ryanf

India ink if you're looking for black. You can get it in pens at most art and craft stores. India ink is just pigment (traditionally lampblack) and a binder like shellac, so you could probably whip up a batches of different colors though you may have to experiment with different pigments and concentrations. Probably should have mentioned that the India ink worked fine for me on bare veg tan. I've never tried it on latigo.

There's one company out there (can't remember which) that backs the pickguard with Forbon, a fiberboard stuff that is used for making single coil guitar pickups. You should be able to find it at StewMac.com or electronics suppliers that sell stuff for making transformers. El Dorado (www.eldoradostraps.com) says they back theirs with polycarbonate plastic. You could probably even use a thin plywood. The catch is trying to either blend whatever you are using into the edge of your pickguard or hiding it under there somehow.

Plenty of old leather-bound books were gilded. Here's a website I found a while back showing the process of gilding carved leather -- http://www.alleycats...ther/Gilded.htm

I made a couple of leashes for our dogs' trainers for Christmas. They loved them, but one suggested this type of snap. She's had problems with dogs slipping out of the others (she tends to take in the rowdy dogs - a test of skill and patience, but also a reflection on her dedication to dogs that many, if not most, would dismiss). It sounded as though she does have leashes with these trigger snaps, so they must be commercially available, though I don't recall seeing them anywhere. Certainly not at any of the big-box pet stores. This probably doesn't answer anyone's questions, but the suggestion was enough to make me go out and buy trigger snaps for the rest of the leashes I'm working on.