Cyberthrasher

I like the makers mark idea. It's a nice looking tag. Heck, punch a hole in it with a key ring and people can actually use it once they pull it off their holster.

Don't freak out if you get a little dye coming up as you apply your finish. A little bit is normal. But, you should buff the HECK out of it before you apply your finish to remove any loose pigments. Once your buffing cloth is coming up clean with vigorous rubbing, then you can apply your finish. At this point I put VERY light pressure on my applicator (usually just a rag or sponge) to get a base coat on that will protect the dye.

No problem! It's all here, but it just takes some time searching and comparing answers and this and that. There are a lot of high detailed posts that are hard to sort through sometimes. Sometimes it's better to have a simple step by step that leaves out pages of detail and leaves a person to experiment

The MiniSam or MiniLui from Leatherwranglers may also fit your needs. I believe Paul mentioned to me that he can offset the handles as well. Just another option. Any of them would be good choices. http://www.leatherwranglers.com/products.html

The SK-3 is available from Leather Wranglers. You can also buy the blade to fit your Tandy barrel http://www.leatherwranglers.com/products.html Barry King makes both complete swivel knives or individual blades to fit Tandy sized barrels. http://www.barrykingtools.com/swivelknives.htm

quick google search brought me here. I've never dealt with this company, so I can't vouch for them. And I've never used deer lace. Browsing through their site, it looks like that might be the only thing they have available in 3/8". I was going to check Y-Knot Lace, but their site is down for maintenance at the moment. Might be worth checking with them later. http://www.leathercordusa.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=DST

This would be a good spot for it I'm not sure how that one was done, but I know how I would try it. It would take some practice to get the swirl marks, but I like to brush on a darker color first and then go over the whole thing with my lighter colors. That tends to blend and eliminate any hard lines from the darker colors. A lot of times I have different cool results based on whether I use a dry brush technique, or an overly wet brush - so experiment and see what you can do.

They also have lots of "miscellaneous" sections, or remnants and "gambler's choice" if you just want to get some to try out. Just go to "Leathers" on the side menu and take a look at all of the options there.

I've never used W&C (I'm a Hermann Oak guy), but what weight did you get? It's more likely to get those results on the heavier weights, but I still wouldn't call it acceptable unless I purchased something that was labeled "economy" or "craftsman". If it's something like that, then you're usually told that it's not the top grade and should expect situations like this. But, like I said, the heavier leathers are quite rigid and make that sound anyway ( 7 oz and up). Is it easy to cut with a sharp knife? Does it sound crispy at all while you're cutting? How's it retain water? I recently got a "Craftsman" side myself and basically got a really dry side that's HARD to cut and doesn't maintain moisture that well for tooling. Had I purchased something other then the "hit and miss" grade I would have shipped it back for something else, but since I new it was a chance, I've just designated that side for emergencies and pieces that require little-to-no tooling.

This part. It's kind of confusing at first, until you realize that the antique isn't coloring the leather, it's just sitting in the tooling to highlight it. Since your antique should always be darker than your dye colors, it doesn't matter what color it's sitting on top of. Here are the basic steps with ANY finish when using it as a resist. 1.) dye entire piece 2.) resist entire piece 3.) antique the spots you want antiqued. Really rub it in so it fills your tooling nicely. 4.) apply the same finish you used as a resist over the entire piece CAREFULLY (spray if possible). At this point you run the risk of pulling your antique out. The biggest purpose for this final layer of finish is to seal the antique into the tooling. Now, you may be wondering why you resist the entire piece if you may not be antiquing the whole thing. If you only apply your resist to the portion being antiqued, then you're going to have an uneven looking finish after step 4 because there will be less finish on the non-antiqued portion. Also, I don't have any experience with Wyo Sheen, but I know ClearLac and Resolene really need to be thinned in order to apply it properly without smears or buildup that will crack in the future. Put it on in a couple of thin layers before trying to antique, then do the same when you apply the final finish.

cost, quality, learning, ease, profitability - ALL are better if you buy leather, even scraps, then if you buy the kits. Go ahead and use the kits to get a base pattern if you must, but you'll quickly notice the difference in quality and workability if you get a hold of some scraps. If you have all the patterns already, skip the kit and get the leather.

Their contact information is on that page under "contacts".

No, I wouldn't try any topcoat, it probably won't perform as a resist the way you're hoping. I haven't really found any topcoat that reliably resists dye. What size brush are you using? It could be that you just need a smaller/different style brush. If it were me doing it, I would probably start with a number 3 round brush, and if that was too big I'd go to a number 5. If you're really trying to get into a fine line, a 10/0 will get you there, but it takes a lot of re-dips since it doesn't hold much dye at all. But I do have to say if it's getting where you don't want it, then you probably just need less dye on the brush - barely anything left - when you hit that spot. It just takes a steady and slow hand. Maybe we're not looking at the exact spot you're talking about. Can you circle it on the picture or something? I can also say that getting the side of your beveled design is easier if you round off the top edges with a modeler, instead of leaving the artwork sticking up at a 90 deg angle.

This is all I know of, basically Horween's official storefront. I have no idea what prices are or anything. I stumbled on this page while looking for something else once. http://www.thetanneryrow.com/default.html

With quality pictures, I can tell how good someone's work is. But, the customer service is something that would have to be based on a trust relationship. I think by having a good listing of people willing to trade jobs, it would be up to the individuals involved to built those relationships with each other.

I have a few other steps, like start the sanding on lightly moist edges with 150 then move to 400 before hitting the burnisher. Then I dye, finish, then rub in some beeswax with canvas or denim. This is my new routine and I'm happy with it right now. Gives me a nice slick and shiny edge.

I use bob's method with some tweaking. For your burnisher, sand the leather first until it's smooth and shaped, then rub it with glycerin soap (I use saddle soap) to lubricate it for the burnisher.

Get yourself some seem tape to hold the pieces together before stitching. I get the thin stuff and actually slice it in half so it's even thinner. That way I don't get any goo extending past the stitching. When you're going through with your awl, go slow and watch your angle, then JUST before it comes out the other side you'll see it bulging the leather a little where it's going to exit. You can adjust your angle at this point. Also, are you grooving both sides? I find that helps me keep my elevation right quite a bit if I'm making sure to exit within the groove.

I had a feeling you were somewhere close bye when I saw NORTHWEST I'm going to have to start compiling more of a local list pretty soon. I've met a few people in the region on here.

STUNNING as always!!

I'm new to hand stitching, so I may be wrong. But, I have to wonder why you're marking both sides. If you mark the side that you'll be going through with the awl (or whatever hole making device you'll be using), then make sure you go through straight and level, then your holes on the back side will be in the exact same place as the ones on the front.

that's what I was trying to portray I've been having a bad problem with jumbled thoughts lately.

You'll probably want to work carefully with a dry brush technique. Blot your brush on some paper after dipping it in the dye, then start somewhere in the middle of the black space to get the rest of the flowing dye off the brush. From here you'll have a fairly dry brush that you'll be able to carefully move over to the beveled edge. Takes practice, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy.