TerribleOne

Thanks.

I'm not sure how to title it really but I want to know how to cut out a depth along a collar so my crystals can sit down in there snug and not sticking out on top. Here is exactly what I'm referring to in the picture. Is there a tool? A stamp to impress deep? Razor? I don't know how to get that good clean deep rectangle

Good to know about the black! I agree about the swimming. i just want to see how each test collar holds up and to put them thorough he** I'm allowing my dog to do that. ....quick question....when you put a light layer of neatsfoot oil on before dying...how light are we talking? I've tried application with a brush, a sponge, a cloth. I find I can't get an even coat. I'm unsure if I'm doing too much or too little. I am applying it to the flesh side so it won't discolor the front. Seems where ever the oil hits first I get huge absorption and then when I try to rub around and even it it very little in comparison.

Thanks!

I have read that some people use Aussie or MPB conditioner before it leaves to the customer as the last step. Some say they use a heat gun. Some do not. If I'm using resolene and then Aussie or MPB, should I be using a heat gun or applying without the use of a heat gun? This is for dog collars, human belts, dog leashes. Thanks!

So I did a scrap with all three dyes. The oil looked dull and faded after drying compaired to the Eco Pro and the USMC spirit based. However, when I did a scratch test to see which held up better the oil base had penetrated deeper than the rest and did not show the nail scratching as much. So then I did a piece of oil base, let dry, and then did a coat of the Eco Pro. It turned out deep and rich. Even. And passed the scratch test. So I made a test collar using that dye method conditioned with pure neatsfoot, sealed with the 50/50 res and Aussie as the last step. I'm going to have my dog wear it while he rough houses with the neighbors dog that likes to bite collars. Let him swim in the pool. And see how it holds up at the end of summer. I'll experiment with some other colors, dye brands and bases, and finishing techniques and let my dog be the tester. Hopefully ill find the way I want to do things come end of summer.

Thank you! I will search a bit more now that I know I can narrow it down to your postings. So much info to surf through. Thanks for taking the time to write about the Neatsfoot Oil. I do appreciate it. I'm going to buy a small bottle of an oil base and a small botle of a spirit base to play with now that I see they are no where near as expensive as the Eco Pro I bought. I'll do some testing on my scrap and see how they turn out. Glad I found this place!

When I said private, it’s because it was via personal email with someone. Not here on the forum. I would need to have their permission before posting their email here. I agree, a good reason for forums, which is why I posted my questions here. I do hope someone comes along with some advice for me on my questions. As I have read here in many posts there is more than one way to do things and I would like to hear what the people here have to offer. I plan on sticking around here, but first I need to understand a few dye and conditioning basics

I did get a private message with a lot of this answered. However, if anyone has anything to add it would still be greatly appreciated!

I’m new here and to the craft. I have spent most of the morning and afternoon searching through threads and reading. There are tons of threads, some lengthy. At this point I feel it is best to just post my specific questions and ask for help on that then continuing to search and read endlessly. I have gotten some good advice and tips through reading old threads though! I am making dog collars. I have made a few for my friends and my own dog. They turned out nicely in my opinion as far as looks are concerned. I think I will do well with this when I get some knowledge and experience. I enjoy this very much. I am using 7-8oz veg tanned mid-grade leather. However, the collars I have made already are under conditioned and won’t last through the years with the elements in my opinion. I am self-learning and the people at Tandy were helpful, but not to the level I needed when I was there asking questions to purchase items. Example: The guy at Tandy told me all I needed to do was dye and then put on Aussie Conditioner with a cloth after and it was finished. So that’s all I did for my collars as far as conditioning goes. Two of the collars I did have a little acrylic (Cova Color) on them. One to fill in a name stamp, the other was a hand painted design. Then Aussie blown in with a heat gun. But that’s it. Others have dye and then Aussie blown in. Again, that’s it. So here is what I am searching for help with…. 1) Eco Flo Pro Water Dye I was originally told to get the Eco Flo Professional Water Based Dye. So I did. I later found I needed to use Neatsfoot Oil before dying to condition the strap. (I have not got this yet) Now, I have been told that the water based dye will not penetrate into the strap with the Neatsfoot Oil already applied and if it does it won’t be an even coat and so forth. Water vs. Oil. So I feel as if I wasted money on dye if this is true. There has to be a way to make this work I feel like. But I don’t know anything about it. So my question here is: How do I properly condition a strap that will be Eco Flo Pro Water Dyed (if possible)? What should the process be if I can’t use Neatsfoot (and if I was would it be pure or prime)? I have four bottles of various colors of the Eco Flo Pro Dye and I would like to try to use them before I invest money into a different dye (seeing as how this is for fun right now and not to profit). BUT if I can’t get an end result of a properly conditioned strap…then I won’t use them I’ll move on to other things. 2) Fiebings Oil / Spirit Dye Reading on here makes me interested in using the Fiebing Pro Oil Dye or the Fiebing (Spirit?) Dye. http://shop.fiebing....ssional-oil-dye http://shop.fiebing....yes_leather-dye I would think that might be a better choice to make sure my collars are properly conditioned in the making of them. Oil Conditioner, Oil Dye. And I see they offer a wide variety of colors like I would want. I’m not sure about the Spirit based one. I haven’t read much on them. Don’t know which of those two would be best….(help with that?) But I do want to try to use the dye I have first before investing in other stuff. 3) Acrylic I have been told that using any acrylic is risky for longevity on a dog collar. That the color will crack and peel. I would hate to send a collar to someone an a few months later the places where I used acrylic was cracked and peeling. But sometimes I find I might need it. The one I hand painted, had a white dog face on it (small area). I used the Cova Color and it turned out great. I don’t know how to finish this strap. All I did was transfer my pattern, use dye where I could (colors wise), and where I couldn’t I used Cova Color. How do I protect this? I have nothing on this collar. No Aussie. No Oil. Nothing. It is just laying on my work table at the moment. Thank you all so much in advance for reading my lengthy post and replying.