Vianeth

Double boiler is definately much safer

Instead of having to order a new bottle of leather dye/lacquer stripper (I buy the stuff from Turtle feathers/Angelus). Can I use my bottle of nail polish remover and expect the same results? Anyone try this? Thanks

I've had a couple people ask me if I could make armor (not real armor, just for costumes) out of vegan leather. I'm not sure if there is vegan stuff outside of drapeable garment leather, but I would need something somewhat stiff to attach straps and buckles to. Is there a vegan leather that is similar to vegetable tanned leather, that can by dyed and tooled? It would have to be fake and not come from a cow. I'm not familiar with vegan leather at all!

Here are the tools I ordered today from Barry King Swivel knife 1/2" barrel 3/8" straight thin blade checkered beveler size 2 smooth beveler size Lined, scalloped veiner size 2 Horizontal thumbprint size 2 Lined veiner size 1 mule foot size 0 Bar grounder27, 7holes I'm pretty excited to replace my craftools with better ones, and I'm wondering what you guys suggest I buy for my next patch, which stamps? I'm new to sheridan style so i'm not sure what my priority should be other than a decent beveler. I picked out what seemed like important ones from King's recommended size list for small/medium work! Alicia

So I'm using pro oil dyes and antique paste (the stuff from Fiebings) for my work and I'm still in search of the best finish. If I'm not extra careful, pretty much everything rubs off the antique paste because it's not oil based. I can spray on Saddle Lac but that stuff ends up cracking and peeling off all the layers to expose the dye (I spray 2 coats, as I don't feel like a single thin layer gives it enough water protection). Spraying 50/50 water + acrylic resolene with the preval sprayer doesn't rub off the antique, but gives the work a milky white appearance in dots and puddles and never seems to be applied clear or evenly. I've created a beeswax finish which is 50/50 turpentine and beeswax. Applied as a thick mixture, I use a hairdryer to melt it down to a thin layer over the leather, allow to dry for a day then I buff it in shiny. I love the shine and protection it gives, but it doesn't seem to ever dry, it always feels slightly tacky. Anything I can do to make it dry hard and not tacky? I need the high polish shine and waterproofing, no flat finishes. Thanks

The Turtle Feathers website states Airbrush artists can thin the product with a bit of the Finisher to help achieve optimum flow. I purchased their Acrylic Finisher and the paint is now very diluted and is only flowing when i open and close, periodically, the glass paint bottle attached to the airbrush. The website says to use the Finisher and the back of the paint bottles say to use the neutral paint to thin/dilute or small amounts of water. Maybe i'll keep adding Finisher...

When the airbrush trigger is pushed down, i'm at 20 psi. I can get paint flowing for a couple seconds when i unscrew the glass paint holder, and retighten it again, and paint can flow out the metal tip. I thoroughly cleaned the paint tip with thinner and then rinsed with water and water definately flows out the tip. I'm having trouble keeping a constant flow of paint coming out.

I've got a Badger 250 filled with thinned Angelus leather paint (thinned with acrylic finisher). I've cleaned all the parts, air is flowing, but the paint is not feeding upwards and out of the needle. I've tried airbrushing both paint thinner and water but it's not airbrushing those either.

Looks like dried leather still works quite well. I compared some super cheap Tandy craftsman leather to some higher quality very smooth, flawless leather. The cheaper stuff wrinkles a lot easier. The nicer stuff seems more dense and thus harder to form wrinkles. The cheaper stuff feels lighter and more spongey.

I have a leather item i'm trying to recreate. It's got wrinkled texture on the surface and it's supposed to look worn in. It helps with the antique layering as well. I can do this a little bit for thinner straps by soaking the piece in water until it's well-soaked, and rolling it along my bench until it's wrinkled. This is a bit harder to do with 7oz+ veg tan leather. Any suggestions on how to get this wrinkled look into the leather? I have some pictures of the original item. I've tried rolling wet leather along itself with the heavier weights, but the wrinkles don't form whatsoever. Any suggestions or ideas would be great. Thanks

I need something more stable than the traditional Fiebing's paste when it comes to moisture/water. I've looked online and can't find anything yet. I've tried all sorts of various antique's but they are all water based and not stable enough. Is there any such product? I have a lady over in New Zealand who makes costumes for TV shows and she uses an oil based antique and she can use that as the final layer and water just beads off the product. Thanks, Alicia

Thank you for the recommendation, i'll purchase some on ebay and test!

