immiketoo

English bridle is great leather but because of the waxes in the leather, it makes it difficult for paint to stick. This is why I mentioned natural leather dyed black above. Also, regarding paints and the use of them on this item. There is no way to get the vibrance you are looking for from dyes. Red is possible, but in my experience, blue dyes almost never give that color vibrance unless you apply them thinned with an air brush. You'll have to experiment with that. Were I to make one of these, I would hand dye natural leather black, leaving all of the tooled areas un-deyed. The reason for this is because painting white paint over black dye is fraught with problems, and you end up with a crappy looking grey until you get to about 1000 coats, which is then too thick and cracks and peels. I tried this in my first year and ended up having to remake two barstools from the start on account of it. Buy Golden hi-flow acrylic in Titanium white. It is by FAR the best white acrylic available for this task. Paint your white first, preferably with an airbrush and then add the rest of the colors. Most acrylic paints have some translucence to them, so a white base will make those other colors pop. Do not try spirit dye on top of paint. Its a nightmare. I've tried I have also tried all the other paints available with a few possible exceptions. Tandy carries some fine leather. Their European butts are exceptionally nice, but they are a bit pricy. As to durability, Jeff is right that dyes are more durable, but the effect you want cannot be done only with dyes. You will at least need white and gold paint. Lumiere gold is a great metallic gold paint for those details BTW. Paint it over white base as well or you'll be painting gold a long time. Its very transparent. Now, for a strap, if you make your tooled areas part of the strap that normally hang straight, your paint will last years, however if you apply light coats and sneak up to your desired color, there is far less chance of your paint cracking or chipping. I have barstools in the field that have been in constant use for 6 years that still look brand new. The trick is proper preparation as mentioned above. Bare leather will give the paint good adhesion. (Never oil your leather before paint by the way). Once you have a good base, the other colors will stick quite well and not chip off. Here is an example of red dye full strength with white paint applied in the method described above. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Thank you! My fingers are very calloused now and look like witches hands!

I think Logis De Cordes carries it, and maybe Rickert Werkzeuge. If not, you can find it on Amazon.

Check out RTC by Bee Natural. Great product that should suit your needs.

I'm not suggesting they are fraudulent, just that there are many other vendors with established customer service

I appreciate that, but I am no pro at armor. This was a steep learning curve for me too. A bit of my techniques shine through on the armor, so it looks nice, but no matter who you are, these are a big undertaking. Plus, you made all the pieces. Mine is just a torso.

Nice suit!

That would be a hard pass from me as well. I can find all of those from makers I know and trust for the same or better prices. Much of that looks like rebranded Chinese stuff from Kevin Lee.

Truth. I have enough invested in tools to buy a car. No joke. It took me years to find my thing in leather work, and I am still learning every day. Bare minimum tools for that job are: Quality leather. Drum dyed black or natural. Black is easy to dye, hard to screw up. Hermann Oak or Wickett Craig Needles, thread, quality diamond awl and a stitching horse will cost you WAY less than an appropriate sewing machine. Letter stamp set, unless you want to carve your own fonts. Paints and brushes in assorted colors and sizes. Don't get caught up in the Angelus hype. Their paint is average at best for leather. Rivet setter Hole punch Glue pot and glue (Or a tube of glue if you like) Buckles. Good knife. A utility knife will work here, but a strap cutter is easier. Strap end punches unless you want to cut your own ends. Right there you have exceeded the cost of buying a bunch of straps form the guy who made the ones in the pictures. Not trying to discourage you at all, just saying that its an investment to get your work anywhere near that level. Especially with painting white on black leather. There are some steep learning curves with all aspects of leather work, but it is very rewarding work, especially for your buddies on the job. Good luck!

No kidding, right!? Pics man, lets see it!

No way to fix that except to go full strength dark.

Thanks everyone. Latino, this suit was made for a guy much smaller than me, so I can’t even try it on

Very fine work!

Thanks Eddie! I am having those right this moment! Had a little photo shoot today!

First, get the best leather available. It makes a difference. Next, use leather appropriate for the project you're making, i.e. bridle leather for horse tack, as an example. Once you've found what you like to work with, build it to the highest quality standards possible and then educate your customers about how to care for the item. Leather is very durable but with improper care, it will deteriorate much faster than with even minimal care. We sound out care and feeding instructions with all our items. Don't soak it. Don't leave it in the harsh sun. Don't store it damp or wet. If oil is needed, add light coats. No salty environments. Wipe it clean, etc. I carried leather holsters in all conditions for 20 years and a little care goes a long way.

I aspired to armor at some point too. I was just afraid to commit this many resources to a project without knowing the outcome. It was totally worth it.

Thanks, Rob! There are only so many ways to attach leather to leather. Ours is modified from what we know about historically because I have a stitcher. Traditionally they have been riveted or laced on to minimize the amount of work and time required to build them.

Nice work. I enjoyed seeing your process! Maybe a post with a little more explanation is in order? Thank you. The lion is pretty cool. Makes the piece in my opinion.