Harry Marinakis

Sorry, I don't get it. Can you please elaborate?

I am looking for advice on how to make a rolled edge with hidden stitches. By rolled edge I mean as if a the edge had piping, or like the leather was rolled around a 2mm cord. Other threads here that mention "rolled edges" are actually referring to folded edges, not rolled edges. Like this thread: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=57474&hl=%2Brolled+%2Bedge#entry369354 Any ideas on how to make rolled edges with hidden stitches?

Thank you Monica. Please be advised that my technique is still in developement and I am still making modifications. That is why I am asking for criticisms.

Thank you very much. Perhaps I should have been more direct! I am looking for criticisms and corrections and suggestions. Thanks again!

Attached is a PDF description of my leather dyeing technique. I am soliciting comments about what I have written. Thank you very much for your time. Leather Dyeing.pdf

Greetings I am looking for a pricking wheel to evenly mark stitching holes - not to actually pierce the holes. I am looking for a wheel that marks a hole every 1/4" inch, which I am unable to find. I am considering buying a pricker that marks every 1/8-inch and cutting off every other tooth. Would be nice to find something with an interchangable wheel, that includes 4, 5 and 6 holes per inch. A lot of the manufacturers offer overstitch wheels - but they are labelled such as "No.4" or "Size 6" which gives you no idea of how many holes per inch the wheel will mark (and no mention in the product description either). The Tandy overstitch wheel has 5-1/2, 6-1/2, 7-1/2 and 8-1/2 holes per inch (I measured them).

Fizan, the link doesn't work for me

No. Sword scabbards are not made with hardened leather. Sword scabbards are either metal or they are made with a wood core covered with 2-3 oz. leather. Here is an example of wood core that I made for a sword: And here is a scabbard-making tutorial: http://www.yeoldegaffers.com/project_scabbard.asp

Ah-ha! That's the primary difference between your technique and mine. I will try it.

Sometimes it is useful to not dye both sides of the leather. When I make shoulder straps, often I will not dye the side of the strap that will be against clothing, to minimize the chance of staining (especially if there is chance of the leather getting wet).

Dang! My leather is barely warm and still as floppy as a wet noodle after 15 minutes at 180 degrees. You must have a magic oven.

Bingo

A simpler method is water hardening. Thoroughly soak the leather and place it on a mold. Then bake it in an oven at 180 degrees F until dry. It will shrink very slightly.

There may be residual dye remaining on the surface of the leather. When you buff the leather, you are probably spreading this leftover dye. When my leather is almost dry after applying dye, I get a soft, damp sponge and thoroughly wipe down the leather to remove any residual surface dye.

I use a smooth bone tool and polish the leather to get a high-gloss sheen. I burnish after dyeing, just when it is almost dry. You want the leather to be very slightly moist so that it can be molded, so you can rub out all of the rubbing marks. The end results is a very smooth, glossy piece of leather. Then I apply a small amount of Renaissance Wax and it buffs out to a super high gloss. The image below shows the start of the burnishing process. The other image shows a burnished leather cover for a sword scabbard that was in the making.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=52975&hl=

I have found that hardening leather makes it almost impossible to dye the leather. I used the baking technique to harden leather (soak leather in water, then bake on a form at 180 degrees F until dry)

What is the best way to remove sweat/salt stains from leather? I have a black oil-tanned leather jacket that frequently gets soaked with sweat, which leaves white stains. The leather is oil-tanned, and I keep it rubbed down with leather conditioners and waxes, and I even spray it down with an acrylic sealer. So it should not absorb sweat -- but it does. Neither saddle soap nor plain soap and water do the job. Here's what I've found using a search: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=53213&hl=salt http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=46136&hl=salt#entry292663

Here's what I've got so far. I wetted the undyed leather, burnished it with with a bone tool, and then as it was drying I polished the edges of the belt. Then I soaked the belt in Resolene and buffed it when it dried. it came out kinda marbled, which I did not expect from my tests, but I like it anyway. I've got to finish sewing the scabbard cover around the wood core, and then I'll lace the straps into the cover.

Thanks So I've already got all the bases covered. Now I've got to try several tests and see if I like the results.

I am making a piece and discovered that I really like the complimentary contrast of undyed veg tan leather and leather that is dyed dark brown. My question is: How do you finish and protect undyed veg tan leather? I would like to soften the leather and keep the undyed leather from getting soiled, from darkening from finishes that I apply, and would like the undyed leather to be water resistant. I plan to test a variety of treatments and finishes on identical pieces of leather, but I thought I'd see if anyone else has any other ideas. I plan io try softening with olive oil, burnishing with a bone burnishing tool, and applying Resolene and Renaissance Wax. Any other ideas?

The answer is probably, "No," but I'll ask anyway. Is there any way to prevent dyed veg tan leather from darkening when I apply Renaissance wax? Maybe a sealing agent? I've heard the Resolene won't darken leather but in my experience it does. Thanks