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Are you burnishing the edges at all prior to applying your edge dye? I guess I forgot to mention that. I always burnish my edges first by dampening them with water, then sanding them smooth, then rubbing my burnishing stick over the edge. Once it dries, then I dye the edge. Give that a try and see if it helps.

Good point dickf - I also only line with veg tan leather, not suede.

Looks great! I've never worked with ostrich, but you can use a black permanent marker on the edges. Obviously, it doesn't soak in as well, but it gives a nice, clean line and won't bleed like dye will. I usually use a marker on the edge to get a nice clean transition, then I'll fill in the rest of the area with a dauber - just make sure you don't have too much dye on the dauber or you'll risk more bleeding.

I just apply gum trag to the interior after it's formed/dried, then slick it down with a wooden modeling tool. It helps to have smooth backs on the leather. If it's not smooth, I'll either not use the leather, or I'll sand it smooth (more like suede, prior to assembly) so the fuz is as short as possible, then burnish with gum trag after it's formed/dried.

I'll line a holster if the customer requests it, but otherwise, none of mine are lined. I rarely get asked to do so. If I do have to line it, I don't have any problem charging more money - more time cutting, twice as much leather gets used (just because it's thinner doesn't mean it's any cheaper) and more time gluing & sewing. On the plus side, I hate burnishing the interior, which obviously isn't necessary with a lined holster.

Sorry, haven't tried spraying it.

Yeah, but just for red. I apply it with a sponge. It's easy enough to apply, but it sorta makes the leather a bit water resistant so you have to soak it a tad longer prior to forming, and maybe sponge a little more water on the surface once you insert the gun and start stretching the leather out. I just formed a 4" 1911 IWB stained that same color pattern and was reminded how much more resistant to water the leather becomes when using the water stains...

I usually use 8oz.

Automotive / aviation leather is intended to be super durable and stain resistant. In other words, it's designed to maintain its intended color over the life of the product. Ever seen a Ford King Ranch edition truck that's seen a few miles? The leather's likely discolored where it's seen contact with skin oils (backs of the legs, arm rests, etc.). That's because it's actually a premium leather with little extra treatments done (if any?). Compare that with the typical automotive leather, and you'll see a huge difference. The leather you have is likely not going to work for you if you want to change the color.

I happen to have a document sitting on my desk that might help... The leather is likely referred to (at least what my source calls it) as "Technical Leather" (or "pigmented leather" - it says it is "extremely durable for additional pigments and other finishes are applied to the leather. Developed for the automotive and aviation industry. Extremely uniform, less soft and has a very limited possibility of breathing, withstands extreme environments, very easy to care for and clean." The document also says it "undergoes the same processes as aniline and semi-aniline leather, but is given additional pigmented finishing and other treatments to meet the standards of the automotive and aviation industries. As a result, technical leather lacks some structure of the natural hide. It is extremely tough, durable and easy to clean and maintain." For what it's worth, this document came from "American Leather" - a furniture manuracturer.

Hey, that looks great! Love the leather you chose for the reinforcement piece!

Very cool! Love it!

To reiterate, it's my company that purchased the subscription, so the price didn't affect me personally. However, I would have been happy to pay the monthly fee on an as-needed basis for my personal use, should the need have arisen (and that's exactly what I was preparing to do, once I bought or built my new home computer). Since I've never owned a copy, a minimal monthly payment was much more appealing than forking out the previous $750 initial purchase price for a legit copy. It would have taken right at 3 years of $20/mo payments (for the Photoshop only subscription) to recoup that expense. Maybe for people that only need/use one Adobe product, purchasing an actual copy might make more sense (provided you don't plan on upgrading before 3 years). But for those that need other Adobe tools, the subscription just makes all kinds of sense to me.

Nice looking bag! What type and thickness leather are you building them from? I have some nice W&C English Bridle on-hand that I've been trying to find a purpose for....

I guess I'm in the minority here... I personally LOVE the subscription option!!! My company bought our 3-person design team our own subscriptions, so for $50/mo, I get access to the latest and greatest toys from Adobe - and I regularly use Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and Acrobat. And since each subscription allows for the installation on two computers, I can install the suite on my home computer so I can work from home if/when I need to. But, I also get to use other programs at home, like Premiere and After Effects for my video edits, pattern making, etc. I haven't really played with their other programs, but like knowing I have the option to download and play with them if/when the need arises. It's funny everyone sees it as a money grabbing opportunity. I see it as a way to cut down on piracy and broaden their market share. Our design team was stuck using Adobe products 5+ years old, and management had no intentions of making multi-thousand dollar upgrades. Considering our 3-person team needs high-end workstations, I personally have two computers (one for my workstation, one for a render slave), and my 3D program costs several thousand dollars (two licenses), and Autocad just as much (3 licenses) - my employers were relieved to see the Adobe subscription option.

