk or deertan) and they assured me they had asked and it was. As far as durability, though, I was told these things were several years old, heavily used, and while they looked like they'd been dragged by a horse and probably had been, they had held up wonderfully. What he loved was the feel, and that they didn't feel hot on hot days, and that is a characteristic of deer. I plan on using veg-tan yokes and maybe oil-tan reinforcements at buckle attachments, etc, so there isn't any direct pull from rivets or stitching on the deer skin itself. I agree with Chris that for shotguns it would likely stretch too much over time, but for something less fitted down the leg like chinks or chaps it seems to be okay. Just my two cents!

Hi all I'm a first time poster although you've been my got-to site for info in the past, what with everyone being so generous with their knowledge, and more importantly, willing to share their mistakes! My riding coach asked if I could make a pair of chinks for her husband. I've made my own out of chap suede, but he saw a pair he loved that she said was deerskin. I'm not sure if it was or not, seems like it might be a bit thin and potentially stretchy for chaps, but a good enough hide that there's not a pile of holes in it is way out of her budget range. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience using the deertan cowhide or elk for chaps? That was she could get the look, in a bit thicker, less pricey leather (I got some elk cheap last year.) Thanks in advance!