thekid77

I agree with the others, looks like the edges might not be exactly flush with each other, so try sanding them flush....one way I can tell if the edges are even with each other is if you take the project out into the sunlight, if one side of the edge is higher (uneven), the light will cast a shadow as you turn the edge back and forth in the light....you will clearly be able to see if they are dead flush or not (you'll see what looks like a little valley in between the edges).....this is what works for me, hope it can help you

with regard to wetting the edges, rather than using a dauber, which tends to hold lots of liquid, you could try using a Q-tip dipped in water and roll it over the edge to dampen it...this works for me, and the Q-tip seems to provide lots of control in terms of the amount of water applied and where exactly the water is applied (so you don't wind up getting any excess water onto the grain/flesh of the leather where you don't want it...just an idea, hope it helps ps if I'm burnishing thinner leather, I'll touch the Q-tip onto a paper towel briefly just so I don't over-apply the water

although I'm no expert, my guess is that there is some sort of lining material like a pigskin in between the layers of leather... here's my experience with edges...the more time you take with them, the better they look...what I mean, is that if you want glassy edges like that, you must be willing to spend some time going over the edges with a few different grits of sandpaper...I even edges out with 220 grit on a dremel, then I go over the edges with 400, then 600, then 1000....don't go to the next grit until the current grit you are using has "cut" the entire edge, and sand in one direction only.....after finishing with 1000 grit, I dye the edges. I take a Q tip and dip it into some dye, then roll the dye onto the edge....don't soak the edge, just coat it...then I'll take a piece of old denim and slick the edge in one direction with it until it shines. After, you can slick some saddle soap onto the edge, and repeat with the denim. To seal the edges, you can use a light coat of resolene cut 50:50....after the resolene dries, hit the edges with the wood slicker. Resolene will harden and seal the edge and help lay down any loose fibers....don't apply it to thick though, otherwise if the edge bend you will have a cracked plastic looking edge. The key with resolene is cutting it about 50:50 with water....comes out to thick straight from the bottle. just my process, patience is the key to good edges...hope this helps

thank you for sharing your experience Michelle, I may just abandon the groover altogether Thank you, do you mean that you put a crease in the leather with your compass? LOL...I admit that I knelt down in unspeakable frustration after I screwed up my last two projects hahaha...thanks for the humor lol, they do tend to survive through the ages... thank you, by guideline, do you mean a line scribed onto the leather, like with a wing divider? or an actual physical guide template that you can follow with the freehand groover? thank you!

Thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences!!! I appreciate it so much!! :D exactly same problem for me, i will try doing this, thank you great tip Bruce, I will be practicing that technique...thank you!! :D yeah tandy tools aren't the strongest and usually come fairly dull out of the box..thank you for your input I groove before I edge as well, I was just mentioning that before grooving, i sand the edges so that they are nice, smooth, and square so that the guide foot of the groover doesn't get hung up on an uneven edge...but my technique is poor and I still need lots of practice...thanks for the advice!!

Today I completely ruined two projects (card wallets) with an old osborne compass style groover I was so upset and frustrated I just felt like quitting... I made sure to get the edges of the leather nice and square, and perfectly smooth...I rounded off the corners and started to make the groove. Turnng these round corners seems to be where I get hung up. I have tried turning the project instead of the groover and nothing seems to work. I'm a pretty patient person, but it took me a day's worth of work to get to the point where I groove, only to find out that I ruin my projects Here are the routes I see...1). stop grooving the leather period, 2). use a creaser instead, 3). try a different groover (but I can't afford a new tool at the moment) Anyone have any suggestions? Im stuck...

Beautiful work!!! A couple questions...what type of thread are you using? and what brand/size awl blade are you using for your wallet? Thanks

Fantastic work Trevor, I'm inspired!!!

Hi friends, I have some 4-5oz vegtan that I need t( thin down to half of its current thickness...i don't have a splitter... I do have a disc sander though...not sure if it would work...any ideas, prior experience, and expertise are greatly appreciated! Thank you

Thank you very much!!!

May I also humbly suggest Ian Atkinson's tutorial...very simple way of measuring a belt for anyone, any size...he's a very skilled leather craftsman and very generous with knowledge as you will see if you check out his other videos on his youtube channel Hope this helps!! Skip to about 6:30 mark for info on hole spacing and sizing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpEmkRlv1Uo

Hey folks, When hand-stitching an item with a long run of stitching, eg, belts, how do you keep the line of stitching looking neat and uninterrupted if you have to change threads? or do you just use one super-long length of thread? I am curious because I have seen many hand-stitched belts where the part where the person changed threads is either invisible, or non-existent... Thank you in advance for sharing

I put a light coat of neatsfoot oil onto the leather while the leather is still damp from dyeing. The leather pores will be open and more receptive to the oil while damp. I noticed that dyes tend to dry out the leather a lot and I think that can aggravate the wrinkling... Let the dye dry completely, and you can add a second light coat of neatsfoot oil onto the leather. This time, gently begin to flex the leather and you will notice that it will not wrinkle as badly. Just remember, any time you flex leather to the extreme, you are stretchng it out and you will get some wrinkles no matter what, but the oil will make the leather more supple and less likely to wrinkle badly.

I can't believe that nobody replied to this!!! I love the design!!! I have never made spur straps before, but I really want to start making them....I hope I will be able to be as creative as you Awesome!!!

They look awesome!!! I want to start making straps soon!!!

I use a compact disc as a guide and make the cut with an x-acto knife. I don't try to cut through the leather all the way on the first pass, rather, I make 2-4 light cuts, one over another until I get all the way through the leather... The disc may or may not work for you depending on how much of a curve you need. It works well for the pockets of card wallets that I make. Hope that helps!!!

