Tiara

Hi Chief, You of course are right also. Stitching and lacing are the next skills I plan on practicing. I started out 2 months ago with a plan to make a decorative trim for a custom drum with a tie dye skin. Since anything worth doing is worth overdoing, as soon as I realized I didn't want that trim to look shoddy on a good quality drum, I had to delve more deeply into leather than i had originally planned. I did manage to get some snake skin dyed a fairly close match in color. But oiled it so much that I couldn't get glue or seam tape to hold long enough to stitch or lace on the small practice pieces. I'd gotten a couple of other skins already dyed sent in error and chose to buy them also to make some belts with. I soon realized I needed to work up to projects that large in stages. I did stitch a couple of Tandy kits for a sheath and cell phone with snake skin glued in place and then stitched through the pre-punched leather. I erred in a few spots on the gluing and lining up correctly and decided to practice on that more prior to trying stitching again. With the cuffs and hair pins, there shouldn't be much flexing or a lot of sustained friction. I did use Weldwood and roughened the smooth areas prior to gluing on the thicker skins. Seam tape to hold the thin cobra and whipsnake to the metal long enough to have leather cement set. I don't want to glue the trim directly to the drum in case I need to readjust the drum skin or decide I want to change the trim. I may switch to caiman belly or backstrap as the ridges will prevent the drum from sliding--it's a bodhran played resting on my leg with one hand applying pressure on the inside for tonal change. This drum is light enough that it is twisting easily. No matter what I choose, I plan on stitching to a smooth backing leather and possibly velcro under to hold in place. I'm also making some custom grips for the drumsticks, aka as tippers or beaters. The thin cobra glued to the shaft has enough texture from the fine scales to keep a soft grip and not have the tipper slip. The cuffs and such are ways to use the scraps and in time make some better accessories. I appreciate very much the time and information members share on forums such as this. Thanks to you both!

Hi Chief, You of course are right also. Stitching and lacing are the next skills I plan on practicing. I started out 2 months ago with a plan to make a decorative trim for a custom drum with a tie dye skin. Since anything worth doing is worth overdoing, as soon as I realized I didn't want that trim to look shoddy on a good quality drum, I had to delve more deeply into leather than i had originally planned. I did manage to get some snake skin dyed a fairly close match in color. But oiled it so much that I couldn't get glue or seam tape to hold long enough to stitch or lace on the small practice pieces. I'd gotten a couple of other skins already dyed sent in error and chose to buy them also to make some belts with. I soon realized I needed to work up to projects that large in stages. I did stitch a couple of Tandy kits for a sheath and cell phone with snake skin glued in place and then stitched through the pre-punched leather. I erred in a few spots on the gluing and lining up correctly and decided to practice on that more prior to trying stitching again. With the cuffs and hair pins, there shouldn't be much flexing or a lot of sustained friction. I did use Weldwood and roughened the smooth areas prior to gluing on the thicker skins. Seam tape to hold the thin cobra and whipsnake to the metal long enough to have leather cement set. I don't want to glue the trim directly to the drum in case I need to readjust the drum skin or decide I want to change the trim. I may switch to caiman belly or backstrap as the ridges will prevent the drum from sliding--it's a bodhran played resting on my leg with one hand applying pressure on the inside for tonal change. This drum is light enough that it is twisting easily. No matter what I choose, I plan on stitching to a smooth backing leather and possibly velcro under to hold in place. I'm also making some custom grips for the drumsticks, aka as tippers or beaters. The thin cobra glued to the shaft has enough texture from the fine scales to keep a soft grip and not have the tipper slip. The cuffs and such are ways to use the scraps and in time make some better accessories. I appreciate very much the time and information members share on forums such as this. Thanks to you both!

Thanks Mike, You are right. The edges are rough. I need to start stitching and doing my own punching and lacing for other items. Rounding edges, beveling and being more precise all around will improve the edges and overall look. This is good for me as fine detail work like this is a challenge for me. My handwriting is terrible as well as such things as drawing. I'm learning a good deal about leather, adhesives, adjusting for various thickness of materials on the outside or inside of the cuffs, effects of dyes plus finish as the color shifts enough between wet and dry that aiming for my final color is a guesstimate. I'll keep working on improving the details that are rough. I'm also examining the belts, jackets, shoes, wallets I own for details on sewing, hardware, edges and finishes. The quality of the workmanship varies a great deal. The best workmanship I've looked at has been my sweetheart's old baseball glove. Made in the 50's, used for years and needed another oiling. As I applied the leather treatment, I noticed how well stitched it was, the quality of the leather in different parts, the thin areas that had to flex, thick padded areas, and still in great shape. A good saddle is a thing to admire also.

