johnv474

Many waterproofers darken, especially mink oil. Otherwise, use dye.

May we ask what it was?

Otzi, thank you for sharing. There is some great information in this thread. One thing I found iny research was something called British Museum Leather Dressing. Wikipedia has a good entry.

A good way to dye without using an airbrush or daubers is to use a damp sponge. In a pinch, I cut the corner off of a dishwashing sponge and use that. Place two strips of masking tape, sticky side up, on the table, and tape them in place. Or, get damp paper towels and lay them in a cookie sheet. Either way, line up the straps close together and press lightly onto the tape / towels to hold them still and minimize wasted dye.

I can't give exact answers because they would require calculus, which I do not know. I am not sure which part is obvious. Natural threads break under tension easier than common synthetic sewing threads. I would expect they would be cut easier as well. Of the things that can give way/fail, we have the leather, the glue, the thread, and, possibly, some other reinforcement or hardware like a rivet. A glued/cemented holster would fail first, then a stitched but unglued probably (depending on details like whether backstitched, whether ends face the opening or away,), then the stitched and glued, then stitched and glued and reinforced. Within those, leather type, tannage, thickness, and construction (eg rolled edge near the seam) can cause a wide range of strengths, and so can adhesive strength and bond quality, as well as thread type, sewing procedures, stitch spacing, thread tension, leather conditioning, quality and installation of reinforcement, the type and direction of the force applied to it at failure, etc. The range and overlap of those areas makes giving a numerical or specific answer difficult except in broad terms. I expect many larger manufacturers have done some stress testing to failure but would expect it to not be very available to their competitors. If you want suggestions on very strong construction, many here could make recommendations on how to overbuild. Being able to know how much each part plays in the failure may not be an easy or universal answer to find.

Thank you for the clarification.

Do you have the manual for this? It is free to download and that will help. I have tinkered with these but am not good enough to give suggestions.

That's a nice thought but the only way to access this website is through a phone, tablet, or PC. It should be pretty difficult to do that without relying on tiny, underpaid Chinese hands that are willing to do what American hands won't. There are some leather tool manufacturers in the US (Osborne and the niche custom brands, mostly). Some of the awls and blades are made of excellent US steel, but they are usually a premium. Forget buying any toolfrom Tandy or Weaver if US-made matters. Unfortunately, Osborne pale in comparison to what is available from Wuta and other tool makers e.g. Kevin Lee. My Osborne head and round knife are good, after I spent 5 hours each getting them sharp. My $60 Kevin Lee D2 head knife was just as sharp out of the box. For what it's worth. While I admire the thinking behind "Buy american" (even though this is an international website), unfortunately most American consumers shop on price, not quality, and so it is difficult to find easily-available quality leather tools for a reasonable price. I have to touch up my Osborne's much more often than my Kevin Lee, because he uses such harder tool steel and they used a softer steel that is easier to sharpen but dulls faster.

Do you still have these?

Not sure I understand the original question. Are you looking for ANY adhesive that glues leather, or specifically one that is called Leather bond? There are two main classes: glues (usually white and air dry slowly, and require more pressure or clamping, and often look like Elmers school glue in color and consistency), and cements (aka contact cements, which are stinky and industrial adhesives used, for example, to make footwear, etc.). An example of glue is Fiebings Leathercraft Cement, or Tanners Bond. Aquilim 315 is a water based glue that works like a contact cement. Examples of cement include Barge All Purpose Cement, Master All Purpose Cement, Rena Colle de Cologne, etc. Cements have a stronger bond but can be hard to work with. They are left to mostly dry before sticking the pieces together, then grab almost instantly. If you share what type of work is being done with it then we may be able to give more specific recommendations.

Leatherman00b, I suggest using the fiebing's Pro dyes, aka Oil dyes. They are alcohol based, but the color is oil-based (think ink) instead of powdered color used in the regular dye (which is kind of like Kool Aid with made of powdered color and alcohol). The alcohol is the drying out part. The oil/pro dyes offset that by moisturizing the leather some. Otherwise, use one of the weather conditioners that is liquid at room temperature. Lexol conditioner is a safe choice. Like with dyes, you want two light coats that fully dry/get absorbed before deciding if the color or conditioring level is adequate. Leather absorbs, but slowly. The next day the color may be lighter and less splotchy as it evens out.

