lightingale

Good to know. Thanks for the advice, folks.

Looks nice, benlilly. Loving the twotone on the flowers. Now I'm curious... what do you mean "beware of the finish", Bluesman? I just bought a few covacolours but haven't used them on a real project yet. Something I should be aware of?

Luke... Nice workspace! I hope to have a setup like that someday... As for upholstery leather... I bought some recently for filigree belts/dog collars. It's brightly coloured, so I intend to overlay veg tan on top of it and hand sew it together.

Osborne awl is in. HUGE improvement, even though all I did to sharpen it was strop it. The blade itself is considerably thinner, which seems to make it a lot easier to push through than the thick Tandy awl. The one I got was this one: Osborne #144 Stitching Awl. Keeping the parallel lines, the stitching looked even with no gaping holes. The only downside is that I can't fit both needles in at the same time, but with consistent attention to which needle goes first and where the thread lies the stitches looked good. Backstitching was a little difficult (had to use needlenose pliers to get the needles through) perhaps I need smaller needles. I've heard people say the Osborne awl is "meh", so I can imagine what a difference a "real" awl will make over this one (Trying to save up for Barry King's tools first, gosh the tool expenses add up quickly!)

Dallas is right about it being a hobby, not a business. You can turn it into a business, although I believe it's a tremendous uphill battle to get there, especially if you're just starting out. I make dog collars on the side when I'm inspired, and I sell a few on the side also at an online craft store called Etsy. I just started about a month ago. I haven't made nearly back what I've spent on the hobby (so far made about $120 back on about $1500 I've spent), but it's a beginning and it will enable me to keep trying new things and improve my skills and my tools. My advice to you starting out, is get quality tools from the beginning, because the cheap stuff you get to "try out" won't work and will only frustrate you.

You're right about the angle... I should have had Ann Stohlman's book out for reference. Lots of things to keep in mind when it's not muscle-memory yet , that was my first attempt at hand sewing ever. I think I may mark the awl haft so I know exactly how to orient it for next time (arrow points up!). Good thing this was on scrap, and I'm too PO-ed at my awl to continue. New awl will be here in 2 days :D *edited for spelling*

Guilty as charged. I ordered an Osborne awl last week but it's not in yet... figured the Tandy one should be at least serviceable for learning. Guess not! Thanks for the confirmation. Geez, is everything from Tandy crap? I already scrapped my Eco-Flo (Tandy) stuff for Fiebing's. HUGE difference. The only things I still use from my starters' kit are the mallet, the modelling tool and the swivel knife which I'd like to replace with a Barry King one soon. hehe.

I'm still struggling to sew through 2 layers of 8-9oz leather. I have no experience sharpening tools but did my best on the sharpening stone as per Stohlman's instructions. I think it's gotten a little better but I still have to wriggle it to get it through, resulting in large ugly holes in one side. I've attached photos of my awl and the big sewing holes. Is my awl still as dull as a toothpick? I don't know what a perfect awl blade SHOULD look like.

Holy crap, Katsass! (Love the name by the way). Did you stitch 7 layers of leather together in that holster? That's really impressive! Good to know what's possible I need to do some serious sharpening!

Aha. I had a nagging feeling it was a sharpness issue... I'll look into Stohlman's book on tools to learn how to sharpen properly. I also ordered an Osborne awl, which will hopefully be an improvement. Thanks folks!

Thanks for the tips! I didn't know about Barry King tools until this thread. Wow, that line has many beautiful stamps that I've never even heard about! I think someday I definitely want to order some of those... but only after enough experience with the cheap ones to know which stamps I use most. Thanks for the link, Tina. They look like a great place to get a starter collection. Over time I can replace the ones I wear out with the Barry King tools.

I've been tooling dog collars for a few months now, and I'd like to try my hand at filigree, which would entail stitching the two pieces together, something I've never done. I've attached a photo of the kind of work I'd like to do. I got the hand sewing kit and a pony from Tandy, and I've been trying to do some test stitches. Even after sharpening the awl, I'm unable to get it through both pieces of 8-9oz leather. Am I just a weakling? Using a crappy awl? Clueless at sharpening? I don't think it should be this difficult... How would you approach a filigree dog collar? Skive down both pieces to make them thinner?

I'd like to get more into Sheridan style carving, but I only have the 5 basic stamping tools from Tandy plus a smooth beveler and pebble backgrounder. In order to get the most versatility, I'll need a lot of them in as many sizes as possible. At my leather store of choice (Zelikovitz), all the tools are over $8 even with my club discount. I've been watching ebay for the last month, but haven't had much luck there either, price-wise. I'm told to avoid the ones from Tandy for quality issues. Is there an economical way to buy a lot of stamp tools?

I make a lot of dog collars, and I buy already-cut strips of leather that are usually made into belts. I worked out the cost of buying a side and cutting the strip myself, and I prefer to just buy the strips outright. You get more choice (don't pick the ones with scars/cuts) and you don't have much waste. All the leather stores I've shopped from (be it online or brick-and-mortal) sold leather in strips. Mijo made you a nice list of things you need. Making a dog collar is exactly like making a belt, except on a smaller scale. When I started out, I consulted Belts Galore by Al Stohlman. It tells you everything you need to know, along with many carving patterns that work well for belts/straps/collars. Essentially, you'll need basic leather supplies (carving tools, hole punch, edge beveler, rivets, dyes, finishes, whatever you use for burnishing and cutting leather) and buckles and Dee-rings. A skiver will help you thin the leather on the part you need to fold over the buckle. Dogs are rough on their collars, so you want to condition it to help protect it against water damage. I apply a few generous coats of mink oil, which helps soften it (better fit and more comfortable for the dog). You'll also want to use a FLEXIBLE top coat (I use Zelikovitz professional top coat, and I've had good results with tan kote also). I made the mistake of using acrylic resolene once, which cracked and flaked as the collar flexed. Hope that helps!

