Ok Lots Of Questions

[Ok Lots Of Questions]

First, I hate to keep saying this, but a woman and I are starting a business. She went a little nuts with all the holiday sales and bought a ton of tack for me to decorate because I was coming to visit her. I would so love to say where but don't want sued or thrown of the forum my second day I can post, LOL. She bought three 'natural' sets that are actually yellow, and two dark oil. They all came from the same country and have the same problems, well except the dark oil is; except the breast collar is a slightly different color than the headstalls. Her 5 sets were headstalls and breast collars. I think out of frustration, or maybe just too much browsing one night, I BOUGHT a black set on eBay right before I left her house. It was new and was the headstall, reins, and breast collar. I bought it for $20.50 but the seller left most of it in the plastic (which was too bad for him because had he shown all the matching basket weave tooling etc. I think the price would have gone much higher) and I waited in anticipation of getting a similar set to hers and kicking myself. I was pleasantly surprised by the tooling and the sewing done on it, BUT in places the black dye didn't cover the leather. On her set I'm working on right now, one of the yellows, it was pieced, and though not in danger of coming apart, looks cheap.

Questions...Can I just use Fiebings black dye on it all over to cover the areas that weren't covered? And if so, do I need to put something over that because i keep reading about all these problems with black dye rubbing off? Also I added a picture of blackberry conchos I made, carving the vine and leaves, stamping the thorns and adding vintage black glass scarabs as the blackberries. Do you like the look because I'm going to add one to the breast collar too and have to order the scarabs.

Now the yellow tack....I started painting it royal blue because I have some blue and mother of pearl zebra settings I can use on it. I let it sit overnight to see if the paint was going to peel or crack when the leather was twisted. It doesn't because I've twisted it every which way. Does IT need a coat of something put on it after I'm finished. I intend to paint it blue all over, then go back and paint white with zebra stripes on it in places. the pictures of the yellow tack I put on shows where there is NO sewing in most places. The first one shows that best, the second shows the true color better.

I may make you shudder (I hope not) but on my tack I actually wash it with soap and water and then put Vaseline or bag balm on it to protect it, but of course it's already had the other processes applied by someone else. so I don't know about finishing it off. On my conchos I use mod podge under and over the decorations so they won't come off and haven't had a problem yet, but it makes them rock hard and I don't think i want to sell rock hard tack, LOL.

Any and all suggestions appreciated. Thanks, Cheryl

[Same Texture On Both Sides?]

Kevin for us newbies, can you explain what you mean? like Bobby said he burnished the edge of a belt? and how do you 'bone' something? (I just found out what some tools like the wheely thing that was given to me a year ago do.) Thanks, Cheryl

See? I don't even know how I managed to get all those quotes to just keep going on and on, sigh

[Latest Slobber Straps Done For Christmas]

These are on their way to NM had fun making them. This Pattern I plan to add to a pattern pack I am working on for slobber straps.

Mark

Those are beautiful Mark. That's the direction I want to take the company we're opening instead of trying to make already made tack look good, especially the tack my partner got I'm trying to fix. It looked nice on the website, but man when it got here, well I'm going to ask for some help in that section while these projects are still in the works. I want to make them look the best I possible can since they are really pretty ugly. I want to start making our own tack instead of taking chances on buying things.

FIRST I'm going to go edit my interests, I thought those were for the profile page, LOL, not to run 1/2 down the page!

[Hey From Vermont]

I know at least one thing about Rutland, when you need a piece of granite, you won't have to go far. I have three reject gravestones and that's where I got them.

Kevin

And you know where I got mine when I finally realized that's why my 3D stamps wouldn't work? My partner in B'more gave me her granite cutting board :-) Cheryl

[Same Texture On Both Sides?]

All you have to do is burnish the back, just like you do the edges and it will be shinier than the grain side. They used to do it on English riding boots all the time, I think it's called reverse waxed calf. After riding through briars and getting the boots scratched up, you just bone them and the scratches are gone. You don't see it too much anymore because people are too lazy.

Kevin

Kevin for us newbies, can you explain what you mean? like Bobby said he burnished the edge of a belt? and how do you 'bone' something? (I just found out what some tools like the wheely thing that was given to me a year ago do.) Thanks, Cheryl

LMAO

Thanks, I try. ROFL

LMAO

Thanks, I try. ROFL

[Belt Backs]

best tip is to get better quality leather and leave the tandy leather for others to use.

on belts i usually spray on the dye or dip dye them. this helps me get a even coat of dye.

i have just started using herman oak tanned leather and realized that this leather is way better than tandys leather.

the herman oak is tanned in the united states(which is great for me). the flesh side is way smoother than tandys and takes dye better than tandys leather.

after finding out that herman oak is way better to work with than tandys leather i will nolonger buy tandys leather.

I mentioned somewhere else I wanted to start making my tack myself (when I say tack, I'm talking headstall, breast collar and reins, not saddles) and being on disability I'm not ashamed to admit that I have to look for the best bang for the buck, and that WAS going to be Tandy. (the herman oak is tanned in the united states). So does Tandy's leather come from China like everything else they sell? My whole business is based around handmade in AMERICA. Cheryl

[Permalock Needle/lacing Problem]

This has been one of the most confusing threads ever.

