Alaisiagae

I haven't tried those, I'm worried they won't fit my head or be comfortable. If I had the space, I might look into a table magnifier, usually it has a built-in lamp. It clamps to the side of the table and the magnifier is on an articulated swinging arm. My dad has one that he's had for ages, it comes in handy for all sorts of things.

Usually after dyeing, you'd buff a little and then put on a sealant (aka finish), such as Fiebing's Resolene or something similar. Doing so will lock in the dye (chemical reaction) to stop further rub-off. If you don't want a glossy finish, there are non-gloss options (Tandy's Eco-Flo Satin Shene is one of them). I guess you could try a buffing wheel if you wanted some mechanical assistance. They work for cars, not sure how well they'd work for leather.

It's a lovely piece! Your stamping is flawless.

I like a small pair of Singer scissors. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IKCGLM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The thread snips from Tandy are crap.

I don't know for sure. The dye rub off happened when I was trying to burnish the edges with beeswax (in hindsight, I should not always follow internet suggestions). I worried the surfaces, not just the edges, could have rub-off, too, but I didn't test it thoroughly, so take it all with a grain of salt. I was desperate and the Satin shene/super shene was all I could think of at the time to use. I did one or two coats, if I recall correctly. I don't know if it worked, because I didn't apply it to the edges (which were coated in wax at this point). I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

Would regular saddle soap work? I had the same problem with some oil tan remnants I used, so I put some Super Shene on the pieces, hoping it would lock in the dye...

Do you offer cutting leather lace to length (eg increments of yards)? I never need 25 or 50 yard spools for a dreamcatcher (to wrap the hoop), so I go elsewhere for the 3 yard suede lace cards by Realeather. One thing I was disappointed by is the low quality of the made-in-India stamps. For example, I ordered the locomotive train stamp and the finer details such as the grid lines on the cowcatcher and the spokes on the wheels don't show up on the leather (I used a half ton arbor press). It's like those details aren't high enough relief from the background. I imagine the original craftool steel stamp wouldn't have that problem, but I don't own one so I can't compare directly.

It sounds like you're doing everything right (at least, to me), so I'm not sure what to say. I made a black piece using water-based Eco-flo. I put on 3 coats of dye. When I put on the finish, I saw a lot of bleed off onto the finishing sponge and I worried it would lighten the black. But, in the end, the black was still deep but now it was shiny and so it maybe looked a little lighter because of that. So, maybe there is an element of optical illusion in there due to the light reflection of the finish? I'm just thinking out loud.

How long do you wait after dyeing and before applying the finish? You probably want to wait at least an hour at the minimum. How many coats of dye do you use? More coats will make the piece darker and help minimize any pull up from the finish. How do you apply the finish, e.g. with a sponge? I use a small, slightly damp piece of sponge for Super Shene (it's akin to Resolene). Applying the finish too heavily can cause streaking. Have you tried multiple light coats of finish?

I don't think they have an Android app, but there is a free PC software program called FastStone Photo Resizer. It let's you batch resize one or multiple photos, as well as change the image file format (if I recall correctly). I used to use it a lot on my Windows XP computer, but obviouly that was a long time ago. Could be worth checking to see if it's still around for newer versions of Windows, because it makes resizing images a breeze.

All the basketweaves! Very impressive! I haven't basketweaved, but I have tried some geometric stamps, and it's crazy difficult to keep things lined up and not skew this way or that. Your stamping appears impeccable!

Looks terrific! The carving looks great to my eye - you got some really nice steep bevelling around the outside of the vines/stems and fowers. And I love the two-tone color, did you resist the tooled portion or use some other method? The stitching looks neat, I like how the thread matches the color of the tooled portions.

Scrapbooking is taking photos and possibly other documents and organizing and presenting them in an artistic/artful manner. A plain photo album just has the pages with the photos in them. Maybe you arrange the photos in the order that you took them or by theme. For scrapbooking, you'd arrange them to tell a story, maybe add some text, such as location or a feeling the photo captures for you, stickers or shapes, etc. My mom made me a scrapbook years ago that contains photos of me, with some nice sticker artwork and words of encouragement. There are other hobbies that people do that are not advanced like woodworking and metal working: fiber crafts (knitting, crochet, embroidery, cross-stitch, etc.), baking, sculpture (clay), painting/coloring, sketching, model figures, etc. These are easily accessible and low budget. For me, I like to make end-products for myself or to give as gifts - I'm not interested in starting up a business and selling what I make, so I'm not recouping my costs for the leather supplies. Plus, I feel the learning curve for leather is much longer and steeper than other crafts, so it's easier for people such as myself to get discouraged and frustrated by all the practicing and failed projects. Sometimes I just want to do something for the weekend and have something to show for it before I go back to work the next week. Also, as has been mentioned, not everyone has the space for leather crafting. I use a plastic rolling craft cart to hold my supplies, and a collapsible small work table that's, like, 3'x3'. Wish I had my own crafting space, but that's just not possible. I can't leave stuff out for days and days for big/long projects in a shared living space like that.

