YinTx

Awesome! love seeing this kind of work. YinTx

Awesome color combos to go with that knife handle! Great work! Eye candy all around. YinTx

Wow, so I did that, and yes, you can dilute the leather stain with their dye reducer, which is in essence denatured alcohol. Also, they said it is linseed oil based, so it seems we should be careful with the rags/dye applicators afterwards. Never thought of putting linseed oil on leather! YinTx

Sounds like a perfect recipe to keep people dependent and not productive. Can you use any of the Fenice water based dyes, or the Orion colors? YinTx

So if I mix the leather stain with alcohol, it would in essence become Pro dye? I have some leather stain, and I didn't have much luck with it, probably because I didn't understand what it was to use it correctly. YinTx

Nice pen cases. And I've been stitching by hand for about 5 hours today. The sensation is closer to what I might call pain. But that was well after the Zen. YinTx

Love the inset, it will certainly reduce a lot of frustration! nicely done. YinTx

In a year or so, make another to replace it. You'll be amazed at how a year of leather work experience results in a higher quality product, and the inlaw will be happy to have a new one. YinTx

Makes sense. And I misread your post saying you used a fine point paintbrush, thought it said airbrush. Happens to me. YinTx

It is really cool, but doesn't the tree of life have the roots connected to the branches? Just curious... Also, that is some tidy air brush work! YinTx

I have been pouring over the few panels I have copies of for hours, and there are countless details and loads of symbolisms in that codex. I'm not very good at sketching celtic patterns, but I've been working up some ideas now, so the block is at least temporarily removed! I can only hope to do them as much justice as you have. YinTx

Fantastic work, and thanks so much for the point to the Book of Kells. I've been having a creative block on a sheath I had been asked to make, this may be the key to removing that block! Very inspirational work. YinTx

wow, for that kind of $$, I think I'll just be looking for a set of Bob Douglas rivet setters. They actually don't appear that difficult to make, especially for someone with access to a lathe, or even a drill press. YinTx

Yep, if I had to carry a diaper bag, I'd want a strap like that, lol. Nicely done! YinTx

Or, PM me what you are looking for. I have a lot of decent machine thread, and mostly hand sew, so I could part with some for pretty cheap. YinTx

1 oz Kangaroo may help. But I think if you are trying to replicate it, you're going to have to replicate it. As in use the fabric. Otherwise it just won't look or feel the same. Just my .02. YinTx

Well, sometimes it is hard to believe things if folks ain't ever experienced em... At least there's photos of them curly wires attached to a handset and a block with push buttons. That was tethered to a wall for whatever reason. How you supposed to drive and text if it is stuck to the wall??!?! But I've seen no evidence of so called awesome leather hides. I ahve heard that in the way distant past, leather was wrapped around things being shipped by rail to the west, and when the saddler got it, it was pretty beat up, but he had to make do with what was there. I'd heard that stamping and carving helped hide the cuts scars marks and stains? I've never dipped anything in acrylic or any finish coat. I saw a harness maker dip some new bits in a vat of oil, so I tried that with a strap... once. It is still dripping oil somewhere. I dipped in dye.... once. I use the strap as a straight edge now it is so hard. Used up half the bottle of dye in the process. I know folks have success dipping things, but not this dude. Maybe the fries in the ketchup, that works ok for me. But not so much with the leather work. YinTx

Do you have the original? If so I may be able to help. YinTx

Weaver's I think, not Weabers. and even all of those will sell you the plated items. Make sure you look for solid brass, stainless steel, etc. if you don't want plated or zinc. Since there aren't many local sales for these types of things, many of us have learned from the school of hard knocks and have a few bits of hardware knocking around in the drawers that are not what we thought they would be when we ordered them online sight unseen. Perils of the world, it seems. Sometimes when you see a video of something going together, they are nice enough to list out the parts, which is helpful. Often videos from folks like Springfield Leather and other sellers. YinTx

You might drop this in the classifieds section with a price, you might get some more attention for it. YinTx

I applied the Pro Resist to the backgrounded areas to make sure the antique did not stick to it, since I wanted the red to show through. Then I applied the Tan Kote (as resist) to the entire piece. Apply the antique to the entire piece, and wipe it off. It will settle into the beveled areas and the cut areas. Allow it to stain the leather there, then clean it out with Tan Kote again and wipe well. Allow it all to dry, then apply a finish coat to seal it well. To keep the finish from being less glossy, use a Matte Acrylic finisher. The piece I did had a high gloss finisher. Matte still has a bit of a shine, but not too bad. The more you do and the more you experiment, the more you will find techniques that work for you. As many leatherworkers as there are there are as many techniques! I alter mine almost every project to fit the look I am trying to achieve. YinTx

Dye the background with a small paint brush and leather dye. Then apply resist, antique, then a top coat. You can get a large variety of colors, and contrast to your heart's content. 2 different dyes, and 1 antique. 2 different resists (Pro resist and Tan Kote). Finished with Angelus acrylic. YinTx

Impressive. I did not know they sold those things! YinTx

Some neatsfoot oil will help, leather balm tends to soften things up, gently working it after letting the previous permeate the leather for a day or so, and just general use over time will certainly soften it up to a floppy state. Experiment on a sample strap to see the levels of oils to add and how much to work it. YinTx

Is there a reason commercially available antiques won't suffice, but smearing mud on your hard work may? About the only floor polish I have heard anyone putting on their carving is mop n glow as a substitute for Resolene or any other acrylic finisher specifically made for leather. YinTx