fredk

I went to a Tandy* once and checked over some leather. A lot of their leather was stored on shelves in a shop, in direct sunlight and high warmth. The leather was all as stiff as thick cardboard or mdf. imo it should not be. Even the thickest should be flexible. With the Tandy stuff I could not bend 2.5mm leather without it starting to crack - that is way too dry. I have all thickness of leather and I can bend them right back on themselves with never a crack. I have the last piece of a 3.5/4mm water buffalo hide which is now about 12 years old; it has cracked where it is folded over, but other than that area the rest is still flexible and useable Adding nfo to very dry leather aint gonna do much, it can help slightly dry leather or to replace oils lost during dyeing and casing Use what you have on simple projects but I'd advise getting top quality leather from another supplier. Others might join in here and advise you on suppliers in your area. Using poor quality leather can frustrate you, it'll throw up problems for you. With good quality leather you'll be encouraged to do more * there is only one Tandy anywhere near me

A. it is labour intensive, but I believe any job worth doing needs taking time over, sure I'll take short-cuts to speed up work, but not if the end result suffers b. my beeswax/nfo/carnauba wax mix is quite hard, almost as hard as straight beeswax. A 50/50 sort of mix like yours I only use to feed leather, then use the harder mix on it. c. my method is simple. I lay the belt/strap on my work bench. on the flesh side, I apply wax mix to about 4 or 6 inches using a bit of denim or linen cloth. I rub it in hard, then do another 4 or 6 inches until I get to the end of the belt. Then I start again, applying less wax mix, but to both sides of the belt. On the third time, I use a clean rag to rub the belt/strap, buffing it hard, section by section, one side at a time. On the fourth time I use a shoe-polishing brush to buff the belt along its length, each side. Fifth time I use a soft rag to buff the belt. I keep checking this for any dye rub off, happy to say usually there is none. Sixth time, the belt/strap is pulled through my hand a few times. I have a clean soft cloth in my hand for this. As I do this I can work the leather to make sure its flexible and the edges are well rounded. d. the heat generated by the rubbing in and buffing is usually enough to soften and melt the wax mix. Only in very cold weather [ie summer here] do I use something like a hairdryer to soften the wax mix e. my times mentioned above are kinda guesses, I've never actually timed it. f. basically the same process for a bag, but most parts need doing before assembly hth

Where did you get the leather? It looks like it could be some old dried out stuff. Good leather needs only a small amount of neatsfoot oil to feed it after dyeing. A wipe over with a sponge dampened with nfo can be enough A couple of things which could have prevented the glue from sticking, a: too much nfo and b: it looks like one surface is smooth grain [?] Glue don't like smooth grain, you need to rough it up some with 40 or 60 grade sandpaper. Even burnished flesh side needs roughed up some The cracking on the loops is leather too dried out and you probably [I'm guessing] did not wet the loop before bending it over

Stem length should be about 3mm longer than the thickness of the leather. Too short and the rivet will not set, ie join, properly and the head could come off under strain. Too long and the stem has nowhere to go within the head so it bends over displacing the head from where you want it. Use a head size according to the strain which might be put on the rivet. The stem length can be cut shorter to suit. Its easy enough to cut For decorative purposes I use 4mm head, for joining lightweight leather which is also stitched I use 6mm head, but usually I use 8 to 10mm head. Afair the guige to shield rivet [above photos] was an 11 or 12mm head and the other was a 9mm. Basically you want a wide head to spread any staining load or the leather will pull out round the head, like a Sam Brown stud. A double-head ready rivet is just a single head type with a head cover over the base of the stem, it plays no part in altering the strength of the rivet, but it does make it look better if both sides of the rivet can be seen, also, I've found that the base of a single-head type can split and have a sharp edge so the head cap covers that, less chance of hurting anyone. I only use double-head rivets now. Slightly more expensive but worth it, imo

A. its as Matt says B. A lot of 'experts' don't know what they are talking about. Correctly set rapid rivets are as strong as any rivet. I've been using them for nearly 20 years and I've never had one fail yet. One primary use I've used them on is on medieval type shields. The shields get used in full contact fights. They get thrown, literally, around by their straps. Never has a rivet failed. Here's a close up of a guige riveted to the wood shield. This particular shield spent 7 days fighting at Bannockburn 4 years ago. The rivet on the right was whacked with a flat face hammer on a flat anvil. The middle one was set using a setting bar on the anvil. the one on the left is not a rivet but a snap for easy removal of the guige. The guige from a different shield which was also used at Bannockburn. 7 days of full contact fighting, the shield being thrown around by its straps. These 'experts' just keep repeating what other 'experts' have said - they've probably never actually used rapid rivets and they just perpetuate the myth that a rapid rivet is not strong whereas in my experience they are strong.