As best as I can figure out, the only difference between a life eye and a perma loc needle is the name. Here is a link showing life eye: http://books.google....0needle&f=false Look on page 171.

Both are round needles with a round hole in the end that is tapped inside the hallow tube so you can thread the lace inside. As best as I can tell, the only way for a layman to tell them apart is to read the name brand on the side of them.

I stand by my original statement: Round needles are for round lace, flat needles are for flat lace. I want to add one more line: Round holes are for round lace, flat holes are for flat lace.This seems so simple. I am guessing that a lot of people use way over sized holes when lacing, making it seem like the perma loc needle fits easily (holes the size of a Tandy kit for example). If I am mistaken, someone please correct me.

If you want your lacing to look good, use smaller holes, closely spaced together and larger lace. I have posted a few pics of what my lacing looks like when done this way (rawhide has also posted pics of his work in the past, he crowds his lace too) in other threads. I see lacing on some peoples work on here and do not understand how it can be so inconsistent. Lacing is very easy, but it also takes a lot of time. The two prong needles are crap. The lace constantly falls off them and just make you frustrated. Lok eye needles hold and hold well. From a pull on them and they stay on perspective they are at least 5 times stronger than any other needle I have ever used. A lot of people confuse lok eye needles with two prong needles, they are a world apart. I do acknowledge, lok eye needles do not last very long. If yo want to lace 5 different items with one needle, it likely will not happen. But they are cheap, just replace them.

Wow, I went to sleep and woke up in leather fantasy world. I just got my first sewing awl, the speedy stitcher, and even though it was old it had instructions. that I understood. I threw a party after I did my first lock stitch. It took me 1/2 this thread to realize what you were talking about, and now I find out there is something that LACES too? I have been making a set of rythym beads when I'm done with other crap at night, and have laced on by hand over 300 pony beads, plus the bells . I'm having so much fun here and learning so much already in just the last few days. Cheryl

[Same Texture On Both Sides?]

No it wont happen..........BUT YOU CAN LINE IT WITH THINNER LEATHER AND BURNISH THE EDGES.

Luke, what an excellent idea. I would never have thought of that. Maybe we should tell Star that he can do it if he uses a floor sander to smooth it since this is the second post I started to respond to him about, and he seems rather, uh, on the weak side of taking advice after he asks and gets it :-) If I ever ask a question, which I'll be asking tons, I want all the advice, good, bad and ugly. I really like your idea and may work that into a project, thanks.. Cheryl

[Best Way To Show Wear?]

Rickybobby, Thanks for the insight--i'll try it.

I think pretty much anyone who wants to actually wear/distress leather would know to do that...drag it, wear it, bend and fold it, and beat it up. I *honestly* didn't think the question could be misconstrued from asking about creating something ("...create a belt..." ) to be understood as asking how to destroy or damage (show wear) something. And my response was in jest: hence the winky icon. However, your point, Spinner, is made; I have to be very precise with my lanuguage. Thanks everyone taking the time to respond.

Hey Star...I'm a pack rat hence I actually have old, worn looking leather around. I'm making myself (well was until I got up to my ears in business projects) a belt similar to that out of a used, braided English rein. Do you have to use new leather as long as the used leather is in good condition?

[Hey From Vermont]

I did this once today and clicked on the 'help with attaching files' and of course my post went into cyberspace. The reason I'm apologizing is because of my signature. I realized after I actually saw it in print it might be offensive to people from other countries. It's not meant to be in any way and hopefully you support your economy like I'm trying to ours. And happy holidays everyone, whatever you celebrate.

I started working with leather over a year ago. I made leather conchos for tack. I have made some gorgeous conchos, but no one was interested in a $15.00 set of handmade, decorated leather conchos using only the best vintage materials I could find for decorations. I think I was ahead of my time . At least I hope since a friend of mine and I are starting a business. She wanted to build me a website for decorating a tack set for her, and I decided it was time to expand since in over a year I had sold a total of uh, let's see, THREE items. Two to her, she saw my conchos on a website and asked me to make her trail riding IDs. So now we're going to try and sell anything and everything a cowgirl might need or just want. I want to make my own tack soon, but have three tack sets of my P's to decorate first, plus right now working on 4 different projects so I can try and finish them up by Tuesday so I can put them on the famous VT. equine model, Sienna. (My hobby horse) I welcome all critiques except about her, and she doesn't come with any project.

I'm going to put a bridle of mine I decorated months ago because when I lost the first post I had realized I used the tool backwards to make leaves on a vine I carved, and think it's kinda funny. Anyway, I'm really excited to be here, and to soak up all the knowledge you can share, and will TRY to post pics without moving from this page

Bridle I made the leaves backward on:

One of the ID tags I made for my partner

Seeing some of the work on here I feel kinda like a preschooler with doctoral students, but I want to learn everything I can. Cheryl