thekid77

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?

Thank you all for the sharing your expertise!!! I really appreciate it!! I've been researching the subject and found out that black resolene exists!! Haha, news to me, but a couple of guys on Springfield leather youtube channel demo its application, and it seems to work...i'll give it a try ) Thanks again!!!

Trying to minimize/prevent black dye from lifitng while applying acrylic resolene. I am working with 50/50 Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene/water and Tandy eco-flo charcoal black water-based dye...I dont have access to an airbrush or I would just try spraying it on to prevent the dye from lifting... What do you guys think about mixing some eco-flo black dye with resolene to prevent black dye lift while applying the resolene? I don't know if mixing the two products is even safe, or if it will be effective??? Can anyone chime in on this? Thanks all

Good idea Tree, thank you I took some time sharpening the blade and that did the trick--didn't realize how dull my awl was getting lol...thanks again!!! Thanks everybody for sharing!!!

Hey friends, is there a way to get light colored thread to resist dye? My dilemma is that after stitching, the awl causes the light colored inside of the leather to show slightly upon exiting on the back of the project. Normally, I just dye over the stitches because I typically use dark thread so the dye just blends in.. Now I'm using light colored thread and need a way to get the thread to resist the dye... Any suggestions? Thank you in advance for sharing your expertise

my knowledge is extremely limited as I'm fairly new to leatherworking, but I've been putting leather tips on pool cues for years and there is one thing that I have learned about getting leather to burnish well.... leather almost burnishes itself if you are willing to take time and move through about 5-6 different grits of wet/dry sandpaper (500/600 on up to 1500-2000)....it takes a while to move through the grits by hand in a single direction, but the end result is that you will get a beautiful burnished edge...i do believe that the density of the hide also plays a role in how an edge will burnish, and if the hide isn't very dense, you may have to begin with a finer grit or something like 500/600 might just chew the edge up also, make sure your knife and edgers are razor sharp because dull tools will pull leather up fibers along the edge making it even more difficult to burnish... just my two cents...there are others with far more knowledge than me who I hope can chime in as well....good luck!!!

You've got to find Chuck Burrows on this forum, I think he goes by the name "WildRose"...he is the foremost authority on vinegaroon that I know of.

Hi all, I just wanted to let everybody know how wonderful a person/seller Bruce Johnson is. When I was first getting started a few months ago, and knew absolutely nothing, he set me up with a small set of tools (most of which were 50-100+ years old and still work like the fisrt day they were made. Bruce is a stand-up, old-school guy who has been an immense help to a beginner just getting started in leatherwork. I would highly recommend him to anybody who needs tools or advice in leatherwork. In this day and age, people like this are very hard to find. Thank you for keeping the tradition alive Bruce!!! Here is a link to his tool web site for anybody who needs anything: http://brucejohnsonleather.com/content/index.php/leather_tools_for_sale/

Great work!!! May I ask what you used to line the case with?

Hi Brandon, I don't know about oil dyes, but if you are planning on doing black on future projects, it might be worth it for you to look into vinegaroon...this will achieve a rich black with no chance of any blabk rub-off since it's not a dye, it's a chemical reaction with the leather that results in a black color... Find Chuck Burrows on this forum...he has written many pages on vinegaroon...if you can't find it, here's a brief summary of what's involved: Buy a jug of vinegar and some 4/0 steel wool...remove the oil from the steel wool by agitating the pads in acetone, then rinse off thoroughly...place the steel pads in the jug of vinegar and leave the cap cracked...let it sit in the sun for 3 4 wks....after, filter off the solution into a clean jar....to"dye" the leather black, immerse the leather in the vinegar solution...it will turn black....rinse off the leather, then neutralize the vinegar with a baking soda bath (tepid water in a ratio of 1/8 cup baking soda to 1/2 gallon of water)...swirl the leather in the baking soda solution for 10-15 seconds and no longer or you risk "burning" the leather...after, rinse off thoroughly with water....you will probably want to apply a light coat of neatsfoot oil to the leather while it's still wet and the leather pores are open (it's easier for the leather to absorb the oil when it's still wet)....let the leather dry thoroughly and apply your favorite finish.... Hope that helps!!! Credit to Chuck Burrows for the vinegaroon info btw that was 3-4 wks, not 34 weeks

no, it wont screw up your holes but if you're using a threaded interchangeable punch it can tend to loosen up drive end of the punch

well Bluesman, my apologies for misinterpreting your comment. I was just pointing out that it came off as rude, not that that's how you meant it

and to remove the punch, just give it a clockwise twist as you're pulling it out

Why would you post a question like this if you weren't going to follow up with some constructive criticism. With all due respect, this comment just comes off as rude, especially given that there has been no further comment from you

Ask Chuck Burrows on this forum...he does all kinds of beautiful frontier leather work, including chaps...I would assume that he'd have an answer for you. Hope this helps =)

hey Moody, Adam is right--Nigel's videos are so awesome...he has put up two videos that deal with the specifics of the saddle stitch...like Adam said, get on Nigels' youtube channel and watch all of his videos... if you have questions, ask him--he is always willing to help us beginners...in fact, most of the videos he has posted on his channel are video response answers to questions that people have asked him!!! By the way, your stitching looks fine...just remember that no matter what you do, do it the same way every time...lots of things affect the way that the thread lays, such as angle of the awl, how tight you pull each stitch, and also the density of the leather to name a few..

Wow, beautiful work...unbelievable the time that must have been put into the stitching alone!!!

Chris, i'm certainly no expert, and others with more knowledge can chime in, but in the future, I would lay the project down flat so only the edge is overhanging, on say, a piece of board, cover the stitch line with a ruler, and then burnish....this way there is no way to saturate the stitch line... On a side note, you don't need that much saddle soap to slick the edges...i just get a piece of paper towel fold it up into a square, and spritz the soap onto that, maybe two full pulls of the trigger...then apply to the edges with that... as for salvaging the current project, I have no idea...but there is bound to be somebody here who can help good luck!!!

Thanks LN!!! That's awesome and very informative

Great idea River, I'll have a go at that method