MADMAX22

I dont think you want to because from what I have read is that leather should be slightly acid. The baking soda wants to make it too basic and this can cause issues I think. Its fine after the initial vinegarooning because that stuff is more acid so it balances out after its all done allthough just brushed on vinegaroon hasnt hurt anything Ive done it to so far. It will keep a little of the smell for a bit, just let it sit over night with a coat of oil. After that I usually wax and seal it and once I am done with that you cant really smell anything unless it gets wetted thru or its right under your nose (literally). Oh and wanted to add also that I usually take a few days to complete a project, so when I do this I will usually get the leather I am going to work with and vinegaroon the whole lot before I start. This gives it a couple of days to work the smell out and also this way I avoid putting any hardware on the leather before hand which vinegaroon will reak havoc with. If I have the design already I cut out the pieces and do the same. Usually with the 2 or 3 days of working the project and oiling and waxing and sealing by the time I am all done it is just like normal but really nice black. Good luck.

Very clean, looks great IMO.

Esantoro is his forum name. He has progressed into making some of the most outstanding maverick bags. Very good stuff. He also does a meticulouse in depth research of leather finishes, leather in general when he does his projects. He has shared alot of good info with this site over the past couple of years that I have been here.

I think that could be caused by over dying it. Not entirely sure though could be just the leather and dye not liking each other. When dip dying its pretty much just run the leather thru the dye. You dont have to let it sit in there for any amount of time. Run the leather thru the tub of dye and make sure it doest pool up on one end when you have it pulled out. Question also, did you finish the belt with anything? That could be another variable also.

LOL sounds like my process for most of my projects. Thanks and yeah that will help.

Looking good cowboy, Ive gotta try making some of those. How far apart are the holes in them if you dont mind me askin.

Well finished it up tonight/morning. I think this is the fastest Ive done a project like this, just about 2 days, luckily I wasnt working much lol. I dont have a chain for it so he can get that himself but everything else is finished. I lined everything with black deer liner. The belt strap and the retention strap used 5/32 lace and the wallet got 1/8 lace dark brown on both. Trying to use up my tejas stuff so I can get some roo lace. I ran into a problem lacing the wallet portion because for some reason I started off wrong. So when I got to the end it didnt work for the normal joining method so I kind of had to make it up with a little over lacing and finagling so it doesnt look great but it will work for now.

Another thing is make sure you oil it just before its dry. You may have to oil it again after that but it depends.

I think Chuck gave the advice but I picked up on using the apple cider vinegar, gets the same results but it doesnt seem to be as strong. Another thing is also the amount of steel used in the vinegar, I think if you dont use enough it leaves a stronger smelling stuff. I believe also letting it air out for a day after you do your work before sealing it will get rid of some of the smell, my projects usually once I get around to sealing them dont smell much and after I seal and finish them I cant smell them at all unless they get really wet. Also on the baking soda I think its suppose to be just a pretty quick rinse, like 15 seconds or so. From what I remember the soda will cause the ph of the leather to be too basic. There was a pretty cool discussion about this in one of the vinegaroon threads.

Looks much better IMO. I think for the back belt loop section you could bring the lines in more at the top and bottom around the loop. Basically contour it more to the belt loop. This should get rid of alot of that extra leather. I dont think it will effect the durability or integrity of the holster much if any.

Thanks everyone and I will post the finished result. One thing I realized I already messed up on is the design ends right on the fold which causes the cut line on the outside of the design to want to spread. Sure it will last a good long time but not something I like doing as it will cause the leather to split in this area. Kind of bummed about it but oh well.

Turned out great.

Welcome to the forums. Looks really good for your first projects, far better then mine. Your stamping is very good. Your carving is even great for a beginner and that is something that takes time and practice. Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff.

Hey just think fire is a good demonstration

Hey guys and gals, I am working on a quick rush project per say for a buddies son's birthday. I didnt know it was gonna be this friday so I am trying to piece together a project (gift) for him rather then go and buy something. Well I happened on to a picture drawing of an idea and started sketching and this is pretty much what I came up with. I have not tooled in a very long time so this was a very good refresher. Its going to be a biker style wallet when I am finished, its 7" by 7.5". What do you guys think of the outside of it so far? Decent idea or should I scrap the outside portion and try again. Sorry for the crummy pic, the little whitish speckles you see are the leather tone and aren't really apparent when looking at it in person. Oh yeah its a saddle tan base, with the robe gone over once with ox blood, then I went over the whole project with mahogany for the dark over layer. I oiled it but have not sealed it yet.

Rayban I have noticed it depends on the leather also. This was talked about in alot more detail in some other threads on it but basically it will vary depending on the amount of tannings in the leather. My tandy leather doesnt usually take it very well but my herman oak will darken even without oil to a nice black. Couple of things, make a really strong tea, coffee, walnut shell, various bark, ....... brew. If you give the leather a dip in this first then vinegaroon it, this will help with it taking the black. Also when your done with the vinegaroon I take mine straight to a bath of baking soda dissolved in warm water. The baking soda will make it more black after the rinse. Dont leave it in to long, I just do a few seconds becuase it can cause the leather to go to basic. Then I give it a rinse.

Unless you have some metal hardware in the holster go ahead and stitch it like you normally would, vinegaroon it, give it a baking soda quick wash if you do that then set it aside for a while to start drying. Once it gets some what less wet start your gun in it and get the basic shape going, then let it dry some more. It takes a little longer since it is thoroughly soaked usually. Wait till it gets pretty close to just damp and do your forming and it should form very well. I have done this before and it works for me. I have also carved and stamped it after vinegaroon but I just usually dont let it dry out first. Or do as suggested and brush it on afterwards, this works pretty good. Another thing I have noticed is if you do let it dry completely just wet from the flesh side and the leather will absorb the water quicker. Let it sit for a while to dispurse thruout then start your forming. ChuckBarrows is the one if you try pming him he may help ya out. He has many many years experience with vinegaroon.

That looks killer, the figure carving that is. The cuffs look pretty good too lol. Great job Freak.

Ha thought you misspelled it lol. Looks good, Ive been thinking of making a couple of mouse pads.

That turned out pretty good, I like the art work you did. That is a good idea for several projects like small cases and wallets.

I think you nailed it Barry, cant think of a better way to combine the two. Great tooling and colors. Im sure she will love it.

Looks like a beast, and I think your onto something Kingsx