Gwhite

First, thanks to everyone for the feedback. My computer went wonky, and my free time has been sucked up with that, so I haven't had a chance to reply until now. Now that I have the order of things straight, I've been looking into the details of each step using the archives & Google. I like the sound of the wax & neatsfoot oil. For general use, I think I will get some Resolene. The acrylic finish I have is the Eco-Flo Super Shene, which is a bit too glossy for my tastes. I found a lengthy video on YouTube comparing a number of finishes. The Resolene came out the winner, although he didn't have Super Shene in his collection. The next research topic is saddle stitching. I saw a tutorial pinned at the top of this forum, so I'll start there. It's been a while, and I definitely need a refresher on the details. I should also check that my needles haven't gotten (literally) rusty. The nearest Tandy is a half an hour away, and I'd hate to go get the Resolene to come home & discover I also needed needles...

I used to do a little leatherwork when I was younger (about 30 years ago). It was mostly small stuff; belts, belt pouches, sheaths, holsters etc., made from cowhide. I want to make a belt for my daughter, and I can't remember what order to do stuff in. In addition, they've discontinued my favorite leather finish, and replaced it with stuff that is waterbased and appears for all the world to be Future floor polish... I will be dying it black (Fiebing's oil based die), saddle stitching the buckle end, grooving & burnishing the edges. The leather is a bit stiff, and I'd like to soften it up a bit. My recollection is that I want to do the basic construction (grooving, saddle stitching, edges, etc.) before dying the leather. Then apply the finish. I've used small amounts of neat's foot oil to soften leather, but I don't want any residual oil to soak back out & stain her clothes. I also have some Lexol, which I haven't used much in the past. I'm not sure how well either will work with the new finish formula. I picked up a bottle of black edge finish as well, but I've never used that. Any tips on using the edge finish? Is there a good reference on the sequence of steps for a project like this, or can soemone give me a quick refresher? What few leatherworking books I had are long gone or buried. Is the new water based finish OK, or should I track down something different? What's the best way to soften up the leather without risking staining fabric it comes in contact with? I don't want it all floppy, but it needs to be a lot more flexible than it is. Thanks for the help! I'm inching up on retirement, and am looking forward to getting back into this.