frank207

Johanna, I really don't know. I was told that the double sides were best for belts & collars and so far have only purchased the double shoulders twice. Besides any dollar advantages with buying a side, what other advantages would there be? Thanks Frank

I'm a newbie and have been buying Tandy's 8-9 oz. Oak Leaf Double Shoulders @ $4.99 sq. for my belts,wristbands and dog collars. I want to try something else and I was talking with someone from Zack White Leather and they recommended Bull Hide Double Shoulder @ $5.60 per sq. for their 8-9 oz. Unfortunetly they are out of the 8-9 oz. They have 7-8 and 9-10 oz. My questions are: 1) Is there much of a quality difference between the Tandy's Oak Leaf and the Bull Hide from Zack White? 2) Can I use The 7-8 or the 9-10 oz. instead? Basically I just do Stamping 3) Does anyone have any other suggestions on veg. tanned leather I could use re: thickness & cuts? Thanks Frank

Hi, What is the best way to apply the cleaning agent? Do you put it on lightly and scrub? or put on heavy? It seems I never get an even coat of dye on the item even though I've tried Deglazer & Lemon Juice staight, there are areas that just will not darken up. I'm using Eco-Flo and I just bought some Fiebings Oil Dye and had the same problem on a small wristband. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks Frank

No I don't mind, glad to be of help. Frank

Hi, I'm also new to leather work and had the same questions you have, so I wrote to Tandy with my questions and Jim Villwock wrote back with the following. I hope this helps Frank My Question's To Jim: In your literature you say to let the Dyes, Stains & Finishes (super shene for example) DRY COMPLETELY , what does this mean? Does it mean when it doesn't look wet it's Dry? I realize drying times will vary depending on alot of factors, but there must be some basic guidelines. For example, I live in Maine and my house is kept around 68 deg. during the winter. How long should I wait between the 1st coat & 2nd coat of: 1) Spirit based dye? 2) Water based dye? 3) Stains? 4) Super/Satin Shene? Thanks Frank JIM'S ANSWER: Good morning Frank; You are correct about different drying conditions. The humidity plays a big part also. On alcohol or spirit dyes, ten minutes should be time enough. On water base dyes I would wait 30 minutes and the same with the stains. On the Super Shene, especially if I were using it for a block out before staining, I would wait 30 minutes and then put another coat on and wait another 30 minutes. I just looked at a new book we came out with "Coloring with Eco-Flo" by Tony and Kay Laier. He does mention in the book to let the dyes dry but no time frame is mentioned. I think that if you do what I have already stated you will be ok. Best Regards, Jim Villwock Customer Service Manager 817-872-3200 x 1401 682-225-9087 Cell 817-872-3122 Fax 877-LEATHER Toll Free email; jvillwock@leatherfactory.com http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com Tandy Leather Factory 1900 South East Loop 820 Fort Worth, TX 76140

After I make a straight edge cut and begin cutting my straps for dog collars and belts, I find after a couple of straps the remaining piece of double shoulder begins to get a 'bow' in it at the edge where I just cut. I have a Tandy Craftool Strip & Strap tool cutter, the cheap one. Is there a way to maintain a straighter edge after the cut, reducing or eliminating the 'bow' affect? Do I need a better Strap Cutter Tool? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Frank

cajun, This is my second attempt at this message, I'm not sure where the first one went! What kind of tape 3M-8ll?? Thanks Frank

Hi, Are there any tricks of the trade in keeping the lettering straight on Belts and Dog Collars without scribing a line into the leather with wing dividers or some other tool? I find however light I scribe a line it shows up after dyeing and when I try smoothing it out with a spoon modeling tool it indents the leather. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks, Frank

I'm doing my first belt order and the customer wanted a black belt with some lettering. I followed the instructions in Al stohlman's book 'how to color leather' for dyeing leather black. I put down a layer of Fiebing's Navy Blue Spirit Dye first, then the 1st coat of Eco-Flo Black Dye, dry buffed (lightly), wet buffed and then put on a second coat of Black and buffed. When I put the finish on ' Eco-Flo Satin Shene' a lot of Black came off on the rag, is this normal? If not what should do? If anyone is wondering why I used the Black water based dye over the spirit based Navy Blue dye is because I don't have any spirit based Black dye. Could this be an issue? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank's, Frank

