NVLeatherWorx

Applying the Gel Antique over an already dyed piece will not give you much effect, especially if the dye color is of the darker tones. Gel Antique (and all Antique's) are primarily intended to be used on their own or, in some cases, can be blended with a dye to create a custom hue. If the Gel Antique in question is the Tandy Eco-Flo product then you are supposed to use it on its own only. If applying over a colored section (floral, etc. that has been dyed/painted with acrylic color) then you need to resist it first to hold the color. The Eco-Flo Gel Antique colors much, much darker than a true Antique so it is more of a paste stain than an Antique.

These mass produced products are typically drawn from pigskin suede of about 5 oz. weight and then have a synthetic wool lining added for some extra warmth. Authentic moccasin's are made from either Deer or Elk skin though.

Tandy also has a couple of older books available for download from their Leathercraft Library site that includes this purse and many others from the late 60's and the 70's. I don't do the links thing because we all should know how to find things like this by now.

@Keyair As a newbie you may want to have such a huge task completed by a professional. It is nice that you are wanting to put yourself out there and do you own recovering work but if you do not have experience with the materials and trade of making furniture you destined for disaster. Furniture finishers spend years learning the skills and techniques to do what they do as do the rest of us who are true tradesmen and craftsmen, it isn't something you just "decide to do" because it looks cool.

It isn't whether or not it is "okay", it is the fact that you are basically trying to "attract" all of the information and people away from one source and community to join yours and to replicate what already exists. Kind of not a good thing when you are looking to "share" with others what you "don't already know or have" by taking from those who do. Aside from a few non-experienced "shadow viewers" I don't you see getting any support from any of us as we are quite content right here. You are more than welcome to communicate within this community but to try and solicit people to give you their knowledge when it is already available on a global scale anyway through this community is quite unprofessional and not worthy of our time.

I have been using the Pro Oil Dye's since they first came out and have never even diluted them as I want the full cover and effect the first time. Regardless of the method used to apply the dye though there is one thing that applies to ALL dyes/stains/Antiques: buff the living you know what out of the leather and make sure that you are really getting to it. If you ain't sweatin' you ain't buffin' hard enough. Once I get mine down to where there is barely a color change to a white cloth I take a very tight celled sponge and dampen it, then I wipe the leather off with that sponge to make sure that any final pigment dust (the base product to Pixie dust) is removed and then I let it sit for another 8 hours just to make sure that it has dried. I apply my top coating and let it set for 24 hours and then we are done. Never use these dyes as an edge finish unless you plan on applying the same buffing, etc. to the edges and then sealing them with something as well, and never, ever do the back side of a belt unless you have a couple of days to give up just trying to get it buffed and cleaned and sealed because the flesh side will make it a tough gamble.

You would know if it was mold because you would be able to smell it; very, very musty smell for mold and it gets worse when you case it.

All in how the cell structure absorbs the product. This leather was obviously tanned in a foreign tannery (Mexico, South America) as our tanneries here (and the finer European ones) pay very close attention to the equipment used and their blades are of finer metals as well. Not bashing on anyone, just is a fact of the tanning trade and goes along way towards being able to understand what the overall term of quality truly means. My bet is that there were indeed some iron shavings that most likely fleshed off one of the many mega-skivers and ended up collecting in the larger fat cells that were left open during the tanning process. Nothing wrong with the leather but it can't be used for anything that will remain either Natural in color or of a lighter finish; darker colors that are applied to be solid is the best result here.

I use both, and I include Antiques into the mix as well. My finishing decision is based on the project at hand and what the intended outcome is to be. I rarely, if ever, use anything other than Antique on stamped or carved & tooled designs but stains do add some depth to certain patterns that work well (Basketweave for example) and dyes are for that super rich, deep penetrating look that just shouts, "I am here to stay" on the finished product. Everything has its place and out trade is no different than anything else.

No problem, that is what we are here for. The round markings that you are talking about tend to be typical of using chisels and I have found in past years that the softer the surface that you are punching your leather on the more prominent that these markings become. You will get the same look when using a thonging chisel for lace so it is the surface being used and not the tool. I use an awl most of the time but there are times when I have used a chisel for making my stitching holes and I found a long time ago that if you sharpen the points and strop them (just like your swivel knife) and use them on a firm surface (I use a 1" thick poly board) that you don't get as much weird looking stuff on the bottom side when you punch. I also use beeswax on all of my chisels and awl blades to reduce any friction and to make it easier to get the points through the leather and back out.

The recommended method is to back-stitch 3 to 5 (I recommend 5) stitches with both ends of the thread being on opposite sides of the project then just cut them very close to the surface of the leather; no need to do anything else at this point. Regarding your comment about the Tiger thread looking "chunky", what did you mean by that? What is your stitches per inch number? I ask because the lower the number of stitches per inch the worse it tends to look with most threads and the 0.8mm is perfect for most projects; the same is also true for too many stitches per inch so there is a correct number to target.

