bikermutt07

I bought some of that antique paste the other day on a whim in Mahogany. If it's as easy as Pete makes it out to be, it's worth a try on some scrap.

I know this is a really old post but I'm gonna try it.

Wow,, you are producing some really cool wallets.

It's on my wishlist, but it's a long way down the road. Enjoy.

From what I've read and seen it's a beast. Wish I could buy it. Good luck with your sale.

Knife sheaths are good practice. Not much material and if it's fugly you can always throw it in a tackle box.

It looks perfectly functional and will probably out last all of us. Pick your chin up. Nobody else on your street made something from nothing. Keep learning and have fun.

Great job.

If you look up holster patterns JLS has been kind enough to share many pancake and avenger style holsters. Welcome to the forum.

Ha!

Was it usmc black? Professional oil dyes are also spirit dyes. They are used the same way. Oil dye is some mystical term that fiebings uses that nobody really has any information on, but they are spirit dyes. They just seem to be of higher quality. If you used usmc black there are horror stories all over this site talking about how hard it is to buff out excess.

Great job, Matt. I'm currently working on bracelets and dog collars to build up to doing some belts.

The eco flow water based you can dilute with water. I have never used them though. I started out with fiebings and haven't seen a need to switch. Fiebings should always be used with good ventilation. You can also were a respirator for that. Most people shoot for a 50/50 mix to begin with and apply more coats to darken. I have always found 50/50 to be too dark for my tastes so I usually start at a 3 to 1 or 5 to 1 ratio. I either dip them or apply with dollar store sponges cut into thirds. If applying with a dauber or sponges make sure and get even coverage. Start across the piece going one direction. Then perpendicular, then diagonal. This will help even out the application. However, it will get dark quick. Hence the higher dilution ratio I use. For the fiebings spirit dyes people either dilute it with a solution from fiebings or denatured/isobuterol alcohol. I had been using featured alcohol, but decided to try plain old filtered tap water. It worked like a charm and I haven't looked back. The more you do this, the more of your own techniques will develop. As time goes on you will probably just dismiss me as some guy rambling on the internet who thinks he knows what he's talking about. Keep having fun.

I've had pretty good results dip dying. I just run straps through once or twice. Wipe off excess with an old t shirt rag and lay them flat. Other items I have dipped up to ten seconds. I had been diluting with alcohol, but now I just use water with my fiebings.

This is just a guess at a solution..... You could try running a larger thread heavily waxed through all your holes prior to stitching. This could either pick up the pigment or kind of seal it behind a layer of wax prior to stitching. Hope this helps.

What leather is it? I've had problems with Tandy leather. I could only get it even with full strength dye. Any dilution at all would give an uneven putrid color.

Yeah, this place is like the leather library. And everyone's nice and helpful.

I'm no expert on the machines but I have worked plenty of 3 phase. Swapping any two leads on the main power supply will reverse the direction. If it is for a client you may need to ask them if the motor spins the right direction at his place. If so (after repairs are made), swap the leads back before returning it.

I edge my stuff dry. I have heard that cutting and edging is easier on cased leather. Since I don't really do any tooling my stuff is no longer wet at the edging phase.

Those are great tips, Bill. I'm in the planning stages of reorganizing my play room right now. It's not very big so I have to plan the areas out carefully. I'm thinking of having the splitter and press on a single bench. Flush mounting the press is something I hadn't thought of. I had already thought about a guide fence, but flush mounting the press will make that much easier.

I will moisten the edge and let it sit for a few minutes and then rub that glycerine bar like I'm burnishing it. Then burnish, then dye the edge. Then gum tragacanth. Let the gum trag set up a few minutes, then burnish again.

I don't know why I didn't think about drilling and tapping it. Guess the ball catches siderailed my train of thought. I don't think it will be necessary though.

Welcome..

Great edges take time and technique. The more time you spend on the the better they will get. I'm still working on the technique myself. One of the things I recently taught myself is this: After sanding and I can't get rid of the fringe that it makes I singe them off with just a little fire. It helps a lot. What dyes, how are you applying, and diluting?