I was wondering that as well but didn't want to look daft asking..... not that you're daft, just smart to actually ask ....so thanks for that link

If you can get the dimensions and the shape, carve one out of wood

1. If you've done your prep right any water should soak into the leather. If it remains as drops on the surface then the leather still has lacquer on it which needs removed as the dye will not get past the lacquer 2. The bigger the better, maybe even a small small spray-gun. A small air-brush will only cover about 2 square inches at a time, you need and will want to work faster. You can get non-compressor spray-guns. You'll need something that can take 500ml [1 UK pint] at a time. With a spray-gun you don't need to worry about the tip, you just want a fan spread. Most good spray-guns have a rotatable head so you get the fan vertical, horizontal or at any angle. Check out car spray painting equipment as well as equipment for spraying outside woodwork. 3. At least 50:50, depends on spray equipment. With a small airbrush I sometimes go to 1 dye to 3 water/alcohol mix 4. Resolene can be diluted with water or alcohol. I use a mix of both. 2 coats might do but I reckon you'd be needing 5 coats, to give long lasting protection and a bit of a shine. More coats = more shine.

Use an elephant stamp and then use a hair tool to put fur on it

1. Hard to say. It'll depend on absorption. I'd recommend have no less than 4 x 32oz bottles each of dye and resolene to hand. 1 x 32oz of deglazer should do 2. Cloth rag only. Scotchbright will scratch the surface 3. I prefer Fiebings standard leather dye, others will recommend the Pro dye 4. Minimum of 18*, 20* better 5. You'll not be 'casing' the leather, but having it moderately damp will help with the spread of the dye thru the leather 6. Yes, dilute the dye. You can apply the dye with a sponge or better yet get a cheap airbrush and compressor and spray the dye on. You'll have better control over the colour density

That looks very nice indeedy Its in the details you know; I see you worked a 'joint' on the arms of the Cross

Could you not just cut the hangy bits with shears/scissors, using the Mk.1 eyeball for judging the width ? By the way ~ This is a bad idea. I tried it and I left the glue on too long and couldn't separate the leather from the card. I tried soaking the combo and most of the card came off but some remained as did the layer of glue. Edit; This is my 1100th post!

Nearly there; two ways; 1. apply a resist first, eg a few coats of resolene, then apply an antique. Wipe off immediately - do not allow it to dry at all. Use kitchen paper towel folded up into a stiff wad block, or even a few layers on a block of wood - refresh the paper surface frequently; one wipe, new paper etc 2. use a dye like Fiebings standard type. Then use a cloth wad, wetted with alcohol such as meths or IPA, to wipe over the work. A stiff wad of cloth or wrapped around a bit of wood. Refresh the cloth surface frequently. The alcohol will remove almost all the dye from any raised surface but will leave some staining behind.

Thanks for sharing this

I'd stick light leather, such as thin deerskin or pigskin. to a piece of compressed card using a rubber based glue such as Copydex, which doesn't soak into the leather and can be peeled off cleanly, then use something like this; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vegetable-Food-Onion-Cutter-Slicer-Peeler-Shredder-Chopper-Kitchen-Gadget-Tool/202320963691?epid=15013120665&hash=item2f1b44e86b:g:qGMAAOSwgTJbBgwy:rk:1:pf:1 Its actually for slicing food. It cuts strips about 2.5mm wide*. I tried it on leather and it works fine, I've also used it to cut strips of polmerclay. You might be able to get one of these slicers locally if you can't wait on the slow-boat [literally] from China * I'm guessing as I can't remember the exact size, the strips might be only 2mm wide. Just about right for a leather tassel tho

