johnv474

Turn your leather around so the holes you punched are on the right. Or, don't cast your stitch. The cast flipflops which side is flatter. That's why your stitching looks better on the reverse side.

Instead of a different tool, modify your leather. If your leather is very dry, or less tanned, or dense, or if your blade is not sharp enough, it will be harder to cut. You can get your leather damp with water, and that will soften it, but it takes too long to dry in my opinion. However, if you use hand sanitizer gel, which is alcohol-based, you can soften your leather temporarily. Alcohol is used in lots of dyes, etc., so is used with leather already a lot. The big advantage is that it dries much faster than water. You will likely put a conditioner on your leather when done with your project, which offsets the drying effect of alcohol. This is the fastest way to get better results that I'm aware of.

There are lots of waterproofing options, each with their pros and cons. Most of them contain similar ingredients. For rugged, outdoorsy oil tanned leather, Huberd's Shoe Grease is really good. For shiny leathers, I like using something with wax, such as Sno-Seal. Dubbin (made by made companies) is also good. If you don't have a preference, the liquid silicone made by Atsco and others would do a good job at waterproofing. For a sweatband, microfiber or Terry towel can work fine. Some people cover the absorbent layer with a smoother fabric like dress shirts are made of.

I have made and repaired several postal bags, all by hand. If you want help finishing it yourself I can help. I can also do it if you really don't want to, but someone with a machine will be cheaper.

That is an entirely personal, aesthetic choice.

I do not suggest Tragacanth. It may have some use somewhere but I don't like it for leather. Tokonole contains adhesive. CMC does not. Either one will interfere with dye absorption, but neither interfere with glue or cement in my experience. I still sand/scuff the area I am actually gluing, however. If you use water-based contact cement such as Aquilim, then be aware that both Tokonole and CMC are water-based. Maybe that's why they work. If you use the neoprene-based contact cement (Barge, Masters, etc), the solvents in there will cut through most anything you put on the leather anyway. For a very good bond, use it thinned down a lot for your first coat, and let it dry entirely. That layer will act as a primer for subsequent coats. Either of those options do their job well but are not topcoats. They need Resolene or something else when the project is done. I recently used CMC and glue to smooth pebbled kidskins, then stacked them four thick. I let the glue dry under some pressure. When cut, you could see the dark/light striped effect and there were no gaps. They burnished beautifully. I'll see if I still have any.

You can use a layer of stiffer leather or something like foam. Don't use paper products like cardboard or posterboard because they won't last. I prefer to use leather. If a panel isn't stiff enough I just fold the leather over on itself to double the thickness. If that isn't an option, I use another leather material (it doesn't matter if it's suede, split, or whatever. I don't use bonded leather because I wouldn't know where to buy it anyway). You can also buy Cordura, polypropylene or nylon (like they make backpacks and their straps from) or even cotton canvas. A layer glued between layers of leather will stiffen it somewhat, as well as preventing stretch. If you want to use foam (the lightweight option), then you probably want to use EVA foam. This is what they make flipflops from. EVA is sold, among other places, at places that supply shoe repair materials. This comes in thickness down to about 1/16th of an inch, but 1/8 inch thick (called "6 iron" for this foam) is much easier to find. A 16x24 sheet should cost about $11. This foam is compatible with other materials used in shoes, such as leather, cork, etc., and can be glued or sanded. EVA foam comes in various densities: regular, extra firm, and light aka cloud. Regular would serve for nearly everything unless you were making hardsided briefcases (which often have wood in them). They also sell leatherboard, which is recycled leather glued together like bologna. That is the MDF equivalent of leather. I don't avoid it, but EVA is cheaper. If 1/8 inch is too thick, then I would look for cheapo cutting boards from discount stores that are a hard plastic. They don't glue easily but you can glue the leather all around them and have the stiffener held in place that way.

If you want the short answer, then skip the idea of lightening the leather by stripping it and re-dyeing. That would be a job best left to specialist professionals--not just professionals, specialist professionals. If you do not mind having the leather an even color throughout, then you can use Leather Refinish by Wood-N-Stuff. These are a highly flexible surface dye (think 'paint') made specifically for the purpose of recoloring leather. You NEED to buy the prep, which helps with adhesion. Wipe down the couch with prep, then use a sponge dauber to apply the Leather Refinish in overlapping circles. Don't aim for full coverage on the first coat. Let the couch sit for at least a few hours between coats (you need at least two). A couch like this can be done in one day by a beginner, with about 2 hours of actual work and lots of time watching paint dry (prep, paint, wait, paint, wait, etc.). If you can paint a wall you can do it. It's fairly easy and if it needs touched up sometime that is easy too. It costs about $20 per seat cushion, so a 3 person couch would cost about 60 bucks or so. If you later decide you want a different color you can paint over it.

All dyes are translucent and are affected by the color underneath. As veg tan leather darkens (naturally, with exposure to the sun, etc.), the colors will darken. This is part of the process of developing a patina. You can't have something with a true patina that also looks brand new. If you move to paint aka surface dye, paint is much more opaque and will provide an even coat that will change color much less over time. However, you can't have something painted and also see through it to the grain of the leather. If you want to use dyes, try this: To slow the process, dye your work, and then use two coats of diluted Resolene (half water, half Resolene). Though not explicitly listed as having UV resistance, Resolene protects the colors from fading and the leather from darkening. It slows this process, but does not stop it. Resolene can also be sprayed. In all cases, dilute it first.

