battlemunky

I don't think your edges are prepped properly before you start painting them. They need to be nearly good on their own before you start painting. Edge finishing is a pretty well understood step and you seem to be resistant to listening to experience again @RusticLeatherShop. You need to grab some scrap and practice. You have got to put in the time and effort applying the suggestions you solicited if you are wanting to get this figured out. Cow leather, fish leather, dog leather....it should all yield a clean edge when painted if you take the time and execute properly. Nice clean cuts, some edge beveling, and some sanding and then paint, but you have to have your foundation right!

Clean as always Mike. Your work keeps me trying to get better.

Wow, super great save on that bag @Handstitched!

Beautiful work!

Really strong work you got there!

Like Yin said, those are clean. Really clean. So, which one did she choose?

Do you airbrush the dye or is that some block dieing technique for the starbursty thing going on? Looks rich either way. I'd guess block dyed because it is a bit irregular on the pocket toward the top but not in a flawed way at all. That border is really nice, is the semicircle it's own stamp or part of the seeded cam? Nice piece and I've never even thought of a thing like that; total utility and pretty to boot.

Looks perfect!

Make sure you give the NFO and balm time to do it's thing. At least 24 hrs.

I would think maybe a wipe down with a damn cloth to try and get a bit of moisture back into it and let that have a few minutes to recover and then maybe a thin wipe down with some NFO or some other leather conditioner. It looks super dry.

Can't argue with clean work like that! Looks good.

My dad had a fringed suede jacket from when he was a teenager that has been in the family for a long time and I finally got tired of looking at it so I took it apart and am slowly using it to line things with. If its bag leather though, it may be a bit floppy for wallets but may be ok for wallet pockets or something? Lining stuff is always an option if it is good and soft.

Just melt the beeswax and roll it around to coat the inside and then dump the rest out. Warm the leather first. Similar how the leather beer mugs are treated to keep from leaking. Could probably use paraffin also just to keep any honey flavor off the meat.

Looks nice, I like the feathers quite a bit and your letters are super cool too!

Agreed, looks great and I want to know how to keep the ends perfectly round too! One thing I thought of but may not mean anything is keeping an eye out for discoloration of the leather. Know how iron filing will blue the leather? Other than that, I think that if it works, why the hell not?

Yeah, that brand is super cool! Keep it up man, it's such a fun and useful hobby that can easily pay for itself or transition into more. I really enjoy it. Haven't had a bad day in my leather shop!

Yep @NVLeatherWorx, I've been following that thread (<----pun!). I totally wasn't questioning your quality, I know it's done right. I was trying to work my way through getting rid of a useless step in my own stitching Apologies for the thread hijacking @chrisash!

lol, yeah, patience is a virtue I don't have. I guess that is why working multiple projects in parallel is ideal so you can keep busy while stuff dries. /shrug

Right but don't you have to switch from left first right second to right first left second in order of lead needle? If that question even makes sense... For instance if you start left needle first, when you do your backstitch you need to go right needle first. I read that somewhere and have always done it. I don't think I've tested it without doing it before...

I still occasionally poke the other thread but I pull back on it every time to unpoke it before pulling both lines through to tighten, its part of my method. I've gotten a lot better at it but it still happens no matter how careful I am. When backstitching though, you need to switch the order. Correct?

Welcome. Thank you, all your neighbors, and the very dirt you walk on for making Lord Of The Rings a beautiful thing. Couldn't done it as well without it!

What they said.

The way it sews mainly @chrisash. Some stuff is a dream, some stuff you have to pay a bit more attention to things like how easy it pulls through leather, the finish it holds, strength. For instance, I like the Chinese knock-off Tiger thread. It behaves well for me and the strength is fine. But Tiger is a bit more waxed, or waxed with a different recipe or something, and it is a bit stiff and make it a wee bit easier for me to use. Given the availability and cost of Tiger though, I opt to sacrifice a little bit of ease of use on my part for the cost. They are very similar in my estimation. Also, I have noticed the Tiger thread seems to "scar" a bit compared to the knock-off. When you are sewing and you stab through the thread while coming through the whole, I can see it more when using Tiger than with knock-off Tiger. Maybe its just me but those are a few things I've noticed.

Also, his YouTube channel is pretty good too, and he make acrylic templates.

I got mine, took about 3 weeks, but it is crisp and will likely last longer than me. $30 I think. I wasn't rushed so the time met the savings for me.