Thanks for the feedback, folks! Good to see I'm not the only one with a leather spending habit! Yesterday, I went to the only leather store in the province (Tandy) to physically see where all my supplies are coming from. Heck, they've made a lot of money off of me already from my online orders! To be honest, I much preferred the Zelikovitz store in the neighboring province... they carried all of Fiebing's products. Tandy mainly seems to sell Eco Flo, and a lot less selection in leather and hardware (and poorly displayed in boxes in aisles), but I digress... The person who bought the collar actually requested it in a smaller size, so I made another one. The process was much faster. By "hours of tooling", I meant to include the time it took to sketch the design, scan it, size it, make a template for cutting the leather, carving... the whole process. The second one didn't take nearly as long, though of course I had to wait between layers of dye, mink oil, and top coats. And no, the collar was not stitched. I got the stitching kit from Tandy last month when it was on sale, but discovered while practicing on a piece of scrap that not only did I need a lacing pony, but some sort of tool to sharpen my awl (I think it came dull, as it's a huge struggle to pierce it through a single layer of 8-9oz leather). So, I just used the groover and the spinny wheel thing because I liked the effect even without the actual stitching. I bought the cheaper lacing pony ($25) while I was at Tandy, and I do intend to hand-stitch some collars in the future, as I'd like to try some filigree work. I can see how easy it is to just get "one more tool". Heh. $100-$200 later... and a few days later you think of another tool or dye or finish you'd like to try... Here's the link to my new Etsy Store, to which I've added a couple new collars. I welcome constructive criticism. I'm a newbie and I know you folks have been at this a heck of a lot longer than I have!

I just sold my first collar, and I'm ecstatic! I've attached a picture. I actually didn't anticipate a sale for a long time, as I don't think most people would pay more than $50 for a dog collar. My piece sold for $60 plus shipping within days of posting it. Could I be undervaluing my work? For the number of hours I put into it, I'm "making" less than minimum wage. However, this is something I enjoy doing and doesn't feel like work. I'm also not a master (I only started a couple months ago) and might be taking more time to create something than someone who has been at this for a long time. I also can't crank out a bazillion collars like some sellers seem able to. I'm not old by any means, but my arm can only take so many hours before it really starts to hurt! Us crafty people are funny, eh? Instead of spending $100 on a beautiful, expertly-made dog collar, I spend over $1000 on supplies to learn to do it myself. At this stage, at least, I'm not trying to turn it into a business. My leathercraft hobby has turned into something of a money sinkhole so I'm hoping to make enough profit to pay for my supplies. What say you? How do you price a piece to make it worth your time and effort and still able to get a sale?

I'm new to leathercraft, and have been having a blast making belts and dog collars with supplies from Tandy. I was looking online for inspiration for a dog collar, when I found these images at http://www.denicelangley.com/collarsbelts.html The scalloped edge with metal domes on them are stunning! How would one go about making an edge like this? Special scissors/punch to scallop the leather? Did she sew or glue multiple layers of leather together? What are those metal things... studs? Rivets? She uses this edging technique on almost everything she does.

Thanks! I agree that the dye is very strong. I did a test strip of all the colours straight out of the bottle. It was bright, although the blue and red got very dark. I'll try diluting it with some rubbing alcohol and see what happens.

I'm making dog collars, and I'm staying away from acrylic paints because they can chip and their opaqueness looks kind of tacky. I wonder if I can use a paint brush and paint with spirit dyes. Has anyone ever tried it? Anything to watch out for? I'm going for an effect like the belt in this link: http://www.johan-potgieter.com/ll/?cat=7

Hi Woody! After reading your post, I realize I could have written it myself! I'm also new to leathercraft and would like to make beaded, braided dog show leads. I have two Salukis (a bitch and a dog) and would have a blast making them for myself, friends, and maybe selling them on Etsy to make up for the cost of materials. I'm in Canada, so unfortunately Kangaroo lace is going to be very hard to come by. I ordered 25 yards each of red and black kangaroo lace for $52 plus shipping from Springfield leather. They seem to have the lowest prices but I don't know if it's bevelled. I ordered two books, "Braiding Fine Leather" by David Morgan and "Leather Braiding" by Bruce Grant. They should arrive in 1-2 weeks. If I had more money, I would buy Gail Hought's books: http://www.hought.com/brbooks.html as I've heard they're the easiest books to follow, but she wants like $50 per book (too much!). I ordered some cheap lace from tandyleatherfactory and practiced my first round braid last night. I got the technique down, but I think the practice lace is too rough to try any backbraiding. I also want to learn basic leathercraft and tooling to make dog collars. I mastered the art of friendship bracelet knotting as a kid so I think I should be able to pick up leather braiding with minimal frustration. I may have jumped the gun a bit but I already ordered some glass murano beads on Ebay (they're pretty inexpensive, check it out), but I'll wait to see the actual hole size I'll need when I work with the kangaroo lace. Some of the Tibet Silver beads on ebay look pandora-style that would work excellent on the show leads, but again, I haven't figured out the right hole size. What cutter and beveler did you get? I'm holding off on buying hardware as the cheapest beveler is $70 plus shipping at http://y-knotlace.co...show/cat:25542/. I'm thinking that if I really enjoy this hobby that I can ask my father-in-law to build me one. I also looked into cutters and splitters. The cutter can be built, or I can get one of those cute Australian thumb-sized cutters on ebay, but probably not the splitter, which seems to sell for a few hundred dollars (again, too much)! Let's keep in touch! *edit* I did actually find a guide on backbraiding kangaroo for a show lead, it's at http://myriam.dakotabraiding.com/Tutorials/Leash/Leash.html