SonOfLiberty

Hello! Infrequent poster, but frequent browser of the site. I have a question about coloring, dying and finishing a project. I’ve been practicing leather crafting now since June. My carving is coming along quite well, in fact it seems almost natural to me at this point, and I’ve learned a lot of the basics of the craft, though I have a long way to go on the more detailed nuances. One thing I’ve had an issue with is the water based stains, dyes and finished. They just don’t give me what I’m looking for most of the time, and the few times things come out even and right it seems more a matter of chance than of skill on my part. I’ve read enough comments on this board to know that the generic (not pro) eco-flow product line is kind of entry level stuff that produces irregular results (at least for beginners). That being said, I’m looking to move more into oil(s) and airbrushing. I’ve read a lot of questions here about specific segments of various processes, but nothing that really summarizes everything together at once. So, I guess, my question is what is a decent flowchart to use when starting/using oils on leather. I’m thinking (guessing) based on what I’ve read thus far: 1. Cut, carve, stamp leather to pattern/specs/art you wish 2. EVOO/Neetsfoot oil the project (not with airbrush I assume, I haven’t used one before, sorry), let dry 24 hours, or set in sun (in summer) to tan it darker. How do I tan/make it darker in winter in Ohio without buying a $2500 tanning bed? 3. Apply oil dyes (you thin an oil dye with what precisely please?) to color your project if desired (make the flowers reds and the bumblebees yellow and black, etc), using airbrush (?) 4. Thin coat EEVO/Neetsfoot again (?? Not sure if this applies here, may not be a necessary step) 5. Seal with…50/50 MopNGlo-water mixture followed by a warm, thin application of kiwi neutral polish, then buff (or perhaps use Carnuba instead, depending on the sheen I want?) 6. Weather proof/water resist it. 7. Stitch it up 8. 9. Profit! I’m wondering where antiquing falls in the order here, if the order is correct, and further, is this where you use some kind of antiquing paste, assuming you use antiquing paste with EVOO/oil dyed leather? Also, what precisely is “curing” after a project is done, what is needed to make it happen (anything?) and how long does it take normally (hours? Days? Weeks?) Sorry if this seems like a rudimentary silly set of questions, and in fact I may be utterly 100% wrong on everything I just outlined (and please, correct me if I am, I need help learning). My pencil and paper artistic skills are quite passable and I’m not overly fond of seeing what looks like a nice post-carving project that I spent a significant amount of time creating on paper and transfering/carving on leather, turn out splotchy, amateurish or colored in a manner I didn’t intend. Thanks in advance for any advice offered! Slainte! SoL

I'll look up the book, thanks for the lead Chris!

Thanks for the reply radar. I'll look for Stohlman's book the next time I'm at the local Tandy shop. There's a lot of information out here and in books, it can get a bit overwhelming and tangled for a new guy like me.

Hello all! Been lurking some time, reading what I can, trying to apply things I've learned here from many of you excellent and knowledgeable leather crafters while silently lurking. In essence I'm just breaking into my baby teeth and have some questions. Currently I'm working on the Tandy "Hey, buy this kit and learn some basic things" Kit (forget the name, it has the basic 7, a swivel knife and some projects like coin purse, wallet, money clip). This has been some amount of fun in learning how to carve/stamp Sheridan/floral style. I've also bought a pig belly/side for $7.00 to practice on and am proceeding through it at a decent canter in regards to carving. One of the issues I'm encountering is that the Tandy stuff is geared towards…Tandy stuff, and they're pushing Eco Flow dye/finish-resist (Super Sheen). All well and good, but I've figured out quite quickly on this site that one should avoid Eco-Flow stuff like the plague. Fact of the matter is that I like to learn things by learning the correct techniques right out of the gate. What I'm asking then, and I've looked beforehand, if there is any general guide available to buy (An Al Stohlman book?) that describes using Fiebrings (or other)/spirit/oil dyes and finishes, as well as the techniques for dealing with a leather work after you're done carving it -> forward, in regards to getting it to a color and finish you'd like? Currently I'm not looking to do the fancy shade blending into other shade near artist painting quality stuff, rather, things like setting a background one color, setting the foreground another color (or no color), then finishing it appropriately as described above. The problem I'm encountering is that so much of this seems appropriate to very specific situations ("Well, if you use Fred's Oil dye, only use it after applying Monica's oil first, then a coat of XYZ paste, then the dye cut with 5 parts talcum powder and feather grindings, and then wipe it off with a special cloth made out of bald eagle leg skin, then finish it as you like!"). Guess what I'm asking for is, is there a general guide for Prepping -> Dying -> Coloring (? Is it called that, not necessarily antiquing but not excluding it either) -> Finishing? I've done searches and found a lot of information about each process seperately, but nothing holistic and it seems like holistic is necessary to complete a piece? I don't mind practicing and experimenting, but would like to avoid obvious gaffs, like one I made yesterday where I applied a super sheen resist on Monday and then the yesterday applied Fieblings spirt dye. Hey, guess what, Super Sheen felt that the spirit dye was kryptonite and promptly resisted nothing, as expected. While researching today I think I found the issue with this (d'oh!), but trial and error seems like such a brutal way to learn given as we have so many resources available here on this forum, or in book form. In short, I'm utterly lost regarding dying/coloring/finishing as an entire process, excepting using eco-flow to dye a background black, using ecoflow to color the front brown and then super sheen to finish it (yuck) and am looking for an FAQ or book title reference or even basic instructions. Hope that made sense. If not I'll try to clarify based on the feedback I receive.

Oh, very good then, I see! Well done.

I'm just starting down this holster making path myself (first post yay!). The work looks nice. I do have a question though about the molding around the trigger. Should it be molded *inside* the trigger guard like that? Wouldn't that cause a high risk of discharge if your father pushed the gun into the holster a bit too far, or somebody slapped the gun down into the holster (in any way, intentional or not)? Or perhaps it doesn't extend back that far, it's hard to tell from the pics. In any event, great job!