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I’m new to leather-craft. I’m starting by taking apart some leather items to see how they’re constructed. And I came across this one item that seems half-finished, por at least meant to be left as “raw”. As you can see from the sides, they’re left un burnished and (hopefully) you can see the leather is completely matte. Now, it’s supposed to be full grain leather, and to my untrained eye it at least seems good quality. But the look of the leather simply feels “unfinished” or “untreated” to me. Of course, the edges need burnishing, but as this was supposedly a finished piece, I’m wondering what would you call that leather finish that has absolutely no sheen at all. And what would you recommend to give it a finish with a slight sheen, as you’d find on leather that has been used quite a lot and has developed a patina. (Or is the best thing just to let that patina develop over time.) Thanks for any input!

I'm selling some of my leather working equipment and also some leather, to make room in our small apartment for my son's bedroom! Pickup in San Francisco please for large/heavy items including leather. I can ship the electric iron/edge creaser and zippers if you pay for shipping. VSB Burnishing Machine from Campbell Randall: Brand New (Unused) burnisher for sanding, polishing and finishing leather edges - to end all hours of manual sanding work. Includes leather felt wheel, wax stick, abrasive stone wheel, diamond wheel, and additional work table to rest your piece. New (unused) for $590 (Save $100 vs buying from Campbell Randall directly). Global Industrial Workbench - 60 X 30 inch Solid Maple Wood Square Edge Work Bench- Adjustable Height - 1 3/4" Top. Legs adjust so that table height can be from 27 ⅞ inches to 35 ⅜ inches. Like New for $235 (Save $200 vs buying new on website. Tax & Shipping only is $155 to San Francisco). Granite Hammering Stone: 12x18x3 inch solid granite tooling slab for leatherworking. Used for leather skiving, stamping, and tooling. Excellent condition. $100 (Save $52 including tax vs buying new). French Burnishing electric iron/ edge creaser: Regad M3000 6V Low voltage Power box with wood handle and Right-handed F2.5 Metal Burnish Head. This electric creasing & edging tool is a very popular product for Hermes, Louis Vuitton and other high-end craftsmen creating their iconic creased and polished edges. Regad is well known in the industry for their high quality edging tools and accessories that are made to last. This machine will substantially reduce the amount of time you spend on your edges and will give your projects a polished high-end look. Excellent condition. $400 (Save $230 including tax vs buying new). Wood Sewing Clamp: 51 inches (1.3 Meters) long wood sewing clamp for hand-stitching leather. Excellent condition. $125 (save $50 vs buying new). Hand setter for snap buttons: Hand tool for setting snap buttons on leather. Like New, barely used. $105 (save $100 including sales tax vs buying new). Italian Full-Grain Leather: Gruppo Mastrotto B. Adriacolors Italian high quality full-grain leather in black, red, and off-white. Half-drummed, soft hand and pebble grain finish. 1.2-1.4 mm thickness. Each skin is 43 to 50 sq ft. $129-150 per skin ($100 off vs buying direct and shipping). Italian Smooth Leather: Gruppo Mastrotto Nappacolors high quality, full-grain Italian smooth leather in brown, mustard yellow, burnt orange, and dark blue. Soft, high-quality touch. 1.1-1.3 mm thickness. Each half skin is 23 to 26 sq ft. $130-150 per half skin ($75 saving vs buying direct and shipping). 9. Zippers: Several high-quality zippers from Lampo and YKK. YKK Red zipper tape (11 meters) with ELITE gold metal teeth (size 3) - $55 for all or $5/meter YKK Black zipper tape (10 meters) with ELITE gold metal teeth (size 5) - $80 for all or $8/meter YKK Red zipper tape (6 meters) with ELITE gold metal teeth (size 5) - $48 for all or $8/meter YKK Beige/Off-white zipper tape (5 meters) with ELITE gold metal teeth (size 5): $40 for all or $8/meter YKK Gold zipper pulls (~50 qty) in Size 5: $25 for all or $0.50 / each YKK Gold zipper pulls (30 qty) in Size 5: $9 for all or $0.30 / each YKK Gold zipper pulls (~50 qty) in Size 3:$20 for all or $0.40/each Lampo Superlampo Red tape with T3 Light Gold teeth and pulls, finished zippers (18.5 cm long) - 12 qty.: $18 for all or $1.50 / each Lampo Superlampo Magenta tape with T3 gold teeth and pulls, finished zippers (18.5 cm long) - 4 qty: : $6 for all or $1.50 / each Lampo Superlampo Black tape with T5 Light gold teeth and pulls finished zippers (120 cm long) - 2 qty plus 5 end stops & 7 top stops: $16 for all or $8 / each Lampo Superlampo Red tape with T5 Light Gold teeth and pulls finished zippers (120 cm long) - 2 qty plus 5 end stops & 7 top stops: $16 for all or $8 / each Lampo Superlampo Off-White/Light Beige tape with T5 Light Gold teeth and pulls finished zipper - 1 qty (120 cm long) and 1 qty (77 cm or ~30 inches long) with no pull or end stop plus 4 end stops & 6 top stops: $12 for all or $8 / finished zipper and $4 for 77cm tape Lampo Superlampo Mustard Yellow tape with T5 gold teeth and pulls finished zippers (120 cm long) - 2 qty. Plus 3 end stops & 6 top stops: $16 for all or $8 / each Lampo Superlampo Copper Brown tape with T5 gold teeth and pulls finished zippers (120 cm long) - 2 qty. Plus 3 end stops & 7 top stops: $16 for all or $8 / each Lampo Superlampo Dark Brown tape with T5 gold teeth and pulls finished zippers (120 cm long) - 1 qty plus 4 end stops & 7 top stops: $16 for all or $8 / each Lampo Superlampo Blue tape with T5 gold teeth and pulls finished zippers (120 cm long) - 2 qty. Plus 4 end stops & 7 top stops: $16 for all or $8 / each Lampo Superlampo Burnt Orange tape with T5 gold teeth and pulls finished zippers (120 cm long) - 2 qty. Plus 4 end stops & 7 top stops: $16 for all or $8 / each Lampo Light Gold T5 zipper pulls - 10 qty: $5 for all or $0.50 / each Lampo Gold T5 zipper pulls - 16 qty: $8 for all or $0.50 / each Lampo Light Gold End stops - 14 qty: or $0.04/each

