Tugadude

In 'Leatherwork Manual by Al Stohlman', Mr. Stohlman says the following: "The modern tannery is made up of three major sections. The first section stores, cleans and removes hair from the animal skins. Next, natural oils are removed and preservative chemicals introduced into the very heart of the skin structure. During the final stages of production the skin is stretched and dried." So no need to take my word for it.

I've no doubt that leather stretches during the tanning process. I've seen wet hides hanging and they are quite heavy. They have to be stretching.

Welcome to the forum! I hope some locals are able to help you with information. I suggest you get a relationship going with what supplier or suppliers there are down there. When there's something you need that they don't inventory, ask if they'd source it and sell it as a non-stock product. Who knows, maybe your interest will stimulate them to expand their offerings? We sometimes assume suppliers are on top of everything, but many are not. They keep doing what they've been doing and may not be aware of current trends. A good example might be the high quality tools that keep cropping up. Anyway, good luck. And by the way, my wife and I watch a few television shows which are based in New Zealand and we would love to be able to visit someday. It looks amazing.

I totally believe you and have seen it happen in my own projects. Until, that is, I decided to never, ever dye leather after cutting. When I stopped doing that, I never encountered a problem. The other side effect of the shrinkage can be a loss of flexibility. The leather becomes stiffer because some of the oils in the leather bond with the water molecules and when the water dries out, guess what? The oils go along for the ride. Less oil left in the leather results in stiffer leather. I applied dye to some wallet pockets once, after cutting and not only did they shrink, they also became stiff as cardboard. Sometimes that's OK, or even helpful, but not for what I wanted. You can control at least some of the issues by dyeing the leather and letting it completely dry before cutting. And if you are going to add some oil-based products later on, that probably won't have as big of an impact as water-based would. It is not uncommon for folks who own leather jackets to find that after a rainstorm that perfect fit now has to be handed off to someone smaller. Just part of the deal. Leather does what it does.

When you mention "staining", do you mean dyeing? And if so, what sort of damage are you referring to?

They are apparently a subsidiary of Rawlings. When you attempt to go to their website as listed on the web, it detours to Rawlings.com. They do have their own Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/tennesseetanningcompany/?hl=en This Canadian vendor features the Tennessee Tanning Co. leather on their site: https://www.oaleathersupply.com/collections/rawlings-tennessee-tanning-co?page=1

Welcome!

This is one instance I think where a laser would come in handy. If you took a piece of 1 oz. veg tan and had it laser-engraved and then dyed to suit your purposes it would look fantastic. Roughen it up some to give it the look of actual aging and you're set.

I don't think you want the material to be too floppy. Thin veg tan should roll up very nicely and can resemble an old map.

Contact a leather supplier that offers splitting services. They can split veg tan leather down to a very thin condition. I have some .75 to 1 ounce veg that I think would be perfect for what you want. Then it is a matter of coloring it to look like old parchment or whatever. You can crinkle it and flatten it out to put some character marks into the leather. I'm sure someone in England would be happy to help you. Maybe Abbey? Other local will know.

Thanks! I think the OP needs to find some available leather which meets his needs.

To what degree does it dry out? And what will the flesh side be like? Would you want to put it against your skin? I don't know what this person wants it for but he lists reenactment under his username, so it might be for wearables.

If it absorbs into the outer surface, then it should penetrate the flesh side and probably even more easily. Veg Tan leather is like a sponge. Some companies tumble leather in order to soften it. The way I understand it, it is like a huge clothes dryer. The heat can change the surface of the leather from what I understand, giving it a little pebbly texture at times. What is this leather going to be for? The lanolin or Vaseline will make the flesh side different and depending on how much you use, it might get gooey or tacky. I wouldn't use Vaseline at all personally. Is ordering a different veg tan leather a possibility or are you wanting to use up what you have? There's a limit to what you can make it do.