Thanks for the input. Frank

I have Tandy's 'Block Out Resist Finish' that I use on lettering ( 2 coats) but it does not seem to work very well with Tandy's Eco-Flo Black dye, however, I like the effect with the lighter color dyes. Does anyone have any other methods/solutions to resisting the black dye on the lettering? Also, does the 'resist' have to dry overnight or can you dye over it after hour or two indoors at 68 degrees? Thanks Frank

I'm looking for "specific dog breed tooling stamps" ie: German Shepard, Lab, Boxer etc. Does anyone know where I can find some? I haven't had any luck finding any. Thanks, Frank

I'm looking for "specific dog breed tooling stamps" ie: German Shepard, Lab, Boxer etc. Does anyone know of any internet sites that sell them? I haven't had any luck finding any. Thanks, Frank

I've been using Eco-Flo but just bought some Fiebing's. I'm new at all of this and I'm doing some comparisons. Frank

What would be a good average drying time between coats of dye and the final coat before the finish is applied? Frank

I appologize for the typo I did mean "dyeing". Is there really a special collar for dogs that are dying? Again I'm sorry. Frank

Hi, As a newbie I want to start making some dog collars and my question is: should I be concerned that the dye or stain will bleed from the back of the collar? Is there some other finishing technique besides dying or staining I can use for the back or is just leaving it natural with some sort of oil/water proofing be sufficient? Any information will be greatly appreciated. I also intend to make belts and there will be similiar techniques. Thanks Frank

I'm a newbie and have been messing around with tooling a boarder on a Round. I found out quickly that you may not be able to complete the last part of the circle with a Full impression of the tool because you only have 1/2 or less space available. So I decided to try the scientific route and determine the radius and circumference, measure the tool and do the division, it seems to work. My question is: Is there any other way?

Ferret, Do you use the lemon juice straight or do you mix it with something? UKRay, No you did not mis-understand the problem. The strap for my First belt is a little spotty, maybe from handling it. Thanks for the input Frank

I have read recently that you should clean the leather with 'oxalic acid crystals' before dyeing. Is there any other homemade solution that can be used thats just as affective? Thanks Frank

hi David, yes, I did get my Delux kit on sale otherwise i was going to get the Basic kit. The advice from Crystal is good, I'm leaning toward geometric stamping on belts and I need more stamping tools. My wish list is getting bigger and bigger! Good luck Frank

David, I just bought a Tandy Delux Starte Kit about 5 wks ago for around $79 and it was worth the money. About 2 wks ago I got to go to a Tandy store, about 4 hours away, and spent over e $200 there with the help of the manager. He spent a good hour showing me how use some of the tools, answered all my questions and helped me pick out the additional supplies. I can't wait to go back! One piece of advice, get one of those marble/granite slabs they sell. Before I bought the Marble slab I was using this 1/4" piece of granite tile I bought at Home Depot and theres no comparison. I'm a newbie and also looking to do belts which I'm researching now. Good luck. Frank

About 4 weeks ago I purchased a Tandy Delux Kit. I'm retired and decided on leathercraft as my hobby and possible craft fair income. I have made a couple of things from the kit and a dog collar on my own for my dog, actually two, the first one was too short! What I'm most interested in doing now are Belts, Dog Collars, Cat collars & leashes. Buying belt blanks from Tandy can get to be expensive. I would like to know how to buy, square-off and cut belt blanks from a hide myself. Also, how many belt blanks can you get from a specific type of hide? Any other information related to this topic that you can provide to this Newbie would be greatly appreciated. Oh yes, there is a tanning factory about 15 miles away and they have a retail outlet where they sell hides and leathercrafters sell their goods. I'm hoping to buy the leather their once I know what I'm looking for. This is a great forum and I'm looking forward to getting many of my questions answered as I move along in this craft. Thankyou Frank