That is so b.s.! I'd recommend calling the corporate customer service to complain. I've been in classes with father-daughter, husband-wife, etc. The beginning carving class is nice, I enjoyed it a lot and learned a lot, too - I was the only one in the class that day, so it was like a private lesson. @Ailinea Great post, very insightful! I think another turn-off could be the price of tools, and how many tools you need to make something. The Cricut might be $200, but I've dropped over $1000 on leather stamps, punches, tools, the leather itself... the Cricut is versatile, leatherworking tools are so specialized: there's not just one set of hole punches, there are dozens, not just one awl but a half dozen, not just one stamp but hundreds. I think you had a good idea there about going to a fabric store to experiment with designs using cheaper materials than leather. Maybe they could start selling pleather ("vegan leather") for practicing. I agree that modern patterns (cosplay, armor, fashion pieces, etc.) would be cool - I am so not interested in sheathes, holsters, and saddles. I got an email fron Tandy yesterday or today, they are now starting to carry Barry King tools online-only.

Beautiful work, most impressive! I hear you on the nitrile glove shortage thing - it's crazy how the prices have doubled. I look forward to seeing more photos of your creations. Edit: love the leather rose you made on your Beekin bag there! Your designs are so crisp and modern, too.

I wait at least a few hours for the last coat of dye to dry. Then I pour a little Super Shene on a slightly damp sponge (1x2 inches). I apply in circular motion to avoid blotchiness. I wipe around the area a few times to spread everything evenly. If there are bubbles, that means there is too much Shene. I use a spare sponge pie e to wick it up. Use light coats, wait at least a few minutes between each coat. If you have multiple colors, yes, the dye picks up the excess surface pigments. So, first you will want to resist one color with the Shene. Use several coats (3 or more). Then apply the Shene to the other color and try to avoid the first color. If you have intricate details, you can use a small taklon bristle painters brush to apply the Shene. I have used Fiebings Pro Resist to resist dyed areas, it works well and doesnt seem to have much dye pick-up, but is very glossy after a few coats. I also like using NeatLac for resists and finishing.

Arrr, that be a mighty fine hat, matey!

Great first project! My first project was a keyfob for my sister's birthday.

Cutting tools come in a wide variety. I have a utility knife and rotary cutter (45mm), but a round or head knife is a classic leather-working tool! I really want a single head knife but can only find one supplier, in the UK - shipping costs suck! There are specialized cutters, too, like strap cutters and skiving knives. Edgers can also have some variety. I don't think they are 100% essential on thin leather, but they are nice for taking the sharp right angle off the edge of thicker leathers. And the you can burnish the edges! That would require an edge slicker. These come in wood or even nylon. Some people use gum tragacanth, others use Tokonole or beeswax or similar. You coat the edge and run the slicker over it to create friction that hardens the substance and rounds the edge. Stitching tools - you'll want needles. They come in a number of sizes, especially the eye hole size. Thread is another rabbit hole to fall down, with different colors and thicknesses. Primarily there's synthetic (nylon and polymer) and linen. Additionally, the thread will come pre-waxed or you will wax it yourself. You'll also want to look into buying an awl (and you can have "fun" sharpening it so it works properly: I have learned from these forums that many new tools need additional/final sharpening by the end-user). For sharpening, sandpaper is cheap and works well (I have grits ranging from 100 to 2500), with a final polish on a leather strop loaded with a green strop compound. You'll want this for your edgers and blades, even if you don't use a swivel knife. Any tooling and pounding (e.g. hole punches) will need a hard surface, such as granite, and a mallet/maul, which come as polymer heads or rawhide heads. Don't use a metal hammer, because it will damage metal tools. A rubber mallet will bounce, which isn't good for tooling at all. Cutting calls for a good cutting board. I have both a self-healing cutting mat and a plastic cutting board (about 3/8th inch thick). Don't cut or punch on granite directly, it will damage the granite and the tool because the tool cuts/punches through the leather. Some good YouTube leatherworkers: videos from Nigel Armitage, JHLeather (UK saddlery maker to boot!), and The Leather Element. Tandy Leather also has some videos, most of them show how to use tools. Yes, to stamp, you use veg tan leather. First you wet the leather (aka "casing" the leather). One method: You can wet the surface with a sponge. What I've been told is to try to get the leather wet through half its thickness. Other people soak the whole piece overnight. Then wait for it to dry a bit, until the leather returns to its original color but is cool to the touch. Re-wet as needed during toolling. I use stamps frequently, too - I haven't carved very much. I do know that lots of tooling can smoosh the leather enough that the leather can warp its shape: so, people will often affix the rough side of the leather to some cardboard so the leather doesn't warp when it dries.

