ChuckBurrows

www.crazycrow.com for one has them in various sizes with both high domed heads (like spots) or low domed - upholstery supply houses also carry them, I know for sure that Crazy Crow ships International, but then again one should be a able to find an upholstery supplier in Europe......

or you can just use an old slow cooker aka crock pot. no external heat source to ignite the fumes and yes one should always do it with good ventilation and also keep it covered and don't get it too hot - just hot enough to melt is enough - melt the wax first and add the pitch/rosin that limits the fumes...... as for whether you can use fir instead of pine yep or spruce as well...

Actually I've made everything from coin purses and watch straps to harness and saddles, but my passion is and always will be historical replicas or historically inspired goods. The only work I do these days is 19th Century goods, mostly gun leather and sheaths but with more and more an emphasis on Indian beaded goods. Anyway no I have never worked the leather after blackening it - in fact I HATE working even regular pre dyed leather (although there are times I must ARRRGH!), for me the leather just does not work the same as "raw" leather does. Best advice try it out.......

lightweight chaps - see here for examples by me - http://www.wrtcleather.com/Chaps/index-gallery.html pairs 1, 3, and 4 are from upholstery leather

I look for pockets of dry pitch when cutting firewood.....usually occurs with storm damaged trees that have "healed"

once again - if you get too heavy a vinegar smell than you have not added enough iron to "kill" the acid and have not let I work long enough - to get GOOD no smell vinegar black you need to heat the mix and let it set for two weeks, than heat again and let set another week or two. Yes it can be used earlier but will you will have trouble with the smell. Also after applying put in front of a fan or outdoors. an original recipe from the 1870's: VINEGAR BLACK FOR LEATHER For giving color to the grain of leather there is no blacking that will at all compare with the well known vinegar black. This may be made in various ways. The simplest, and, without doubt, the best, is to procure shavings from an iron turner (note: some folks get the turnings from brake drums) and cover them with pure cider vinegar; heat up and set aside for a week or two, then heat again and set in a cool place for two weeks; pour off the vinegar, allow it to stand for a few days, and draw off and cork up in bottles. This will keep for a long time, and, while producing a deep black on leather, will not stain the hands. How I do it most times: I use de-oiled 4/0 steel wool: dip in acetone, squeeze out the extra and hang to dry - then tear or cut into small pieces. Add one pads worth of the de-oiled steel wool to one quart of heated white or cider vinegar (I prefer cider and Heinz is best). I use those plastic coffee "cans" and punch a single small hole in the lid to let of any gas buildup. Let it set in the hot sun which will speed the reaction. I let it set for at least two weeks until there is only a light vinegar odor left and/or the bulk of the steel wool (or other source of iron) has been dissolved. I then heat again and add more iron if need be (you know it's got enough iron when rather than dissolving it just sits there and rusts) and if more iron is needed or still smells strongly than leave for another two weeks or so. Once it is done "cooking" I pull the lid and let "air" for a few days - acetic acid is highly volatile and thus any if any acid (that's where the odor comes from) is left it will dissipate in a few days. I also keep a new batch "cooking" all the time so I have a constant supply. For the deepest black, apply a bath of strong black tea first (this increase the tannins) and let it soak in good, then apply a generous amount of the vinegar black. Let set for about a half hour and then rinse with a mix of baking soda and warm water, about a 1/8 cup soda to a half gallon of water, apply let set for a few minutes and then rinse off really well. While the leather is still damp apply a light coat or two of your favorite saddle oil. Once dry top coat as normal Experiment - I test a piece of each new side without oiling to see how well it takes the blacking, if need be I'll do a second black tea mix to darken, then apply the oil which also helps darken. I've been doing it this way for 45+ years and only get residual odor if I rush the mix or don't follow all the steps........ for those who don't want to wait - get Ferric nitrate crystals from The Science Company and mix 5 parts distilled water to 1 part crystals - et voila instant leather black......