It actually all depends on what you plan on doing with the leather. For example: if I am making a wallet for a client that does not want any stamping or carving & tooling done on it then I use 3 to 4 oz. for the outer back and 2 to 3 oz. for all of the interior parts (and I use this weight for all of my wallet interiors); if the client wants the exterior stamped or carved & tooled then I make the outer back from 4 to 5 oz. so as to give me enough depth for the pattern/carving to have some relief. The thinner the leather the more risk there is of it stretching and wearing out as well so keep in mind that when a customer asks us to make something for them they are asking us to make something BETTER for them than what they can purchase elsewhere. Every "open market" version of a wallet is made from the thinnest and stretchiest leather you can find and that is what they don't want; give them something that has some durability and strength built into it, that is what they want to pay for.

I find these blemishes to be very similar to the spots that remain after you have treated leather for mold and I can tell you, from hands on experience, that all veg-tan leather from Tandy that IS NOT from Europe tends to mold very easily if you tend to store it away between sessions after you have cased it. If you dampen the leather that you have shown here I would bet you tend to get a little musty smell from it. If you do then it has had some mold try to set in that was not properly addressed prior to tanning. I don't use veg-tan from Tandy for anything anymore since they dropped their only remaining quality category a few years ago (that was the Live Oak line which was very high-end and still tanned here in the U.S.), I only use the best leathers and Tandy has long since not been in that category. Hopefully you will be able to get some sort of use out of this leather but you will always have the musty aroma no matter what you do to it going forward. If you haven't done anything with it yet I would take the suggestion of JLSleather and return it for a full refund and then start looking for a more reliable source for your leather. There are plenty of options out there and all of them carry the finer quality as well so leaving Tandy behind on their leather products won't hurt you. Good luck with you endeavors and hopefully some good will come of this.

That looks like a piece of Tandy leather from their Craftsman Oak line. Their leathers are the only place I have ever run across this and that is why you find that very few, if any, serious leather workers use their leathers for quality products. These marks were in fact skin blemishes that were not corrected but were enhanced during the tanning process in Mexico (which is where the bulk of their leather is tanned). The formula that they use can sometimes bring out some of the imperfections and make them look worse than they really are. It does not impact the durability of the leather but it definitely impacts the visual of the leather. There isn't anything that can be done about it (aside from never purchasing it again) so you may need to find another use for it. If you use darker dyes you might be able to mask it but that is a 50/50 at best.

The Eco-Flo products are not very good in providing consistent coverage and also has an issue with excessive rub-off no matter what you do with it. I agree, drop the eco-junk and get some quality products to start finishing your projects. Water-based products such as dyes, stains, and Antiques are nothing more than somebody's "feel good" moment towards environmental protection but the reality is that the products do not provide the leather craftsman with anything more than a tinted batch of water that has no use aside from advertising "I am doing my part" while only serving an injustice to beauty of the leather to which it is applied.

When I purchase my leather I do it a couple different ways: First one is to order directly from the tannery (large orders only as they do have a minimum order), second is to order from Springfield Leather in Springfield, MO; third is to order from the Hide House in Napa, CA (it is about 4 hours away for me if I decide to make a trip over the hill from here and I can actually hand select my own materials, they carry H.O. and my European hides). For my dyes I order directly from Fiebing's as I get distributor pricing there and sell a bit to other locals here; you can get a good selection from Springfield Leather though for a better price than at Tandy with their limited selection. When you talk about trying to do multiple colors are you talking about have a design that has been finished in vibrant colors (red, green, white, blue, etc.) or just talking about trying to create a transitioning shade effect? If you are trying to dye over vibrant colors then you need to either use a different product to get your color or you have to paint the dye on around the colored areas; spirit dyes will penetrate through everything and the last color applied, if darker, will overtake everything else. If you are trying to achieve the transitional fade effect look then you need to learn some new techniques such as block dyeing and so on. Fiebing's has a book available on how to use their products in multiple ways to create different effects and Tandy has one as well for their Eco-Flo products that you get through their Leathercraft Library website; I believe it is still free for that one.

The Eco-Flo dyes/stains do indeed have some serious rub-off and the Pro Waterstains also have an issue when set as they make the leather slightly more brittle and stiff and tend to crack when manipulated; the veg-tan from Tandy has issues with being brittle as well and that is due to the method of tanning used and the formula (which is not Oak tanned, it is tanned South of the border and their tanning formula is nowhere near the quality of Oak tanning formula and they add extra pH to the water used through the use of various animal urine; sad but true). I know that the price for the leather is what attracts people the most when compared to the higher quality products and we all know that there is movement to "hug a tree and save the world" but when it comes to quality results you have to spend you money on the products that actually ARE quality and there can not be any shortcuts. I too use a 50/50 blend of Resolene and distilled water and I apply mine in several light coats that are applied with a damp sponge; I have never had any issues with it and I have working with leather for over 40 years. I also use Fiebing's dyes, stains, and Antiques as they have a proven track record of consistency and top end results that is unmatched by other products. My leather is either Hermann Oak veg-tan or pit-tanned (Oak based formula only) from England and France.