There are some great books out there on coloring leather, I think one is by Cova Color and one by Al Stohlman. Buy some cheap dye for practicing and as you gain experience and $ buy the Professional Oil Dyes by Fiebing's. Dyes are used to change the color of leather.. makes pretty colors... pretty self explanatory! If you go to Tandy's Leather website they have free videos somewhere at the bottom, just look through them all. You'll also need to buy wool daubers to apply dyes.

A leather expert I have been talking to suggested I use polish, instead of a coating (such as SaddleLac spray) which can crackle. I've used Kiwi Shoe Polish, and I can get a nice little shine out of it, but is there something that "sticks" better that contains wax and is hard to rub off with wear? I make leather armor (costuming) and I color it with acyrlic paints and antique finish and I'm in search of a professional quality polish as a final layer. Any pointers in the right direction would be appreciated! Thanks- Alicia

This is the third armor set that i've finished and i'm patting myself on the back right now! So happy to be finally done and i'm quite pleased with the results. This is a replica version of a costume worn from a fantasy tv show.

I use Angelus acrylic leather paints a lot, and then fiebings antique paste for the tooling. A high gloss waterproof sealer that I use is the Saddle Lac from Tandys in the aerosol spray can. It has heavy fumes so spray outside. It dries superfast. Another sealer I have used is Acrylic Resolene, applied in thin, straight strokes with a wide soft paintbrush. I do this very carefully, too much pressure or repeated strokes removes the antique paste. But when dried, its flexible and mostly waterproof and quite shiny. Tan kote is definately not water resistant if you're using it as a finish after antique paste. I've even used beeswax as a finish over angelus acrylic leather paints. I dip the painted leather in beeswax (leaving the backside unpainted so the wax can infuse better).

I have a leather corset I bought that I am trying to replicate. It was moulded in beeswax and I'm trying to figure out the technique that was used. I have the base red color matched very close (angelus paint), and I know that black antique finish was used as well (not fiebing's, this corset was made in new zealand and they dont use fiebings). My fiebings antique finish is not very compatible with the beeswax/parrafin. If left in the wax too long it starts to float off the leather. When I buff the leather afterwards to remove scratches, the antique is somewhat rubbed off. Should I try acrylic resolene as a sealant before I dip onto the wax? Here is what I'm trying to replicate: http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu8/Odahia/007.jpg http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu8/Odahia/010.jpg http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu8/Odahia/011.jpg Here is my first attempt dipping in beeswax: http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu8/Odahia/009.jpg http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu8/Odahia/008.jpg I pretty much have one shot to get it right. The wax must be hot enough to infuse the leather and make a thin surface layer. If it's too cold it wont infuse, and makes a thick surface layer which is a pain to remove and ruins the color. I used a rough washcloth to buff the scratches out and a soft tshirt to polish. I would like some advice on refining my technique to match the corset that I have, and what I could do to preserve the antique finish underneath. Thank you . Alicia

http://www.lowes.com/pd_103500-43657-FP209599DI_4294795218+5003700+5003699_4294937087_?productId=1205535&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity_sold|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_50%2B100_4294795218%2B5003700%2B5003699_4294937087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity_sold|1&facetInfo=$100%20-%20$200|$50%20-%20$100 I am looking at this product for my Badger 250 airbrush I just purchased. I am new to airbrushing and I'm wondering if this can be compatible and would i need to buy any attachments for the hoses? I am going to be using it for applying resolene, and Angelus paints. Also would like to have a compressor for nails and such around the house.

Thanks for the replies, i am looking at the Badger 250-1 set and reading other forum replies before I purchase.

