billybopp

Some dyes will do that. Pigment floats to the surface as it dries and needs to be rubbed off. I was not aware that black dye would do that! But now I know. Thanks. It does make sense, though. The reason it looked red is that there really are no true blacks in inks and dyes other then squid ink. Everything else is a very dark version of other colors, usually red, blue or green. I helped a friend of the family do a science fair project when he was in high school in which he tool different brands of ballpoint pens, made a mark on some blotter paper and diluted it with alcohol which then spread it out on the blotter paper so that you could see what the true color was! He won the science fair. - Bill

In normal times, it is prudent to wait for beer o'clock .. .and it's always beer o'clock somewhere. But in 2020, it's pretty much beer o'clock everywhere all the time! And thanks for posting the pics and info! I love seeing folks make their own tools!! - Bill

Just a note to add to what @zuludog said. If you are not comfortable with sharpening an awl blade, Leatherwranglers offers sharpened Osborne blades (for additional $, of course)! https://leatherwranglers.com/shop/ols/products/awl-blades - Bill

One alternative to brushing on dye is to airbrush. In your case, however, I'd dye first by dipping, or whatever you want to use and then paint over the dye! Acrylic leather paint will generally work just fine over dye. - Bill

I believe I would consider contacting the folks at Colonial Williamsburg. They specialize in that era, have leatherworking apprenticeship programs, and are noted for their research on the era. It's a good bet that if you can get in contact with their research folks there they will be happy to provide any information that they can for you. I do not know if your setting is more frontier or more East Coast city. They type of leather work would likely be a bit different for each, but again it's worth a try to contact them. https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/ -Bill

Exactly! Pro dye colors are "synthetic", and often petrol based (hence Fiebings old name for these of Oil Dye) - Think Prussian Blue, for example. As @Mattsbaggersays, there tends to be less rub-off with pro dye, and in most cases the colors are more vibrant. - Bill

Looks great! I love the simple yet elegant look. I have tried something similar in the past, but just as an experiment really. I used a geometric craftaid from Tandy, which gives a similar effect, but hard to NOT get lines where you don't want them with it. If you could figure out how to do that, it would make quick work of such a pattern. https://tandyleather.com/collections/books-patterns/products/geometric-stampinggrid-craftaid-14-38-12 - Bill

Powered skivers are fairly pricey, but pull skivers are more affordable, but limited to 3-4" width. That should be plenty for all but the biggest sheaths. We're still talking about a couple hundred $, but far less than the thousand $ for a power skiver. You can also skive by hand using a safety skiver, but that takes a lot of skill and practice. - Bill

After spraying dye, I run some isopropyl alcohol through my airbrushes. If I won't be using it again, it gets disassembled and cleaned in a cheap ultrasonic cleaner that I had lying around. - Bill

Nice find! That likely means it's been in your family for a long time! As @deetralala says, electrolysis is a good way to remove rust. There is a commercial product called Evaporust that works well too. For the brass parts, I'd give them a good clean to remove any dirt and then I'd try Tarn-X to shine them up. Brasso and such are mild abrasives, Tarn-x works chemically and should remove far less metal! Almost certainly somebody here will recognize that logo. I think I remember somebody identifying one like it a couple of years ago, but I'm not that good! - Bill

I've been using @Dwight's recipe for some time now, and love it. If I want it a little softer, I put in a little more NFO, and if I want it a little firmer I put in a little more wax. I also add just a few drops of Eucalyptus or Tea Tree Oil just for the scent. Most of the time, I pour it into foil cupcake cups to let it cool into a cake. Other times, I pour into "lipstick" containers that I got from eBay, and give a tube away with the things I make. - Bill

It all depends on the look you're going for, and the effort you want to put into it. For something smaller like a wallet where all the stitching is readily visible it makes sense. Smaller projects generally have less stitching to worry about as well. Something really big would likely be overkill. With thousands of stitches, it could potentially lead to a little trip to a hospital in a straight jacket, or to a doctor's office for carpal tunnel syndrome. LOL! And yeah, to be sure the leather you are using is a big factor too. - Bill

It is not a traditional technique, but this method does work, and can make front and back stitches look more similar than punching through at a single go. However, you need to make the holes separately before assembly and consequently you need to use extreme care to be sure that the holes in both pieces will line up when assembled. It's not easy! The traditional way is to assemble and usually glue your pieces together and then make your holes after all at one go. The upside of going that way is that it is generally easier and the downside is that stitches often look very different front and back (usually with the back looking much straighter, front much more slanted). - Bill

