Beret

Ditch the dremel and the idea of removing leather - Stick with practicing your tooling basics and go from there.

Ditto this. It's less an issue of the practice of reproducing graphics on leather as it is tooling fundamentals. It may behoove you to rework some fundamentals, watch a lot of videos, and get in a lot of practice on some simple starter patterns with more open angles/curves. There are quite a few aids and patterns out there particularly well-suited for practicing the basics.

Picture of the carving?

Hahah sorry just came back today, thanks so much everyone!

Loads of junk mail aside, welcome to MN from over here in the Twin Cities

They're all tooled, yes. On the facebook page, I share photos of all the tooled panels before they're painted Really a lot of people also rivet. I trust Chicago screws more, and they do allow for the top panels to be removed for touch-ups, re-working, etc. Just a matter of personal preference. More expensive, though. Also, I recommend that people remove the top panel when conditioning the bases. Thank you! I stay busy

Finally!!! My links to embed photos kept breaking!

I've been busy! Selection of some of the latest custom collars to go out:

Well, bridle leather IS veg-tanned, but done differently. Through the tanning process, all those three types I named will be stuffed with oils, waxes, and dyes. I prefer them for primarily water resistance, durability, and resiliency.

Just my 2 cents based on my work in that market, so take it with a grain of salt: 1. I prefer to use 9/10oz+ (3.6+mm). 2. I would consider instead of dying veg-tan, using tack-quality latigo, bridle, or harness leathers. 3. See above. Best products depend on circumstances. What are you planning to do with them? Just plain leather belt-style collars? Stamping? Tooling? Other stuff? Please make sure you're using quality hardware, as well. The economy cheapo stuff really has no place on a dog collar, although many still use it. At the end of the day, you're making something made to contain a beloved predator with teeth and a typical, willful regard for their own safety. First and foremost, collars need to be strong and secure.

Angelus is an acrylic - You can just thin with water.

Yes yes yes yes. I was sourcing from Zack White for some time, and just switched over to Hide House. Very pleased with their service, quality, and pricing.

In general, the people who buy from me know and expect that these should be special-use pieces. They're expensive, they're not everyday collars you bum around with in the woods or at the dog park. I don't typically make a point of stating it directly to someone outright if not asked, as the people who pull the trigger do seem to have a good grasp of these just due to the materials and the price tag. I'm asked the question often though from prospective buyers and people with passing interest. I ended up making a handling & care FAQ on my website that I can just point people to, instead of re-explaining how leather, paint, and nice things in general need to be treated over and over again LOL. For reference, here's my collar care FAQ: http://www.bullyflop.com/chatter/2017/1/31/bullyflop-collar-care-101 FYI... Angelus is available on Amazon.ca

I use aerosol saddle-lac sprayed as-is, in a number of VERY light mistings instead of one or two heavier coats. That way I can keep the finish more even and matte and extend the longevity of the topcoat. I've found through experience that brushing on a resolene top coat really runs the risk of affecting my paint and antiquing, even after a lengthy and adequate dry time. I won't go that route anymore, even though I prefer the matte level of a resolene based finish.