NVLeatherWorx

And that is exactly how it should be; allow the leather (or whatever application you just put on it) to dry completely until moving on to the next step. This is an easy thing to do when you have multiple projects on the table at the same time and it makes for a much more efficient operation once you get it down.

I have had some HO leather do this as well with both my awl and lacing chisels. I found out that the specific finish that was using had made the leather brittle and it would basically crack the leather along the stitching/lacing line as if it had been cut through. What type of finish did you use on this project?

If your leather is still damp when you apply your resist (regardless of what it is) then it won't set into the leather and do the trick; don't know if that was the case here though. When using Super Shene or Satin Shene you need to apply multiple coats (3 is recommended by the manufacturer for proper sealing) or apply it very heavily in the areas that you intend on resisting and then let it dry completely (about 8 to 12 hours) before applying anything else over it. If you are using a water based stain, i.e. the Gel Antiques then you should not have any issues with it but you can not use spirit based products over a water based product as it will work right through it. To use a spirit based product you would need to use Clear-Lac (or similar type item) and treat it the same way when using it as a resist. Before using ANY of the water based products make sure you shake the living you know what out of it as the ingredients do tend to separate and you won't be getting the results that you are looking for or expecting otherwise; down side of water based products. Good luck with your endeavors and keep us updated as to where you go next with it.

I just go to my local Wal-Mart and buy their 3-pack of flexible cutting mats. They are 12" x 15" in size and are thin enough to easily cut yet the edges hold up to repeated "tracing" of the outline with an awl and they only cost $4.64 a pack; pretty inexpensive when you look at the long-term. I also like the fact that they are made in the USA and are BPA free; BONUS! They are under the Mainstays brand if you are interested.

I checked the Tandy UK site and you can order the Resolene for delivery in Norway and throughout the EU. I pretty much stick to it as it gives me the finish that I am looking for, doesn't stink up the whole shop, and it is purely water-based acrylic. You will not be able to get the Leather Sheen in the EU as they only sell within the United States; they won't even ship it out to Canada. Sorry that I couldn't be of more help but there are your options based on you location.

I just use the Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene which is very similar to the Leather Sheen as it is acrylic. We typically mix the Resolene with water (50:50 blend) and apply more coats (avg. 3) to achieve the finish we want. You can get the Resolene from Tandy in the UK which is your closest opportunity. Resolene has a satin looking finish so if you are looking for a glossy finish you may want to try Tandy Leather's Super Shene which is also a water based acrylic like the Resolene. There is no off putting odor from any of the water based products and they can be sprayed (with an airbrush/Preval system) if you so desire without any chemical propellants. Fiebing's doesn't ship their pressurized (aerosol spray) products outside of the U.S. for safety reasons. Good luck with your endeavor's.

Only surefire way to get long-lasting edge finishing is to dye it using a quality spirit dye. Been doing it for over 40 years and have found that the newer edge finishes just don't hold up to the wear like a dye does; especially those water-based products like Eco-Flo and so on. The "Old School" ways have a proven track record and the newer generations ultimately end up learning them and then making them a permanent part of their daily process. Dyes also set and dry much faster than water-based products do so the "wait time" is cut way down.

What Dwight said, this issue screams of being pre-finished leather. There are several versions of veg-tan that are already finished, conditioned, and sealed that can't be used for anything but making a finished product that can not be stamped, carved, etc. and it sounds like whoever sold you this leather didn't bother trying to find out exactly what you were going to use it for. Get some natural veg-tan and you will soon be on your way to creating great works.

Then just trace around a credit/debit card and then add some space around it to make your own template. You can have that done in half the time that it would take someone here to give you their dimensions (which could possibly be off a bit if their scaling on their printer was not correct). I always set my card pouches and card pocket dimensions based on a real card with 3/8" of additional space from card edge to leather edge (gives me my 1/8" stitching line area plus room for the pouch/pocket to stretch a little and meet the more demanding, overloaded, card carrying requirements of the modern day carrier). Good luck with this and who knows, you might end up refining the design to an improved state along the way.

Affordability would depend on where you are located and what your options for sourcing are but the price you are seeing on Amazon is a bit high. I buy mine directly from Fiebing's or Dr. Jackson's (which Tandy Leather is now carrying as their brand) and I have never seen a price like that on Amazon. I normally purchase mine by the 32oz. bottle and I pay $18.00 per bottle so that 16oz. bottle on Amazon is a bit over I would say. Try contacting Fiebing's direct and see what they have for you. Even better, a 16oz. jug from Fiebing's is only $14.50 so you can see that the seller on Amazon already was asking way too much based on the original listing price and the "reduced" price, although less than Fiebing's direct, is not really a bargain when you look at it. There is also the issue that you would be purchasing a product such as this from a source that is really a games supplier and probably dabbles in craft supplies; in other words, they could have been sitting on this stuff for quite some time and trying to move out older product, not really a good thing. Again, if you are in a location where you have access to a Tandy store then you might want to stop buy there and get some Dr. Jackson's or some Fiebing's (they carry that too), but just make sure that is is Pure Neatsfoot Oil and not a compound; the compounds contain chemicals that have a tendency to defeat the purpose of the conditioning properties when used on veg-tan leather.

