NVLeatherWorx

Never mix the water stains with anything else and, if you can, stay away from the Eco-Flo line altogether; you want rich finishes and you won't get them from that product line (water does not equate to rich). Antiques will give you that rich look that you are looking for if employed properly and if you find yourself using the Fiebing's line of Antique pastes or stains you can also blend colors as well as blend any one of the spirit dyes with the paste products to create custom hues, which I believe will fit your needs. Whether working with laser engraved designs or regular stamped/carved & tooled designs the process of coloring is the same so it might not be a bad investment to obtain some of the writings of Al Stohlman as well as the book on coloring directly from Fiebing's; these are like the Bible on coloring and covers all of the unique ways to blend colors as well as a multitude of coloring techniques. Regarding the question on why you get differing results of coloring from the same piece of leather the answer is simple (and published repeatedly throughout professional reading sources as well as within these forums), it is due to the various non-visible imperfections that each hide contains and, being that vegetable-tanned leather is about as natural as it gets, there have been no steps taken to alter the hide in order to try and give it the illusion of "perfect appearance"; it already has that perfect appearance because it hasn't been modified to cover up the natural beauty of the grain. If you want that so-called perfect looking leather then you need to be using what is called "top grain" leather (vegetable-tanned leather is full grain because it is just the way it would be if you shaved the live animal down to its skin and hasn't been sanded and pasted to look perfect) but I can guarantee you that you won't get the results you are looking for when laser engraving it and you won't be able to dye/stain it because it is already done for you. There is a wealth of information on the various ways leather is tanned and what the results of these processes are and most of the questions about the issues that new leather workers run into can be answered by just going out and researching the materials that are to be used in your new found hobby; the bulk of this information doesn't cost you a dime and it will provide you with so much information that I guarantee that each new Crafter would be better informed when it comes to everything else that goes into creating a finished project.

I simply rub it down with a large bone folder; don't burnish it though.

You don't necessarily need to back practice leather but if you want to see how the quality of your work looks as if it were to be the final piece then I would recommend that you try some later practice pieces with a backing. I use duct tape to back my smaller items, especially those that are made with the thinner leathers (less than 6 oz.) and it works perfectly. Using duct tape also gives a bit more freedom moving the piece around as I tool the various elements and also helps keep the leather from curling during the drying process. I even do my final staining with the duct tape still attached. I prefer this method over any of the other suggested methods because once you remove the piece from the tape there is no glue/sticky residue that would require to line it and I rarely line items as it gives the appearance of "cheap" to the finished item (for evidence to support this, just take a good look at a pre-fab kit and you will get what I am saying). Besides, as you refine your stamping/tooling skills those practice rounds can start to become leather coasters that you can make some money off of.

Go the Tandy Leathercraft Library (here: http://www.leathercraftlibrary.com/default.aspx?) and then go to the eBooks section (left side menu) and you will find at least 3 books specifically related to dye/finishing leather. Since most people are trying to "save the world" and tend to use the Eco-Flo products (even though there are several of us who have responded to the constant issues related to these products that are constantly arising within this community) that one is a good start. The same techniques apply regardless of what the product brand is so it should be looked at as "general" information on how to do the various techniques (best of all, this one is FREE). You can also find this information directly from the Fiebing's website where you can purchase their book (which is considered to be the Bible on this topic). There is also at least one ebook on the Leathercraft Library site written by Al Stohlman; it is well worth the money and goes a long way on explaining how to create unique hues as well. Stick with searching for these things on leather crafting specific websites as the world of Google and Amazon are not the end all source for everything. Good luck in your search.

Depending on how the watch and lug pins are designed it may vary but the common thickness is equivalent to 1 oz. (which you won't find readily available). To get the leather this thin you are going to have to take some 2 to 3 oz. leather and very carefully skive it down in the areas that you need the thinner leather; only skive enough to pass through the lug pin and watch base and then wrap back around to the main strap but make sure that where the main strap rests up against the base that it is still full thickness (this helps with overall durability). I have found some watches where you could get away with leaving the 2 to 3 oz. full thickness but there are times when you have to use all of this unique skill and technique to make paper thinner than it already is. When I skive my lug pin rolls down I do it to about 1.5 to 2 oz. (same weight as a pigskin lining leather) by slowly shaving the section down until I have it and I only do about 3/8" as that gives me just enough to create the wrap for the lug pin and to stitch it down once it comes back through to the strap base. Good luck and keep us posted how it goes.

