monicaj

Vinegroon... I'll research it. Thanks.

Much thanks wlg! I'll definitely try it out.

Thank you Jen! Sorry I'm responding back so late. I've been getting ready to move and I haven't been focusing on doing leather stuff and I haven't been on this site for awhile.

Thanks!

That's pretty awesome... I want to be living off grid sometime in the next couple years (NOT in FLORIDA) so I was wondering how to fight humidity using battery power or no power. I figure in the winter it would be easier because I'd be using wood heat and that dries the air, but I was trying to mastermind what to do in the summer... It would seem like I could get an old chest freezer and convert it... use either a battery operated dehumidifier or try the silicone beads?

Ahhhhh!! Thank you!! This is extremely helpful. I took everything out of the bags and bins and hung them (in a pantry) so they wouldn't be rubbing against each other. Figured I could just put a covering loosely across the top to keep dust from settling on things, but still wasn't comfortable about the humidity. And now to find out that it can spread... ugh. So I feel a big relief knowing about a humidity sensor. I so much appreciate you sharing this information with me! Thanks! (I'm going to take things to a craft show, but I don't know when I'll go or how much I need, so I have to stock up. I think I'll end up doing the vault thing just to be 100% sure things are safe.)

Thank you guys both for your answers. I'm going to get them out of bags and rig up something different for them. Thanks again!

I feel stupid asking this because I'm probably being OCD... but I'm wondering how humidity can affect leather things you've made. I'm putting my stuff in bins in baggies, but wondered, could mold and mildew grow on the leather inside the bag? Even though the bags aren't sealed it seems like they aren't getting a lot of air and with leather having moisture in it....

If I use thinned resolene, and then lightly sanded to make it softer, would the sanding compromise the seal of the resolene? For some reason I thought that if it didn't have a lining or wasn't colored, then it was drastically unprofessional. So I'm super glad to hear that I can leave the backside bare aside from using some kind of protectant. Humanity feature... I decided to make a dear friend a surprise photo album, but I was having a real off day and ended up creating too many 'humanity features'. So I cut out more leather and started again... and dang if I didn't do the same mistakes (stamping letters backwards, upside down, etc). At that point I just decided to finish them both and send them, mistakes and all. She's actually the kind that would find humanity features enduring. So it was a win win. I'm still learning about the leather itself. I just found out that it seems like the shoulder part is easier to cut and work with than the scrap pieces that Tandy sells for $25 (I think it's the belly, not sure). But next time I go get some I'm going to look at the backside, because I'm just realizing how 'unstable' the leather is when the back is really hairy, like the fibers are real loose... seems more stretchy and less solid. Mushy like. How does this look? Is the leather quality good, and are my edges getting close to what they should be? (this is still black dye though... I ordered some edge kote and some paint to try out, waiting on it.)

Thank you. I will.

Robs456, I hope whenever I start to line my backs that they look as nice as yours. And thanks for letting me know your steps when you dye the backs. I'm going to try to just keep the backs clean but it would probably be a good idea to practice a few dyed backs just to know how.

Getting sparkles out of shag carpet... lol great analogy.

TinkerTailor, thanks for the wealth of info. I'm really glad it's ok to leave the backs un-dyed. And I'm glad too for the info on the oil, I have wanted my leather stuff to be softer but thought putting oil on afterward would make them lose shape. I'll definitely start with a minimal amount of oil so I don't overload it. I'll give edge paint a try LatigoAmigo, thank you. It will be a lot less worrisome, to just work on making the edges nice and keeping the back clean. Relief...

I couldn't resist trying to figure this out... Could be something like this? Maybe where it folds (the big part, not the part on the ring), use a V gouger? Just saw that my post is redundant... Northmount already went where I went only he did it better.

Sorry for pic quality... stupid cheap phone... You can't tell it much but I'm so worried about bleeding, I used Angelus satin finisher around the edges where the black is, but it made it look a little sloppier because it discolored it... maybe I should have just used it over the whole back. Worried that it'll be harder to get the leather wet for adding some shape. The last thing I do to everything is wet it and shape it... it makes the bracelets the bracelets easier to try on when it's roundy rather than straight as a board. Thought about going the other direction and seeing if I can make things really soft and pliable with maybe pure neatsfoot oil. Would that be better than giving them shape??? And thanks in advance! I really appreciate the help!

