silverwingit

1) As I have said in other posts, I am on a personal campaign against Gum Tragacanthm for the very reason you cite. Avoid it if you don't want your edges to crack and fray with use or exposure to the elements. Instead use Bob Parks' (hidepounder) method in the sticky section of this forum. 2) It looks as though you didn't fully restore the natural oils removed in the dyeing process. You should gauge how many light coast of neatsfoot are required to do that by testing on a scrap piece of leather. Apply just enough to restore pliability without saturating the sample. Apply neetsfoot serially with a piece of saddler's sheep's wool that you've trimmed to 1/3" - 1/2" thick. Apply a small puddle on one half of the patch of sheep's wool, fold it over and rub the oil to distribute it equally and then rapidly spread it out, avoiding prolonged contact in any one area. Rub the oil in until it is evenly distributed and then wipe it away with a soft dry cloth. Bend the leather ~slightly~, slowly and carefully and examine for any cracking or wrinkling. If you detect cracking or wrinkling, repeat the process. Understand that you cannot hard-bend any dry leather with the grain side out without it cracking. Nor can you hard-bend leather with the flesh side out without it puckering or wrinkling. Leather is just not that rubbery. When, for example, you wrap your belt blank around the buckle you should wet at least the grain side if not the flesh side as well beforehand. What I am seeing looks like you under-treated your belts with oil and then rolled them tightly against the grain side, forcing the surface of the grain side to wrinkle. That is inviting just what happened. Good luck and let us know how your next one turns out. Michelle

Bob, after all the praise so far I have but this to add. We all owe you a debt of gratitude for setting and maintaining a standard in leatherwork that we can all aspire to. Not only that, but you generously share your methods. hidepounder, you are a Prince amongst leatherworkers! Michelle

Some of it depends on the thread you are using and the length of run you are stitching. For example, waxed linen thread or even various man-made twisted threads can come pretty frayed especially if you are stitching a long run like a belt. You just can't drag organic thread through stitching hole umpteen times without inflicting a good deal of damage to it. That damage will show more and more towards the end of the run and by the time you've gotten back to the beginning it will be quite noticeable. Better to use several shorter lengths of thread and learn to slice them seamlessly. Man-made woven threads (e.g., Tiger) tend to be more durable but stitching a 44" belt asks a lot of any single length of thread no matter what it's made of or how it's constructed. Michelle

You are in danger of getting off to the wrong start. Unless you are a sewing machine mechanic buying a used one is a crap shoot. Take samples of your materials and test prospective machines before purchasing. Make sure all the attachments and accessories are there as they can cost a lot to replace them (feet, bobbins, etc.). Better yet go read and understand the posts in the sewing machine section of this forum. Tons of excellent advice by real experts. And, you did not listen to the above advice. He did not say a "speed awl," he advised you to learn to stitch with a pricking iron or overstitch wheel, two needles and waxed thread. Speedy stitchers are for quick repairs, not big projects. Look up Nigel Armitage on Youtube to find out how saddle stitching should be done. You are a member of the premier leatherworking forum. Learn to use it to avoid making poor decisions and correct the heading of your current path. Michelle

It's highly doubtful that you would achieve any acceptable result. You'll likely ruin your project trying. Better to learn to like the current color. Michelle

I'm on a personal campaign against Gum Tragacanth. I feel that it's overused and that there is always a better alternative. In this case its Tan Kote. YMMV Michelle

Ah, er... Gum Tragacanth. I hate it. For me, the edges can initially be made to look very nice, like yours do, Snubbyfan. But... My GT-treated edges do not last! With a little time, use and abrasion, the edge treatment starts to wear off and the nice smooth appearance of the edges start to deteriorate. I get paranoid about one of my pieces doing that on one of my clients out in the field. Bob Park doesn't even mention Gum Tragacanth in his classic method of treating edges. I'm certain he has a reason for that. Perhaps his experience matches mine? I use a slightly modified version of Bob's edge treatment method. Once I abandoned GT I became much more confident in the longevity of all the work I do on edges. Your mileage obviously varies, but I'd be very interested in comments by users of Gum Tragacanth. Michelle

