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zaynexpetty

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Everything posted by zaynexpetty

  1. zaynexpetty
    Thanks for the responses! It seems that I will have to invest in an arbor press. Do you have any recommendations for a good arbor press that comes with a 1" square ram that isnt too pricey? Thanks again Zayne
  2. zaynexpetty
    Thanks for the response. Nigel! Your videos are amazing, you do amazing work. You may have explained this, and I might just not understand, but concerning the pouch for the phone, after you have one side (wing) stitched to the back peice, I just don't see how you would stitch the opposite (wing), and bottom side to the back peice as well, seeing how you would be working in such a small space, and there would be no room for a needle, unless you were using a curved needle or something. Thanks! Zayne
  3. zaynexpetty
    I am wondering how you would sew the piece that contains the phone. how it is rounded over and then stitched. I can see how you would do the one side, but after that is done, how would you stitch the opposite side together? You cant see the bottom side, but I'm assuming it's done the same way. Thanks Zayne
  4. zaynexpetty
    I am in the process of designing a logo for my leatherwork. I will most likely have three different designs, for the first two, I have figured out that I want to hot stamp, so I will be purchasing through a company that will design them for me, and supply me with the appropriate heating device. But as for the other one, I want it relatively large, about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. How would I go about stamping leather with something that big, and have it be even? What would it be made out of? I really like the results from using heat to stamp leather, so I would prefer that method with this large stamp, if at all possible. Thanks Zayne
  5. zaynexpetty
    I am new to leatherworking. I bought a 6 oz side of discount Veg Tan from Tandy and a 4 oz Veg Tan shoulder. I have been working with them both, and while the shoulder quality doesnt seem too bad. The side could be better. The flesh side seems really uneven and full of long fibers. I don't know if thats a normal thing or not. I hear tandys leather isnt that great overall. I hear amazing things about horweens chromexcel, among others, but I'm assuming it is really expensive. I also have heard that springfeild has some decent leather. All in all, I want to buy some good quality leather without spending a ton of money for making belts, collars, wallets, key fobs, etc... What are some good suggestions? Thanks Zayne
  6. zaynexpetty
    I am new to leatherworking, and I was wondering what oz of leather do you usually use for your every day standard belt? I think the couple of belts I have made were from 6 oz leather. Is that too thin? I'll also probably be making some womens belts (the skinny kind), and some dog collars. Would I use the same thickness on all three, or should they be different oz? Or is it really just a matter of preference? Thanks Zayne
  7. zaynexpetty
    I think the sanding should do the trick, Ill have to purchase some more sand paper in different grits. You could also be right about the overall quality of leather. I am using discount Tandy leather (which was just mainly to be used for practice), so that might be part of the problem. In all of the videos I watched for stitching, everythone just punched through all of the layers with the stitching chisel, but your advice about the awl going through with a sharp awl does make more sense when dealing with multiple layers. The one I have is actually from Tandy, haha, I guess I'll have to sharpen it. I have heard a lot about al stohlmans stitching book, I think I'll pick it up tomorrow. Thanks again! Zayne That is amazing. I will have to look into getting one of those pens. It sounds like it would make edge dying a lot faster/cleaner. Thanks! Zayne
  8. zaynexpetty
    Looks great! I think I will have to purchase this mahogany color. How do you like zack's leather balm? I have never tried it. I also think I need to look into airbrushing. I saw your more recent post of the other case, I love the aged look to it. Keep it up!
  9. zaynexpetty
    Thank you for the encouragement. I appreciate it. I am the same way. I thought about buying some kits from Tandy, but I felt that that would be taking a shortcut, and since I plan on continuing to cut my own leather, I didnt think that would do me much good. Thanks again! Zayne You have just answered one of the big questions I had. I actually did make the back piece SLIGHTLY (like maybe 1/16 of and inch) bigger to try to help with the fold, but not big enough, all I did was cement the two pieces together and made sure the left and right edges lined up, so it was kind of bowing, before I stitched. Thats the only think I could think of at the time. That is wonderful knowledge though, thank you. I will have to try both of those methods out and see which works best. I have to admit I wasnt too sure i have ever seen a wallet that had three pieces connected on the inside, so I was a bit unsure about that. Your wallet looks amazing. I see how the backside is bigger and how that would make the wallet close easier. Thanks for the advice! Zayne I think I do need to pick up some books, I have mostly just learned everything online, I know that a lot of knowledge is passed up if you arent looking into actual books though. I think i will pick some up soon. When you dye the edges after sanding, do you have a problem with the dye soaking onto the top or bottom of the leather? I didnt sand, but it bled pretty bad, I used a Q tip to dye the edges, Is there a better tool to use than that? Thank you so much for your advice and kind words! Zayne I agree with you, taking the corners off would have made it look a bit less amateur. I actually didnt use sand paper, although I have some, I just forgot to use it. I will make sure to next time. How I've learned to burnish the edges is first with a wet edge and an edge slicker, and then later with gum tragacanth and the same slicker. I dont know if that gives it the same effect as your method though. I think for the future I will try to use some lighter leather for the interior, that sounds like it would work well. And the thread suggestion is also a good one, I actually had thought about that as I was stitching. Thanks for the advice! Zayne Thanks for the kind words. I'll admit that I did rush a bit in between stages, I need to work on being a bit more patient. I actually did use a pricking iron to stich. I think the problem was that by the time I hammered the iron through 2-3 layers of the leather it ended up not exactly straight on the back end. I also didnt do a very good job of lining up the holes for the corners. Thanks for the advice! Zayne
