wizard of tragacanth

Everyone asks this question. There is no pat answer... sorry. You dye it when it works best for you. There are pros and cons to each way. Experiment and learn what works for you.

I would worry about "moistening" the leather. It could stain it... unless we are referring to casing the leather for a project.

Josh, that's a very nice picture tutorial. Good pics too. You make a fine product. It's funny. I just made my first rough-out pocket holster, in Fiebing's Mahogany. Has a very similar look to yours. Just wanted to mention that I found a tool which works great for roughing up the leather prior to gluing. It's a Tandy tool and it costs $20 but it is worth it. It speeds up the process and it is very accurate and easy to control. It does a great job too. You can get right up to the line. Glad I got it... wanted to share that with everyone. It's three times better than using an awl. https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/craftool-pro-detail-rougher

This topic has come up before. Many people never own a head knife. They are expensive and have to be maintained. Many of us just use a common utility knife (box cutter) for cutting large pieces and a smaller utility knife (x-acto type) for smaller work. What types of projects are you doing?

It looks like a punch but how would you get the leather out? Normally, the leather is pushed out through a top or side hole.

MH... you will be happy to know that your vertical dipole does not need a ground plane. The lower element IS the ground plane. One thing though. You do not want to run the feed line parallel to either element. Try to run the feed line perpendicular to the antenna for as far as possible for best results. I will send you a PM regarding some tips on how to study for your ham exam.

Hey zulu... thanks for that pointer! I just watched a short bit so far, but it looks promising! nick

Hey! Thanks for that link... looks really good. nick

Welcome to the forum! If you want to learn about leather work, you have come to the right place. What are you most interested in making? I am a ham radio operator myself. I have a General license but only work on UHF/VHF. Have fun! nick

I like it. That is an interesting design and I like the color, too.

I have seen strips of Kevlar used in between layers of leather for making strong belts. I don't know where to get, but it would definitely prevent stretching.

Which ones have you tried that didn't work? Fiebing's makes an Orange dye but I have not used it. https://www.springfieldleather.com/Fiebings-Leather-Dye-Orange-32oz If that does not work, you might try mixing Red and Yellow Fiebing's Pro Dye, to get exactly the shade that you want. nick

Fiebing's probably changed the name from Pro Oil Dye to Pro Dye in order to eliminate the general confusion of people thinking that the "Pro Oil Dye" was oil based. Regardless of the formula and percentages therein, there is a significant difference in performance between the Fiebing's Leather Dye and Fiebing"s Pro Dye. Most pros and many rank amateurs, like myself, use only the Pro Dye because it is superior. nick

Doh, maybe it is!

That is an interesting design and I like the color, and I am sorry to be critical but I would have put the maker's mark on the back. My stamp is similar to yours. It is a utilitarian stamp, not a work of art. I would not put it front and center. If anything, that is where the owner's initials belong, and yes, I know you are the owner! Anyway, that's my thoughts. Again, sorry to be critical. BTW, I'm an ol' Missouri boy, myself. Been in living in the desert for the past 40 years though. Missing the Ozarks... nick

I could be wrong, and frequently am, but I think you are going in the wrong direction with this project. Instead of paint and Resolene, you should be using dye with a flexible top coat, such as neutral shoe polish or Snow Seal. However, you will also have to totally change your design concepts. You will not be able to use colors which are lighter than the leather that you are using and you will not be able to make small design elements shown in your example because dyes bleed. Hey, I just had an idea! Try using some felt-tip pens for your design elements. I have never used them, but I think that they should work. I just tried a black Sharpie on a scrap of leather and it went on very cleanly with a crisp edge, no bleeding. Make sure that they are "permanent" markers. nick

YinTX, I consider that bend a stroke of luck. I would like to have this on all of my belts. It makes for a more natural fit, right out of the box. Old belts eventually assume this shape but not as elegantly, because they have to scrunch up on the top edge and stretch on the lower one, in order to accomplish this. Years ago, I paid extra to have a custom belt cut on a curve, made for me... back before I go into leather work. It was made by Erik Little of Rafter L, leather, Buffalo Wyoming. He is, or was, a member on this forum, I believe. He also introduced me to the idea of seven holes, spaced 3/4" apart, rather than the traditional 5 holes, spaced at 1". It was a great belt, but I make my own now! nick

Nice project. It looks great! So, how did you fix this? USMC Black gives a very deep black but it leaves a great deal of particulate on top of the leather. It must be buffed off before further treatment and it takes a great deal of work, feeling like it will never end. Fiebing's Pro Oil should also be buffed after applying, but there will be very little rub-off. Also, you may notice that USMC Black and all of the non-oil dyes really tend to dry out your leather and make it very stiff. Sometimes this can be an advantage, as in a holster that needs to maintain it's shape. Still, I cannot put up with the rub-off with those dyes... drives me nuts. BTW, the general rule of thumb on applying any kind of liquid top-coat is to go with very thin applications. You can do multiple applications but make sure they are thin, every time. You could use neutral shoe polish and not have to worry about it. nick

That is ingenious!

Well, I'm curious... did the vinegaroon work or not? Did it blacken the leather at all? nick

I think that you would be wasting your money on another set of chisels. There is nothing to be gained by it. They all have the same problem with sticking in the leather. Just suffer with the ones that you already own. We all do! Polishing seems to help a little but not as much as you would hope. Same with bee's wax. I am usually going through two layers of leather that add up to 8mm thickness, and that is right to the top of the tines of the chisel. I put wax on the tips of the tines, tap the chisel in about half-way, take it out, wax it again and then go all the way through. Using a wood block helps but even with that, if I didn't wiggle the tool to get it out, I would never get it out. The only way to make it easier is to use chisels with fewer tines. I would not even think about using a chisel with more than four tines. But that is from an old man who doesn't have much grip strength any more, YMMV. nick

LOVE IT! Gorgeous! Man, I really envy your skills.

All Hand Stitched... amazing... Auto CAD... even more amazing! Love your brand "Barely Civilized". Very nice.

BTW, a good resource for some of the things that we use, like belt loops, various hardware, gun molds, vacuum presses, mechanical presses and foams, can be sourced from www.knifekits.com nick

Which finish or top coat to use is a long standing debate. The ingredients seem to be a secret and none of them have the degree of water proofing that we really would like to have. I use Satin Shene. It is not as glossy as Resolene but you will have to do your own experiments to determine what is best for you. Looking at that dauber in the top pic makes me think that you put the Tan Kote on too thick. Thin coats work best with these products. Air brushing seems to be the best method but I have never used it. If you cannot use an air brush, probably the next best thing is a lint-free cotton cloth, like an old t-shirt. I just wrap one layer of cloth around my fingers, trying to avoid over-loading the liquid. Apply a thin coat of the product and wait for it to dry before adding another (if needed). Buff. Some people just use neutral shoe polish. I have never tried it, thinking that it would not be a lasting finish. BTW, the leather around the belt loops is looking rather thin. I think I would want at least 1/4" or preferably, 3/8" around that area. This is going to be carrying the weight of the gun and is therefore important to the integrity of the holster. That is the wear point of the holster. It must hold up to the tension of the belt. This looks like it was made for a Taurus Judge, which is a big, heavy gun. Keep in mind the size of the weapon when making design decisions. It will dictate how thick the leather should be, and whether you might double-stitch it, etc. You still need to bring your stitching in closer to the gun. Look at other maker's work to get a feel for what you should be doing. nick