LeatherHead99

. I haven't..I just assumed they would not price match because the Tandy machine is a limited time offer only. Plus its a $100 difference. I guess Tandy is switching to a new model ( not sure which though) The Tandy guy said the new machines will be out in a couple of months. I will give the price thing a shot though. maybe they will meet in the middle or something. Their machine looks alot different than the machines i've been seeing. Seems their machine uses a leather strap as a tensioner and you have to use your foot.. Does anyone have any input on which type of machine to go with? Pros Cons etc? Thanks RR

I looking to purchase a belt embosser to try my hand at making some belts and possibly making a little money here and there.. I have a couple of questions. I've seen someone on Ebay selling different roller patterns , but they state there only made for the machine they sell, and are not sure if they fit other machines. They have a nice variety of different patterns. I would buy there machine, but the Tandy one is cheaper at the moment. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Traditional-Oak-Leather-Emboss-Roll-High-Impact-Poly-1-Wide-/380688187275?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a2c8bf8b Does any have any experience with these roll and know if they fit the Tandy Roller? I looking to buy the Tandy roller before the sale ends on the 15th. Here is a link to there website that sells the embossing machine. http://www.bunkhousetools.com Any help would be appreciated. thanks

I want to try to make a pair of suspenders using English Bridle.(Tan or Black) I can only find one site (Zackwhite.com) that sells them. I'm looking for 1.5" minimum 52" length. The longer the better. Does anyone know of another supplier. I guess their prices are good, but I don't really know because I can't find any others to compare it too. Thanks P.S. Can English Bridle be stamped with a press?

I've been having trouble today. It came up one time, but I tried a few times this morning and the forum wasn't coming up.

Awesome..thanks.. ..That helps a lot. Im kinda glad you posted that other link....I had no idea they made those... I might have to invest in one of the dremel burnishers.. They look like they'd make easy work of burnishing edges.

Not sure, but I think you may of given me the wrong link. I couldn't find a demonstration of block dying on that web page. Thanks.........Man!..it really looked white to me, but I'm partially shade blind anyway. If I saw it in person, It would of been a bit more obvious to me. Makes more sense that its natural color instead of white though.. It seems like that would be a difficult look to obtain.

I was just browsing around looking for ideas for my next project and came across this on Ebay. ( the maker may be on this forum ) I like the look of the light impressions on a dark background. The white on black is a bit different from the typical antique look... Did he / she hand paint all those impressions? or is there another way to achieve this look? Its really clean like an antique would look after being applied, very crisp and uniform. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUSTOM-MADE-GENUINE-LEATHER-GUITAR-STRAP-BLACK-WITH-NAME-AND-SILVER-CONCHOS-/390551335615?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item5aeeac72bf

I just started out in leather craft and made a pair of suspenders for work. I thought veg tanned leather was all the same, so. I actually bought one of those belt kits they sell in a bag. I cut the belt and used it as one of my suspender straps. I used Tandy Eco-flo Professional black and the Pro clear gloss on both the straps. The other strap was bought from the Tandy store. I use the suspenders for work only, and the cheap leather strap looks like $h!t with wrinkles on the surface and cracks . The other strap still looks great. Both straps were treated with the same products and technique, just one was cheap leather.... Lesson learned... No more cheap leather sold in a bag.

I understand completely. But from the small pieces I just tried it on, it was not only very water resistant, but flexible too... I think MP is marketed for a different use, but could be used for other applications. You don't know if you don't try. If no one ever tried new things or experimented, where would this world be. MP and super shene both contain vinyl acetate. SS is 78% water an 10% acetate along with some other small ingredients. What if it were 10% water and 78% vinyl acetate? I bet it would be pretty thick and resemble a glue. People tend to be closed minded about certain things. All the companies do is slightly alter the ingredients and market it as a new item with a different name. Coke and diet coke. Same recipe just less sugar = new product.... No one can actually say this won't work, because they never tried it. I'm happy using super shene as my finish. The only other thing I used was the Eco-flo Pro clear. I thought it would be a fine experiment to try the MP on some scrap... The result just kind of surprised me, that's all. The thread was just to see if anyone actually tried it before and what their results were.

