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I'm sure I got into using Tandy products the same way most of us did. If you're over a certain age, Tandy was about the only way to get anything to do with leather. When I returned to working leather (after a decade or two out of the craft), I just assumed Tandy was the way to go. Obviously the old Tandy is gone and "Tandy Leather Factory" mostly bought the name. I still get stuff from them and several of their store managers are excellent people and resources. Corporate? What's the cheapest thing we can get out of China? Sad, but hardly unique. I guess I need to find other sources of materials. You mention Springfield. Is that another line of product or a different jobber/retailers? Robert

+1 on the 3M water based cement. Like Cardinal I've done everything from laminate to veneer with excellent results. It isn't designed to be used in exterior settings (or that's what I think I remember from the label), but for most anything organic it's great. As Cardinal noted it has very low VOC which can be important to some people. Oddly enough I never considered using it for leather. Great idea! Robert

Bob, So you put Neatsfoot on before you dye? While it makes sense that wet leather could use conditioning, I would have thought that an oil would have affected the dye's penetration. I'm mostly using water based dyes so am interested in the approach. Anyone ever try to put a conditioner on after using super sheen? I guess the Tandy finish is supposed to resist things, but in this case it certainly doesn't seem to be doing the job. I'll run a test on some antiqued leather, super sheen, and then a conditioner and see what happens. Thanks for the ideas, Robert

Thanks for the feedback folks. I'm all for eco-friendly, but sometimes I think suppliers use the concept as a cover for not creating a good product. In my time I moved from oil house paint to latex and while I wasn't impressed with some of the early stuff, the current generation is actually better and fair easier to work with than the "good old days." I'm suspicious of the satin sheen myself. I've mostly used the spray on stuff that seem to work quite well. I'm afraid I may have to redo this piece. cjdevito - any idea if I can put a better quality finish over the satin sheen? Thanks again, Robert

Hi all, I've been using Tandy's dyes and conditioners along with some Fiebing products for years. The gel antique finishes have served me well for quite some time. My dyeing technique is simple. Tool, clean leather, dye backgrounds (and any other desired detail portion) let dry overnight, then apply antique finish by rubbing it on, then as it dries continuing to rub it removing any excess and "buffing" the color. After it dries overnight, I apply multiple coats of either satin of super sheen: 4 - 5 being normal with at least 4 hours between. (I live in the desert. Things dry very fast.) I completed a clutch purse that has a strap attached for one of my customers. I used my standard dye technique on it (similar to that which has been used on probably close to a dozen other clutch purses). This purse had the stamped down background dyed Bison Brown and then antique mahogany rubbed in. I haven't used the mahogany much, but it's what the customer wanted. For whatever reason the dye/sealing has not worked properly. First in just regular use (over the shoulder while walking/moving) the dye/finish wore thru to the leather where it rubbed against her belt/jeans. I took it back, repaired the dye in the worn areas, rubbed everything out hard, and applied 4 coats of satin sheen with longer wait times. Now she's reporting that the dye color is rubbing off on her clothes and has to carry the clutch in her larger bag which of course defeats her whole reason for buying the piece. If necessary I'll tool her a completely new one and not use an antique gel, but I'm hoping that some one here - more expert than myself - can suggest a solution. As I noted, I've used this approach quite a number of times (100's?) without encountering the dye rubbing off problem. She's one of my best customers and her word of mouth praise has been invaluable so while I make it right for any customer, I'm particularly concerned about getting her purse fixed. I've read several threads here about dyeing. Obviously there are a number of ways to do it. My work is all carved and/or stamped so there's no dipping or spraying taking place. Help would be greatly appreciated. Robert

Late to the topic, but truly beautiful tools. Amazing how most of the world has lost the art of tool making. Also very interesting is the many similarities between American and European leather tools. Not a great surprise since the one descended from the other. Some of the differences are also fascinating. The Spanish in the "New World" went in directions quite different than northern Europe. Walter, you have my admiration and appreciation for communicating so well in a language that clearly wasn't your mother tongue. I had a couple of years of German in university, but I'd not be able to do anywhere near as well as you have. Robert

Cheryl, Great idea. Thanks. Just got to take the time to do it. I'm still looking for a way to get brightly dyed leathers - red, yellow, emerald green, etc. I've, for whatever reason, had a lot of success of late with small items (say a coin purse or a key fob and other things made out of scrap) dyed so they don't have the basic "leather" look. Looking for ways to get a bright leather look.