Your pricing would depend on how many more of those you would wish to sell. Bottom line: if you get enough people asking for them because they saw one you did for someone else then you would be considered as "in business" and that changes the whole pricing concept. You also have to keep in mind OUR market (I am also in Nevada, Fernley to be more specific) and I can tell you as an official business man that the customer base in our area doesn't quite understand what goes into making things and really don't understand why we don't price more like Walmart. It is a hard thing to set what you think is fair while also trying to keep yourself in business, if that is what you are doing, but if it is just a hobby then try going with a formula of materials x 40% (or whatever number you choose) for profit then multiply by 2 and there you go. My pricing formula is a bit more detailed as I have overhead and many other things to take into consideration. Good luck with your pricing and may this Holiday Season be a good one.

The modern Craftool stamps are indeed garbage. I still have my original Basic 7 set from 1972 (made in the USA) and they are still just as good today as they were then; the foreign made garbage isn't even good enough for me to use as weight on my fishing lines. Furthermore, if you really want quality tools that are intended to last awhile then you have to shell out some dough for them but it is worth it if you are a business minded person who is making things on a consistent basis; hobby workers can get away with the cheaper stuff if they like.

I noticed that the first link takes you to the shop page of a couple who are also all over Etsy under the name of FatCatLeather; all of their leather articles are done from Tandy kits so that is why the stitching holes are round and too large. In fact, they don't really do anything to their leather items aside from use the simple stamped letters that are shown and a few of the 3-D stamps. I can tell you that they average approximately $2500 per week in sales on Etsy during non-Holiday time and their Holiday revenues go through the roof. Don't know what makes it so popular but their "stuff" sells and they do charge a hefty price when you take into consideration that they don't really do anything detailed or difficult. I also took a look at the other shops that were linked and agree about the stitching, not to mention the prices that are garnered. It appears that both of them are doing a decent business but again, I just don't see where they have the upper hand on the quality that I have seen from some of us. @TinkerTailor: I too have the same issue with getting people to believe that my stitching is done by hand so what I have done is I make it a point to take some items with me that need to be stitched together for final assembly and put right in the face of all those "you can't do that by hand" characters; amazing how the attitudes change when they see first hand that my hand-stitching is not only nicer looking than that of a machine but that the stitch itself is far superior to that of a machine. Unfortunately, the next response is always centered around the price attached to the item and the fact that if the stitching were done by machine it would take less time and cost less. I can tell you that my pricing is by no means where the "makers" that have been linked to here are at as the market is a tough place to find the comfort zone in but it sure makes me want to look at raising them to a more appropriate level if these people can sell multiple items daily.

@Mike516: SLC has pretty much the same hardware items when it comes to buckles, snaps, rivets, etc. as Tandy does and they are way on top of keeping you informed of any issues. I use them quite often for the smaller orders when I just need to get a handful of stuff in a relatively short time and have had no issues with them to this point. Ohio Travel Bag also has a lot of the same stuff if you are looking for a bit larger order and a great price. @electrathon: Sounds like the store here in this area may be unique because there isn't a single person on that staff that has ever worked with leather and I have seen their teaching curriculum. I even tested some of their staff one day when visiting and asked to see an Oak-Leaf 4 to 5 oz. tooling side; she brought me a Craftsman Oak 2 to 3 oz. side. When I addressed this with her all she had to say was, "they are all the same anyway, we don't really have much difference in quality," I was quite surprised at that answer and decided that it was appropriate to report the issue to Corporate as the shoppers in this area don't accept ignorance very well. I received a response from them that they were already aware of similar issues having been reported there and were working on it. FYI, same girl is now one of the instructors for the classes; guess they don't really care afterall. You, and some others, may be lucky enough to have access to a Tandy store that has some educated and experienced personnel, but I know for a fact that those stores are not the norm and I know several store managers that will back that up. I find it much like taking your car to a specialist to get it worked on only to find out that they are actually a Poker Dealer at some local Casino but they just like to tinker with things. It is however their actual company model to provide product, not knowledge, at the store level and I even have some emails from their Customer Service department that supports that as well. That was one of the reasons I quit using them for the little stuff like quick hardware purchases and such.

