Cyberthrasher

It's funny, but I think you found something that I could actually find disturbing. I love my dog, but I don't think I could walk around with his fur on me. And I'm always the first one to describe what we do as "modifying dead animals and bringing them back to life"

I get the feeling you don't like dogs much It's funny though.

I never did try that with an airbrush. I tried brushing a similar mixture though and wasn't happy with the results. I'll try again next time I'm playing with colors.

I'll have to give that a try and see what it does I keep seeing those warnings come up while digging through the IILG archives.

I wiped it on pretty heavy. The scratches aren't really going through the dye, but they're there and obvious. It's kind of like if you scratch your arm or something - doesn't really scratch through anything but you can see the lines there. I tried getting pictures of it, but he won't sit still and he starts snarling at me if I try to take it off - guess that means he likes it . I think Cam's probably right that it's just inevitable. But you'd think that with so many people making custom collars, there would be some solution for it. He is only scratching the one side, so maybe I'll condition it with some Pitch Blend and flip it around to see if that helps ease it.

Does anybody know of a way to limit the scratches on a collar from the dog getting itchy? I had to make up a quick collar for my dog the other day and it's already covered in scratch marks. Not gouges or anything, but I doubt they'd rub out. I admit, since it was quick, I didn't spend a lot of time putting a wax conditioner on or anything. It's finished off with a few coats of Resolene and that's it. I don't really care about this collar since it's a temporary fix for my own dog, but it's something I'd like to address for any future orders that come in. I know if I purchased a custom collar and it got that scratched up that quick I'd be pretty upset.

I've read several things that state any of the "LAC" products shouldn't be used over antique paste. Have you had any bad experience there? I've used it in the past and didn't have any issues, so I'm trying to find more evidence to backup the warnings. Resolene is a good finish that's water resistant. I also know a lot of people like atom-wax, but I've never used it myself. Personally, I like the lacquer products and Resolene because I know they seal things. Then I finish it off with a coat of wax conditioner for an added layer of protection.

I didn't even think about painting straight lines over the tooling like that I can imagine how nerve racking that was!!

That's always been my dream home I used to live in a small storefront - it was cool, but not quite suited for my needs - mostly because I couldn't modify stuff. I LOVE your home - and a lot of your other studio work too!!

after the dye dries, buff it. Any color you have on will remain (your streaks you're looking for) because dye soaks into the leather. All buffing does is remove the left over pigmentation that's sitting on top of the leather. This is what's coming off on you. Resolene is an EXCELLENT finish, but you must apply at least 2, if not 3 - 4 LIGHT coats of it at a 50/50 mix. After thy dye dries for several hours and you have no more color coming off when you're buffing it, apply the first coat and let it sit for several more hours. Then, apply another light coat and let it sit for several hours again. Once that's dry, buff it again with a little bit of neatsfoot on your rag. The oil will aid in pulling up any dye that's still able to come through the Resolene. If it's still coming off, buff the oil off with a clean rag, then apply another coat of Resolene and test again once it's dry. Usually I can get by with no more than 3 if I mixed it right. If I'm antiquing, I do a little more just to make sure it's not going to let any through (though I do get in a hurry sometimes and pay for it later).

Yeah, I figured it was probably a base coat of some kind Is it just the photo that makes it look like that one has more backgrounding then the finished product?

Yeah, I stumbled on it when I was trying to "fix" a bad clear-lac job in the 11th hour of a guitar strap. I figured if it messed it upt, I was already set to start from scratch (which I did). But, I sent the guy the good one and the one I aged with sandpaper and his friends loved the aged one even more. In fact, he contacted me a couple weeks after he got it and told me that I should be offering that as a standard style. Loving the color on that seat!!

Yes, I love Springfield. But, their bargain stuff is a bargain for a reason. If I buy something cheap, or "craftsmen" from them and don't like the results, I just chalk it up to getting what I paid for.

I had a really hard time when I was using it straight from the can. I'd suggest thinning it as well to allow yourself some time to work it. I haven't done this yet myself though since I started using Resolene for everything.

Those are made for punching metal, so keep that in mind. I have seen people use similar stamps in the past, but I can't say they were from HF. Even though the styling options from from Tandy are quite lacking, the results are quite good and have a lot more character. The Tandy ones are also basically self aligning. So, those would be usable as an option, but I would also keep your eyes open here and on Ebay for a set of craftool stamps.

Regardless of style, you should cut first, starting with the foremost items (remembering to cut the foremost items lighter since they're closer), then bevel in the same order - starting with the foremost items.

Judging by your previous post about leather printing, I'd say you should look into Dover Publications. All of their copyright information is described in the books themselves, but they publish MANY collections of "public domain" works, usually with a copyright that says you can use up to 10 of the "plates" in any one product. But, it's something that you MUST look into, regardless of what your source is.

The first one always goes that way

Ah, you see why it had me confused then

Yep, that's the one I hate fat butted bikes, but that things crazy looking and cool!!

It definitely takes some work to get it down. I'm still adjusting my process all the time. I'm not sure if you've read Hidepounder's guide to edge finishing or not, but it might be worth a revisit to see if there's anything else to gleam from it (as well as the comments). Right now, it's edge bevel, sand with 120 to even up and get rid of any mushrooming around the bevel, sand with 400 to start getting it really smooth (slightly dampening the edge works wonders here), rub in saddle soap and then use my dremel burnisher, dye, finish, then rub briskly by hand with canvas/denim and beeswax. Actually, the wax is just residual on my rag.

Man, that's super sleek Was it just a pain or something?

Yeah, they really should put that on the bottle.

Is that 4th picture the same one?

I would use the finish BEFORE using wax. It's probably not sealing that well. I usually wax my edges as the very last step and then burnish with elbow grease and a denim rag to melt the wax in and make it shiny and smooth.