ABHandmade

In my little experience, 3, or preferably 4 LED lamps, shining from several sides, are much better than one with the same luminous flux. As an excellent complement (but not the main source of light) - headlamp. He perfectly helps in the "thin" works. 2 sets of rechargeable batteries - one in the lantern, the other - on recharging, solve the problem of the power source. When the batteries are discharged, the light flux slowly and imperceptibly drops, so I swap the sets of rechargeable batteries every 5-6 hours of operation.

It is I who have to apologize for throwing out the emotions. Everything is normal, life goes on I do what I love and this in itself is worth a lot. Thank, Scooby!

You can also try spirit dyes Toledo Super (manufacturer KendaFarben, Italy). They give an even color (you could see an example of their use in my wallet with roses, there everything — the background and the image — was made by them) and dry the leather very weak. They are perfectly diluted with isopropyl spirit, which makes it possible to obtain the desired shade. In addition, applying several layer diluted dye gives a much more even color than 1 time undiluted - this has already been mentioned here. There is one peculiarity - they become brighter when the finish is applied or when treatment by oil . The only drawback is a strong odor, but this is common to all spirit dyes. As an oil for impregnation, I use refined mink oil. From my point of view, it works more delicately than neatsfoot. But this is my subjective opinion. Again, according to my observations, for soft leather a small use of oil after dyeing is desirable. For tough leather it is a matter of taste and habit

That I also tried. And got the result you described There is no particular point in switching to very cheap materials in my case, since they make up a small part in the formula you described (# 1). It seems that I will continue to just do what I like and just continue to give some of items to relatives and friends. In terms of motivation and self-respect, it suits me more than to sell at any price for only to make sell. And wait for my buyer....

@Rockoboy, absolutely agree with you. The level of income (and associated purchasing power) and the price of any product that is acceptable are closely interrelated. Here you can also add the demand for the product - I think it will be very problematic to sell skiing in the Sahara, even for $ 1. Focusing on the price of similar products - this is the first thing that comes to mind. That's what I tried to do. But there are also nuances here ... For example, the product has objective assessment criteria - the quality of materials, the quality of work on dyeing, stitching, processing edges. And subjective, which include the carving, which is an decoration and does not bear the functional load. Plus, the fact that the master can unadequately assesses the level of "artistic" of the own product.

Mike, your advice is really priceless! And yes, it seems to me, it's time to change my smartphone

Thanks for the advice! Will need to try. I have already posted several works on, if I may say so, the local analogue of Etsy (crafta.ua). There are views - no purchases. Perhaps I overestimate the price too. Would it be indiscreet on my part to ask the respected craftsmen - what, in your opinion, is the fair price of a "Wallet with roses"? EDIT. Such an assessment will not be considered an agreement to buy the product

Awesome tool (and your possession of it), Mike! EDIT: Thank you so much!

Well, always want to do better. True, it does not always work

Thank you for such a high praise, @ScoobyNewbie! I tried to post several works there (albeit with great difficulty, since Paypal in Ukraine does not work on accepting payments). The result is 0. Apparently, after all, sales are not my strong point

I agree. With the "pointed of head" it will be possible to try a little to rectify the situation during coloring. But with the cheeks, it seems, I seriously missed .

Thanks for the advice, Mike! I will certainly take this into account in the next work. I, too

Thank you! I would like to see some of your woodwork. I am always amazed by this kind of art. Thank you, Yin. I will say the same about you. Your work with the imitation of the upholstery which you recently shared is great.

Thank you! Unfortunately, this work, like many others, has no owner I may be able to do something more or less decent, but I cannot sell it. EDIT. So for now this is just a hobby, which brings nothing but some kind of moral satisfaction

Mike, I would like to hear your opinion regarding my attempt to imitate the structure of the skin. Unfortunately, the reflections in the photo significantly mask this effect. I hope that after painting it will appear more pronounced.

Thank you, Mike. My English is too bad Honestly, it eludes my understanding.

@IrisLHThank you so much for such a wonderful comment in regard to my work! Thank you so much!

Carving and embossing completed. Dries and waits for further stages of work. Not everything turned out the way I wanted :(. Some misses will be taken into account next time. Some details: Used leather insertion technology (described in "The Art of Embossing Leather" by Al and Ann Stohlman). The maximum height of the bas-relief is 18 mm (0.7 inches). Used leather 3-4 oz.

Looks great! Without being imposed with advice, I wanted to ask - you did not plan to “omit” the background of the inside of the ornament (between the frame and the central part)? Something like matting or very soft (not deep) background texture.

Thank you for compliment! Thank you, Sir!

Thank you!

After finishing, I got what I wanted - yellowing hop leaves and close to real color of roses. Women's wallet "Autumn roses".

Glad this turned out to be useful for you, @Willb2862.

Adhesive was obtained and tested. He did not freeze on delivery - Hurray! So, the exact name EcoSAR MW 116 NG. This modification contains additives that prevent the glue layer from yellowing when exposed to sunlight. Special thanks to my supplier for this - I at first ordered the glue without this option. Impressions of first use: 1. It does not stink !!! 2. Liquid and perfectly applied as very thin and even layer. 3. Corollary to p. 2 - an edge is perfectly burnished and almost imperceptible. 4. The time after application and until the parts are joined is 10 minutes. 5. The strength of glue seam is comparable to the seam, which gives the solvent-based glue. 6. The glue seam is elastic. I'm happy! Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions and advice that helped me find a solution to the problem!

Thank you, Sheila. The idea, of course, is not mine. I met the description of the wet palette a few months ago and was able to make sure that it really works. Before that, I was afraid to work with acrylic paint, because in my first experiments it dried on the palette in just a few minutes