Sorry to say this because it creates a disagreement with your post TinkerTailor but Tandy hasn't staffed their stores with a knowledgeable person in quite a few years now. In the days of just Tandy Leather every store employee was a skilled craftsman and knew exactly how to help a new customer learn what they needed to; today every employee in their stores has been trained in the corporate line of what to say to a customer and when asked a technical question on "how to" they are referred to the Leathercraft Library for the video series or one of the many forums out there. Even the person instructing their in-store classes just follows the company curriculum that has been provided. I know this for a fact because I spend a lot of time with some of them outside of their store environment and they freely admit that this their corporate structure. That is why I have been bombarded with requests from private individuals as well as groups to instruct for them as they can never get a real useful answer from the staff. The days of the Tandy name being what they once were have long since passed and all the rest of the "stuff" that they can do is being done by everyone else out there who has jumped into the online marketplace. Tandy is the last resort if that is all you have but when I can get my Hermann Oak and other finer goods from everyone else, and at small quantities, and for much less than the lower grade quality items from Tandy cost (and I am a business with wholesale pricing from everyone) then why should I even give them consideration? I spend my funds wisely and get much more than Tandy could ever offer me and when it comes to the instructional elements, I would rather see a newbie contact one of us qualified and experienced craftsmen with their questions than see them jump on the Tandy site or the bulk of the YouTube videos that are out there (even those are questionable in most circumstances). Kind of the same thing as a person who has only worked with leather for a year calling themselves a Master Craftsman or using it as an ID; just doesn't fit or match the actual level of experience and knowledge. The name Tandy has been severely smeared since the sell out to the Leather Factory but then again, that is why they bough it because their name had already been associated with low quality and value so they needed to take on the Tandy name because it had the following and recognition. Too bad they ruined it.

As has been said here many times now, Tandy is where most of us started but I can honestly say that their quality is a thousand times worse now than it was just 20 years ago and when I started working with leather the entire Craftool line was made here in the USA, their leather was the finest US tannage you could find, and their staff actually knew how to work with leather; this was over 40 years ago. The big changes to the lack of knowledge and quality happened after the Leather Factory bought the Tandy name and it has been downhill since then. Regarding the question posed by someone about their leather, it is indeed garbage, even the higher end. All of their hides are now tanned South of the border and the formulas used for the tanning are questionable; some of the blends even include the use of animal urine to get the pH that they are looking for. They do get some hides from Europe but they are typically very small and their quality is not what you would actually classify as premium. There are still a couple of quality sources right here in the US for the best leather that money can buy, even though you might pay a little more for it than the stuff you can get from Tandy. Just like everything else, you get what you pay for. If you are just doing this for a hobby and have no real intentions on being serious about it then you may want to stay with Tandy because it is most economical; if you are looking at getting serious about your work and making money with the products that you make then you need to start planning for that now and making the change. Regarding the number of tools you need there is a simple answer for that and every long-term leather craftsman knows this to be true: you can tool any style or pattern with the basic tools, it is all in how you use them and adjust your techniques. There is no need for anyone to have to own every tool or stamp made out there thinking that it requires a certain set or type of tool to accomplish a style or pattern. This is what makes this craft unique, the finished product is based on your own individual interpretation and styling.

You can also apply the Leather Balm with Atom Wax, also from Fiebing's, before applying the Resolene. Biggest mistake that is most commonly made though is not allowing your finishes, any of them, to dry properly before moving on to the next one. Let it dry for no less than 8 hours but better at 12 hours before you give it the next level of finishing. This ensures minimal to zero run or rub off and you will keep much more of your Antique into the cuts and contrast areas which is what you are trying to do. All too often there is a rush to get it done and move on to the next project but this stuff takes time. Besides, while it is drying you can move on to the next project anyway. Patience isn't just a virtue here, it is mandatory within our trade. Have a great day.

Reality is that you should allow your Antique paste application to dry no less than 8 hours and you should be good to go after 12 at the high end. Applying a top coat before it is dry could, depending on the top coat used, cause the remaining paste in the cuts and contrasting areas to rub off onto clothing or other leather parts that you don't want it on as it will penetrate through the top coating, especially when flexed.

It can still have an effect on the finish due to the extreme acidity that has been added to the leather and there are still very fine steel wool fibers that are left behind regardless of how well you mix your ingredients. These are some of the reasons that this treatment was abandoned by a wide majority of makers.

I have gone about it two ways and finally settled on a hybrid of the two. The first method I used was to cut out an outer sole from heavy sole bend leather and then stitch it to the bottom piece before any other assembly; worked great. I then experimented with just adding the rubber sole crepe material (available from Tandy and other suppliers) in the same manner as the sole bend leather; it worked great too but felt a little soft on the feet. I then decided to reduce the leather thickness to a solid 8 to 9 oz. veg-tan and then added the rubber sole crepe to it as the layer that actually hits the walking surface and attached it to the suede sole piece as before and then completed the rest of the assembly. This is the best feeling and most sturdy sole that I have felt yet and have had no issues so far. Hope this helps.