I found other makers that I wanted to compete with, then priced my stuff accordingly.

I don't make a ton of journal covers, but I've found 3-5 oz leather works best for my designs, depending on if it's tooled or not. You need something relatively thin so it's easy to fold to form the pockets, though I admittedly haven't had a chance to watch the fellow's video yet (I opened it in a new tab to watch later) so I'm not sure yet how that cover was made. Tandy does sell a European leather that is supposed to be a higher quality, but you'll pay something like $7+ per SF for it. And, you'll have to buy large pieces, so check your account balance before heading out of the house... If you're not planning on tooling it, you might consider one of their oil-tanned hides. It's more flexible than vegetable tanned leather, and already colored, so you don't need to seal it or anything like that, unlike Veg Tan leather. It usually comes in very large pieces - at least at my local store, but it's still much cheaper than the European hides. I think you want to avoid any of the acrylic finishes, and instead focus on wax-based finishes. I've not had good luck with Fiebing's Leather Balm with Atom Wax - it lifts a ton of color and always discolors my thread. And it's very prone to streaking if you put it on too heavily. Acrylic finishes will have a plastic feeling to the leather when you're done and won't really gain any patina (character) over time like an oil-tanned hide will.

Beautiful looking rig! Love the stamping pattern, and the color looks great. My airbrushed Fiebing's Pro Oil Dark Brown comes out about that same color when airbrushed with 4 coats, but obviously your dipped version would have much better penetration. Mind sharing what approximate percentage you cut your dye? I'd guess around 25%, but I've never cut my dyes so don't really have a clue.

I had a fellow contact me asking about a custom leg holster for his 1911. Anyone out there interested in building a holster for him? I don't have the time right now and it's not something I really want to tackle. PM me if you're interested and I'll forward his contact information to you.

Springfield Leather has multiple thicknesses of 12x12 veg tan: http://springfieldleather.com/32575/Piece%2CHermann-Oak%2C8-9oz12%22x12%22/ http://springfieldleather.com/32561/Piece%2CHermann-Oak%2C4-5oz12%22x12%22/

Like Bob and others have said, you can buy it hobby (arts & craft) stores. In college, we used liquid latex for our water color paintings. I only mention this so you'll have another spot to look when you go to the store - in the watercolor/painting department.

Holy mackerel!, that's a great looking rig!!

For holsters, I use a 1" sponge paint brush. I dip it in water, squeeze it a bit to make sure the sponge is nice and wet, then squeeze out as much excess as possible and bang the handle against my bench to sling out a bit more water. Like Cyberthrasher said - you just want it lightly moistened. However, a little too much water won't hurt - it's already cut 50/50 with water... When I apply it to my holsters, I apply it very liberally to the interior first - let it soak in really well, being sure to get it in all the cracks and crevices, and I usually apply a little extra to the sweat shield area. Then, I hang it to dry for a few minutes till it's dry to the touch. After that, I move to the exterior - dip the brush, then liberally coat the exterior, brushing it on as quickly as possible. You'll probably get bubbles, but just keep brushing till the bubbles go away and make sure there are no pools anywhere - use less and less pressure as it gets closer to drying. Then, dip the brush again and move to the back of the holster and apply it the same way - quickly! Make sure you get the edges and belt slots. Rotate the holster all directions to make sure there are no drips or puddles anywhere, then hang to dry. Work very quickly - then make sure once it starts to dry, you leave it alone. I prefer this method for holsters because streaks usually aren't a problem and aren't noticeable because of the uneven, non-flat surfaces. For journal covers, I apply it lightly with an airbrush with several light passes a couple minutes apart.

I use a little 4oz old bottle that used to contain something else - not sure what it held, but probably Tandy Satin Sheen. I fill it half-way with resolene, then fill it the rest of the way with tap water, then gently shake it. It's 2-3 months usually before I go through the entire bottle and it's perfectly fine. The next time you buy resolene, consider getting the 32oz bottle, then you'll always have your little bottle for 50/50 mixing. I've been using the same 32oz bottle of resolene for about 3 years, though I did briefly switch to Angelus 600 (when I ran out of Angelus, I switched back to resolene since it was still sitting on my shelf).

I stumbled across this a while back. I'm going to make some as soon as I get my hands on bulk beeswax. And yes, he didn't cook his very safely - use a double boiler instead.