Darren8306

Super job on the sheath! The handle on that knife looks amazing though. Beautiful job on that, too. My only criticism is your profile. I'm pretty sure Indianapolis is in OH, not IN

I've tried baking soda stirred into cold water. Soaked it good, and then dried it. Being careful not to stretch it. These were probably made with an under-ironed solution. I'm going to add steel until it stops dissolving, and let the batch air out indefinately. I've been trying to avoid using dye. Just found out from a leather supplier in Alberta, that they aren't allowed to import the oil dyes anymore. Fumes were mentioned, but I have noticed it is tough to find good dyes here. Also, I just don't like a dye that can come off. For a wallet or belt, it should NEVER mark my clothes. It's one of the reasons I was so pleased with vinageroon - no DG paperwork, no import duty, no way for a bureaucrat to get another nibble... I should try looking around the site here to see what other chemistry tricks have survived from leatherwork history. There may be other good colours available Thanks everyone. I'm going to repeat the baking-soda bath on the other belt. Hopefully, it stays lighter gray, though when I oil it again (I oil after water each time) it may darken.

a well-stained belt turned out very nice, and I like the look a lot. Then, when I took off my pants, I could smell vinegar. Not exactly the cologne one might choose for such an occasion...so I tried getting rid of the odour. First attempt: soaking it in (cold!) coffee. it's drying on the counter now, smelling of vinegar. Any suggestions on what to try next? To get rid of the vinegar smell, I mean.

Thanks, I might try that. I had a terribly naive accident trying the other way... I thought I would add tannins to a belt, to get it to turn blacker. So I found a bowl which held the belt (and a couple keepers), put in a handful of tea bags, and poured in the boiling water. Then I let it steep awhile, and pulled it out. Anyone like to purchase an irregular belt? I'll try COLD tea, and some test samples. I guess it isn't good to run experiments while sipping gin with my sweethearts curling team...

I started a new side of leather, and the vinageroon produces a dark grey, nearly black. Now I want to get the light grey back...anyone know how to remove tanins from veg-tan?

Last summer I made some vinageroon for some wood projects. Then, I left it out, in an open jug, until mid-winter. There wasn't a lid, but I had a paintbrush stuck upside down in the opening, which would have kept a lot of the snow out. When I decided to try it on leather, I went out and grabbed it. -30C outside so I had to thaw it out first. It yielded a grey instead of black. First, I used a colour dye over the grey, to rescue it. (photo inset/blue with runner) After some drinks and internal arguments, I must have decided I liked it, because I just made a few more. The fresh batch of vinageroo also yielded grey. Of course, because of this thread, I suspect tanins, and may soon try tea or tree-goiters to achieve the black I was after. I'll post results when I get that done. The leather I'm using is a budget-friendly choice, and maybe going cheap means you don't get as many tanins...In anay case, I like the grey so much, I'm starting to wonder what other mistakes I can commit.

Thanks! I wish I could find dyes locally (shipping 'dangerous goods' to my region is a bit costly) I didn't get a notification, but I'll go look now.

I made a few things to practice my stitching and edge finishing. I think I've got that part now. The carving is VERY new to me, relatively.

Thanks guys! These are a pair of sealhide kamiks I purchased, second-hand. They are at least 30 years old, and good enough for me down to -40C (haven't tested them colder)

Hi there. I recently joined, and forgot to make an intro post, so here you are. I'm a novice leatherworker, from Northern Canada. My biggest hobby at the moment is running, and I have made a few things for that, but have a few things I would like to make of leather. Next, I'll have to go read a bit. I don't know what I know, or what I should practice to improve what skills I do have. Attached is a pair of mitts I recently hand-sewed. The pattern was given to me by a friend, who got it while guiding in the Nahanni. I've made several pairs since, and this is a patchwork pair.