That's what I use most times these days or the pitch from cut pine.........heat it and then pour into a tall narrow container that can be cut away - the dross (all the crap) will sink to the bottom as it cools - cut that off and you have nice clean pitch. The longer/hotter you heat it the more brittle it will get so be careful - I like a mix of the hard natural stuff and the softer natural stuff - heat to clean and then mix with beeswax (you can buy large amounts online from eBay or candle making supplies) or you can smaller amounts from sewing shops - more expensive that way though. Also check and see if you have any beekeepers in your are - many will give it away free or cheaply - heat/clean the same way I suggested for pitch. I generally use a mix of about 40% pitch and 60% beeswax (I'd never use paraffin wax since it gets too brittle in my experience). IMO once you use sticky wax - a version of coad - you will prefer it over plain beeswax - it helps lock the threads in place ans also adds anti-bacterial/fungal properties to the thread which is a good thing when using natural threads like linen or hemp.

For general purpose work such as holsters 5 cord t 6 SPI is optimum in my experience and FWIW also fits with the recommendation of A; Stohlman. To purchase I get mine from Campbell-Bosworth.......http://campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=linen

While a pony or horse are always a good aid they may not be as big a help as needed for sewing soft leathers like suede since they are flexible even above the jaws of the pony/horse. You will most likely also need to use a backing piece while punching the holes - some folks use a chunk of wax - I use a 5" long x 2" wide section of three layers of 8/9 oz veg tan glued together and use the edge (not the face) of the leather to back up on the opposite side of the awl. You can also use an awl and hammer, here's a simple how-to - http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_leatherstitch.html IMO your problem doing it the way you originally did was not keeping the awl straight while pressing down causing the blade to flex and bend - using a hammer will prevent that. Also as noted in the other thread noted above, polish and sharpen your blade and then keep a chunk of beeswax handy - stab the awl into the wax every third or fourth hole or as needed - the blade should glide through several layers of even heavy weight leather that way. Sounds like you are using too large a needle and/or thread for the size of the awl. Also if you taper the ends of your thread before putting the needle on then it lessens the bulk at the eye.

IMO anyone interested in handsewing leather should get a copy of Al Stohlman's book "The Art of Handsewing Leather". It shows you much more than justt he basics including how us old timers made up (and still do at times) different cord threads starting with a single cord.. Even after 51 years of sewing leather by hand I leaf through it.

Coad is a type of handsewing "wax" made with pine pitch/rosin/tar - mostly used in the shoe trade and not in all leatherwork by any means As for the pine smell - while I have never noticed it as smelling like Pine Sol, Bag Kote and Tan kote are both rosin/pitch based so it may not be just your imagination. Other than that if you don't want to deal with the odor, I'd recommend one of the synthetic finishes such as Satin Shene or Resolene, etc. maybe even the new Eco Flow stuff???? and don't use Montana Pitchblend, although I love it's piney woods smell...

Here's a basic free pattern and how-to for Mexican Loop Sheaths: http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/mexloop/_mexloop.html and Putnam Leather - very fine version indeed!

Ray - I suggest the books by your fellow countrynman John W Waterer, founder of the London Leather Crafts Museum - his books (often hard to find and often not cheap for those out of print) offer some of the best info on the history of leather crafting from the dawn of time to the late 20th Century. In England particularly the many and varied guilds had a huge impact on who made what and how it was made.

one last note - when using linen NO knots - backstitch instead - a little trick - with 5 cord I use #1 or #2 Osborne egg eye harness needles depednent on stitch length - #1 is a bit harder to thread but I use it for 8 SPI for 5 or 6 SPI the #2 is a bit bigger and is a bit easier to htread and use. When backstitchin i is sometimes tough to pull the needle through without pliers which I don't like to use except when necessary - so anyway I made up an "awl" with a 00 size harness needle and use that to open up the hole a bit for back stitching - this wya it just stretches it a bit and won't cut your thread like a regular awl will. You can see the needle awl here it's the antler handled one just to the right of the pony - the otehr two are my hand awl (red handle) and the one on the left is for using with a mallet:

here's nice writeup on how the thread is prepared and then how the embroidery is done http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2007/06/its-sunday-morn.html

Yes and Yes - dye before waxing - cut off a length dip in the dye, let hang to dry, rub it down with a cloth to remove excess dye, wax or wax/pitch, then burnish with a piece of brown paper bag - I put a loop in one end, place the loop over a hook, the rub it hard enough to get it warm....