I went through the same frustration as you did a few months ago with the same thing...here is what I found that worked for me... Please refer to the first picture for a list of things that have been helpful to me: -Green Chrome Polishing Compound (usually available at any hardware store) -Paper business card with green polishing compound rubbed onto it (the card has to have a paper surface, not one with a glossy finish) -300-400 grit sharpening stone (this is just for grinding your starting edge on the awl blade) -600, 800, 1000, 2000 grit sandpaper -a flat surface, preferably a piece of steel, glass, or granite (not shown) Although the Tandy awl blades are definitely not the best, I have had success in sharpening them by using the following procedure: In the case of a new awl blade from Tandy (which are dull as a butterknife), I fix the blade in the awl handle, and go to work on the 300-400 grit sharpening stone using the technique illustrated in the second photo. Two keys to the sharpening technique from here on out that are ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL: 1. Keep each flat side of the awl blade FLAT against the sharpening surface (refer to the second attached photo) 2. Work each of the four sides of the awl blade back and forth on the sharpening surface an even number of times Once the edge of the awl blade is ground down fairly thin, you can move from the stone to the sandpaper. You will notice that there are lines (scratches) on the metal from the sharpening stone. Those scratches need to be gradually sanded away using a finer and finer grit progression of sandpaper. Any imperfections such as scratches, even the most minute scratches will prevent the awl from going through the leather smoothly... Starting with 600 grit, place the sandpaper on a flat surface (metal, glass, or granite) and work each of the four sides of the awl blade in the same fashion as you did on the stone until you see the scratches from the sharpening stone disappear (those scratches will be replaced by finer scratches of the 600 grit). Once you've done this, repeat the same technique with the 800 grit, then with the 1000 grit, then with the 2000 grit. Now take a paper business card, place it on a flat surface, and rub the green chrome polishing compound over the entire surface of the card (until the card is green). With the card still on the flat surface, you will take each of the four sides of the awl blade and work back and forth over the card (just as you did with the stone and the sandpaper). The green chrome polish is much finer grit than the 2000, and what you will notice is that it will provide the awl blade with a mirror polish. You will notice that as you work each side of the awl blade over the business card, it will leave behind black marks on the card. That is a good sign that the polish is doing its job and smoothing out any remaining scratches caused by the previous grits of sandpaper. One caveat: Do not rush from one grit to the next, or you will never get the little scratches out of your awl blade. The idea is that you make an investment in your time now to save time in the future. After you've finished with the green polish, take a scrap piece of leather on a flat surface, and work the blade in the same fashion as you did with the stone, sandpaper, and business card. All you are doing is polishing the blade. Finally, when you get ready to pierce your hole in the leather, tip the blade in some paraffin wax every so often and it will allow the blade to slide through the leather even more smoothly. If you can't see your reflection in the awl blade, it could be sharper. I am in now way an expert at sharpening, but this is the technique that has worked for me. Please forgive my explanation if the steps are difficult to follow. I would be happy to clear any confusion up if you just ask Good luck!!

+1 to Nigel's video

I was having similar problems with black dye as well...I was using the Tandy Eco-Flo Coal Black....here is something that worked for me: Dye the leather black, then while still wet, buff a thin coat of neatfoot oil onto the leather. Allow it to dry and add a second coat of dye if necessary, again buffing with a thin coat of neatsfoot oil. Once the project is dry, buff with a microfiber cloth. I found that when I applied the finish (resolene cut 50/50 with distilled water), I would get a lot of black dye lifting off. So here's what I did... Take an old piece of cotton shirt, fold it up into a square, and tip the bottle of resolene onto it. Then, tip your bottle of black dye over that (so there is resolene and black dye in the same spot. The key to application is building up thin coats of resolene with the black dye mixed in (you can blot or swipe the shirt on a piece of scrap paper). As the resolene cures, it will freeze the black dye where it's at. There will be some dye lift, but that is where building up the coats of resolene+black dye comes in to play. When the resolene cures, the grain side of your piece will be completely waterproof, and no black dye will come off at all... Incidentally, I discovered a youtube video which gives some tips and even pointed to the existence of a "black resolene" which is probably just resolene cut with black dye...this is not the gospel, just what worked for me...in leatherworking there are so many ways to skin a cat... Good Luck!!!

Another few things to consider: 1. Weldwood works great IF you allow the glue to set (become tacky, not wet to the touch), before bonding the two surfaces...I don't even think about using it if the air around me is cooler than 65 degrees because the solvent in the cement does not evaporate. The amount of time it takes for the glue to set largely depends on the temperature... The solvent in weldwood likes to go into that body and stay...try to use it out in the open if possible, and AWAY from any flame or pilot light, ie water heater...the fumes can collect on the ground and ignite blowing everything up. Others can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong, but just a little heads up...good luck

Thanks Tree, I have a dremel so I will give that a try...carefully..lol

Hi all, Does anybody have any suggestions as far as what to used to sharpen or how to sharpen a curved diamond awl (see attached photo) Thank you in advance for your help!

Looks fantastic!!!

Update...i tried something I didn't think would work and it did... So, after buffing a black dyed piece of leather, completely dry, I applied 50/50 resolene+water...i got some dye lift in certain areas...i then waited for the first coat to dry, then got a rag and tipped a bottle of black dye onto it, followed by tipping the bottle of resolene over the black dye on the rag...i swirled it around over the piece, darkening the areas where the dye had lifted and let it cure...i tried splashing the piece with water and there was no pigment rubbing off! Could this be the ticket? Has anyone else tried this?