Thin them with water first, then some Pledge. I forgot to warn you, the Pledge will do two other things: 1. it'll speed up the drying quite a bit and 2. It'll make them glossy. I reckon you'll want the paints quite thinned so that the first coats soak into the leather before drying and building up the colours with more coats. The 20% is a maximum needed, I sometimes only use about 5% or 10% at most. Also; if you shop about you can find similar products to Pledge at cheaper prices. Read the label on the back. Pledge recommends no more than 5 coats on a floor and 'remove with ammonia in water'. Cheaper products have the exact same properties. I'm in UK. When Pledge went off the market here for a while I found an alternative which is exactly the same except for added scent. Here Pledge costs about £4 to £7 for 500ml, my alternative costs £1 for 750ml. When you find this stuff, do not be put off by its milky appearance; thats to stop people drinking it as the original was as clear as water. It dries perfectly clear.

Store it the way you have, in the cold, warm some of it to use it, it'll last years. Put it on a shelf in sunlight and constant high warmth, it'll last 6 months to a year. I have a small jug bottle, kept on a bottom shelf in the dark, in my workroom which does not get warm nor gets too cold, that bottle is at least 5 years old. edit; PS. I warm my NFO before application as well. I decant some into a jam jar, warm in a micro-oven for a short time, then apply either with a sponge or coarse [child's] painting brush. TBH, I don't use it a lot

The things I don't like about those paints are. 1. the pigment is quite coarse, 2. they always remain water soluble. Even with several coats of sealer on top of them they can still be soluble to any water or moisture. To improve their water resistance; add about 20% of 'Pledge with Future Shine' [aka, Future or Klear] floor polish which is not a polish at all but a very thin acrylic varnish. This turns the paints essentially to an acrylic paint which is not water soluble when dry. *I presume we are discussing the premixed paints. With tablet block paints; wet them with a mix of water and the 'Pledge. . . . '

Neatsfoot oil does get old. Improperly stored it can go rancid - you'll know when it does. Neatsfoot oil is made boiling the feet of cattle [the word Neat = old Middle-English word for cattle] and the lower leg bones to get the fat out of them. This is then refined to remove a lot of the fat and just leave the oils. It sounds like some of the fat has separated out and by heating it up you simply re-melted the fat into the oil

Nice. I reckon you're getting the hang of doing these now

By 'drying' after use of alcohol we mean that it removes the natural oils. Sometime after cleaning, before or after dyeing, apply some neatsfoot oil to replace the lost oils. Use pure neatsfoot oil and not NFO compound which has other additives in it The water will only harden the leather if you soak it and dry it too fast. A mild washing will not overly affect the leather properties. If you use soapy water it will remove some of the oils - again apply some NFO You can wet mould after applying dye, but before sealing the dye

Years ago a friend of mine cleared a load of display boxes from a cancelled order. The boxes were about 6" square base by 10" tall with clear panels on three sides. His selling was, 'quality display box with Free Invisible Man' £xx - he sold the lot, about 250, at just a few craft-fairs. - I kid you not, this is true. It was about the same time the pet rock was the rage

If I may give a similar but reverse situation. N.I. has an average of 80% humidity and 12* C [53* F] I had to make and cover interior panels for a vintage car. The older ones [not vintage, but old] were taken off and I cut new panels out of hardboard exactly to the same size. Then they were covered in upholstery leather using contact glue. At every stage the size of the panels was checked, by measure and by placement. This work was done in the spring. The panels were put into an empty office near the car being rebuilt, adjoining the garage workshop. When it came to fitting the panels early in the winter almost all of them were too big. I measured them, all too big. We put the panels into a heated office for a month and they shrunk back to their original size. In those few months the hardboard had absorbed enough extra atmospheric moisture for them to expand

That looks just grand so it does Just a wee 'but'. . the edge which will be along the fold over looks a bit too fussy

I'm thinking it sounds like water/moisture evaporation shrinkage in an exceptionally dry environment. The boards, before covering, and the leather might have needed a week, or even more, in that environment for them to shrink and stabilise. In they way even dry timber needs to be in its end use environment to stabilise