So I've been typing in the search bar to try and find information that I'm looking for but haven't had much luck. I am working on a mask that I want to add steer horns on and I wanted to know how best to polish/finish them. What I ended up doing was actually rubbing the outside with beeswax, turning it over my zippo, and then buffing it with an old t-shirt. They came out decent, though not shiny. Is this a valid way to finish them? Is there a better way? I am looking to do some other artistic somethingorother with the left over horn and would like to find a way to bring out the natural beauty of the horns. Any advice? What have you done? Anyone have any pictures? Thanks!

Hi all, I have a quick question about finishing leather. I am a bit confused by the plethora of products out there! I bought some Fiebings Bag Kote but I got the impression that this just coats the leather rather than nourishes it. So, I bought some Dubbin. On a finished piece, I ended up putting on the Bag Kote, and then liberal use of the Dubbin, before a quick polish with a rag. Do these 2 products work in tandem, or are they cancelling each other out? What do you guys use to feed a leather (hand dyed) and then give it a shine? Many thanks!

Im making a little card wallet for my girlfriend, and ive oiled it with extra virgin olive oil , and have applied the dye , i used ox blood which is really nice but its very difficult to get a nice even coat . if you guys have any tips on dying to get an even coat speak your mind please BUT ! my main problem after an hour drying i started buffing with some white paper towel and it just keeps coming off , ! there doesnt seem to be any end to it coming off. Am i doing something wrong or do i just have to keep buffing ? Did i leave it long enough to dry ? and what is a good finish to put on a wallet ?

I have used the Fiebings Leather sheen, Super sheen and Saddle lac. I am concerned about using any of these products on this gig because of the heavy use of the flap bending back and forth regularly. I dont want cracking. Can I get away with buffing out the dye and applying Neutral shoe polish or will the polish make it rub? I have buffed it to the point where it is not rubbing now without any sealer. The guy does not want a shinny lacquer like finish. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Alex