The Chicago screws can be used to 'lock' the Conway buckle in place, even though they don't have the tendency to come loose, especially with tension. Just line up two of the holes that could aren't being used in the Conway buckle, insert a Chicago screw, and voila. In that case I would not use anything to glue them. Aren't Conway buckles used to make stirrups adjustable in length? In an application like that I would expect that holding tight under tension would be a critical element.

Where does it hurt when you use your swivel knife? Can you reposition that part? I have seen larger padded handles, such as might be seen on bicycle handlebars or a masonry chisel, that can be installed on any tool to give thicker grip, which may help also. The other alternative may be to alter your style. There are some people who follow a less-traditiomal protocol of NOT using the swivel knife to cut in their designs, and instead start directly with the beveler (next step after tracing the pattern). The swivel knife is saved for decorative cuts at the end. The thinking has to do with not cutting the leather and thereby leaving the chance of having a gap between carving and beveler marks... and that cutting weakens the leather significantly whereas stamping does not.

I am not an expert but here is part of the answer. If you use synthetic thread, your leather is more likely to tear than using a natural thread. That makes for a holster that will be stronger, but when it breaks it will be in worse condition (torn' plus more stretched leather because more stress on seams didn't break them)... which makes them harder to repair. It's easier to replace a few stitches than to fix torn leather generally. Every choice has pros/cons. When pulling apart a seam, only the first few stitches (plus any leather, adhesive, etc) take the great majority of the stress. The stitches further from whatever force is applied sense virtually nothing, until the first stitches break that is.

Lacquer thinner?

get a 3/16" punch, Conway buckles, and Chicago screws that are 1/4" long. only nuy solid brass or stainless steel Chicago screws, not plated steel. Conway buckles are good because you can adjust rhe length without disconnecting, and because the strap goes through it twice, which makes it stronger. Use the hole punch to punch the holes for the Chicago screws and also the Conway buckle. Use some super glue or Loctite in the Chicago screws so they don't come loose. A Conway buckle need not be attached to the strap, as it is held in place by the straps themselves. Use at least three Chicago screws anywhere you use them, because one is stro g nut will swivel, two will stabilize it, and the third is the backup for the other two. Don't use cheap leather or an old belt. Get some thick (1/8" at least) firm, stiff leather, like a piece of 9-10 oz bridle belt strap and cut it to what you need (using a razor knife).

Rubber cement will hold as well as regular envelope's gummed seal. if it needs more, have a few holes you can stitch through, like on a button. Thin Velcro could also work. Be aware that postage will cost you m9te because leather envelopes are not made to be processed in postal facilities. Also, don't be surprised if the envelope disappears after enough people see a leather envelope and decide they'd like one. Use certified mail, put the whole thing into another envelope.

One reason to introduce synthetics, which does not always mean plastics, is because they are way cheaper and way stronger. They also resist fraying way better than linen, which may not matter to a historical reenactor but definitely matter to modern consumers who expect items to look like new deapite years of neglect. Nearly all leather goods, eg shoes, are made using synthetic threads. Reasons not to introduce synthetics are because linen is much easier to dye, products sewn with linen are far easier to repair, for historical accuracy, because linen is so well known, and it is much, much easier on the fingers. Synthetic threads will cut you. Plus, synthetic unties itself too easily. Neither option is inherently superior, except in a particular set of circumstances and depending on priorities.

Small drawstring pouches like kids might put stones in are a great use of deer. Also, wrapping the handle for a bag, because deer feels so good.

I'd just apply Leather Balm with Atom Wax over the entire project, inside and out. After it is mostly dry, I'd use a rolling pin, empty glass jar, or a burnisher to slick the inside, as if using gum trag. That will help even out the color.

I don't know anything about wholesale tack but I suggest looking at Angelus paints. They'd work, even on oiled tack.

If it's stretching, put some low tack masking or painters tape on the back. Be sure your edge is just as straight as you want your crease to be. Otherwise, use a ruler or straight edge to crease along.

I use silicone non-slip stickers I bought from Amazon. They are, FWIW, way better than cork.

I use hdpe (high density polyethylene) 1/2" thick cutting board, which are those off-white, milky color. I would also use a slab of wood or a round cut out from a tree.

Kevin Lee Leather tools are pretty awesome for the price. Considering the cost of Blanchard or similar, I'd say it may be worth considering import fees as part of the cost. I bought one of his head knives for $60, including international shipping. Ebay.uk, for example, has several antique or vintage leather tools, which can be a huge savings unless they are collectible grade.