Jack, I hope you took my comments about your photos in the positive way I intended them. As I noted they are quite good, probably better than 90%-95% of the pix I see people using to display their work. Your advice on the Canon S100 was spot on. It is an excellent "compact" camera (often referred to as "Point & Shoot"). Everything about it can be controlled manually and it can shot RAW images if you become interesting in post processing. As for your pilfered Nikon, I hope someone drops him/her in a fishbowl! I understand the problem of not having the room to keep a permanent setup. The pictures on your web site really are quite good. Of course the great thing about digital cameras is you can try all sorts of experiments without burning film and creating costs. I experiment a lot as product photography isn't really my expertise. Robert

Jake? Nice piece of work and a creditable pix. You haven't mentioned (as far as I can tell) what camera you use. If it is what's called a "point and shoot" i.e. built in lens/built in flash likely shooting JPEG, the only way to improve the image is to shut off the on camera flash and develop an indirect lighting setup. A "lightbox" is one approach. If you are using any sort of DSLR, then the addition of an inexpensive flashgun with which you "bounce" light to your work can provide one of best possible photo lightings. In this image if one looks carefully, one can see that the left and right sides aren't really black. They pale off to a sort of green - particularly on the raised areas at the left side. This is called "clipping" and indicates that a combination of your camera's settings and the light source is so bright that the camera's sensor can't really read the areas as black. This could possibly be addressed in a simple photo editing program by adjusting "color temperature" and "tint." Some shadow is good as it indicates texture but you'll note that at the muzzle end and towards the top at the butt end of the holster your shadows have done the opposite of the sides. They have go so far black that the detail is lost in the shadow. I don't make holsters nor do I work in single color items so advice is based upon knowledge drawn from my other profession of photography. You seem to have a light at both sides. A flash with its output bounced would even out the center of the holster yielding an all around better image. Also, I can't tell if it is "white dust" on the holster and the background or perhaps dirt on your camera's sensor but I see a fair amount of white specs on the background and on the holster. Both major computer operating systems come with photo programs that will allow you to do simple editing and improvement. Past that, Adobe markets a program call "Photoshop Elements" which is reasonably priced, not particularly hard to learn, and likely will provide everything you need to fix technical problems with your pictures. (There are a number of alternatives to Adobe some significantly cheaper. Any editing program will require learning time on your part.) It is fair to note that if you have no interest in photography and don't want to invest time and money in improving your product photos, I think what you have is about 90% effective and most potential buyers will find the pix adequate. I learned long ago that I can't master everything, so I pick the hills I want to climb and automate or accept the others. Hope some of this is helpful, Robert

