TwinOaks

Not "binder"....Mordant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordant#Common_dye_mordants

Compare the leather you're using to what was used in the other one- my guess is that the other one is a thin veneer of leather with a fabric back. That alone is going to cause issues with your construction- you're using a different material. Then look at how the other one is sewn- machine stitching right along the edge....which is likey wrapped around the back and trimmed close to the stitch line. Now, with those things in mine, yes, you need to line the interior so that the hardware doesn't damage the cards. For the overall design, look at how yours is put together, and then do the same thing with the thicker leather, remembering to make a LOT of room for allowances, because your leather is thicker and won't flex as much as the thing stuff (which is probably goat skin).

David, this is becoming ridiculous.

This is only an example of the prices you would be looking at. There are several factors that are only guesses, such as being on a pallet, and the size of the item. This is NOT a shipping quote, you'll have to do that yourself On the left side, you can see that I specified a 3x3x1.5 foot container, on a pallet, weighing 300 lbs. Additional options are the lift gate used to pickup/deliver because NOBODY wants to hoist 300 lbs into a truck, and the buyer doesn't want the driver to kick it off the trailer.

Awesome job Ross!

This topic is over a year old....

Nice!!

Wow!....for ONLY $999 he'll make a wallet for me out of <$25 of Stingray??? WHERE DO I SIGN UP??????

No, Clair, those new-fangled "sewing machines" are just a fad. They'll never really get going. The laser is listed as "about as wide as a large suitcase". The table top milling machine thingy is the one that's listed as 16lbs. The idea of an inexpensive laser table is intriguing but I have to wonder about it's power as well as the scaleability of it. If it can handle a 24x36 inch piece, I'll definitely be in line for one. I don't view the addition of laser tech. to leather crafting to be a bad thing. Laser cut edges still require finishing, and I'm not going to be using laser cut stitch holes. However, I'd really like the option to design some graphics in something like Illustrator or Inkscape, push a button, and have a faint image burned onto the leather instead of having to deal with transferring the pattern manually. Hmm...need business cards? Load up a tray full of scraps, and have the laser burn in your name, logo, and info, then give you a border to cut along...done. I guess I'm seeing a laser as something that will augment my leather working, not replace ME, or the handmade aspects of my work. It's just one step further along the path. How many of us print a pattern and transfer it vs. drawing a pattern...twice....and transferring it? Or to go another step back, how many of us draw a pattern on the leather, carve it, then use that as a tap off or the other side (for mirror images). NOTE: I'm not saying that these are bad things, just using them as examples of processes. Yet, I'm sure there will be things that are way overdone with a laser. I can see the companies that put together the craft kits using a laser to put the carving pattern directly on the leather instead of a printed sheet of paper. Why not? That sheet probably costs ~$0.50 (large quantity economics), so if they use a $5000 dollar laser machine to 'print' the pattern they break even at 10,000 units. If you think about that scale, we're talking about refilling all the Tandy store craft kits ONCE. It may be even more economically attractive as once the laser is being used, there's no longer any ordering, shipping, and storing of the reams of paper....in different sizes. The end result is that the little hobby and starter kits will have pieces of pressed and plated leather that will look like the pages from a kid's coloring book. That is where I think it's gone too far.

I think we'll see an electronic apocalypse, society will go through a radical change, and skilled tradecraft labor will be the new "elite" class of people. The guns will eventually run out of ammo, so we'll be back to melee weapons and armor, so being a leather worker will be handy. Being a leather worker who makes blades would be better still. You could trade your services for food and supplies, maybe even precious metal coins. Wait......which movie is ths?

When hand sewing, I typically use pieces of thread no more than 3 feet /1 meter long. If the piece requires more, splice in more thread and keep sewing. This is done because if you have to sew 150 stitches, the thread nearest the needle will have gone through the leather that many times. At that point, it's picked up a little bit of a dirty look, which I suspect is from tannins in the leather, oil from hands, some dust in the room....anything. But the point is that the thread starts looking worse after a certain amount of stitching. Combine that with how easy it is to splice in a new piece and there's no reason to keep sewing with ratty thread. I mention the 3' as a maximum length - it the thread looks bad/ratty/worn after only 30 stitches, it's time to splice in a new piece. The same applies to lacing. So to answer the specific question, only dye what's needed at the time. Put a little dye in a small container, pull the thread through it, or just submerge it, then pull the thread through a sponge or paper towels. Let it dry, wipe off any dry particles (just like buffing) and wax it.

But it CAN be used for leather work. Use the type set to do initials, names, sayings, etc., for hot stamping. That's why it's on a book binder's website. The lettering on leather bound books is typically done with a thermo-adhesive foil.