This may be the same wheel, it just needs to be watered down. No one is trying to re-invent it. It's always good to find a alternative product that can yield the same results. If Resolene is the wheel then what are the rest of the products out there that are used to finish leather for? There's about 50 different products marketed for leather that are supposed to be used as a finish coat.....Not everyone uses the same wheel apparently.. If this this can be used properly on leather then its simply just another tool that someone can use if they so choose. Mod Podge can be found in any store that sells craft supplies as opposed to the products made for leather. Locally I can get 16oz of mod podge for about $6. It could probably be thinned down 2 or three times giving you up to 48oz.. maybe more.. I have no leather suppliers in my County. It costs me the price of the item plus shipping for anything leather related. No one is saying to stop using the leather products. I highly doubt anyone will start using this. I may try it for a key chain or something that small like that, but certain not for anything that needs to last. This was just a simple discovery of the fact that this product seems to have the same properties as super shene or other finishing products. I'm sure the ingredients are very similar too. There's more than one way to skin a cat... as they say.

Here a pic of the mod podge used prior to feibings saddle tan antique liquid.. (not the paste).

Interesting.....I did burnish an edge with it, and it seemed to do a good job. The gloss it leaves has much more luster than the super shene. I did a Google search (mod podge leather) and saw where someone used it to attach a fabric to a pair of leather boots.

I have no idea if anyone has tried this before, but I thought it may be worth posting. I saw my wife had bought a bottle of " Mod Podge" for a craft project of hers for the kids room. I've use this myself before for other paper craft projects. I thought to my self " I wonder how it works on leather". I tested it on a few scrap pieces of veg tanned leather and let it dry for a couple of hours. I was actually shocked at how well it worked.It left a nice glossy shine on the leather. It resisted water just as well as super shene, maybe better. I tried a tiny bit of Feibings Antique on it, and it resisted it quite nicely. Its a pretty thick substance and tacked up in about 10-15 seconds. Once it tacked up I slightly moistened the sponge with water and went back over it lightly and it thinned the Mod Podge into the same consistency and look as super shene. I even flexed the leather to see if I would get some cracking, but it didn't crack either. I didn't do a rub test or anything like that yet. Disclaimer:: Please do not use Mod Podge as your final finish. I only posted because I though it may be worth looking into further. There's a ton I still haven't learned about leather working and I only tested this on a few scrap pieces, and have no idea how it will hold up in the long run. It may have some kind of negative effect on the leather. Or it may be the next best thing, Who knows.. I will try to post some pics of the practice pieces tomorrow. I have no intentions of using this on any projects, until I test it out further.

I only tested a few letters on a small scrap piece and discarded it already, but I found this website that has some examples of their floral stamps... http://bravegirlsclub.com/archives/17716

This is just FYI... Joann Fabrics sell these stamps from GCD Studios that are supposed to stamp cardboard items(i guess for scrap booking) but they also work for leather. They sell many different fonts and other designs. Joanns has them on sale for 40% off right now. I also found a coupon for an extra 15% of sale items. Each alphabet set runs $45 retail, but they're 40% plus the extra 15% off gets you 55% off..... not a bad deal if you want some new designs to spice up you creative abilities. I purchased two sets, and they seem to work really well. They don't leave as deep of an impression as true leather stamps, but they still do the job. The biggest size I've seen is 1/2"... These could be used for many different leather projects. http://www.joann.com/coupon/ The 15% off printable coupon http://www.gcdstudios.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=62 Here are they many different stamps availble. I don't think Joanns carries all of them.