In nigel armitages video he demonstrates with these irons and punches all the way through. He does indeed. But there are some caveats there. Pricking iron teeth are "V" shaped. As a consequence of that, the hole that they make will also be considerably wider on one side than the other. If the leather is quite thin it's not of much consequence, but with thicker leather it can just be too much. They ARE designed to be used with an awl, but again, with thin leather it does not matter so much. Stitching chisel teeth have a sharp point, but the body of the teeth are more straight sided, making them ideally suited for making holes without an awl. For that matter, if you want or need to use an awl with a stitching chisel (sometimes necessary due to accessibility in one place or another) you can. You might want to do that when, for example, you've used chisels for most of a project, but need to sew a pocket into a bag that could not be done before the bag was mostly put together. You would want the stitching spacing to be EXACTLY the same as the other seams. Mark it in advance with the chisel, then use an awl to actually make the holes you need. - Bill

Here's a little trick that might help you. When you are going making your holes in a straight line, putting the last prong or two in the previously punched holes works well. The angle isn't changing, so it's totally un-noticeable and works really well. We're going to refer to that previous completed hole the reference hole. When you get to a gentle curve as you have here, that begins to cause some problems. Putting the prong of your two prong punch into the reference hole and punching through is at a different angle than the reference hole because of that curve, and it is noticeable because it "wallows out" the that reference hole (which is what it looks like happened here). One good solution is to put one prong of your two prong punch into the reference hole and press it LIGHTLY to leave an impression for where the next hole will go then move the punch to that mark and punch through your next two. A very well trained eye looking closely MIGHT detect that the holes are made in pairs .. Maybe. Nobody else will notice and the result will look really great! I totally agree with the above comment about starting from bottom-center to ensure that both ends are equal at the top. Just be aware that there is a bit of an optical illusion that the two end may not LOOK equal. That should disappear when you get thread in the holes, though. As the curve gets tighter, approaching ninety degrees, this technique doesn't work as well and other techniques are the order of the day. But that's another story for another day! - Bill

Very nice! It's not as busy as some floral work is, which is a really good look here,and you're really nailing the bar grounder background. - Bill

I do love using a cork from a wine bottle, both as a backer when sewing and also over the awl blade to protect it when not in use. You get to enjoy the wine then put the cork to good use as well. Additionally if you drink the wine and quickly enough use the awl and cork you might stab a finger, but you won't care! Your choice. - Bill

There are situations where chisels are just much more difficult to use than an awl would be. Because of that, it's a good plan to be at least reasonably comfortable using an awl. - Bill

That's likely to save you a few hundred dollars on shipping, with the added benefit of (almost certainly) some hands-on, one-on-one learning. Sounds like a win-win to me! You might even consider taking some bits of the leather that you use to try out and learn with. That should move you well up the learning curve. - Bill

Contrary to what some may say, blood on your leather work is NOT a value add feature. You will know that your awl is TRULY sharp when it goes through several thick layers, into your finger and you don't even feel it! And yes, for sure, happy wife - happy life. Take the beating and fake a few tears and ouchies - then walk away and grin! - Bill

Very nice indeed. Love the color combo and edges are fantastic! Thanks for posting progress pics. - Bill

I have seen camo printed leather in the past - at Tandy, if I remember right, so it does exist, so look around! - Bill

Wow. Yeah. That's a LOT of work! The result is spectacular, tho! - Bill

@Wanbli, Some pictures would be helpful, along with more description. How wide, how long are leather strips, etc.

I don't have a leather sewing machine at all, but I do read what others post on here. From what I've seen, the machines are essentially the same between Cobra, Techsew and Cowboy. Cobra Steve, Techsew Ron, and Cowboy Bob all three often pop up on LWN to help their customers, and indeed even help their competitors customers frequently (Which warms my heart and helps restore my faith in humanity). I have never seen any complaints about being unable to get parts or support from any of the three. When comparing them to buy, take a look at what is included in the package so that you are comparing apples to apples. I'd take a look at what shipping costs for the machines you are considering since that could be a big consideration. I'd also think about talking to your local sewing machine mechanic and find out if they have any preference. You'll get great support from any of the three above over the phone and online, but there are those times that you might need hands on your machine kind of help! Also, whichever machine you decide to go with - Use the links at the top of the page here and be sure to tell them you found them here on LWN! Help Johanna keep the lights on here! - Bill