Specifications: Bladesmith: Tai Goo Knifemaker: Chuck Burrows Sheath & Stand: Chuck Burrows Knife: OAL 14.25" - balances at guard Blade: W2 - 9.25" long x 2"wide handforged by Tai Goo Handle: Colorado mule deer crown Guard and fittings: German silver guard with cast pewter ferrule and buttcap Sheath: deer rawhide with hand carved beavertail motif over bark tan core. Sheath decoration: So Cheyenne style pound beaded braintan cuff. Full beaded edge of blade section - Brass tacks - Beaded and fringed drop - Fringed cuff edges with German silver beads, buffalo hair pipes, and tin cones - Tin cone, glass bead, and horsehair dangles Display Stand: - width: 11.375" - length: 15.25" - Heighth without knife and sheath: 11" - Decoration: - black cowhide cover with rawhide corners - alternating iron and brass tacks along all edges - mule deer antler uprights with beaded braintan wraps - mule deer leg bone stops for holding baled and sheath in position - tin cone and horse hair dangles - Circular buffalo hide drop with hair on one side and beaded cross and circle on the other

Try Barbour's unwaxed linen sinew in 5 cord from campbell-bosworth an then wax it yourself - not initally cheap but much cheaper in the long run..

The oil dyes are NOT oil based - see the MSDS - they are an "improved" version of the standard spirit dyes per Fiebings. FWIW - any type of spirit based dye (many if not most contain not only alcohol, but toluene, acetone, xylene, and other toxic chemicals.) So yes they can be dangerous to one's health especially with long term exposure. Kidny and liver problesm are some of the most common and some of the hardest to detect with standardized testing. Personal note - I was diagnosed with stage 2 Non-alcoholic Steato Hepatitis (one step away from cirrohsis) about 12 years ago and the conclusion by the doctors (since I was not a heavy drinker and should not drink at all now) is that the root cause was/is due to exposure of toxic chemicals. I have worked as both a wood finisher and leather crafter for close to 50 years and in the old days such exposure was common since even common sense safety measures were often little used. Most of the common chemicals used in dying such as alcohol, acetone, etc. show up in the liver within 15 minutes and the body does not eliminate them easily if at all leading to cumulative effects that may not show up for years, when it is often too late to reverse the effects such as in my case. Best advice: It is OK to use such dyes, but also to use common sense such as wearing good rubber gloves designed for chemical use, a good face mask with the proper filters (not just a dust mask) - reverse filter is even better but pricey, and a well ventilated area with a fan or two that blows the fumes away from onself. I still use such dyes when neede but limit my exposure as much as possible. As for chewing on a piece of leather dyed with anything - not recommended no matter what dye - even a lot of the "natural" dyes can be toxic to the very young in particular.

I've bought stuff from Hide and Fur for close to 40 years and have had little problems with them. Other options are www.eidnesfurs.com and www.crazycrow.com

You might also check out RJF Leather (an advertiser here) http://rjfleather.com/content/index.php/products/ This stuff works great and is in fact a Euro old style vat tanned leather. When I first checked them out Roger sent me some examples at no cost - I then sort of lucked out and got several shoulders and a couple of sides from a shop that went out of business. Next time I order I will definitely order form them - FWIW I uses W & C and Herman OAk for over 40 years until I found this stuff. Being ablet o get shoulders in various weights is real nice and last time I checked the prices are still very reasonable all things considered, plus being old style vat tanned is a plus for my customer base..

That would be me prbably and it's a version of handwax aka coad, mostly used by shoemakers and cobblers. To warm it up - I just stick the chunk under my arm for a few minutes - et Voila nice and easy.. re: pre-waxed thread - all I have ever used IMO has been way overwaxed - doing it yourself let's you control the amount needed

Two notes: 1) While W & C leather is generally of a softer temper than HO they will double or triple plate it at your request IIRC for free - this gives it a much firmer hand 2) W & C also offeres backs/bends and IMO comparing backs to sides is more or less apples and oranges.... Overall though I have to agree after crafting leather now for 51 years, that todays leather is not up to the standards I used to get....

http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_leatherstitch.html

good used leather tools here including pinking irons for $10.00 each: http://www.gatctools.com/Leather.html and this guy used to make them Green Man Forge 1143 Bleistein Street Cody, WY 82414 USA Phone: 307.272.9368 and make your own: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=25569