Leather Bum

I once purchased Birkenstock EVA sole material from Cobbler Supplies. You could also try Most Shoe Stuff.com. I came across them when searching for a source for Renia adhesives but have not bought from them yet.

I really like this type of clean-looking craftsmanship. Your website also has a good display of your work. . . the stitching is excellent. What thread do you like to use? Thank you for sharing.

Ok, thank you all for the advice. Yeah, I figured there wasn't much to worry about but wanted to be sure before cutting it. Micah

Hi everyone. I recently found a deer antler and figured I could make a bone folder or burnisher out of it, but I'm wondering what the recommended cleaning procedure would be before cutting the piece. I gathered from another topic here that there was a possibility of bacteria being present in antlers that were shed, but that boiling bones or using bleach was definitely not advised, as it could dry them out or weaken them. . . Are micro-organisms really something to worry about, or is a good cleaning with dish soap and maybe Fantastic fine enough? Apparently deer shed their antlers closer to the beginning of the year, so I'm not sure how this one came off. . . It's definitely broken at the base, though.

I always appreciate examples of fine leather craftsmanship; a simple design -- executed in a clean, neat fashion -- is especially appealing. I certainly like the stitching on that piece. . . though the sheath edge appears to slightly waver in a spot or two (edge sanding after stitching maybe?). The molding was done well, and the rivets are a nice touch (a little close to the knife, perhaps? But I'm not sure that can be judged accurately from the picture.) I think it might be better to put a slightly larger radius on the top edge corners of the sheath as well. . . Overall, I really like it. Thanks for sharing. Micah

Yes, that's what I've found to be true, too. The chrome-tanned leather doesn't usually burnish with water like veg-tanned leather, so extra (and different) steps are usually necessary for me, as I don't really have a power burnisher like the Fantastic Leather Burnisher (which apparently can slick the edges of leathers such as latigo). What I end up doing is sanding the edges with finer and finer grits (so time consuming!), but it still seems too rough. So I might try using gum tragacanth or Leather Sheen to stiffen the leather fibers; that way the sand paper can actually smooth the edge instead of just continually roughing up the fibers. This doesn't always seem to work, though, and I'll still end up with an unevenly smoothed edge or a highly visible seam because one layer of leather might compress more when sanding than another layer. . . And burnishing with wax does not always fix the look either. If anyone else has a method to successfully slick chrome-tanned leather edges, I would definitely be interested to learn how to as well! Then again, many times I am not satisfied with the way some veg-tanned leathers slick either. . . Micah

One of my least favorite steps in a project is edge burnishing; it pretty much never comes out as nice as I would like -- especially on chrome-tanned leathers (or other non-vegetable tanned leathers). I've managed to run an edge bind similar to Kevin King's except without stitching twice (with one of the stitch lines hidden). I'm not sure it's nearly as classy as KK's, but it's the closest I've come up with so far, as I don't have a sewing machine either. . . Here's a closeup of the edge of a book cover (unfortunately, the inside looks even less neat):

That's very cool of you Jim! Thanks so much for sharing. Micah

Cobbler Supplies offers a variety of sole material sheets as well as Vibram soles. . . I once bought a sheet of Birkenstock EVA sole material from them to use for making sandals.

You might try something like this product: Leather Craft Decorative Marble Streak Lacquer Powder. I have never used it, but perhaps it will give something close to the effect you're seeking. . .? It might be possible to find another source for the sodium alginate powder. . .

I would have to say, in my opinion, those belts look fully awesome, Bruce. What are the leather layer weights, and how did you treat the buckle fold area? Are both layers thinned at the fold, or is the liner dropped at the actual fold-over? Thanks for sharing. Micah