Tha bang-for-the-buck option is CMC. Tokonole is a better and pricier option. The latter likely contains the former. CMC is available as a powder in bakery/restaurant supply shop because it is a thickener for cake frosting. If there are tons of long, loose fibers it might take some shaving or sanding to remove them first. That might not be required but makes for less work later. I used this stuff (CMC) to take a piece of pebbled kidskin, smooth the back and front, and it wound up looking a bit like shell cordovan. I jokingly called it 'practice cordovan'. The process was to put my leather on something very flat (stone or thick glass), slather on CMC and then use a glass slicker and lots of pressure to 'glaze' the leather. A stone rolling pin would probably be a good choice. An empty glass jelly jar (with no bumps) would be the improvise-it method.

Something that can help with the line between layers remaining in the center is to paste/flatten the back near the edge. Tokonole (better) or CMC (far cheaper) are both good for this. After applying, wait a few seconds and then compress with a bone folder or something else smooth. Obviously, don't bevel the backside. By compressing the fibers, some of the loose small ones won't want to cross the centerline.

The most profit? Things you can make with very few materials, quickly, and that appeal to certain people. Example: earrings and bracelets. This is why there are a million people making them. If you are not in those circles, though, you might not know what will appeal to those buyers. Example: repairs. All leather goods need repair eventually. Many of those repairs are labor intensive but do not require much in materials. However they eventually require machinery, and it ain't cheap. Example: niche gear, such as harmonica cases, or tool belts for specific trades, or leather fire buckets. However, if you are not in those circles, you may not know what appeals to the buyer. Example: personalization. A person with a laser could do a lot, if you have a good one and know how to use it. These give some specific examples, but is still general enough to maybe give some ideas. Even if I knew of a secret niche product that sells like hotcakes, that could change next month or next year. Likewise, if I spent 20 years working my way up into finding the best products for ME to make in my region and my customers, in the meantime just barely making a living, I am not sure I would want to give away the result of all of those years of work and point out where to dig to get the most gold just because an excited new prospector doesn't want to waste his time... especially if he asked in a demanding way. I set myself up for other upstart prospectors to dig all the land around my mines, then rush off to the next adventure, and leave me on barren land, high and dry. This is why people who have figured it out don't always want to share. Consider those last points. Imagine demanding that fellow stockbrokers tell you which are the best stocks to invest in, during the first week. Lastly, I will say that there is ALWAYS room at the very highest end of the market because some people always shop for the best, because cost is not the primary factor. A person could make handmade baseballs and sell them for $200 each to certain people, but you better make them awesome, and you better know what appeals to those people. There is also always space at the bottom, for the cheapest goods out there, but you better be able to crank them out faster than foreign children can. You can't compete with $30 leather(ish) dress shoes, for example, but some items like belts and wallets always sell if the price is fair. I would suggest looking into leatherwork as a hobby that can help pay for itself, and if your things start selling faster than you can make them, even if you raise your prices, then consider making more and more. However, there are lots of others who enjoy working with leather who will spend hours on something, only to sell it for a few dollars more than the materials. Hobbyists who price too low are one of the bigger obstacles for people who want to rely on leatherwork as a profession. (In other words, make something it would be difficult for beginners to replicate, and then you will have a wider audience.) Hope these thoughts help.

I would suggest diluted Resolene as a sealer over Tokonole. I suggest mixing equal parts Resolene and water.

Looks amazing. What would you change in the process if you used citrus turpentine as a solvent? Do you know of any product that would help preserve this product so it could last longer in storage?

If we are talking about the common 4 part snaps, also called durable snaps, then they are available with longer stems, up to about 1/2" long.

For anyone searching who finds this post, Burnishing Ink is used for the edges of heels and soles on shoes. It is not intended to be an edge coating for leather goods.

Book presses can also be used, and antique case iron ones can sometimes be found cheap on eBay or in flea markets.

Lay down a 25 lb steel weight plate on the driveway, between the wheels of your car, face down. On top, lay a cutting board, like the 1/2" thick milky white kind. Then, put your leather and die on it,.then another 25 lb plate on top. On the plate, use a Jack such as the one with the spare tire on your car. Center it on top of the top 25 lb plate, lined up under one of the jacking points listed in your owners manual. It's real slow but it's about as cheap as you can get without stumbling across a used press for a steel, but if the pattern is intricate, still more repeatable than hand cutting.

Did you apply the leather balm with atom wax sparingly, let it dry, then buff or brush? It will not color leather especially, but it will give it a richer color, sheen, and depth. To darken, let it get some sun, apply some pure neatsfoot oil, apply mink oil (not my favorite), or all of the above. Natural veg tan darkens quickly under those circumstances. Or, strip it with color preparer, spot remover, or deglazer and then dye it, but if you do, be sure to condition it with something along the way. Oil dyes penetrate better and more evenly,.and don't add to the drying effect of the strippers listed above.

I use side cut pliers--the red handled Osborne one I use for copper rivets--and needle nose pliers to pry up the back of the petals and then pinch/pull the rivet put from the from with the pliers. That, or cut them in half with side cuts after getting under them with pliers. These are called tubular rivets, in case you search YouTube for removal instructions.

If it is heavily waxed, the color is probably in the wax and less so in the thread. Cleaning with saddle soap should help, then buffing or brushing lightly when dry.

A feathering tool.

I have one at work. I believe the main column is 2 inches. The handle is 1 inch diameter and the threads at the top is 3/4" diameter. These are estimates but close ones.

Not OP, but that looks amazing, YinTX. I have noticed several of your projects online and aspire to have my projects look so good. Cheers.

Note that there are.also solid brass double cap rivets. That is NOT the same thing as a solid brass rivet + washer, which look and function similar to copper, except they are harder to set because of the harder metal. The YouTube videos on setting a copper rivet will be of use to you to show the method for setting.