SUP

Your filigree work is gorgeous! How did you get such symmetry? Springfield leather had these filigree tools on sale a while ago. I don't know if they still sell them.

😅 Nah. My little darling is a mixed breed from the animal shelter. We pamper and spoil her quite a bit. Her current collar is a leather one I bought before I got into leatherwork. I guess you have a point about the weight not making much difference. She is a medium sized dog and should not really be affected by the weight of a leather collar that I can make. And she is an absolute angel - has never chewed any leather in her life.

That is a nice belt. How much does it weigh, if I might ask? I've been wanting to make one for my dog but don't want it to be too heavy.

Thanks for that correction, @bruce johnson.

That would make them beaders rather than edge creasers.

The thing is, Tokonole is available again! I like it and use it all the time.

I got Tokopro from Amazon Vine and tried it. It seemed to work better on chrome tanned leather. On veg tanned leather, Tokonole always seems to give better results. Even diluted, Tokonole works better on veg tanned leather although Tokopro, in appearance and touch, seems to be a diluted form of Tokonole. Same ingredients, different proportions maybe.

I'm so sorry to hear about your wife. The sling is beautiful; simple and elegant.

@dikman exactly! But let's see, who knows? I get a load of it every fortnight or so. It probably stinks because of attached proteins. Using clear, pure fat might be different. We can always try.

@Leo1995, the die you sent me is good. I used it today. It is sharp and it cut my leather well. The stitching holes are clear and perfect slits and will give beautiful angled stitches. You have a good product there. I have left you a good review on Etsy as well.

God save us from experts!😅 I think i can replicate that. Makes it easier for me. I make my dog's food every few weeks with chicken. She dislikes all other meats. So when I cook the chicken, the fat of course floats on top and I can use that. The boxes I have will be nearly airtight which might not replicate either your friend's experience or that of the woman whose bag I worked on. Maybe I should keep several pieces inside bags in dry, dark areas, enclosed but not air tight. Maybe thick brown paper bags. I think I will try both, in the tins and in bags. Let's see which stinks more. I will also test some vegetable oils known for going rancid.

I could try the chicken fat thing. Exactly how do you use it? Just render it in a pan and use that?

I conditioned the bag with the conditioner from Chemical guys. I used that because it is not oil based. So it does not add more oil to leather that has already been over-oiled. It is conditioned now and looks a little better and smells loads better. I would not recommend D-Limonene for all leathers which smell rancid. This is pretty sturdy veg-tanned leather and while it did get some creases as it dried after the repeated washing and God knows what else was done earlier, the D-Limonene itself did not do much damage, as far as I can see. But it is still a solvent and other leathers might not respond as well. So I would decide on case-by-case basis. I have found a couple of small metal boxes in which to keep the over oiled leather pieces.

I received mine today too. I just opened it. I plan to use in in the next couple of days and then give a proper review, here and on Etsy.

I've been checking the rancid smelling bag. The parts cleaned with D-Limonene are dry now and do not smell rancid. It appears that D-Limonene really helps in removing the smell of rancidity. I am cleaning the rest of the bag today and once dry, conditioning it with a water based conditioner, probably the one by Chemical Guys. I like their conditioner. Not started the rancidity test yet. Probably this week-end or next week.

That is absolutely beautiful! The workmanship, the colors, everything. You are very talented.

I guess. I know they exist. Never had to get one so no clue about pricing.

An interesting practical pattern for a buckle. You should file an International patent Application. It allows you to get protection in multiple countries. Putting it up here, people might already be in the process of copying it. So I would suggest that you hurry up on the application. Things like this are rare and there are, unfortunately, plenty of crooks out there looking for such things. Try to determine how LOXX managed to prevent people copying their design - although something similar is available now on Temu, I believe. I've not seen it though. That is the risk.

@Leo1995 Good to hear this. If this had been mentioned right at the start, people would not have been suspicious. There are far too many scammers around these days. Best of luck in your endeavour. Incidentally, I've placed an order for a die from you and will certainly review it in Etsy and here as well.

Exactly. Most people here do not need a bribe to give helpful information. But the OP did not know that, I guess.

That wording itself suggests that it might be a scam.

Coming back to the rancidity question and the leather bag that I treated with D-Limonene. The section that I treated first and the one that I treated 2 days later, now 8 and 6 days ago, are still smelling of the D-Limonene and the rancid smell has not re-appeared. I live in hope. I have not cleaned the whole bag with D-Limonene as yet because I want to preserve that for comparison. The untreated part smells clearly rancid, and then the cleaned part is a relief to sniff at! I live in hope that it has worked.

Here too, there are plenty of us not making saddles and tacks. It is just that the people consistently active on this site are hardcore leatherworkers, who work with veg-tanned leathers and make saddlery, sheaths etc. or even bags, again with veg tanned leathers. I for one, don't make saddles or tack or anything even remotely horsey or weapon-y, since I neither ride not have weapons. So bags, shoes, caps, sheaths and sundry items it is, for me. If you find any excellent conditioners and cleaners for chrome and oil tanned leathers, please put it up here. I love to try new things.

Neetsfoot oil compound has, I believe, mineral oil or something similar added to it. I guess you will get different brands in Europe and not the same ones here. No reason why they should not work though. Oils and waxes and the petroleum products added to them are the same the world over! There will surely be good ones amongst them. I like the way you are going about it, trying different ones. It's the best way, isn't it? CDM compound is Neetsfoot oil compound, isn't it? CDM oil seems to be something similar. Do you know what the difference is?

It is a good idea to dip the leather in Vinegaroon and then rinse it in running water to remove excess vinegar. Vinegaroon is not a dye and need not be applied like one. Since the color happens because of a chemical reaction, the excess should be rinsed off. With a dip for a few minutes and rinse, the leather does not harden very much. Using Neetsfoot oil before Vinegaroon gets a better color and also prevents much hardening. At least, that is my experience. I use only Vinegaroon to dye my veg-tanned leather black. Neetsfoot oil might soften your hardened leather some. Not sure how much though.