  10. zaynexpetty
    I made my first wallet today, which is my second finished leather project to date. I designed It myself. I know it is nowhere near perfect, and I have learned a lot in the process, but I still have a few questions: Im pretty sure the reason why the dye on the edge transferred to the other side of the wallet on the inside is because I didnt do a final burnish with some gum trag (second picture). As far as I know that helps the dye from bleeding/transferring. Am I right? The wallet is really thick, probably because I used what I am assuming is around 3 oz leather (I dont have a thickness gauge, I should probably pick one up) It wont stay shut by itself. What oz leather do you think would be best for this style wallet? To finish the wallet, I applied a couple of coats of neatsfoot oil, then topped it off with 50/50 acryllic resolene (only on the outside), and then some obenaufs leather preservative(also only on the outside). However, I didnt do any of this until after I stitched it all together. Is that the recommended process, or should I have done something different? I dont really like the glossy looking finish you can see on the outside (you can see in the third picture). What do you think is giving it that look? I like leather that looks more satin than glossy. I also noticed the color on the backside has a slightly pinkish hue. Is there anyway to remedy that without using dye? I know, I ask a lot of questions. I am a perfectionist, and as you can probably guess, I am pretty frustrated with the outcome of this wallet. Thanks! Zayne
  11. zaynexpetty
    I have bought a couple of brass belt buckles from tandy, but 5 dollars a piece seems a little pricey. Also, I am curious about what type(s) of metal is best for use with leather? I dont want anything that will leave any residue or anything on the leather, or anything that will bend/break. Is there a good website that gives measurements and is of reasonable price? Thanks! Zayne
  12. zaynexpetty
    Thanks for the response! I am glad resolene was suggested to me, as it seems that it is one of the best finishes around. When you say you never use gum tragacanth, is it because you sew your double layer belts with the flesh side married? The only reason I use it is to lay down the fleshy hairs that stick up. From what I understand, edge kote seems to kind of be an alternative to properly burnishing the edge, which sounds kind of cheap to me, I'd rather take the time to properly burnish. Thanks for the advice! Zayne
  13. zaynexpetty
    It seems that a pre bernish and final burnish is a common trend, I will be sure to try this out. I hear a lot of people say that they dont dye the back of the belt ever, I tried dying the back of one of my belts and noticed it did become a lot more stiff than another belt which i only dyed the top. On the one belt that i wanted to only dye the top, some dye leaked onto the sides, would this show significantly after the final burnish? or should i then just dye the whole edge? Also, on the belt that I did dye, would putting a conditioner like obenaufs on both sides before applying a finish affect the stiffness of it at all? Thanks for the insight. I appreiciate it!
  14. zaynexpetty
    That's quite alright, at least I know I'm not the only one! I noticed you have the same birthday as me, I wonder how many May 17-er's have the same questions.
  15. zaynexpetty
    I completed my first belt last night. I also cut out two other belts and dyed them with fiebings oil dye (Black and Dark Brown). I have a few questions, as this is my first time doing any of this. When dying, a lot of people say not to dye the flesh side of the belt, as it may rub off over time. but what if you use gum trag on the back, over the top of the dye? Will that help with the dye not bleeding? Also, I bought edge kote (black and brown). What is the difference between the edge kote and the normal dye? If i used the edge kote, would i put it on at the same time that I dye the rest of the belt? Then afterwards, bevel and burnish? or would i bevel and burnish before dying? The belt if completed was natural, and not dyed. I noticed that when I beveled and burnished the edges, some of the water soaked onto the surface of the belt, and darkened it slightly. should I save burnishing for after i apply whatever finish/conditioner i apply? or does it matter? Sorry for all of the questions. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
  16. zaynexpetty
    I am a beginner to leatherworking, I just made my first belt last night. The belt was not dyed, I went through all the processes, including edge beveling/burnishing with water, gum trag on the back, finishing with acrylic resolene, and then applying obenaufs leather preservative as a conditioner. My question is, do I really need to apply a finish? I would have liked the belt to be a bit darker, which im sure obenaufs would have achieved, had I not put a finish on before hand. Would just skipping the acrylic resolene finish, and just putting the conditioner on affect anything? Sorry if this has already been discussed, I wasn't able to find any information on it in the forums. Thanks.
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