You should apply your Leather Sheen or Resolene last as a final finish or as a resist in advanced dyeing techniques. The normal order of processes for tooling leather should be something like: 1) Case leather 2) Tooling 3) Dye prep -- moisten and clean leather prior to dyeing e.g., Feibing's Dye Prep or oxalic acid 4) Actual dyeing -- I use only Feibing's Professional Oil dyes 5) Apply light coat of 100% Neetsfoot or other oil to replenish natural oils lost in dyeing 6) Apply resist prior to applying antiquing gel 7) Antique gel finish 8) Final finish (skip steps 6 & 7 if you're not using antiquing) It's a rotten shame that you had a poor experience here. One caveat with tooling veg-tan leather. That leather better be of very high quality or it will not take casing, tooling or dye well. I don't know what options you have for suppliers in Switzerland but I have to be very careful here in the US. I've found that Hermann Oak is the most consistent tanner over here. HO leather is a dream to tool. Maybe you can get your hands on some. Good luck, Michelle

Thanks for the link, 25b. I just purchased a "LC Diamond Hole Punch PRO set." I'll be interested to see what the tools and shipping are like. The price was definitely right. I'll report back when I receive them. The clock is ticking. Michelle

It's great to have a proper work space! One caution about working in the garage, especially if you use a space heater. The problem is condensation. You likely have a fortune in carbon steel leatherworking tools. You heat them up to work out in your garage and then turn the heat off when you are done. All the metal in the garage will collect condensation, including those precious leatherworking tools. And you know what water does to carbon steel. Maybe you saw this coming with that tool roll so that you can transport your metal tools into a heated space when you aren't using them? Good luck, Michelle

Can I ask how you made the back plate itself? Carved and then cast? Lost wax? Just carved out of the block of plastic? I've done a bit of casting myself. It ain't as easy as you would think to get it perfect. Nice work! Thanks, Michelle

I have an arbor press as well. I set it up for my hand hole punches and rivet and snap setters. It was a marked improvement over setting by hand but using it was so clumsy that I gave up and now use it mostly with my makers mark. My arbor press is bolted at the end of my workbench so I have to get up, move my work and parts to its location, use it and then return with my work to my normal seat to resume work on the piece. Just too much hassle with all the snaps and rivets I set. So I got pretty durned good at hand setting. Still, I enjoyed the accuracy and confidence with using the arbor press so I bought the Tandy hand press. This is different because it doesn't have to be bolted down like an arbor press due to the geometry of its design. I can set it aside until its needed, then I slide it to my spot on the bench and bam! The only thing is that I do have to stand up to use the Tandy press. I'm not strong enough to do it sitting down. Quite honestly, I have no trouble any more with setting snaps by hand. It's those pesky rivets that can still give me problems when I use a hand setter. Often the length of the post isn't quite right for a give work piece, the rivet is just a tad too short or a tad too long. It's so much hassle to drop everything and cut one short, and when you do they never seem to work quite right. That hand press rarely messes up a rivet even if it is way longer than the leather thickness might indicate. And with its added leverage I can set a snap with a post that is so short that I wouldn't attempt to set it by hand. That's my own journey with snaps, rivets and presses. If I were to do it all again, I'd just bite the bullet and go straight for the hand press. Michelle

+1 on chrome tanned. Also, here's an idea that I've put to good use. Get an inexpensive side of upholstery leather. It's pretty much worthless for making anything but clothing or small bags but... I got a cheap side on sale from Tandy for $35. I've used it a lot for testing patterns, making prototypes and practicing various techniques. It has saved me yards of good leather! Michelle

Just a quick note about flames sources. You don't want to use a match, cigarette lighter or candle as they will soot up your creaser. Based on advice on leatherworker I bought a nice little soot-free alcohol lamp just for this purpose. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QDP42K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Good luck and please let us know how you fare. Michelle

Matt and Monica, Nige is great! Here is his updated "Saddle Stitch in Detail" video that supercedes his first one. I've watched it a hundred times and learn something new each time. Michelle

You might think about skiving down the part of the belt where the end folds over the buckle. Makes for a sleeker, more comfortable, better looking belt, IMO. Have you tested your lacquer finish? I'd be concerned about it cracking under the kind of flexing a belt withstands. Michelle

