battlemunky

I have no idea about Tokonole, I've never tried it. It is on my list of things to get someday even though the high grit sanding, water slicking, gum trag slicking, beeswax slicking works well enough. I have half a bottle of gum trag left after about 4 years so I guess when it runs out I'll pick up some Tokonole. I did go back and buff the edge some more (I just couldn't leave it alone) and maybe it was the gum trag not being thoroughly dried/soaked in but it got pretty shiny after it sat for a day. I also cut it at several spots along the edge to see how deep the dye penetrated and it never really got deep near the edge of the pretty side, just in middles. Maybe a mm on the light coats of green and black and about 2-3 mm on the heavy handed side. Still never bled through though. I should've gotten pics.

Looks super cool and I really like the celtic rooster!

Great looking work only rivaled by the story behind it!

That's a super cute item! Thanks @Northmount, I'd have never seen that if you didn't do what you do Sir!

No sweat. I've had so much help from the folks on here that I don't mind doing things to help others out when possible.

Sorry, couldn't resist. (pun intended)

I just recently got some Acadia leather and it is super nice stuff and a pleasure to work with.

Makes me want to get bitten by a spider. Super cool man. I'm admitting right now that I'm envious of the laser.

Here, I made a test piece with some scrap and took a few pics to illustrate. First pic is just dyed. I threw in the green just to illustrate how it all darkens pretty good upon burnishing. Note that the black section in the middle is a bit less rich, that is just one quick coat, the dark black on the end was 5 coats...I was trying to induce bleeding but it didn't . Second pic is just burnishing with water. Third is after gum trag, and fourth is after beeswax and a buff with some duck cloth. I didn't follow my typical routine of burnishing before dying but I don't know if it matters, its just what I usually do. I learned something though. I think it looks far better prior to hitting it with the beeswax. I don't see too much difference in the images though.

Its ok unless you soak it. I get my edges nearly complete before I dye them and that darkens them up some so it doesn't take a bunch. Mess around with some scrap before you commit it to a project. I use qtips more often than not when doing edges and see dye from a stray fiber hit the non-edge portion more than I see dye bleeding through. I have been heavy handed with it before and had some bleed through but I haven't in a while since I've learned it'll happen.

I too use dye, just regular old Fiebings Oil Dye. I either match the color or do something to contrast if I'm feeling like a Mr. Sassypants or not. I love natural burnished edges on vegtan; far easier and looks better than paint IMO. Nonburnishable stuff is a different story and I don't use it often. Edit: I hit it with some water to burnish first, then usually some gum trag and then final beeswax.

Pretty cool, the stuff we get into as a group.

https://www.amazon.com/DCT-Sticks-Plastic-Spreader-Applicator/dp/B07D4PPH1S/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=glue+spreader&qid=1568686333&s=gateway&sr=8-5 These are the ones I use. They work pretty good and I haven't met a glue that won't peel off when dry.

I think the radius on the roll over will make the belt too thick for some belt loops, also, rolling over you could get some cracking along the roll because you'd likely have to hammer it to get it tight enough. If you try it, wet the leather pretty heavily prior to rolling/hammering, it'll help it bend. You could perhaps line it with a lighter weight than the 5.5 oz and leave a pocket for stashing cash?

Nick laid out some pretty solid advice along with the cool experimentation. (good on ya Nick!) Most Tandy folks are nice and some are pretty knowledgeable but remember that they are paid to sell you stuff. I've had great encounters in a few different Tandy's and I've had a few really "wtf are you even saying dude, have you ever done anything with leather aside from schlock crap to people!?!" moments as well. Also, beware of absolutes in Tandy. I have noticed that whatever training they get, they aren't all told that there are many ways to approaching a leather project, many of which don't include Craftool branded products...they tend to be pretty dogmatic toward their own stuff. Take their advice with a grain of salt and try to get out with only what you need. Much of their stuff is overpriced and lower quality. It's great in a pinch or when you are dipping your toes in the pool to see if you like the temperature before jumping in but if you end up liking leatherworking you can spend far smarter than at Tandy. Best of luck and let us know how it goes.

By the core I mean the less than clan exit holes. You can see the inside of the leather. It makes it look a bit shabby. I gave it to the dude who commissioned it and was pleased and he said he would rather just let them get dirty naturally and patina on their own, but it'd still be good to know for next time.

I've got some really nice veg-retanned and while it doesn't have the milled surface, it is juuuuust about unburnishable. You can get it to sort of look better than raw edge but I tend to leave it raw edged. It doesn't look bad, it just looks a little less finished. Nothing close to regular veg tanned.

Anyone know how to keep the core from being as visible around the stitching holes? I could have gone back over the stitching with dye or make holes first, then dye?

3/4 oz HO with Fiebing's Oil Dye. Lined with brown duck canvas. Not exactly sure why the pics are upside down... Let me know what you think and thanks for looking!

https://districtleathersupply.com/products/aquilim-315-water-based-adhesive?variant=7182067630142 I just happened upon this adhesive myself. I'm going to grab a small canister to try. If anyone knows if it is good or not, please let us know. DLS said they tested it and that it works like a contact cement should but being waterbased makes me wonder how well it'll hold up under damp/wet conditions.

That looks great! I've only bar grounded once and I prefer it. It is a lot more efficient than it appears it would be. I figured it'd take forever but it knocks it out pretty quickly.

Also, you can come up with a custom version and AM Leathercraft can make you one and his prices are super reasonable. He's in Vietnam so it takes about a week or so to ship but he's great to work with and beyond fair on his pricing. I'm unaffiliated other than being a satisfied customer of his. https://am-leathercraft.com/

SMH That is pretty bad.

Beautiful work!

I do NOT. Here in Alabama, they give us guns when we enter the state, vote, and buy groceries. Wow, so that sucks not even really being able to shop for or handle a firearm without intent to purchase. I heard it was restrictive out west but I didn't know it was that bad. Y'all must not have any gun related crime out there, huh? \sarc