The discoloration is light but it only takes very little water and then it sit for a bit to absorb into the leather. Treat it much like you would when casing the leather but all you need to do is just run the edge of wet sponge down the line that you intend create your fold/roll one time and then let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before you do anything else with it. This is also a common result when using water-based dyes/stains/antiques which is why they are not recommended for items that are to be exposed to the outside elements on a constant basis. Sealed or not, they will still react negatively to moisture as they do not have a permanent pigmentation compound that binds with the fibers of the leather. I agree though that this does not look like it is too bad at all compared to some other examples that I have seen.

The Pro Water Stains would cover over any of the acrylic colors as they are more of a dye than a stain, regardless of how they sound like they can be used. I test every new product that comes out onto the market to see if it a viable option to replace others and the tests with these products when used with resisting and acrylics were terrible. I pretty much laid out the entire process used here and also the specific products and that is how it is done. The color acrylics are commonly called Cova Color and the other colors come from either the Gel Antiques or Fiebing's Antique Paste, that is it. If you want an are of natural leather to be highlighted then you apply either 3 coats of satin shene or Resolene or, you give it two coats of what is referred to as Neat-Lac (now called Clear-Lac and available from Springfield Leather). There is no block dye technique as dye and liquid stains penetrate through everything. As I mentioned, there are books on this very topic and it is in your best interests to obtain them and read them as they will become invaluable to you in the future if the art of unique finishes is your direction. Take what I provided in my earlier post and give it a test run and see for yourself.

To everyone hitting on the lining issue, here is some real fact-based information: I used to line all of my wallets and card cases up until recently when I started getting asked about what type of material was being used for the exterior. When I answered them that it was leather I was met with an immediate "I would rather see the raw leather than have it covered up" so, I started making all of my wallets and card cases without linings and the orders/sales have more than doubled. When I was first taught how to do these things it always included the use of pigskin for lining but having learned that the modern shopper would rather see that it is real leather I have made the change and it has been a great thing. So, take it for what it is worth but be open enough to adapt to what the customer wants and not how you want to make it. After all, we make our leather goods for them and not us. Now, unless otherwise requested as a custom option (who would have thought that this would be), lined interiors are not standard within my designs. In regards to the wallet, it is very nice work, and the stitching is just fine too. It should be no more than 1/8" in from edge and it appears to be pretty much that.

The full color elements are either done with acrylic leather paint or even hand painted using standard spirit dyes. If it is done with spirit dyes then you have to seal it to create a "resist" against any other coloring that will be applied over it. Once your detail color work (and resist) have properly dried you then apply an antique over the top of everything to get your final "overall" color. Could be the lower quality water-based antiques or even a the spirit based Fiebing's Antique pastes, they both will do the trick but be aware that the water-based antiques are typically much darker and may not ultimately be what you are looking for. The Fiebing's Antique paste can be blended with their spirit dyes to create custom hues/colors without causing any negative effect to full color elements because you only use a little bit of it. There are books written on the topics of how to do just about every coloring technique you can think of and they are an investment (very little one by the way) that should not be passed up.

You nailed it with this one. To Everyone else: Tandy does not provide any quality leather that is worthy of being used for "production" work but it is great for a test or a prototype item just to show off. When you take into consideration that their top grade is their Oak Leaf category and that when you actually shop it you will not find any consistency within the same weight of that line alone; the range of quality is from semi-clean to the worst looking thing you will ever see and everything in between. Springfield and Hide House both deal with H.O. and they heads and tails above anything Tandy can put in your hands. And, as others have already stated, there are other sources out there that offer better leather at a good price.

