garypl

Looks good Stetson - where do you buy your bridle leather? Gary

I think it looks very good! I use roller pens to apply paint - easier for me to control than a brush. Let us know how you feel it compares to Giardini. Gary.

Just sent you a message Gary

Thanks for posting the video Dwight - I like how you mate up the liner with the folded over buckle end of the belt! Gary

Whatever you think looks good is the type to use. I use more silver rivets than brass because I like the look better. Gary

Totally agree Bob. I dilute the paint so I can apply it with a fine tipped squeeze bottle - works well to outline or fill-in letters and for backgrounding. Undiluted it is too thick to go through the fine needle. Gary

I have some acrylic paints I bought from Walmart and they were on sale for $1.99 each. Might want to try one. I don’t use them for edge painting, just other decorations and I dilute black paint with water and use to color carving backgrounds. Gary

I think it comes down to sewing some scraps using the same leather as your project and adjusting until you are satisfied with the stitches in the scrap. Then sew your project and hope you don’t have any harder or softer spots in the leather. Gary

I just received the Giardini base coat product and it does fill small gaps nicely. I posted a photo about one week ago of one coat on a raw edge showing the difference between treated and untreated. Gary

Really nice Josh! When you stamp the serpentine border, do you alternate sides when you stamp or go down one side and then the other? Gary

I stand when I operate my machine - tried sitting down and I don’t have the fine control on the foot pedal. After overshooting my stop point a couple of times I gave up and now I stand while sewing. Gary

Looks good - I think she will be very pleased with it! Is that the natural color of the leather or did you dye it? Gary

Thanks Wiz!

Looks like they have quite a few locations, but Louisville is the headquarters. https://www.tasmanusa.com/tasman-leather-group

Got it - thanks! Gary

Wiz - I looked at the Thoroughbred website but they do not list any pricing. Is their pricing comparable to W&C and the other popular leather suppliers? I see they have a location in Augusta, Ga - not too far from me. Gary

Nice job! I like the color - did you use Fiebings? Gary

I let the samples dry overnight and now they look just about the same as before they soaked in water. The pieces I scratched and rubbed the top coat off still look the same, but the tan edge sample appears to be back to normal. When I saw the milky film on them yesterday I thought they would be ruined. This is encouraging in that if a piece really gets soaked, it should return to normal after drying out, as long as you don’t abrade the edges. Still more testing to follow... Gary

Thanks O&S - where do you buy your kydex in long strips? Gary

Seabee, how wide a strip of Kydex do you use for belts? I look at the Kydex holsters I have, and the Kydex seems awfully stiff to use in a belt! Gary

Mike - I agree that the test I did was extreme and any raw leather piece that is completely saturated will likely ruin any type of paint or topcoat. When properly applied the edge paint and topcoat were very durable and flexible and I will use them in many projects. Interesting to test the limits of things, you never know when a particular product might really stand out from the rest! Gary

I did not sand the last coat of paint before applying the topcoat, but the fact that the topcoat softened so much likely means it would still peel or wrinkle unless it is sealed with another product. I will play around a bit again, trying more aggressive sanding between coats as well as testing how well the base coat sticks to the raw leather when it gets wet. Also want to paint and topcoat edges and follow up with sealer like Resolene and see how it looks if the water cannot penetrate under the paint. I suspect that plain burnishing and sealing with some type of wax will still be more durable for applications where leather gets really wet, but edge paint will still have a place in my workshop. Gary

I decided to put the sample edge coated pieces to a severe test - I put them in a bowl of water and let them soak for @30 minutes. When I removed them from the water I immediately noticed the clear topcoat had turned milky and easily rubbed off. I then scratched at the edge paint and it was definitely softer and I was able to peel some off. I think this was pretty extreme, but based on these results, I would not use these coatings on leather that will be used in an application in which it might become soaked in water. I will use them on projects that I know will be kept dry, as I have many items that still look like new, even after rough use, as long as they did not become saturated with water. I will take another picture after the leather samples thoroughly dry to if the edges return to “normal” or if they will have to be stripped and/or redone. I think I will also repeat the test, but instead of soaking until they are saturated, I will expose to moisture that might be typically found during normal use, whatever that may be. Gary

Since you are in Ohio, take a ride up to Toledo and talk with Cowboy Bob - he can help you pick out a machine. His link is in the banner ads at the top of the page. Gary

Has anyone ever called the folks at W&C to ask about this issue? Maybe they can provide some insight? Gary