a few more

Having keyboard trouble on the computer that the pix were stored in. The fish/gator I didn't dye, just covered a metal cuff blank with the fish skin and attached the gator diamond. The caman and color shift green/yellow cobra I dyed and finished. The color shift was done with Pearl EX green/yellow pigment lightly mixed with acrylic base diluted with water. The green shows more on the dark areas and the yellows on the lighter. Basic background colors are shades of green and yellow with the black markings. Another pic will show the original colors. The caiman was a naked light tan before dyeing and finishing.

In the past weeks I've been trying a basic cuff and dyeing and adding some metallic or colorshift hilites. I'm very new and feedback appreciated These are gifts for family and friends. my camera was not giving good color with the overcast I corrected as close as I could,

Wow, no wonder the stuff gets to me so quickly. I would have to leave the Y early the evenings they did the floors with it as I reacted so badly to it. I suggested they change to other products but no luck. Thanks again to everyone for the information.

This shop on Etsy seems to have a broad variety of color and finishes. Price isn't bad and has some discounts, combined shipping and such. I've got an order in and will post on quality when it gets here. http://www.etsy.com/shop/FineLeathers?ref=seller_info

Thanks, I appreciate knowing what products to steer clear of unless critical.

The odor free RTC sounds good for no odors that might make me feel off. Does the Fiebings institutional finish have much chemical odor? Thank you both for giving me some alternatives to try.

I tried the mop n glo diluted 50/50 with water in a sprayer. The first time it was lifting some of the dye out but in some more archive searches I found I need to move the sprayer further away so it is not saturating as much. So that I can work around but not the odor. I'm sensitive to quite a few chemicals. This doesn't mean the stink bothers me. Chemical sensitivity, whether it is airborne offgassing, topical or food/beverage is due to low levels of the enzymes needed to breakdown and eliminate them from your system. I react to aspirin related compounds called salicylates among others. So no aspirin or aspirin class drugs for me but also too much mint or wintergreen can trigger a reaction. Chewing gum and topical ointments such as Ben Gay can trigger reactions. My blood pressure drops, I get spacey and generally feel bad. It can take a couple of hours to wear off depending on the degree of exposure. Other chemicals and odors can set me off. I went to a hobby store to find some supplies and within a few minutes the odors of plastic, the scented candles and such was making it difficult to remember what I came in for. And the Mop n Glo is doing the same thing to me. Even using it outdoors, if I'm close enough to use the sprayer, I'm close enough to have the odor get to me. I don't know if this is due to the acrylic or something else in the formula. Do all acrylic finishes smell like Mop N Glo or would something like Resolene possibly be a better choice? Or is there some other sealer/finish to keep dye from bleeding out and add shine? I'm dyeing some snake and fish leather for cuffs, belts and some other small items. I found with the snake I can dye only from the back, get good color and not get the bleeding I had when I dyed from both sides. I have some snake skins that came with a glaze and some that have no glaze, are very thin and supple. Both types take the dye from the back quite well. Using a damp cloth on the front didn't bring up any dye, firm buffing didn't, neatsfoot didn't, a beeswax based conditioner didn't, only the Mop n Glo. I'd prefer not to have to use a respirator. All alternative suggestions appreciated.

Thanks for the reminder. I'm impatient enough to try to rush things.

If I can get it to hold long enough to sew I'll be pleased. I think I still have some neoprene adhesive for my wet suit if it hasn't dried out. I'll try that and the weldwood on some test peices. Thank you all!

thanks for the info! I think I'll try some samples.

Thanks! I'll try that. Roughing up the surface with some sandpaper probably won't hurt either.

There are other places producing fish leather http://www.atlanticleather.is/en/products but I'm not sure how one would buy small amounts. Ebay has some odds and ends of various types of fish leather and etsy has a few more. How supple are the skins? Any info on turning crust into dyed, finished leather?

I suspect there is not anything that will allow me to glue some oiled leather on to veg tan but thought I would ask those with experience. Is stitching, lacing or some sort of rivet going to be the only options?