And another suggestion is to stop using things like Armor All and other general marketplace leather conditioners as they are not meant to be used on the leathers that we use to create finished goods. In fact, the conditioning capabilities of these types of products is about as minimal as you will get; they are nothing more than overloaded chemical compounds that are marketed for those who have no knowledge about what really works and how to treat leather. Get one of the Fiebing's leather finishes, Leather Balm w/Atom Wax comes to mind, and give it a whirl; you will see a dramatic difference in the outcome. The amount of denatured alcohol that you are using is also drying your leather out so you would have to be adding a lot of oil back into the leather to get some the pliability back which it sounds like you haven't given it enough. There really is no reason to dilute the dyes as they are intended (and blended) to be used as is the first time you open the bottle. Reality is that they are less harsh on the leather at full strength than they are once you start adding more chemical to the equation. With vegetable-tanned leather the chemicals are the killer and they will ruin some of the finest leather, and works, if you start playing with the recipe. I am sure that this statement will get some push back but it is time that the reality of how this trade works and what is truly the best method to use gets out there for those who are serious about doing it right and not just the "well, my advice is" community. Give a pure application of the dye a chance on a scrap piece of leather and then give it some Neatsfoot Oil, but it must be Pure Neatsfoot Oil, not a compound (again, more chemical than real conditioner) and see how it comes out. Give it more oil if necessary and do this until the leather has some pliability to it but make sure that you don't saturate it. You might be surprised in the difference. Good luck and keep working at it.

I have never seen Resolene crack and peel and the most common way that we experienced workers (and most of don't use a Eco-Flo or any other Tandy branded product religiously) we cut our Resolene with water at a 50:50 ratio. Apply a coating, let it dry completely (a few hours) and apply again. I have been doing leather for over 40 years and have used the Fiebing's products religiously without issue and the Neat-Lac (or its real named equivalent) is just as good and I have never seen it crack or peel either. Issues that arise from a product are typically the result of improper use of that product.

Much like those "leather kit masters" that have their stuff posted all over the internet for sale; they don't really know how to make anything and they don't really do anything with the kit that they put together aside from add some dye to it and called it a finished product. Following someone else's instructions on how to put together their designs does not make one a leather worker. I found a supplier for some beeswax that has received some very high praise so I will wait and see what the actual results are this coming weekend.

There are ways for it to be filtered out but the vast majority of the new breed of keepers don't know how to to do it very well so they end over smoking the whole thing and that stuff stays in the wax and can find its way into the honey as well if they aren't careful. Keeping bees and working out the products that they produce is much like out trade of leather work; you either learn the right way to do things or you just follow whatever the next person says and say to hell with learning. With everything, there is a right way and wrong way and most of the newer keepers are not on the right path yet.

Neatsfoot oil and natural sun light will do the trick every time, it is what is meant when you here the term that the leather has been sun tanned (literally). Typically only takes a couple of hours, depending on amount of sunlight available of course.

There are so many sellers of the beeswax out there right now that are even promoting their product as Organic and quadruple filtered yet the reviews, from cosmetics makers and candle makers, are not very positive at all. I guess here on our side of the pond it is a different story. I know when I was in Germany for awhile that I had no issues finding raw materials that had purity to them but it is a bit harder here. Even trying to get some from a local farm where they also do their own honey and beeswax products, you can tell that they smoked the hell out of the hives before they processed them and it just doesn't come out very easy. Also running across several raw materials suppliers that are cutting their beeswax with regular paraffin wax and trying to hide that fact, doesn't make for a solid product.

Biggest problem is finding the Beeswax that doesn't have that overly smoky smell to it when you melt it down. Several sellers of the raw blocks but the chief complaint, and this is from every source so far, is that there is a very strong smoke smell to it which most find unbearable.

You want to the smooth/grain side always facing the interior of the compartments and the flesh side (the rough/suede feeling side) to be glued to you main leather. The flesh side is much like suede and it will hold all of the oils and dirt that get into the bag/onto the leather and eventually will become very dirty and not look good at all. This rule applies to anytime that you use pigskin lining. Typically, most people will use one of the Mission Grain type lining leathers as they have a smoothed flesh side and a textured grain side that will not hold dirt and oils.

To get the true color of a dyed object you need to let the application dry, entirely, before doing anything else. In most cases the best thing to do is let it dry overnight (24 hours is recommended) and then you should have a true color. One of the most common mistakes that I have seen people make over the years was to saturate their leather (well beyond where you would be if you had cased it too much) and when the leather dries the colors are super dark; just add an even application and let dry fully is all you need to do. If you would like a darker tone at that time then add another application and let it dry fully again. Diluting dyes is great is you are using an airbrush system but it isn't necessary if applying by hand and, when applying by hand, use a wool dauber and apply in overlapping circular motion (this is recommended by the manufacturer and has also been the trained way every since this trade became a hobby option way back in the day). I wash all of my daubers (when new) to get all of the extra wool fuzz off of them which helps to tighten the fibers up as well so the circular application doesn't look as streaky as it sometimes can. All the oil does is help give a more complete coverage appearance.