I think talent is also describable as 'raw ability', and frankly some folks just don't have it. I'm a decent artist but I'm not an inspired artist. It's incredibly rare that I sit down and just draw something from my head that turns out wonderfully. For example: I'm technically proficient enough to look at something and reproduce it- a still life, a live model posing, etc., but if I just start drawing something, it's like I have too many versions in my head to get the details of only one, and there's little bits and pieces of other things in the image. The result is something that cavemen would scoff at. I believe it IS possible to take a modicum of talent and hone it into a skill, which is more or less what I've done. But if you don't have a base level of talent, it's very hard to ever develop it or replace it with skill. One of the members of my FB group posted some pics done by her 15yo brother. They looked like black and white photographs. I call his ability "talent" because of the quality of his work vs. his age. I've seen professional artists 3 times his age that had skill....but not his natural ability.

Legal Notice: The information gained here is for informational and educational purposes only. So if you go against the general consensus here and decide to tan some hides on your own, we (the members, the owner of the site, the owners of the server hosting the site) are not responsible for the outcome, whether it be in lost revenue, material loss, financial indebtedness, ticked off friends/family/neighbors, legal penalties and/or fines, people giving you funny looks and wondering what the smell is, etc. That said, I hope it works for you. It seems to me kind of like the 'free milk from a cow' analogy, but if you have a way to successfully pull it off, kudos to you. If you're going to be making bridle leather, you may need a way to heat the entire vat/pit to 'stuff' the hide. I'd be interested to find out what the ROI on this venture is. Folks, please keep in mind that this kind of spirit is what drove more than a few people to become rather wealthy and/or famous. DavidL - if I may recommend something, check out leatherchemists.org for more information. The name of the site says it all -they're chemists that are working in or are devoted to the leather industry.

Several thousand dollars and 9-12 months from now we'll know......

You can get different shades of hide. I've bought some import shoulders that were tan enough to not need any dye at all, and I've picked up some pieces from another member that were almost white (I think that was W&C leather). Simply being veg-tan does not denote color, only the tanning process. If you prefer a more analytical discussion to discuss what is happening and why, you might try leatherchemists.org. I've only seen it in chrome tanned pieces, not on the veg-tan. I don't know if it's vinyl, some other polymer, or a polymer based ink. It could simply be a split that has dye infused then the whole piece is hot rolled.

The choice of what's best really is subjective to what the leather is going to be used for. Things that will see a good bit of use, abuse, flexing, stretching, reconditioning, etc. would probably look better when dyed. Things that will see use, but probably won't be abused can benefit from paint. It's because of the nature of the two- dye penetrates the fibers and changes their color; paint adheres to the fibers instead of penetrating them to achieve the color change. Angelus paints (for leather) are some of the better acrylics, as are Golden 'High Flow' paints, because their formulation lets them keep some elasticity- i.e. they stick to the leather and flex instead of cracking/flaking off. Angelus even warranties the paint's adhesion to leather.....but only for a year. That brings us to which looks better. Again, its subjective. Dye, while changing the color of the leather, doesn't change the physical appearance of the leather. You can still see the leather grain. Paint on the other hand, is solid particles in a suspension and it WILL hide the grain. The other side of that coin is that paint remains more visible because it's solid particles and acrylic medium reflects light better than preserved skin...aka leather. In the example of your belt, one thing I noticed is that the leather is already fairly dark. When dealing with translucent dyes, you can't put a light color over a dark one. Since paints are opaque, you can, as they are just layers of solids.

Also, if you buy unwaxed linen thread, you can dye it yourself so that it matches your work.

Since members are mentioning things in terms of Ounces, I thought it'd be a good time to mention that 1oz=1/64th" of leather. Leather is ALSO sold in metric thicknesses, depending on where you get it. 3mm leather is easier to understand than 8 oz, but they both mean the same thing - 1/8th inch.

okay.....then use JUST the 3/8ths extension :D I would have sworn that my 19-8 had a full lug, too. (I looked it up, it didn't) I'm still wishing I hadn't sold it.

That looks like a type set holder that's adjustable for different height type (letters/numbers). The spring plate provides the tension and the bar under the spring keeps them even. The screw from the side is what locks them in place. Blank spacers would be used to fill any areas not used by the type units.

That sounds like the leather still had a rawhide core....it happens sometimes. Then next time you encounter really hard leather like that, try dampening the leather (after marking the stitches) to soften it.

Look up the long wallet pattern by Tboyce. It will handle a checkbook, cards, and cash. You may even want to leave off one of the pocket panels.

David, another member here "immiketoo" is already producing videos that cover a wide variety of topics and are hosted by several well known master craftsmen and craftswomen. They are typically hosted on GoToMeeting and are live instructions with Q and A, as well as being very affordable - I think they run around $25/session. I'll contact him and get him to chime in here. Also, Arthur Porter shows how to make that style handle in one of his youtube vids on making leather handbags.

Just as I wrote, though I can see where it could get confused. I didn't intend that anything should be taped to the revolver. First, the 3/8" socket extension with the 1/4" socket extension taped to it. Now, an end view in comparison to a GP100 blue gun. It's fairly close, but I haven't put the calipers to it. I understand that the gp100 and the 19 are NOT the same, but this is close enough to start stretching out the leather at the muzzle...when the blue gun isn't long enough. *This presumes a closed muzzle holster, otherwise the OP could just shove the muzzle into the holster from the bottom.*