First, what products are you using to dye your projects? Second, did I read it correctly that you condition BEFORE you do any buffing/rub-off of residual pigments? Third, are there any other steps you take in your process? For example, I give my project a full treatment of the color that I want (I use Fiebing's Oil Dyes and Antique Pastes) and then allow them to set for 24 hours. Once they have set I give the entire project a full rub to remove any excess pigments or other materials. I then apply my conditioner (Pure Neatsfoot Oil, no compounds) and allow it set again for a full 24 hours. If the leather needs another oil treatment then I do it again and follow the same process as before. Once the oil has set I give everything another full rub to pick up an stragglers of pigment that may have arrived after the conditioning party and to make sure that the surface is free of any other unwanted stuff. I then apply my sealer/top-coat (which varies based on the project and desired appearance) and allow it to set up for 24 hours. If it needs another treatment of that then I give it to it and again following the same process as before. I have found that the Fiebing's Black Oil Dye can sometimes rub-off if it has been applied too heavily as it is heavy with pigment compounds. Dip dyeing would definitely be one of those areas that could be considered too much for that specific dye. I do not dip dye because of how much extra pigmentation overall is infused into the leather and I find that the process hides the natural look of exposed edges that the majority of clients prefer to see. I have even been told by some that if they wanted to have a piece leather was all one color throughout the entire thickness, they would have asked for a chrome-tanned material instead. There are times when the customer can be right, and this is one I agree with. The main thing to always consider here is consistency in every process you take on a project; drying/set time is a perfect example of that and you can only gain consistent results by staying consistent with the process. Good luck and I hope some of this can help.

And, just an FYI, but the Tandy Professional Waterstains consistently give the leather a hard, dry outcome and makes it very prone to cracking. I have experimented with them in great detail and have found them to be a very bad choice for a fine finished product. I too use Neatsfoot oil but it has to be the Pure Neatsfoot, not the compound (which will darken the leather). Never, ever use heat to speed up the drying process regardless of what some may say as it WILL dry the leather out and make it stiffer and that has always been the standard when it comes to ANY veg-tan. I have only used H.O. and have never had the issues with it that you have, aside from when the leather was a lower grade of quality (for testing and experimentation) and I stand by the quality. Good luck with your endeavors here and keep us posted on how it goes.

I have a little handout that explains the wide range of options and factors that go into the making of a belt and emphasize the importance of accuracy in sizing and style when a client is looking to have one made for them. I then let them know that once they have all of the information that is asked for and necessary that they can contact me via email or phone and we can address any questions that they may have at that time or put the order specs together for their quote. I do have some samples for them to look at that are trimmings from belts that I have done in the past and that helps very much indeed. I also have some leather swatches that have the various color options that are possible so they can see what the shading truly looks like. So far it seems to be working but who knows what next month or year will bring.

Just an FYI here but Tandy dropped the Raisin Mahogany color from their product line about a year ago as it wasn't a great mover. The manufacturer is indeed Fenice of Italy and they do all of the Eco-Flo dye/stain line for Tandy; however, the shades that Tandy sells are unique to them only and Fenice will not sell them to anyone else for distribution or use.

I have to go with the questions from mlapaglia on this one. If you are spending $200 for the materials then you still need to get some profit and labor out of the whole thing and that calculation should be in line with what you would normally do. Furthermore, if the person for whom you would be doing this for is any form of a true craftsman then they would be doing everything to keep their costs down and that would mean that they would be cutting their own leather components. And, if the leather parts in question are your own design, you need to keep it at the front of your mind that the end "maker" (most likely not accurate here but nothing better came to mind) may be passing off the overall design as their own which also would go towards my original comment about them being worth their salt. Sorry if that sounds harsh but there are entirely too many people using the originality and creativity of others and calling it their own while all the while selling their wares at cut rate prices that are too high for the shoddy quality of work that comes out in the end. I have been asked by others to help with their supply chain woes and I kindly decline these requests and suggest that if they wish to work with a pre-cut "kit" style program then they need to go to Tandy or any other source for these items. I also quote them a price that covers my actual cost of materials, a proper profit, and my true labor time to complete the desired tasking. I also make it clear that every piece would have MY Maker's Mark stamped in so that it was very clear WHO did what. I have never had anyone want to follow through because they admitted that their intention was to create a finished product and promote it under their brand. See where this goes? Good luck and keep us posted as to what decision you go with and the outcome.