I do use the Pro Oil Dyes, the standard spirit dyes are way too harsh for full cover dyeing but they can be thinned out if necessary. The Pro Oil dyes really have very little oil content in them so I end up making a blend that has the consistency of what the new Tandy Eco-Flo Pro Oil Dyes has; I did it long before they even thought about though.

I do it as a quasi dilution but it really is just to give the color a better chance of going on evenly (which we all know can sometimes be a chore if you are just dyeing it first). I used to apply my Neatsfoot oil first (2 coats) and then apply my dye which gave the dye a deep rich color on the first application but the rub-off was much greater that way so I started blending it (30% oil/70% dye) and the results were just what I wanted without all of the excess rub-off. The oil doesn't really dilute the dye it just blends right in.

I actually blend my dyes (and Antiques) with Pure Neatsfoot Oil; it gives a more consistent coverage and also gives a bit of conditioning to the leather. Lexol and other such items are primarily chemical based so their actual conditioning effect is minimal and their long-term impact has been known to cause issues over time. Some here may attempt to dispute this but the writing is on the ingredients label; all you have to do is just read it and all becomes clear. You can learn much about the various products that are available by researching their compound makeup and any available MSDS that may be available on the product or their ingredients. Compounded conditioners are the worst thing that can be used on leather for its long-term stability. I use only Fiebing's dyes and Antiques and I can tell you from experience that mixing them with Pure Neatsfoot Oil has been very successful for me and the outcomes that I desire. As with all things though, try them on scrap leather first to make sure that you achieve what you are intending to.

Kind of misleading in their story about how they came to be though; all of their items are actually made in Spain, they only do the dyeing, put their name on it, and sell it for a hefty price. So, for everyone out there who thinks that your works can't garner a decent price, here is an example of exactly how the plainest (beauty in color aside of course) can fetch quite a price indeed. Their process is not really much more than most of us have done, or even do right now, and there really isn't a science to it. Basically, you find the color blend that you want by mixing and/or thinning basic colors and then add blends of waxes and oils to create the unique hue's as well as the effects that you get on the leather. This is very much similar to the concept of block dyeing, just a little more Artsy is all. The best thing to do would be to get yourself some various colors of dyes and then start creating your own blends and trying them out on scrap leather. Start with the weakest formulation you can think of and then add a bit more base color to it until you get what you are looking for. I have found, in the past, that if you want to give the finish a little finer hue you can rub the raw leather (grain side of course) with some beeswax (rub it in real good until it is all worked in) and then hit it with your base color. You don't get as much dye absorbed into the leather and it gives you some really interesting results. The best results come from natural veg-tan leathers as they have not been corrected in any way; the leather used for these items that were made in Spain has been corrected enough to remove any blemishes or abnormal cell appearances.

The best way to fit it to her if you want it to be a solid fit would be to form it around her head while wet and then let it dry; problem with that is it takes time and I haven't met too many people who are patient enough for that. The next best method, which is commonly used in Hollywood, is to create a form of the persons head using plaster and then forming the fit to the inside of that casting; issue here is time, patience, and the cost. The best alternative would be to find a form, much like a practice bust used for training new hair stylists or for storing a wig, and do the best you can with that; issue here is whether or not the form is at least equal to the head size of the person who will be wearing the finished product. In this case, slightly larger is not a bad thing because you can't stretch it when it is too small. Neatsfoot oil would be fine to keep it conditioned but use it sparingly as it could break down the form/shape over time. Make sure that it is Pure Neatsfool Oil though and not a compound of it; compounded versions are darker and will discolor the leather, and they are high in chemical content as well which breaks down the leather over time.

Amen my friend. The art of saddle making is the Holy Grail of the leather trade and it requires a commitment like nothing ever experienced before, as long as it is done properly. I have at least two contacts per week regarding how to adjust a store bought saddle so that it doesn't cause the horse any discomfort; my answer is simple: get a properly fit saddle made and your horse won't even know it is on them. The only properly fit saddle is the one that is custom made to the specifications that are best suited for the horse and rider and there isn't anything on the shelf that will meet those needs, period. And you are very correct on the need of actually learning it hands-on through a goal oriented apprenticeship program; nothing gives you the insight into what you are about to enter like learning the hard way. Saddle making is not a "shortcut" opportunity or skill set that can be obtained from just books and videos, no matter how damn good the author/producer might be (or think they are).