As others have said, you will need to add a finish, such as Resolene, to lock-in the dye and mitigate rub-off and bleeding. I have only used water-based dyes, so I'm not sure about bleeding compared to alcohol based dyes. I also use Super Shene, but would use Resolene if I had any - and sometimes I use Neatlac. I always get a bit of rub-off when applying the finish, but after the finish dries, I don't get more rub-off. I usually use more than 1 coat of finish. There's a video from Weaver Leather ("The Leather Element") about black dyes, finishes, and rub off here on their blog page. If you bought black leather, I think it would have already had a finish added to it, but I could be wrong. It probably wouldn't hurt to add some Resolene on it anyways. You don't necessarily have to use Neatsfoot unless the leather is dried out. Pre-dyed leathers usually have oils put in them from the tannery, though my experience is limited so I may be incorrect.

I guess that depends a bit on a few things. For example, do you want to tool the leather (put shapes/stamps/figures on it)? If you don't, then you can use leathers other than tooling veg-tan, such as pre-dyed leathers (such as chrome tan leathers, oil tan, latigo, bridle leather, bison, deerskin, chap leather, upholstry, etc.). Tooling veg-tan lets you tool the leather and also dye it whatever colors you want. As you can imagine, it is more work than just buying ready-to-cut leather. If you want to keep things simple, I think going with pre-dyed leather isn't a bad idea. But, if you want more practice dyeing and/or tooling, then go with the veg tan. I think a basic project might be a journal cover, valet tray, key fob, a wrap for a tool handle or mug, coasters (you can buy pre-cut veg-tan "rounders" so you don't have to cut a circle yourself), or a drawstring pouch. If you are not buying a kit that comes with pre-punched parts, then you will need tools to punch holes (or, use an awl or chisels) for thread/lace. You can even lace up coasters, if you wanted to make them fancy. I started out with kits (and I still have a bunch I have yet to use), and also took classes at my local Tandy shop (but they are not having classes anymore because of the pandemic - so, youtube would be a substitute). I learned about different stitches for threading (running, rope, and saddle stitches), how to set rivets and snaps, and how to use some tools, like an edge beveler and wing divider. The thing about leather crafting is that it is so easy to add on layers of complexity (and more tools!)! So, even a "simple" or basic project can be made to be very fancy and complex. I find that, for me, I could easily bite off more than I can chew (i.e. want to do a project that requires more skills, techniques, and tools than I currently have).

@fredk Which Tandy press, the red one or the grey one? I have a half ton arbor press, but I can't get it to do deep impressions, no matter how hard I push the lever. I know the Tandy presses sometimes go on sale (e.g. Black Friday), so I'm wondering if it's worth it.

I recommend them, too. Shipping was fast, and great customer service.

The dauber technique might work. And then you could do a second coat? Sometimes the finish (e.g. Super Shene) will help reduce blotchiness (depends on the dye, though).

Depends on the components of the airbrush. My dad has some all-metal air gun brushes and after we used wood stain and varnish with it, he cleaned it out by running acetone through it. Acetone is rather harsh and would not be good if your air brush has any plastic pieces. Grumpyman's suggestion would work, though I wouldn't soak any platic parts in alcohol for very long, as there are chemical compatibility issues - especially with acrylic, that stuff is not good at resisting alcohols (isopropanol or ethanol, for instance) and will be damaged easily. You could look up the SDS files of commercially sold cleaners (such as from Angelus?) to get some info about the chemicals in those. But, I'm afraid I'm all out of advice, because I personally don't use an air brush with dye for leatherworking.