I'm a newcomer here so take my views with a grain of salt if you must. I've been in and out of business for myself multiple times over the last 30+ years. I have periodically gone to work for others (principally in an educational bureaucracy) and it never turns out well. I guess I'm arrogant - have been accused of it more than once - but I just can't work for someone who isn't at least as bright and dedicated as I am. My tenure in any bureaucracy (governmental or business - doesn't matter) will be a short lived thing. I have several crafts and trades. The only one I ever made a complete living at was as a master carpenter doing historic restorations. It will surprise no one to learn that such business has utterly disappeared in the "Great Recession." I work in leather, wood, and am a reasonably successful photographer. Between the three and a fair amount of hustling, I make a living in part because I keep my cost of living very low. I'm not sure how to advise the OP as I could never be a "shopkeeper." I'd just go crazy. There are many times that my best work is done at say 2:00 AM thus flexibility of work time is critical. Virtually all of my work is sold word of mouth. This is a truly poor community. When the mine shutdown there really wasn't much left. We do "eat the tourists" in the winter time when the population doubles with folks from WI and the Canadian prairie provinces. But even they don't often recognize the real value of hand crafted excellence. Nearly all my work comes via word of mouth thus there's no need for a retail outlet. I require 50% down, that I'll only refund if I haven't started on the project. I've never had any objection to that. I draw a small amount of work off my web site. I make it explicit that once you agree to the commission it's 100% upfront and there is no refund for anything. On the other hand I have on occasion reworked and even redone things when a piece just doesn't strike the customer as beautiful. I've lost money on rare occasion, but consider that a part of excellence and acting honorable. With local customers everything is face to face and I've never had any problem. I consider the overhead of a physical space just too much to bear considering the outcome. By overhead I don't mean just the rent, utilities, fees, etc., but the fact that by opening a business and posting a sign (with my hours) I've entered into a contract with any and all potential customers. It's just not a commitment I'm willing to make. So I get by on word of mouth, some Internet and I'm slowly developing outlets in local businesses that are willing to be merchants. I figure 30% is far less than the cost of a store front and am not bothered by it at all. On the other hand, I have known people who really enjoy having customer interaction and the day-to-day intrigue of "who or what is going to happen today?" If you are that type of gregarious person then a storefront might well be a good thing. Do make sure you have a sound business plan and the capital to keep you going for at least a year. There really is no answer to the "Why is your stuff more expensive than Walmart?" As a culture - assisted by a great deal of advertising and even political support - we have become obsessed not only with consuming but also having everything. I prefer a few well made, well crafted things than one chintzy copy of everything. The Walmart mindset is that you can have it all (though it likely won't last more than six months and was made by slave labor in Bangladesh or China). I go out of my way to try to by local and buy directly from the producer or maker. I believe that if my work is of higher value, then buying in the Walmarts of America would make me a hypocrite, so it has to be a real emergency to get me in their doors. I remain cautiously optimistic that high quality, unique work coupled with personal and excellent service can keep one alive. Alive, but likely never rich. Robert

For what it's worth, the man who hand makes my boots (my feet are very different sizes) at Stewart Boots in S. Tucson, AZ absolutely swears by Bick #4. I use it on everything and to me it is the best of a wide range of products used previously. Robert Good try on the pix. I am a photographer, and my guess is that the "white balance" is off in your shots. Likely you shot them using a point and shoot with tungsten lighting. Looking at the "white" paper gives you a clue that you didn't get a good rendering. Shooting JPEG limits your ability, but try it again in sunlight but not so that there is glare on your display. Should work better. Appreciate the effort you've put into this.

Now I feel a bit dumb Nope, I've always put it on straight. Of course it is an acrylic so thinning would give different effects. I'll try it. Thanks. robert

I've now tried Fieblings, the Tandy eco-whatever, and the Cova yellows. The Cova will actually come out yellow, but it feels much more like latex paint than dye. The other two even with repeated coats never really turn yellow. At best I get a slight yellowing when what I need is a brilliant sunshine color. (Tandy even calls its shade "sunshine.") This seems to hold true on most of the leathers I've tired mostly ~4oz tooling sides. Anybody have more success or a different technique? Robert

Joe, Let me know if you have better luck with the Tandy letter stamps than I've had. My conclusion is that they really are basically worthless for anything that requires precision. I'm been watching eBay for a couple of days and there is an active business in type listed under "letterpress type." Some astoundingly pricey offerings and others that aren't too bad. I've bid on 3 or 4 but haven't been willing to go as high as others. Using lead type will require different techniques. As Stelmakr and others have noted you can't hit the type with a mallet. It must be pressed either with a small letter press (which seem quite expensive) or with a wood jawed vise. For those baffled about fonts and sizes and picas and points and the entire arcane world of printing, I think there are only a couple of things to be concerned with. The first is the font style which refers to the shape and embellishment of the letter. First major division is between serif (with extensions and decorations past the main stroke of the font) and sans serif. This forum works with some sort of sans serif font. Believe me, there are literally 1,000s of font families out there. The second is the size. This is a crude font size to Imperial conversion and ignores that there are probably at least 6 different ways things can be calculated. As follows: 60 point font = ~5/8", 48 pt font = 2/3", 36 pt font = 1/2", 24 pt = 1/3", and 18 pt = 1/4". For my work I think 24, 36, and 48 are the most useful sizes. I'll be experimenting and will post what I come up with. Robert

