calanneh

Thanks guys!! I found out after I made it that any type of aclohal or even coke will breakdown the bees wax.......hhhmmm If nothing else, it is a good conversation piece to add to my outfit! William

Hey folks. I'm heading out to the TX Ren Fest with my youngest son this weekend so I made a mug to hang from my belt. I took a 5/16" thick piece of vegtan, glued a super thin calfskin piece to the flesh side and then rolled it into a cup shape and glued it. Made a bottom from abotu piece the same size and glued it in. Covered the bottom and the top rim with two more pieces of super thin calfskin and set it aside to dry. Dipped it real good in some bee's wax, cooled, baked at 250F, cooled and then ran it thru the cycle two more times (per my local Tandy rep). Let it cool and then added the two straps with the handle attached to the straps. Wetted it and let the straps dry a few times to help them shrink up a little. It came out pretty close to what I wanted. I will be checkign out more at the Fest this weekend and will prob make me another one before next year now that I've learned a think or two..... Yell if you got any tips or critques!!! William

Fantastic!!!!! You did a great job!!!! William

Well Rawhide, I think I see a new leather workshop with a nice few...hehehe Think the young'uns would mind a workbench and a few tools???? William

Good cuz I am horrible at dying.... I can never get them even...unless it's black of course!!! LOL William

Daubers..... hhhmmmm, another new idea to try!!! Thanks folks!!!!!! William

Thanks Marlon! I bought some fiebing's spray sheen yesterday while at Tandy. I used it on the problem project listed above and it came out looking fine. I will have to looke into the 'oil dye' idea too. I am not that good at getting even colors with dyes or stains, do the oils come out more consistant? William

OH OH! I got one for ya....... It's too small! That beautiful banner overpowers the link! /hands my glasses to Clay! Maybe a nice big button would be kewl! William

I made a Ren Fest belt last year using a stock 2.5" strap from Tandy. The back was kinda hairy right off the shelf. My Tandy guy told me to treat it like I would a piece of rough wood. I started with some 60 grit sandpaper on my little power handsander and worked my way up to some really high grit sandpaper. It took about 45 mins altogether, but it worked fine and looks great on the inside and out. William

For when you're out parading the puppy in front of potential mates i'm sure.....

I don't know about sheepskin scraps, but my local Tandy sells bags of calfskin scrap. Have you checked the Tandy website to see if it is still listed there?? William

I use it on my project. I get better results than with just plain water. I have a local master craftsman who has been doing leatherwork for about 50 years and he swears by it. I dip a Qtip in the bottle to get a little on the tip and then rub it on a section of the edge and over the back of the project. I then grab my slicker and rub like crazy. Once I get that nice 'burnished' look I move onto another section. Rubbing with a piece of folded canvas works really well too as the other guys suggested. I just havent got to the material store to pick any up yet. Be careful of getting the gum on the front of the project. My first attempt I used way too much and it slopped over onto the front and left a discolored area all around the front edge. I was dyeing the piece black so it wasnt a big deal for this one. Hope this helps! William

Now thats a dog collar!! LOL I don't even put that much hardware on my belts!!! LOL Looks great! William

Looks good! I like the coloring. Keep posting pix of you work! We all love to see more! William

My latest project that had this happen was dyed in the morning and then buffed/sheen'd that evening...well over 8 hours of drying time. I have a batch of vinegaroon brewing up.... I think I will just stick to it when I need somehting black. LOL Thanks for the help folks... any other thoughts are greatly welcome! William

Welcome aboard Emma!!! There are lotsa saddlemakers on here, but I aint anywhere good enough to be one of them!!! LOL William

Looks good Tom! I have been eyeing my dremel case trying to spot anything layign around the garage that might work as an edge slicker/burnisher... May have to take a visit to the hardware store and wander around to see what I can spot there... Let us know how it works! William

Beautiful work there buddy!! I like the skull model!! How long have you been making them?? William

Why does my Fiebing USMC Black not like Eco-Flo Satin Sheen???? I have used it on three problems now and each time I put the Satin Sheen on, the black starts to lift off the leather instantly!!! I have been using the same black with Eco-Flo Super Sheen with no probs, it just happens with the Satin Sheen. The first time it was on a project my son was working on and I only saw the end result, not as he was working. My Tandy guys said maybe he had way too much Sheen on the leather or he didnt let it dry long enough and it leeched the black out while the sheen was drying. So I tried it on two more projects myself and both did the same thing. The first wasnt so bad, just a few small tan spots along the edges so I touched it up and moved on. However, tonight I was dyeing some straps and as soon as the Sheen touched the black, the black leeched off in large areas.... I set it all aside until I can figure out what the hell is going on. Any ideas?? William

OK, i'll bite.... What is LITFA?? William

Well, I'm sure Indy would love it too......

What she said....spiral is great!

The Tandy pattern sheet actually called them 'vambraces' but I also refer to the as bracers out of habit. It is proud of them. They turned out a little big, they slid aroud sound, so I am going to help him line them with some padding tonight to help snug them up. We plain to add some white padding like in this pair I made for a halloween costume a few weeks ago. William

Looks great Josh! Keep up the good work! The only advise for sewing by hand, pull each stitch snug and take it slow. If you rush, you will find yourself jerking the thread and either warping the leather some or breaking the thread. I use wax thread from Tandy for all my cases and it works well. William

Very nice looking!! I love the bracer! Smooth, try a larger hole and some round leather thong. It will help. Also go with as few holes as possible, space them out so you use fewer holes like Mike did here. My first set had a hole every half inch and it takes me 15 minutes to lace each one!!! William