If I understand it correctly, crust is tanned enough not to rot but not dyed or finished. I am starting to explore dyes and custom colors on snakeskin and lizard. I was looking for undyed leather and happened to see this sort of crust listed. The need to stretch and deal with the lumpy oatmeal sort of look to the crusts seemed a bit more than I wanted to deal with. Since the company appears to be less than wonderful I'll pass on it.

LMAO! My late husband and I lived about 5 miles south of the Canadian border near the Osyoyoos BC border crossing. But we were at about 4200' not in the valley. The last residence with power for at least 10 years. Nearest place to get gas or groceries was a 40 minute drive. One friend who came to visit and couldn't live more than 3 days off the food she kept in her house asked us what we did for food, did we eat a lot of beans and rice or canned food? She was in full view of the kitchen which had a refrigerator, upright freezer, gas range, microwave plus a wood cook stove, bread machine, flour mill and crock pot. And had just come in from the greenhouse where herbs and some greens grew all winter. Plus looking out the window at the large garden. This was not a Martha Stewart type woman, she was a horse trainer in the Seattle area but clueless about how to live without being close to a grocery store providing hamburger helper and other semi prepared food. The house had a combination of public power, solar and generator backup plus wood heating, cooking and hot water heater. But my sister who is more of an M Stewart type, was afraid to come visit--7 hour drive, as she thought she'd have to use an outhouse even though assured we did have a well and indoor flush toilet plus a hot shower. Or be eaten by a cougar or bear if she stepped outside. I consider it intellectual laziness not to take the time to ask a few questions, learn about the world beyond what is on tv and your daily life and expand your horizons. But then I was blessed with insatiable curiosity and need to try many experiences. I still have all fingers, toes and other anatomy without too many scars.

Do you think that the facility actually did any of the processing? I found a video showing some processing at a fish processing plant in Iceland. Salmon and wolf eels. The fillets were sent through a machine skin side down that trimmed off the skin and the skins went straight to another company that did the tanning. It occurred to me that this company is a long way from a coast line. Shipping skins that far inland for processing rather than moving the processing plant to where the fish are cleaned and frozen seemed odd once I thought about it. I wonder if they buy the crust from other tanneries to dye and finish or if they are simply wholesaling from the tanneries. Their treatment of someone with money in hand and if they are simply reselling makes me much less inclined to buy from them. Bummer! a wasted road trip and with the price of gas now a double bummer. Thanks for letting me know.

odd someone would think turtle instead of lizard but some people have so little connection to anything not mechanical, electrical or plastic now, they wouldn't know a turtle, lizard or giant salamander if they were bit by one.

Thanks Winterbear. I've seen empty turtle shells and what looked like vertebrae. I guessed that the shells were part of an adapted skeleton. So the surface with the patterns is skin plus keratin growing over? Fascinating how many ways evolution has come up with to have some sort of armored skin from exoskeletons to endoskeletons plus scutes, horns, quills, spines, barbs and more. This vendor doesn't seem to be very informed. He had some snake skins up for sale that appeared to be cobra but listed as unknown species. How anyone could think that these were turtle skins though was something I can only imagine a person who has never seen a turtle in real life would come up with.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/115304339/leather-turtle-skin I haven't heard that there is skin under a turtle's shell but haven't cut open a dead one to find out myself. Somehow I doubt these are turtle skin. Ring lizard perhaps?

I find the scale pocket patterns on some of the fish leathers very attractive. I've ordered a sampler of some of their seconds to try for some small projects. When you take that road trip, I'd appreciate hearing about it. I found a couple of videos online about making fish leather. Taking something that usually was dumped back in the ocean and converting to leather seems friendlier to the planet. From digging a bit deeper on the net, crust seems to be something that would require a lot of messing with. From shaving off the rougher edges of the scale or finding some other way to smooth beyond that dried oatmeal look the crust has, stretching, dyeing and then finishing. I don't think I want to try to take a sander to some crust just to see what I can do with it. The thought of starting with undyed crust and trying to dye in a way to make the scale pattern contrast a bit more was interesting. I doubt I'll try unless I can find out how much effort I'd have to put in first. I hope to hear about your road trip soon.

http://www.sealeatherwear.com/dried-undyed-crust-c-46.html I'm interested in trying some undyed crust to get some custom colors and experiment with different finishes. Has anyone worked with crust of any type. Any info starting with crush and ending with various degrees of scale pockets, textures, finish such as silk or glazed?