Thanks all for your responses. Don't know why I didn't think of type before. There were once literally tons of fonts being driving by the presses of the world. I'm guessing a lot of it just got melted down. WinterBear, I'm familiar with kerning and such and appreciate the "don't hit the type" advice. Probably the first thing I'd have tried. (Can't help it. Been a carpenter for 40+ years ) Wow, I'd forgotten all about ems and ens and of those spacing conventions from moveable type. Nice link. Bob, great information and the link provides all kinds of possibilities. I'm basically familiar with the terminology and techniques of electronic publishing but never worked with real type. I found that if I searched for "letterpress type" on eBay I got lots of hits, so I'm looking for like something in the 36 pt range a bigger one maybe at 48 points. Like you, I'm fond of some of the older font families particularly something like Caslon or others from that era. I suspect that some of my customers would prefer something more flowing. I know that "script" style was much harder to do in lead so I'm not sure what names I'm looking for. A book press would probably do a better job than a vice if only because you don't have to worry about your type falling out. Currently cruising ebay looking for deals on type. Some folks want a lot of money for their stuff while others seem to be just trying to get rid of it all. Good advice here, and thanks, Robert

Great idea. I wonder how many tons of good old type went into landfills. Have you bought some and if so where did you get it? Most font sizes for printing would be too small, but obviously there were headlines, so there was bigger type somewhere. Heading over to fleabay for a look. Robert

Actually, with my trusty spellchecker I do okay though an F in spelling in the 4th grade remains the only true blemish of my academic career. What I'm really struggling with is how to stamp, carve, emboss, whatever a person's name onto a leather product. In my nearly 15 years of working leather I don't think I "named" a piece more than half a dozen times and in each case it was a wide western style belt. Over the last 8 months I've done ~10 pieces with names on them mostly billfolds, clutches, and such. No belts. Part of it is that I'm reaching a different ethic group with my products than I use to and part of it is . . . well I don't know. I am not happy with any of the lettering I've done on these pieces though the customers have all liked them. Yeah, it's good the customer is happy, but much better if I feel like I've done a good job. I have 3 different sets of "Craptool" letter stamps: two 3/4" and one 1/2". All suffer from the same problems. They are square blobs that don't allow you to see where the letter actually is, they are virtually all the same width ("I" is and exception.), and none of them allow for any kind of kerning or leading. I've also tried generating text on a computer, printing it on transparency, transferring to the work piece, the cutting and beveling. Thus far I've been unable to make them regular enough to really look good. I've started clamping a board across the area where the name is to be stamped in order to at least get them on the same line, but any modification of the space between letters is done by blind eye and just hasn't worked well. So does someone know where I can buy alphabet stamps that reveal the outlines of the character from the top or have a better, different, successful way of doing lettering? On a 2" wide rodeo style belt, it really wasn't too hard other than making sure everything was on line. On smaller pieces it is much more complicated particularly when someone has a long name. So please, help me out here. Does anyone have a successful system for creating names on leather? Robert

I agree. It gets gooey and sticky as it dries. It also doesn't seem to stay active for very long - i.e. it dries out faster than the leather. Nice idea. Wish it worked.

Plastic wrap. Doh. Wonder why I didn't think if that. Cheap, completely flexible, easy to move around. I think I'll go with spray bottle wetting and wrap. Today will be a good test as it's supposed to hit 116-118. Even here we consider that warm. Robert Oh, have to try Bob/s glycerine trick too. Does anyone know what a product like Tandy's "easy carve" does to leather? I've used it some, but the work seems to have a sticky quality after awhile. Don't know what's in it.