The beekeeper sounds like a good idea.. I'll give that a try, hopefully they sell it in smaller buckets.. lol.......I thought of the candle idea, but I wasn't sure if they were different formulas or not. The store I found the $18 brick was Michael's Crafts and they often give out 40% of any item coupons in the Sunday paper.So, about $12 bucks an ounce. That seems to be the going rate online. I did find that Joann Fabrics sell some online and one comes in a nifty little clear protective case with slits cut in it to guide your string through.. The case alone seems like it would "bee" nice to have. Beeswax Container from Joann Fabrics $2.99 I wasn't sure if there were other options besides beeswax. Maybe a common household item... I asked because the pre-waxed thread I bought from Tandy seemed a bit dry. I did't have any wax on hand or beeswax candles. Thanks again

thanks for the info. Tractor supply actually carried PURE Neatsfoot, but I guess they were out of stock when I visited the store and gathered this info. I checked their online store and found that they carried it afterall . I called the same store and they had just gotten some back in stock.. "pure" Neatsfoot oil $9.99 for 32oz.

Is there and alternative product to waxing thread other than using beeswax. Only place I can find it is in the local craft store for $18 a pound..in the candle making section. Are there any other good alternatives that can be used? Possibly something you can get from the local hardware store. Thanks

Thanks for the info... much appreciated... So, the other items I listed.. are they pretty much for restoring / conditioning finished products?

I searched the forum, but had no luck in finding the answer I wanted. I'm new to leather working and never actually conditioned my leather before sealing it. This would probably be why the leather becomes stiff after dying and sealing. I've read on the forum that most people use Neatsfoot oil for this process... Which one do I use... the "Prime" or the "Pure" for this step? Or does it not matter? I don't have any leather shops close, and the only place that sells anything remotely related to leather crafting is the local Tractor Supply. The only thing they carry on the shelf are these 4 products and wasnt sure if any of them could be used for conditioning before sealing... Fiebings Liquid Glycerine Saddle Soap $4.99 - spray bottle Fiebings Blended Silicone- Lanolin Saddle Oil $4.99 16oz bottle Fiebings Prime Neatsfoot Oil compound $4.99 16oz bottle Farnam "Leather New" Easy polishing Glycerine soap.. $9.99 16oz spray bottle Would the Prime Neatsfoot work for conditioning prior to sealing or do I need the Pure.. ( kinda lost on this one) or could one of the other products listed work the same or better. These are just the product available to me locally that I know of at the moment... If none of these are a good choice then I'll likely be ordering some product from SLC or Tandy online. Thanks for the help.

I'm still new as well, and just tried to stamp a small piece of a black latigo belt. I skipped the mallet and went right to the Arbor press. I dipped the small piece into a cup of water for 2-3 seconds and then pressed it. It did a great job. I actually pressed it a bit to hard ( still getting used to it) but it left a nice deep impression.

Thanks for the info and showing me that link. I may give them a chance on a small order of tools and hardware..

I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with S&T Leather Company. I'm new to leather crafting and the only shop around is a Tandy store about 1 hour away in Winter Park, FL. Since it cost me about $20 in fuel round trip to get to and from Tandy. I was looking for a good company that offers items & shipping at fair prices. I stumbled across there webpage and the prices on most of the items seem to be fair. http://www.stleather.com/ Has anyone delt with them before Good, Bad, or maybe you can point me in the direction of more preferred store. Thanks.

I just started dabbling in the craft and only have experience in the Eco-Flo. The professional dye is what the Tandy salesman suggested based on my project. The thing I did notice with the few colors I've practiced with is the black won't show true black without a gloss coat. It turns into a faded black color once it dries, even after multiple coats. Not sure if this is the norm for black dyes of different brands or not. I was just curious if there was a difference in the Professional Eco-Flo finishes. I need something that's gonna help lock in the dye and keep the moisture out. Whats the deal with the Eco-Flo dyes? Why does it seem no one likes them? I did try a regular eco-flo dye that I bought on sale, and it rubbed off alot when it became wet. It did even so after multiple coats of finish. I tried the professional dye on some practice pieces and it doesn't seem to rub at all when the finish is applied.

Can someone tell me what the difference is between the Eco-flo Super Shene and the other eco-flo professional finishes? Right now I use the eco-flo professional matte finish along with the professional waterstain dyes. Doe the Super Shene provide more protection against moisture or something, or is it pretty much the same as the gloss / matte professional finishes. Thanks