Looking for a few sweet souls to help me. I'm making bracelets, necklaces, and stick hair barrettes and I really don't want to put backings on them, I'd rather put color on the back but I'm worried about bleeding. I took a scrap strap and put fiebings black pro dye on the back, then tested these things for bleeding... Resolene, gum trag, angelus satan finisher, and edge kote. They felt a little rough to the touch, so I took a wood burnisher and burnished a little. Then I took a damp white rag and rubbed each spot (kinda hard), and some black came through on all 4 things. My questions are many. - I only used 1 coat of those, should I have used 2? - Should I have let the products sit over night before rubbing? - Should I use something else instead of black dye? - Maybe my rubbing is too vigorous, and the bracelets really won't bleed if sweated on or caught in the rain? - Or maybe I DON'T need to color the back? Does it look completely unprofessional? - Maybe I should try to burnish the edges in a way that keeps the black from getting on the back? My current method of burnishing isn't quite right, and I know it. What I'm doing is taking a lip gloss applicator and using it to put black dye around the edges (after I bevel), and then running a bit of beeswax over it while it's still wet, then using a wood burnisher in a dremel. It gets smooth, but I don't know if it will stand the test of time or elements. I know I'm going to have to do it a more correct way eventually. - But could I just find a way to make sure the black doesn't get on the backside, and then use gum trag to smooth it? A consideration: The necklaces are somewhat shaped so they fit snug around the shoulder, but they're shaped to my shoulders which are kind of small. I tried a necklace on my sister, and her shoulders were a little bigger, so it didn't lay flat as it does on mine. So I re-wet it and put it on her for a bit to get her shape, and let it dry and it worked fine. - If I find a way to color the back so it won't bleed, is it going to seal it too much for it to absorb water and be reshaped? Sorry for all the questions. I thought my test on the strap would clear things up for me, but it only put me at more of a loss as to a solution.

Thanks Capt! I love that easy idea. Was going to research DIY hot boxes... automobile hot box is much simpler.

Capt, I meant to say that zero good came out of Florida except you and everything you just mentioned. :D -Sloppy save but all encompassing lol. I like pyrography a lot. It's easy to draw and get any design I want. But at some point I really need to get some good stamps and try to master tooling too. The envy I feel when I see great tooling skills is almost painful. Tom, I really appreciate the tips. I'm going to try a hot box. Good to know about burning on suede too, now I'll know how to make it work the first time. Thanks!

I have every intention of giving you some info you were looking for on leather burning but it'll have to be when the procrastination period wears off. :D

Eeesh. I hate to go against the grain, because I'm a stout practitioner of people pleasing.. but I have to knock Tom Petty off your list of good things to come out of florida.... So basically, that leaves zero good things to come out of florida. I'm risking a public flogging I know. Even now after the words are out of my mouth, I'm ducked down cringing, every cell in my body screaming for mercy.

lol!!! Well, I'm a big fan of procrastination myself, it's the only thing I don't procrastinate on. I waste no time gettin right to it. I'll check into the gloves... maybe later. Probably later.

Thanks Capt. Just wondering though, since it never used to be hot like that, if it's normal.

Hi all. I'm desperate for your help. I'm using a razertip pen and nibs on a burnmaster machine (there's a setting to lower the heat so you don't burn out the razertip nibs). I'm mostly using a writing nib and at first it was great. It almost felt like I was using an ink pen to draw with. I could write out a whole sentence and it worked great. But after some time, the nib got gunked up. So I researched and one bit of advice said to use a tea strainer and wipe off the gunk. So I tried that. Other advice said to use a strop. So I tried that. (my rouge is a little cakey though and doesn't seem to rub onto the leather right, so maybe that's part of the problem). What happens is... If I burn a straight line, I can only go less than an inch before the nib stops burning and starts the bumby skid. I have to rub it on the tea strainer a million times while I'm trying to draw something out. The burn lines aren't as smooth as they were before either. Also, when i first started doing this, if I remember right, I could get a decent burn with the machine set at about 4.5 to 5. Now it's up to 6 and I'm even inching it to 6.5. Sometimes I try going super slow to help it burn better, but my hand where it's closest to the nip gets real hot, and I have to stop. So I've been rubbing on the tea strainer every 3/4 inch of burning, but I also noticed... I can actually see the moisture/liquid coming up from the leather where I'm burning. I wear those headband magnifying glasses, and I can see the liquid being forced out of the leather from the heat. I don't know what bothers me most, wiping the nib off a million times or my hand burning. Could it possibly be something as simple as the leather being so moist that the nib can't burn? Maybe the other leather that I first had was dryer and that's why the nib worked so much better? Should I try to dry the leather out? How?

Anyone?