Mablung

You may know this already, but make sure you put the cement on both pieces, let it sit for several minutes (until it feels mostly dry to the touch, just a bit drier than tacky), then put the two together. I tried to use my EcoWeld contact cement more like glue at first and got subpar results. Then the directions clicked and it worked. On that note, something like EcoWeld or, I understand, Aqualim has a consistency in the bottle more like white glue, so it is tempting to apply it the same way. Barge and Tanner’s Bond look and smell much more like epoxy, so it’s easier to grasp how to apply it properly (at least for me). EcoWeld also tends to stay in little puddles like glue, too. So, make sure you spread it properly, whichever one you use. I’ve also had Barge and Tanner’s Bond sink into some nappier oil tan more than in some shoe leather I have and into that more than into loosely-grained veg tan. Each leather takes cement a bit differently (and each cement will interact with different leathers differently), so keep that in mind when figuring out how much to apply. Trial and error is your best friend, with generous helpings of both “trial” and “error”.

“Ant-streak”. I like that.

Something else to consider that some members do is use a Sharpie fine point pen to mark in the tooling crevices, without resisting first. Others hate antique paste and will use small paintbrushes to contrast dye the foreground and background (more relevant in floral tooling and similar tooling work, as opposed to figure carving or something like basketweave stamping). I haven’t tried either of those techniques myself but figured I would mention them, since no one else has yet. When one would do each one will depend on the technique chosen. In either case, I would want to have prepared the leather for stitching but not yet stitched, to allow for application of the finishing topcoat before stitching.

For the antiquing not to stain the whole piece, some kind of resist must be applied first (Resolene or something similar) so that the antiquing only stays in the crevices of the tooling. Of course, if you want the antique to also stain the whole thing, then rub it over the whole piece (I did a notebook cover for my dad in that manner). I also do it after I dye and the dye dries. I do my stitching last on most things.

For what it’s worth, I find my posts bend the most easily when the body of the leather is not sitting flat in the same plane with the snap post. Even if I have the base of the snap piece I’m setting held flat to the anvil, once I shift to only applying pressure to the setter handle in preparation for striking it with my mallet, the leather shifts out of plane. Then I tend to bend the post, as the post has to adjust to sit flush with the leather surface as it mushrooms. A block or something under the body of the leather near the snap location will help allow the snap to set properly without the post bending. All the above assumes the post is the right length, but it sounds like you have that covered already.

That might be part of my issue. It’s 6/7 oz Tandy either Economy or Craftsman single shoulder. Appreciate you checking!

You could, theoretically, make a wallet back with it, provided you use a veg tan or something else with a firm hand to make the inner panels and pockets. But LiftPig is right that it likely wouldn’t hold up to the banging around a wallet undergoes.

Indeed. I love my work, but sometimes I’d rather be making shoes. Appreciate the offer. I was thinking of PM’ing you anyway, as something about the issue isn’t clicking in my head. I’ll do so once I sit back down with my pieces and can start working it out.

Definitely have the spark. Just haven’t had the time. Trying to figure out how to adjust the overall dimensions and get the dart at the back right. Been busy with work, though.

Fantastic. I love those. Stirring me to go finish redesigning the heel piece for my chukkas.

@JLSleather Here are a couple pics of the holster I was talking about. Looking at it again, it seems the stitch lines are in basically the right places, but it still seems it stretched out a good bit. Boning could be better, to be sure. Couldn’t mold the trigger guard much because the pistol has a light on it.

Read lots of threads about “burnishing” and “slicking”. Right now I focus on making my edges uniform with knife and sandpaper, then slicking with water on the edge and a wooden burnisher. Other methods produce better results; I’m just focused on getting those couple techniques down. There are a lot of good resources, too, and there are some search tips somewhere around here for using Google to search this particular site more efficiently.

I gotcha. I won’t actually be much help with that , so I’ll keep my piehole shut so others can give relevant advice.

How long have you been doing leatherwork? That’s a great set of stuff.

Is there a particular reason you think a standard dye wouldn’t work? Water-based might not as easily, but an alcohol/spirit-based likely would. Unless the stuff you used strikes it in a way that prevents effective dyeing.

Lol. That’s two of us, then.

Glad to help in some capacity. What kind of leather are you using?

There’s likely a Tandy nearby, or at least near enough to make a day trip. Take a basic construction class and bring your tools, or just go in and ask questions. Skiving takes practice and a scary sharp blade. The “safety beveler” tool makes skiving easier but requires regular blade replacements. How thick is the leather you’re punching through? Most chisels need some sharpening and will need a good hearty whack with a mallet or maul to go through. You’re probably doing fine and have decent enough tools and just need some practice using them.

Snazzy; I like that look. I’ll try that on the next one. Thanks for the suggestion.

What kinds of issues?

Thank you! It’s a dream to use. Just needs a little tuning as I adjust how I use it.

Just make the dimensions a bit bigger. I made it slightly too small for my sermon notebook, so I cut it down for this other notebook and still made it a bit small. So for the notebook I carry to church every Sunday, I need a bigger cover anyway. This one will mainly live on my side table at home, so I don’t feel like trying to match the dye. I’ll just mix a new batch for the next cover and dye every component all at once.

Finished product. Antiquing isn’t great, partly because I started applying the SuperSheen topcoat too soon and smeared the antique paste a bit. But it still turned out pretty sharp, I think. Left the closure tab raw because I’ll rebuild this thing eventually. It’s been put on a smaller notebook than the one I carry for sermons on Sundays.

Couple of closeups of the edge. I couldn’t get a macro shot to focus, but this gets the idea across about the bevel and degree of polish. It looks more scratched in the pic than it really is. The bevel is fairly shallow, so at some point I’ll reprofile it again to make a more aggressive bevel to give it some extra strength. As long as I strop it every few cuts and don’t press down too much (a bad habit I developed when working with my dull Stohlman knife), it lasts several feet of cutting before it needs stropping. I like it a lot.

You know how you asked in another thread when to become proud of your work, @Thadrick? You’re there. This is beautiful work. That doesn’t exclude improving it, either. There’s always something to improve. But this is great and something to be proud of.