Yes, beware what people say. They can say all sorts of things. Here is what is probably the most important line from the SDS: "Inhalation: Repeated exposure may cause respiratory tract irritation." Translation: Use in a well-ventilated area, under a ventilation hood if you are doing a lot of it, and the use of a mask or respirator is advisable if you happen to be overly sensitive to the vapors. At least that's my take on it. P.S. If airbrushing made it toxic, wouldn't that be on the label, probably in large print? In addition, Tandy's website offers this advice under "Directions": Apply with an artist brush, wool dauber, air brush or aerosol sprayer. Thin with water.

HOLE-Y cow! That's a lot of holes. Nice way to display them. The ones where they stand up seem to be popular but they have to be more difficult to locate the ones you need.

To me it depends on many factors. In other words there isn't a "one size fits all" recommendation. If you are going to tool the leather, that may impact the weight you choose. The "hand" of the leather may also play a role. You mentioned leather "sagging" and that may be a function of the type of leather as much as the thickness. Some leather is thick and soft and some is thin and remarkably stiff. They both have their applications but you have to choose the right type for the project requirements. Having said that, I generally use 4 oz. or thereabouts on the exterior covers and 1 1/2 to 2 oz. or so on the pockets. And of course when you double up the leather it will help provide some added stability. If you have the chance, show us a pic of the condition you are talking about. Might be some other things you could do to add some stiffness such as adding an accent piece on the exterior. For example:

Thanks for that link. They have some cheaper alternatives for those of us who don't feel the need for a costly machine.

I feel your pain. I have issues keeping both snaps and rivets straight when hammering them into place. As a hobbyist it is hard to justify a machine when you don't use it very often. One thing I found works with small rivets is to use pliers instead of the anvil and setting tool. I have a smooth plier, no knurling for grip that works very well. I just squeeze and it gets the job done so much easier than with the anvil. And, as a bonus, it also works in confined spaces where using the anvil is impossible. I did look on both Amazon and Aliexpress and you can find setting machines in both places for less than $100.00. As is usual the reviews are all over the place. Good luck in your search. You aren't the only one dissatisfied with the process.

I really like the appearance of the border. I really don't do much stamping and no tooling to speak of but I do want to try a border stamp on a project in the future and that one is quite attractive. I can see that enhancing a lot of projects, especially binders. Every time I see a well-executed project like this it reminds me of how cool this hobby is. And if this isn't your hobby, then I hope you are repaid for all of the time and experience that goes into creating something so special.

No need to get snippy…

That sheath is a cut above most I've seen. Well done!

Thanks for that! And thanks for not getting defensive! We're all trying to learn here and I have much to learn from the rest of you.

Where did you see this? Personally, I would tend to doubt that it "waterproofs" at all. Waterproofing tends to be either an impenetrable coating such as a sealer or an integral treatment such as oil, wax, etc.

I'd try reputable watch dealers to see what they might offer. They generally sell replacement bars and the QR bars are becoming popular for obvious reasons. However, my opinion as a "watch guy" is that these bars could be problematic in some applications. I don't know that I'd trust them on a heavy diver, for example. The fact they are easier to remove translates into just that, easier to disengage in my opinion. I'm probably being overly cautious, but with the cost of these pins versus the watches they serve demands it in my opinion. I do have straps with these sort of pins and no I haven't had issues. But the potential is there. I did notice some vendors offering "premium" bars of that type. You might contact them. Here's one example: https://www.basandlokes.com/quick-release-premium-1-8mm-spring-bars/ I haven't done any business with them, just using them as an example. Here's one in the U.K., but it appears their sizes are severely limited at the moment. But they are said to be "thicker" than standard bars, making them more secure for diving watches. https://www.zuludiver.com/products/quick-release-divers-spring-bars Again, I'm probably being overly cautious, but as a watch fan I do have concerns about longterm use of these pins. Hope you have good luck with them!

I wouldn’t count on it to function the way a resist does.