I am using veggie tan leather, putting a couple layers of Angelus leather paint on it, then putting on Fiebings antique finish (black) on top of the paint. It creates the look I need perfectly unlike the dyes. I've been using just Tan Kote as the final layer because it doesn't rub off the antique finish like Acrylic Resolene does. That stuff, along with everything else I have, rubs the antique finish off in one motion (Yes, I water down the resolene and apply gently). I need the finish to stay put with no rub off. I add a lot of finish and it has to stay put where I need it. I bought some beeswax, parrafin and neatsfoot oil and will try a mix when it arrives. I also read here that others use Snow proof and other products. I am trying to get it waterproof, because with the tan kote layer, if my fingers are even moist, the black finish rubs off. Also even after a week of drying, the Tan Kote shows fingerprints if my fingers stay on one spot of the leather too long, so it never feels completely dry. The tan kote layer provides a nice shine, looks clean and polished but its not barely water resistant enough. I prefer a shiny finish as well that the Tan Kote provides. I am replicating armor that was molded in beeswax (for a tv show). It was submerged in hot beeswax then molded/stretched to a form. The wax was the final layer. Since I dont have huge tubs and hundreds of dollars to spend on 100% beeswax, I'd like to try to stick to the same concept. The armor is very stiff with the hot beeswax, so instead I dip the leather in hot water just until it starts to shrivel. I then use a hot blow dryer after I mold it. Are any of the waxes usable with leather paint? do they need to be absorbed into the leather to work or can it function sitting on top of the paint and finish? Also, could I get advice on how to apply these waxes? I read some people use just their fingers in small sections but are there other methods? The picture is some of the armor i'm working on. You can see I use a lot of finish to match the screen worn costume I have.

Hi again! I'm in search of brass snap fasteners that will stay permanently through 3/4 oz leather with a strip of cowhide leather on top of it. The buttons I found from Joann's are the perfect style and finish, but the posts are too short for the leather i'm working with, and they fall off the leather. I've tried shaving off parts of the leather where the buttons will be going, but that doesn't seem to help much. #1 and #4 are the buttons I'm looking for in the image below. They are punched into the leather and are permanent and do not fall out. Picture #5 are the buttons I've tried working with but they are not holding up to the thickness of the leather. Also, I need to find quality, durable boot hooks (#2) which I can attach to approx. 6/7 oz leather armor. These need to stay permanently and I haven't been able to find any of decent quality. Lastly, the rivets I found at Tandy's I am not impressed with. They feel cheap and so lightweight. I'd like to find solid, professional looking rivets of varying sizes (as in #3) which will hold up to abuse. I've included a picture of the work I'm trying to replicate, all the hardware i'm looking for are in the pictures. I appreciate any feedback you guys have to offer. Thanks, Alicia

Thanks for the reply, Spinner. I think I will give W+C a call and see about ordering a side from them. The Tandys RM is priced quite steep, and I doubt theirs can compare to the $7~ W+C leather based off opinions here. Hopefully shipping won't be too bad and it will arrive relatively quick because i'm dying with no leather to tool!

I'll be replicating costume armor, which involves tooling, leather paint and finish, and molding with beeswax. 3/4 oz is for the neck gorget and straps, i'll be using 6/7 oz thereabouts for the larger pieces with beeswax molding.

Before I put in an order for Tandy's Royal Meadow tooling side, I want to know if I'm making the right decision. The royal meadow is $7.45. I've browsed through these forums and have seen good things said about the royal meadow so far. I know W&C is known for being one of "the best" next to Herman oak, are their hides the same price and would I be much better off ordering from W&C instead? I might try HO but I don't need anything more than 1 side at 3/4 oz

I've been trying to replicate some leather armor I have that was not made by me. It is red (looks tomato or brick red) with black antique finish but I'm assuming more products were used to achieve the look. The only dye that comes close to looking like the red is Eco Flo Cranberry red. The Fiebings red has too much pink. Same with the Oxblood. Also I can't get the antique finish to stay in the tooling. When I wipe the finish off with a cloth everything wipes off and doesn't accumulate in the tooling. My attempts are on the scrap leather, using EcoFlo cranberry red and Fiebings red dye, with both acrylic black leather stain and fiebings antique black finish. I have some red Pro Oil dye arriving in the mail soon which I'm going to try. It doesn't seem like the dye + finish was all that was used to create this look. I'm fairly new to leatherworking and don't have all the dyes and finishes I'd like because I'm not sure what to buy. If anyone could suggest any products or maybe even any suggestions on what to try/experiment to get this finish looking like the pictures that's be great! Thanks in advance.