CastlesCustomLeather

Awesome! Thanks for the tip Bob! I'll definitely give that a try

I just got some Wyosheen and its washing out a TON of my dye (it does it to both spirit based and water based). I tried applying both leather sheen spray and saddle-lac prior to the Wyosheen and it didn't prevent the problem (though the saddle-lac did help. I just don't like using it because it has too much gloss for the finished look that I like). I've bought Clear-Lac in the past and never had that problem. It's my understanding that Wyosheen and Clear Lac are the same product sold under a different name. If anyone has any idea what the problem is, please let me know. I've also noticed that on certain leathers, Clear-Lac/Wyosheen doesn't resist very well against Feibings antique paste. So far, I have yet to find an explains toon or anyone else having the same problem. I even upped it to 2 coats on those leathers and still had the same problem (though not quite as bad). I've tried every application method apart from spraying it on and I get the same result. I would just use RTC, but it seems to take 2 coats and then it gets way too shiny for my taste. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

I'm looking for a place/ supplier to get some high quality diamond hole stitching chisels (particularly around the 3 mm size). I've heard that some of the Japanese ones are great, but most of my internet searches seem to turn up cheap looking ones. Right now I'm using Craftool and Craftool Pro chisels and I just want to invest some $ in better quality chisels. To be clear, I'm looking for stitching chisels that punch diamond shaped holes, not lacing chisels that punch slits. If anyone knows a high quality brand or a source that sells some top notch chisels, please let me know. Thank you!

Hi Bob, Will this work with regular old Feibings alcohol dye or "pro oil" dye or does it have to be specifically edge dye? Because I've tried using regular Feibings alcohol dye on some 2-3 oz leather and the dye bled/seeped through the leather and screwed up the piece. I used a dauber to apply it so I don't know if the coat was too heavy or if it was just the type of dye combined with the thin leather. Anyways, these pens seem like they might be right for me! I'd also be interested in getting a bottle of your Edge Magic. I've heard that stuff is amazing. Do you use that in place of the glycerin saddle soap bar (that's what I'm currently using)?

I never said they were reasonably priced haha! Just that Tandy sells them. I think Tandy relies on their monopolization of the leathercraft market. Even though people who are experienced in the field know about Barry King, Leatherwranglers, Chuck Smith, Bob Beard, Sheridan Leather, Springfield Leather, Ohio Travel Bag, Beylors, Hide House, Wicket & Craig, Horween, Herman & Oak etc, the beginner and the casual hobbyist only know about Tandy. They think Tandy is the only place that sells leather, leather working tools, hardware, and so on. So they pay those prices because they don't know that there are other places with the same or similar products (sometimes far superior products) at more reasonable costs. We do have a lot of businesses that buy from us, but it's usually more specialty items that aren't readily available from other companies. Anyway, I appreciate what you wrote and I understand and agree with your opinion.

I totally agree with everything you've said. Prices have gone way up while quality has gone way down. It's sad, but Tandy has turned into a corporation. No longer are they the same small town type of store where everyone is friends and it's all about the customer's happiness with their shopping experience and the products they buy. I used to work in manufacturing and I can rarely get any of the shops I worked for or did business with to buy from Tandy. They can find the same hardware or Fiebing's products or similar tools at much cheaper prices from other places. I work for Tandy and even I don't use their products that often. If you want to see how much the quality has gone down, just compare a Craftool stamp from 30 years ago to a new one. That's why people pay so much for the vintage Craftools. And I don't even mean the discontinued ones. People will pay twice as much for a used vintage Craftool even though they can get the same stamp brand new from Tandy. The only thing I will say though, is even though some of the tools have gone down in quality, there is a lifetime warranty on all tools. If they break from normal wear and tear or are defective in any way, you can just bring it or send it to your local Tandy and they will replace it for free. And also, Tanddy does sell solid brass double cap rivets. They are item numbers 1379-11, 1381-11, and 1383-11. They also come in solid brass nickel plated.

Wow... I work for Tandy and I can't believe someone would do that. I hope corporate took your complaint seriously and responded to you. I would love to know what store this happened at. Someone that isn't a business purchasing $2,000 worth of products would be considered a very high paying customer at my store. And although all customers, regardless of how much they spend, should be treated with equal courtesy and respect, a customer who is just starting out with leather and still spent that much $ deserves 1st class service all the way. THEY undercharged YOU. It's their mistake and not your responsibility to catch that kind of thing. Nor should you have had to pay the $21. It was the store's mistake. Essentially when they told you the total, they were quoting you a price which they agreed to sell you and you agreed to pay. It wasn't your fault that happened and the manager should've just let it go. The fact that you came back and tried to resolve the situation was going above and beyond on your part. You sound like the kind of customer that every manager should love to have shopping at their store. Although the large majority of our customers are really great people, we of course do get dishonest ones that come into our store. We get shoplifters, people that steal our sample items for our classes, people that take a barcode sticker off cheap leather and put it on the expensive stuff to try and get away with paying less, and the list goes on. A customer like you that goes out of his way to try and make the situation right is the type of customer that a manager should show respect and kindness towards, not be a rude jerk towards. I am very sorry you had such a bad experience with Tandy. Again, I'd love to know what store that was. If you happen to live in California, send me a message and I'll let you know what store I work at and if you want the customer service you deserve, I'd love to have you shop through us.

No prep was used. It's antique paste that's changing colors in me, not dye. So like I said, only clear lac has been applied prior to the antique paste. I apply a coat of neatsfoot oil after tooling has been completed, then I let the oil dry/soak in for 24 hours. Then I apply clear-lac and let that dry overnight. Then Fiebing's antique paste. I wipe off the excess, then wait a few minutes and come back and buff out as much of the remaining paste as I can with a clean piece of sheepswool. Then I let the antique dry for at least a few hours. And then I deal with Fiebing's leather sheen aerosol spray. Like I said, I'm only having this issue with the light brown antique. And I've used light brown in the past and didn't have this problem.

I use Fiebing's antique pastes all the time. Light brown was the color I used most often. So I decided to buy the big jar. I got it from shoeshineexpress.com because they are one of the few people that carry the entire line of Fiebing's products and will still ship ORM-D products to California addresses (and I live in CA). As I started using the antique from the big jar, I noticed that after a couple days, the light brown antique started turning a grayish green color. It almost looks like my project got all moldy. I tried it multiple times and got the same result. So I thought I must've just been sold a bad jar. I contacted the place I got it from and of course they totally blew me off. So I bought I small jar from Amazon and to my surprise, I'm having the same problem. The only thing I can think of is that I switch from using RTC to using Clear-Lac around the same time that I bought that big jar. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. It didn't occur to me until just now as I was writing this, so I haven't had the time to experiment with using RTC again with the "bad" light brown antique I have. Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone has had a similar problem or if anyone has an answer to what the heck is going on with my light brown antique. Thanks in advance!

Are any of the 16 oz mauls still available?