garypl

Tandy letter set 8132-00. https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/craftool-standard-alphabet-sets Gary

Which stamp? The lettering or the backgrounder?

Brian - that was a great tutorial and nice looking pouch you made. I bet one of the hardest parts of making it was turning it inside out at the end to make it look so even! I really do appreciate your efforts to help us learn new techniques. Gary

That strap turned out very nice! Keep up the good work. Gary

Nice job! Letter stamps or a template will make your letters uniform. I like to background the field around the letters and/or paint the letters so they stand out more (if this is the effect you want.). Like this:

Great tutorial - looking forward to seeing more steps and thanks for taking the time to document your process. I know it takes extra effort to setup your camera during each step, take pictures, then resume your project - much appreciated! Gary

Looks great! Gary

I think the outside looks good - just noticed the white thread on the inside. Never worked with stingray - sounds troublesome! Gary

Looks good Roland! Only comment I have is the inside stitching on the left side looks uneven. What happened there? Gary

Brian, I normally dye first and then use NFO because dyeing seems to stiffen the leather. Never tried using NFO before dyeing, but I have read posts here that say others do use NFO first and even mix dyes with the NFO. Guess trying on some scrap leather would be a good exercise! Gary

Picture would be helpful...

Brian, I meant antique. Regardless of whether I am using ware based dye or antique, unless I am spraying dye, which is how I usually do it, I wet the leather first. Seems to be less streaky. Spraying pretty much eliminates the problem. Gary

I would dampen the leather first then apply the dye. Gary

Those bracelets are really unique and well done. I wonder who was the first person who sat down with a handful,of lace and thought “how can I weave this into an intricate pattern to come up with that design?” Once I finished it I would probably immediately forget how I did it! Gary

Like I said - too much computer involved in these projects for me! I think any grommet setting tool will work for you. Check the craft stores near you or look online - should not have any problem finding a reasonably priced setter. Gary

Looks much nicer now in the light! Suggest you burnish or paint the exposed edges for a nicer finished product - looks like most of the edges were left raw. Gary

I just started experimenting with Giardini Gloss Topcoat. I painted a bit onto a piece of scrap veg tan and it left a nice glossy finish. Just finished coating a strip of leather with the topcoat and tomorrow I will do some testing on flexibility, water resistance and abrasion. Looks promising so far and it is made for leather! Gary

Really nice work Roland, especially the horse! What did you use to color it? Gary

Very nice job! What type leather, thread, finish, etc did you use? Gary

Call Wickett and Craig - you may find that their leather is less expensive than Tandy leather and in most cases the quality is better. Gary

Interesting projects, but how do you get a template from the computer picture shown on the screen? Do you click a button and have the computer spit out a flat template of what is on the screen so you can cut it out? Too high tech for me! Gary

You are very talented!

Nice looking belt. I never heard of CRC adhesive - how does it differ from WeldWood or Barge contact cement? Is it supposed to be as durable as either of these other adhesives? Gary

Niakulah, I am also curious how well the topcoat will hold up. Did your test items peel immediately or after the coatings had been on for a long period of time (say a week)? Was it only the topcoat that peeled or did paint come off as well? I have used the Giardini dense paint for about 6 months now, mostly for shell holders, shooting pouches and small items and have not had any problems with peeling or wear on any projects. This is the first time I used a topcoat so can’t comment yet on longer term results. I haven’t had much time since I received the new paints and coatings to work with them - only built up edges to see if the base coat sealer will make a difference and wanted to compare the colors. I buffed them briskly to see if there would be any color transfer and saw none. As I mentioned to JD, I plan to do some destructive testing on finished pieces of scrap to see how the paint and topcoat holds up. I will post results when I have more information to share. Gary

JD - I like the dense because it is easier to apply. Seems to roll on more smoothly with less lines. The thinner paint takes more work to get an even coat on the edges because it tends to streak when it is applied over a sealed surface - just like painting something with a watery substance versus a thick, tackier coating. You can also thin the dense paint more with water to stretch the yield. I added about 10% distilled water to all of the paint colors and did not seem to affect either type adversely. You can create very smooth edges with either type paint. The samples in the pictures are not meant to represent finished edges - I didn’t sand them smooth between coats because I just wanted to see how quickly the finish would build up. I have more scraps of the same leather and plan to experiment more on what it takes to create a really nice finished edge using paint. Then I will do some destructive testing to see how well it holds up under rough or wet conditions. Like I mentioned to Lobo - I’m not doing this for the money, just having some fun and learning! I have also used a thinned paint for backgrounding carved pieces. I use a small plastic bottle with a needle applicator to apply thinned paint - works great to outline stamped letters or for backgrounding. As far as which type paint to use, I don’t have enough time in yet to comment. I expect that the dense will be easier to use for edges, but the basic will be more cost effective for other applications. Suggest you get a small bottle of each type and play with it and decide which works best for you. Gary