Mallethead

One of the simplest methods for dyeing cloth with long-lasting results is using tea. The resuls are machine-washable and the color doesn't run. Another benefit is that the process is easily reversible, just soak the material in a mix of chlorite and water. White cloth will be dyed beige or light reddish brown. What I like best is that its cheap, fast and not as messy as using actual dyes. I recently tested this method on some bleached 18/3 flax linen thread (and some thick cotton thread for reference) to see what the color looks on some hide. Instructions: Start by skeining your thread, as this will allow the tea to soak into the thread evenly. I'd recommend washing the thread with some dishwasher fluid as well. Make a cup of very strong tea (you can use the cheapest tea available) and mix in some salt, maybe a tablespoon or so. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. You might need more tea depending on how much thread you have. Moisten the thread (if required) and dump the skein in the tea, making sure it is properly soaked, maybe stir a bit. Let sit for 15 min, stir again. Let sit for another 15 minutes, rinse and let dry. If you want a deeper color, repeat the above steps. I reused the same tea for each round. Here are the results of my testing. The leather is russet treated with a heavy dose of olive oil, aged a bit over a year. The beige and burgundy threads shown are both linen (Goldschild 18/3, no 14 and 06). The image shows the threads undyed, dyed once, dyed twice and dyed three times. As far as I can see, the flax thread's color changed most in the first and second round, and not quite as much on the third round. I like the color, so this method can be useful when I need some thread for a small project, or need a thicker thread and can't wait for shipping. where I live, I have to order most of this stuff online, so being able to dye some white 18/5 is a welcome option.

Solid results. That's going to be a beast to lug around I think you've managed to pull off the wraparound style pretty well. I know the leather tends to buck at the corner, making it easy to damage the leather with an awl when stitching. You've managed to smooth the corne area out nicely.

Thank you for your comments I'll probably post some before/after shots of some other work I've done at some point and will return to this one if I have the chance.

Some of you might remember me asking about how to reinforce the mouth of a large gusset bag, found here: The bag is now finished. For all its simplicity, this project turned out to be a bit more complicated. The reinforcement problem turned out to be quite simple: I managed to get a hold of an unused carbon fibre rod from a mountain climbing backpack. The biggest issue was the leather: the half hide I had turned out to have quite a few hidden defects, which meant that it was difficult to cut sufficiently large pieces for the bag. This is why I used neck leather for the lid (usually I'd go with rump or back). There was some unnevenness in the lid piece's grain structure, and, as you can see, the lid is darker on the left side. This area would also warp, so I had to add some more reinforcement to the corners. I had some problems with edges as well; I suspect the leather was from a bit older animal so it didn't burnish properly in places. These areas received a good helping of PU adhesive plus a coating of beeswax to get a smooth edge. The bag itsel is made of 2 mm (5 oz.) russet (the customer) and the closures, handle, D ring holders, etc. are made from an old piece of excellent quality 3.6 mm (9 oz.) russet and treated with saddle soap to bring out the patina. The client didn't want any dyes to be used in this project, so there you have it. Metal fittings are steel with two coatings of varnish. I do like the design, but let's wait and see what the customer says.

Thanks for clearing this out. I use a lot of recycled buckles, hooks and rings, but now I at least know that I should at least use a magnet to test critical parts. Looks like at lot of times buckles are made of other materials and only the tongue is made of steel or other material containing iron. I think I'll try some clear PU varnish or similar on buckles if I find a suitable product.

How do you avoid black stains from metal fittings? As far as I understand, these are caused by metals reacting with tannins in the leather.

Thank you for your comments, I think I'll probably go ahead with the polypropylene. Of course, I'd like to keep the materials as natural as possible, but I think this will work out OK. It's tough, flexes a bit and won't break. I'll probably mold the leather around the slat, but won't moisten the entire lid piece. If there are any stains, they'll be on the back anyway. I'll treat the leather with oil before shaping, I've found this will protect the grain side enough to make nice clean bends, as long as I'm careful when applying water. Skiving or sanding the area might be a good idea as well. I used to have wooden blinds and the slats were surprisingly tough and flexible, probably birch or something similar.

I'm designing a large (around 40 by 30 by 7 cm) gusset bag from 2 mm vegetable tanned leather. I'm using a three-piece gusset design for added rigidity. I know from experience that large bags like these will eventually start to become rounded at the top as the bag starts to form around your body.I would like to prevent this as much as possible, keeping the box-like form as long as possible. The best solution I have thought of thus far is making the lid a separate piece and hiding a slat of 2 mm PP sheet inside the joint between the back piece and the lid. I wish I had some wooden blinds, I could steal one of the slats and use that. I also considered adding a small formed pocket on the inside, but this would make the narrow bag less practical. Any thoughs or recommendations?