LzCraft

I'm working on something and a piece of leather has been exposed to acetone due to a bottle mixup. I couldn't tell because I was wearing a respirator mask to protect myself from fumes and couldn't tell by smell. This piece is being used as the liner for the back side of a belt. It has some discoloured spots but they won't be visible. My question is if the structure of the piece has been compensated or if I'm able to use it anyways. It was exposed to a decent amount, two full "coats" of acetone that was supposed to be dilluted alcohol to even out the dye. Other than the small discoloured spots and some small surface bruises that look and feel slightly rough, the leather feels and looks the same. It isn't deforming or cracking. It was given a generous coat of oil based conditioner as acetone dries out pretty much anything. This leather is 4-5 oz veg tan.

I've seen many discussing stitch groovers and if they should or shouldn't be used, including on this forum. But none of the threads really give me an answer to when this would be of concern. Currently, when I make cartridge belts (even if I only made 3) I use a groover for everything. My groover is sharpened a bit differently so that it cuts a shallower groove than most off the shelf groovers. I then use a modeling tool to burnish in the groove to make it deeper. This is the method I find gives the most crisp looking results. If my workpiece is over 7-8 oz, I use this type of burnished groove for decorative lines too as I find it looks cleaner than a creased line. Lined belts, as I've mentioned in another thread, can be made two ways. The ones I have made are fully stitched through to hold the loops. I groove a zigzag pattern on the back of it to protect the thread holding the loops. This is where my first question comes up. Is this a bad idea? Since the grooves go across the belt and not along it, I'm thinking this could cause a possible weakspot. Note that the grooves do not go fully across the back, only where the loop stitches sit. With the liner in place, the workpiece corresponds to 15-16 oz leather. My second concern is regarding holsters. A holster is folded and naturally wants to spring outwards. I groove both sides for the stitch, both on belts and holsters. This is where I'm concerned a second weakpoint might form as the grooves, both for stitches and decorations, go across the tension and not along it. The holsters I make are heavy Mexican double loop holsters made of 10-11 oz leather. The holsters are not lined. As a reenactor I need to be able to walk around a lot without wearing out the stitches, which is why I prefer to groove both sides. Long story short, In terms of aesthetics, I am much happier with burnished grooves for both stitches and decoration than I am with creases, Especially the way they darken when dye is applied, which creases do not. But am I playing a risky game or am I good to go?

This is the final piece of information I'm looking for, before I start my next project. I'm simply looking for the method that will give the most crisp looking and longest lasting crease. For this project I'll be tooling heavy 10-11 oz. veg tan leather for belt making. The method I'm currently using is pretty traditional. I work the crease into cased leather with creasers and modeling tools. But I've heard people say they get better results with heat creasing. I've never used this method personally, is the leather supposed to be dry for heat creasing? While I'm happy with the way my current method looks I don't know how long it lasts.

Yes, laced loops are easier to make and more durable than stitched loops. However, when looking at surviving examples of cartridge belts from 19th Century America, the loops are mostly stitched. I personally have never seen an authentic ranger style belt with laced loops. Many belts then were unlined, but when looking at lined examples, they show that both stitch through and glue in were done. Of course there was also the money belt, which I guess is "folded in".

As the title says, am I supposed to glue the lining over the stiches for the bullet loops or stitch through the lining? I've seen both done. I'm assuming glued over stitches are more resistant to wear, while a stitched through construction is much easier to repair. Belt: 10-11 oz. Heavy veg tan Liner: 6-7 oz. Veg tan Loops: 4-5 oz. Veg tan Thread: 18/6 Waxed linen thread Method: Saddle Stitch

Dear fellow crafters. Based on responses, I will give Tan Kote a try after some experiments on scraps. As far as conditioner goes, opinions seem to vary wherever one looks. I decided to visit some stables not far from where I live. There I spoke to a farrier and saddler with over 30 years of experience. I was given a sample of something called "Bick 4", the conditioner he has had the best experience with. I will be using this for my next project.

That's interesting, I used to know a cobbler who said he would avoid such oils as he said they would "crack, harden and discolour" the leather with time, especially if exposed to sun, and instead swore by paste. Perhaps he used some kind of formula without vaseline. Vaseline itself appears in many pastes, including Gold Quality and Fiebing's.

I saw a handmade cartridge money belt at a sporting store finished with Tan Kote next to one finished with Resolene. Tan Kote seems to enhance any tooling in the leather better than Resolene. As far as I understood, Resolene finished leather cannot be properly conditioned. I'm thinking of using a surface finish to simply make the leather more resistant to dirt and dust.

Hello fellow crafters, I'm as new to leather craft as I am to forums. In the past I have only made 2 cartridge belts, a holster, 2 hat bands and an archery finger tab. All of them were experiments so I have pretty much no experience. I've been considering using Tan Kote on newer projects, I heard that this finish will allow penetration of oil into the leather. I'm however, not a fan of neatsfoot or mink oil as it may oxidize and harden the leather. My question is if Tan Kote will let paste conditioner through. I use a traditional mix of beeswax, essential oils and vaseline, which is worked into the leather using friction using a cotton rag or sheepswool. My current process is to dye the leather using Fiebing's Pro Dye, Applying paste conditioner twice and then not doing much more.