Brigg

I have some horse hide leather and it has a pretty heavy shine to it. It is not shell cordovan. Is there a way to dull it without damaging it? Are normal leather conditioners also okay to use on it? I know for some shell cordovan shoes I bought some saphir product specifically for shell.

I've attached the ingredients. Anything Fiebings is on the cheaper side but it does contain mink oil. I am not worried about "ethics". Minks destroyed the cabin of my boat a few years ago.

I am looking for a nice conditioner/protectant for natural undyed leather. I have experimented with Fiebings Mink Oil Paste, Fiebings Carnauba Creme, and Saphir Universal Creme. I liked the Mink Oil pasted the best as it doesn't really do much to the color of the leather and it smells pretty good. I am curious why it does not seem to be very popular (or maybe I am wrong about that). I know there are acrylic products like Resolene but I am not sure I like the idea of covering a nice leather in plastic and making it shiny. Are there other more natural products that protect leather that I should consider?

Thank you both for your help. I went for the Craftsha 39mm (wanted the 36mm but they only had the 39mm on Amazon).

I have now experimented with various knives and tools for skiving and I have found that I like the straight single bevel Japanese-style skiving knife. I have a cheap $10 one which actually works quite well however, the handle is too fat to get the lower angles I would like. I would like to buy a nicer one and I am wondering which knives you would recommend as well as which steel? It seems to me the common steels are D2, White, Blue #2 and, Blue Super. From owning Japanese kitchen knives I know that Blue Super has the best edge retention but for cutting leather I wonder if the ability to more easily polish and sharpen White steel would make it superior for skiving. I'd like to be under $100 unless there is a compelling reason to spend more on such a simple knife.

I agree with the RM Leather Supply recommendation. I would also look at https://districtleathersupply.com/ They sell really nice Italian veg tan leathers by the square foot. The benefit of the District Leather Supply is they offer leathers in A and B grades so if you are curious about a leather you can buy the B grade piece (still really nice) for a cheaper price and experiment with it...not sure if they have really shiny leathers though. RM leather sell Museum calf which you might like but it is a chrome tan.

I bought a crocodile skin wallet from John Lobb (St. James) while in London... https://www.johnlobbltd.co.uk/product-category/accessories/leather-goods/crocodile-wallets/ When I was there I asked if I needed a CITES certificate and they said no. This might be of use: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports

Interesting product. Too bad they don't make it any finer than .55mm.

The Made in Jupiter leathers other than Alran Sully are American leathers processed in China. They are not from Haas.

1 liter for $10-24 !? Why is Fenice so cheap compared to the others? Am I looking at a different formulation for use with machines? They have the Matte and Matte Plus versions. The Matte Plus has more colors is that what you use? Supposedly Amy Roke edge paint is the Hermes formulation of Stahl but they aren't shipping it out of China at the moment.

I will take a look at your guide. I am not set in any particular way yet as I am not getting consistent enough results. 1. Right now I am not doing more than three coats (not including primer). I want a nice looking finish that it as good as finish I see on Hermes, Moynat, and Goyard products...I think around here that would be considered good not great. 2. I am mostly doing small things at the moment. 3. I do not need to mix my own colors. Do you know where I can buy Fenice edge paint in the US?

What is your favorite edge paint and why? I am trying to learn how to get a nice edge finish on chrome tan leather with edge paint. I have Fiebing's Edge Kote in black and brown and have yet to get a good result. I also have three bottles of Uniters as well as their primer and gloss finish and I am getting much better results with Uniters. I want to replace my black and brown edge kote and I am wondering if I should try another brand. I have attempted heating Uniters and I am not sure what is supposed to happen visually. I know if it smokes it is too hot so I get hot enough not to smoke but all I seem to do is make it look worse. I use the wax spatula tip on my electric creasing machine.

Very cool to see pictures of first projects. I will try and post a couple of my first tomorrow.

0.5mm is the thickness recommended by the book. The book uses all Remy Carriat leather which is chrome tan...it is embossed though so it may be firmer. I've ordered samples of the leather. Will experiment with that.

I am making projects from the Leatherwork School book and it shows using a heated tip like an F3 to create a crease line where she folds the leather over. My assumption from looking at the pictures and reading the instructions is that this will make the leather easier to fold cleanly and evenly. I tried this with a 0.5mm chrome tanned calfskin lining and an FN2 tip and found that it did nothing...I mean it made a proper crease line. I played with turning up the heat and didn't really make much difference. What could I be doing wrong? Or am I misunderstanding her instructions?