I tried taping the back which worked but the tape really tore at the leather fiber when it was pulled off. Best trick I've found is to get laminate (Formica) scraps, cut them to roughly the size of your workpiece (one for bill folds, one for purses, one for various saddle parts, etc). Then rubber cement the BACK of the piece to the laminate with rubber cement or other lightweight adhesive. You definitely don't want "super glue," contact cement, Barges, or anything that claims to make a "permeant" bond. I've found this technique to reduce deformation by at least 90%. I have it left over from various jobs, but you can get relatively small pieces pieces from the "big box" stores like Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Robert

Got the mocking birds (and quail and great tail grackles and Gila woodpeckers), got a shady back patio - great idea. Only issue at the moment is it's going to hit 112ºF today. Even in the shade I'm going to feel that! I hear it is "unacceptable" to sweat all over your finished work piece Robert

Yep, been in Moapa Valley. Plenty dry. I have something in the back of my head that says re-wetting leather alters color, makes it less supple, and in general is "not a good thing." Still, I can't find away to not to keep wetting the work. (It's suppose to be 111 and 14% humidity tomorrow. Really looking forward to that oltoot, that's a totally new idea. I'll see if I can find a dentist. Robert

Somehow I missed the replies to my question. Sorry about that. I can see that my lighting needs to get a different angle. Mostly it is above and in front of me as the bench is against the wall with storage behind me. I'll play with it as it's still bothering me. Bob, Appreciate the lengthy reply. I spend a long time on the home row also, but don't always get it right. I'm often confusing the edge of the tool with the edge of the imprint which at least on Crafttools isn't the same. Maybe I need better basketweaves. If I get the drawing correctly, you're suggesting not putting the toe of the next (opposite) stamp completely against the center piece in the previous grove. Rather I think I'm seeing the idea that you pull it away from center contact by a small amount. How much I guess would depend on the size of the stamp. I confess to having a hard time remembering to set back over a long stamp period. I did pick up on the hint here that stamps weren't necessarily symmetrical. Silly me I've marked a corner so I'm leading with the same edge now. It does help. Thanks again. I'll keep playing with it. Robert

Okay, thanks for the tips. I've always re-wetted from both sides. I'll try just the back and doing the fridge over night. Keeping part of the work covered would be a real challenge. I tend to move the work around a lot so my eye and hand are in the right position. I'll try experimenting with a small sandwich bag or something. The spray bottle is a great idea. Wonder why I didn't think of that? For whatever reason, I'm on my 7th straight billfold with someone's name on it. One of the checkers in the grocery store saw my billfold - a fairly old piece that I took a shine to - and asked if I could put a name on it. Apparently word of mouth works. Can't price it locally for what outsiders would pay, but the real pleasure folks seem to get can't be bought. Thanks, I'll keep experimenting. Robert

I live deep in the Sonoran Desert in a house without air conditioning. That fact is important as A/C generally raises the relative humidity in a building. My shop is attached to the house and is cooled with fans (the house has a swamp cooler.) When it gets too hot, I just wait till morning or evening. My problem is with unfinished pieces holding over till morning. I think I have a fairly good casing technique. Run the piece thru a bowl of water watching for the bubbling to stop and in general just observing the color and texture of the leather. I then put it in a sealed plastic bag overnight at a minimum. My problem is that when I'm working on a piece I often can't finish it in a single setting and the work is approaching too dry. I sponge both sides till it is darkened wet, put it back in the bag, leave it on the bench, and return in the morning. I'm finding that leaving it damp overnight causes much of the relief (background, pear shader, even beveling) to expand and remove the crispness of my work. I often have to go back and re-work everything. Also as I work, the leather will often approach too dry - hard to describe - but it lightens and starts being harder to work. Too wet of course and it doesn't cut or stamp properly. I'm trying to sponge it when it gets this way but the results are uneven. Does anyone have a work flow for a dry climate and in particular how to store pieces overnight? Any help greatly appreciate.