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So I got a problem I´d really like to fix. As I made several sword sheath (Larp) and similar for customers so far (and will do more in the future), I usually wet mold them around a wooden form before stitching, sometimes I add some tooling and sometimes I treat them with hot water to get the a little stiffer. My usually sequence for doing this was more or less this one: - tooling (wet) - molding (wet) - stitching - dyeing - heat treatment/boiling (wet) - applying finish and stuff. So the main problems I got are: 1) When I dye the piece, the colour becomes uneven as some ares are compressed more than others through the process of molding. Maybe it´s usefull to add that I use a sponge for the dye-job, when the colours should be lighter, I wrap some cloth around it so there´ll be less colour per layer) -> My solution would be to dye it before molding, as it´s easier to apply evenly and the fibres are mor even, too. The reason of doing it afterwards was, that the dye stiffens the leather a little bit, but I think an even colour has a higher priority. 2) The main issue is, that the tooling really looses definition. After tooling I case it two more times (molding and "boiling") so it evens out a bit once and again. Besides for the heat treatment I use water hot at about 75 to max. 90 °C (~167 - 194 Fahrenheit) (I use a boiler and a thermometer, so I never get the same temperature). For the process I boil the water and pour it over the stitched sheath on the form, so even if I use 90°C, the leather wouldn´t reach that temperature completeley and won´t get that brittle. But with this molding process, the top grain starts to shrink and every cut from the swivelknife opens up a lot while the stamping starts to fade away... For that problem I got no solution right now and I can´t figure out how to do it right. I think there are some liquids out there used for stiffening leather instead of boiling it, but I don´t know how that will affect the dyejob or the finishing process.... I think it might be an idea to mold the sheath right after tooling to get one casing step out of the line, but then I´d have to case, tool and mold in one step.... Any ideas, tips or solutions to this one?

I completed my first belt last night. I also cut out two other belts and dyed them with fiebings oil dye (Black and Dark Brown). I have a few questions, as this is my first time doing any of this. When dying, a lot of people say not to dye the flesh side of the belt, as it may rub off over time. but what if you use gum trag on the back, over the top of the dye? Will that help with the dye not bleeding? Also, I bought edge kote (black and brown). What is the difference between the edge kote and the normal dye? If i used the edge kote, would i put it on at the same time that I dye the rest of the belt? Then afterwards, bevel and burnish? or would i bevel and burnish before dying? The belt if completed was natural, and not dyed. I noticed that when I beveled and burnished the edges, some of the water soaked onto the surface of the belt, and darkened it slightly. should I save burnishing for after i apply whatever finish/conditioner i apply? or does it matter? Sorry for all of the questions. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!