Where were you getting your leather from and what grade is it? There are some veg-tan leathers that have been creating this type of issue for several people so that does have a relationship here. What type of dye did you use? Again, there have been some people experiencing issues with certain products and when used on the questionable leather the issue have been compounded. If you are applying Neatsfoot Oil make sure that is Pure Neatsfoot Oil and not one of the compounds and only apply it to the grain side if you are intending to bind it using any glue or tape. I personally buff the remaining pigment from a dyed project with old denim for the first couple of runs (make sure that your project has dried at least 24 hours to ensure full drying/curing) and then on a third run I will use a dampened piece of denim just to grab that extra "dust" that may still be there. To stop cracks where you will be applying a strong fold you need to moisten the flesh side of the leather along the line where you are going to fold the piece and then let it settle in; once it has done that you can fold it much easier and you shouldn't see any cracking if done right.

I am the same way with my stuff; if I am not satisfied with the way it came out I trash it and start over. For me it is all about making the best possible finished product I can for each and every client and when I am not satisfied with the outcome and make the decision to start over that is a BUSINESS decision that is in line with my philosophy; and the cost of doing that is something that I eat, not my client. I find that it makes you think everything through to ensure that there are no hiccups so that the cost of doing business is as low as it can be.

You nailed that one Big Sioux; I get that vibe from several who want to pick my brain on how things are made and every time I get to the part about how the overall costing model (for ANY product that is produced in this World) takes everything into consideration before identifying the direction of the final retail price is when the comments start about how it could be done for less or that the mark-up by the maker on the materials could be reduced. I had a local stock broker make one of those comments so I decided to flip it on him by asking him if his commission could be reduced then because it is actually MY money doing the work and not him; he tried to explain to me where that was different than what I do so I asked to explain, in great detail, exactly how it was different. All I am hearing from him is still the Crickets in the background. I just love it when the rules that should be applied (in their minds) don't apply to them because they are different; sounds way too much like politics to me.

Amen to that.

I am only listed on there just in case there is a person who truly wants some quality stuff made for them and also understand and appreciate the Artisan behind the work; I don't troll the Job Boards very much aside from just taking a look at what people are looking to have made and how little they are willing to pay for it. I have seen some pretty crappy stuff listed just about everywhere you can dream of and some of that garbage is listed at a hefty price. I found a website the other day (I won't call them out, yet) that had a simple minimalist style card wallet (holds about 4 cards and maybe some folded cash) in a simple two pocket design that was listed for $75; looking at this thing (based on the images that they posted of course) there wasn't a straight stitching line to be found and the stitching spacing was also uneven. Hell, I make one bigger than that and that has more space available for a little bit over half that and my lines are straight; even after a couple Scotch's. Guess I better start charging more for my stuff because this person appears to be selling about 10 of these per week on top of the rest of the stuff they have listed which none of it has any straight stitching either; then there are those who sell "tooled" leather which has no depth or flow in the pattern, just a swivel knife cut line and maybe a little modeling spoon over it and it is "tooled".

Best bet is to get a side and cut it from the spine/back area of the leather; the sides I use can yield me enough for an 82" raw strap on average. Regarding the math on what overall length you need, just make sure that you have NO LESS than 10" more total length that the length of the finished belt is supposed to be; you will use it all up faster than you think. Another thing to do is make sure that you charge the client for all of the leather that you set aside for this project, not just what the finished length is; this way you capture the cost of waste as well so you can be more profitable on the final project.

This is true for EVERYTHING that we put out on the Internet; nobody understands the costs associated with the materials we use and are even more disconnected with what goes into making the products the we do. If you want a good idea as to how clueless the buying public is just go check out the job boards at Custom Made (www.custommade.com) and look at some of the budgets that people list for the project that they describe in detail. I had one just last week that wanted a custom made leather billfold with full coverage Western Floral and Scroll work carved and tooled into the back and then finish it off with a fully laced outer edge. The prospect had noted a budget between $45 and $65 and wanted it by Christmas as a gift for the hubby. I offered to do the project for a more realistic $145 and made it clear that there was no way it would be there for Christmas. A day later I received a follow-up message from the prospect that she had received an offer from another Maker for $50. If that is true then the other "Maker" is either pulling her leg or has nothing else to do in life but put together pre-fab kits while sitting alone at their super tiny dining room table and does this stuff just to cover materials and a beer. I kindly told her to go to the cheaper price if that was what she wished to do. There are several prospects asking for holsters and I have yet to see a single budget over the $55 mark with most closer to $35 for the holster, and they even want some stamping done on it for that price. Until the buying public gets a clue as to what really goes into making the things they want this is always going to be an issue and there ain't nothin' we can do about it aside from sticking with selling to those who do understand and appreciate the work that we do.

Don't forget a nice dinner and a fine wine.