Whew! That makes much more sense. Sorry I misunderstood. Michelle

Have you actually ~used~ your horse? While I applaud your creativity and resourcefulness I would hate to ride that horse for any amount of time. I'd be sitting so close to my work piece that I'd have to be so hunched over to see what I am doing that my aging back would cry uncle in about 5 minutes. Often when I am stitching I need to back away from my work to see how I am doing. I'd have to dismount your horse each time I'd want to do that. And you can put your feet on the rung but I'd want mine on the floor to keep the whole rig from tipping over and breaking my neck. I hate to rain on your parade but innovation without practicality is an exercise in futility. This set up actually looks dangerous to me. My advice from here: Get an old short picnic bench or the like and dump that Walmart stool. Or just use your pony fixture like I do -- sit on it on a chair. And as long as I am throwing out free advice, I'd cut those pieces of the clamp that actually touch the leather shorter to give you more work room around your piece. When you go to stitch an object that isn't perfectly flat you will have trouble maneuvering your work around those long chunks of wood. Just trying to help you stitch and keep you out of the hospital. Constructively Yours, Michelle

I made one after Chuck Burrows plans out of red oak with a nice brass hinge and a plastic tightening knob (Cheryl's post; Wild Rose Trading Company). Cost about 10 bucks total. It's good looking and highly functional. I don't know what I'd to without it at arm's reach. Use it daily. Michelle

You don't need an oscillating belt sander. A regular one works quite nicely too. Michelle.

Pros like Chan Geer rubber cement their work piece to a thin piece of plexiglass before tooling it. That ensures the leather won't distort yet it is easy to reposition as necessary. When they're done tooling they line their piece so don't worry about the messy flesh side. Tape will also raise the flesh side fibers, so you'll just have to learn to deal with that unwanted side effect. All the pros I know also use a shot-filled bag to stabilize their work. My saddle maker mentor with 50 years of experience makes shot bags out of scrap chap leather. Stitch the bag inside out with a small leather tab sandwiched on the opposite side of a small opening you will leave. That tab will allow you to turn the leather bag inside out through the opening you left. Fill the bag with shot, invert the seam and hand stitch the opening closed. It will last forever and you will gain experience both stitching and making bags. Good luck, Michelle

After reading your post and the considered replies, I have a bit of a different slant on your issue. I think it is not the finish but your dyeing process. I use Fiebings Pro Oil dye exclusively, with fine results -- or I would change. In my experience, optimal results with leather dye can only be achieved if the dye penetrates the leather fully, through and through. It looks to me like your dyeing only the surface, which will not be protected by any finish. I think this is one reason folks like vinegaroon. They dip the leather fully and the chemical reaction penetrates into the leather. I do use alcohol to dilute dyes but only to allow me to adjust the final color. If I don't want a really dark shade I'll dilute 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, or 4:1 alcohol to dye to get the ratio that gives me the desired end result after I dye the leather. I do that by first prepping the leather well (I like Fiebings dye prep -- never dye dry leather), then soaking the leather with the dye, either by dipping or by heavy use of a sponge or swab. I dye both sides of the leather to ensure full penetration. My point is that any finish will only protect the surface of the dyed leather. If the dye has penetrated the leather through and through, the finish can wear off without exposing any raw, undyed leather. At least that's the way I see it. Michelle

Thanks for explaining, Abraham. Your edge treatment is so light and tasteful that it blends right in. Well done! Michelle

Abraham, that is an absolutely beautiful bag! What fine craftsmanship throughout. I am always faced with the decision of just how to treat edges on any given piece, particularly when it is lined. Often, especially with thin, pliable leather burnishing is not the best option. I am quite impressed with how clean and tidy your edges are. It looks like you didn't try to burnish them. Whatever the case, you made the right choice for this bag. Would you mind sharing some details about your edge treatment for this gorgeous piece? Many Thanks, Michelle

Thanks, Chief. I didn't figure you'd be making uncomfortable guitar straps. Some of my Mexican Round Braid work isn't as tight and smooth as yours, but I'm working at it. :^) Michelle