Search the Community

I've always wanted a leather desktop rather than just a leather desktop pad. A year ago I made a complete 180x80cm desktop from a single vegetable tanned hide and I really enjoy the look and feel of it. It has developed a nice patina over time and I've only used moist cloths with water and occasionally added a thin layer of Fiebing's Leather Balm with Atom wax and buffed it out. But I'd like to improve on this a bit by smoothing out the top surface and am not sure how best to go about this task. I would love a smoother surface but don't want to lose the color or natural feel of the desktop. While some areas of the hide are smooth, others have wrinkles that can be felt (when writing using just a single piece of paper, for instance). What can be used to fill those ridges and uneven areas? Here's a closeup of what the uneven areas look like: I do have more pictures of the leather desktop and the building process at Zanshin leather desktop

I made my first leather belt. It was made out of Italian veg tanned 3.6-3.8mm leather, a brass buckle and keeper. I think it turned out pretty good.

i'd like to know if they would be any significant different between these two bison leather made by the hide house that would make one better for making working step in shotgun chaps. https://www.hidehouse.com/Leather/Apache-Bison-Bison-Full-Grain-Aniline-Finish-BA02-P.asp https://www.hidehouse.com/Leather/Navajo-Bison-Bison-Full-Grain-Aniline-Finish-BN22-P.asp

Hello! So i am a fashion student from portugal and the leatherwork always amazed me, so i am using this new project at college to do some experiences with veg tanned leather. And, of course, as a newbie i have encounter some problems with the art... would really appreaciate if i could get some insigh, helps and tips from the pros! Help please? So on the 1st two pictures i wet molded veg tanned leather and then tried to dye it with the fiebing's pro dye (used the deglazer first), burnished the edges with tokonole and as i really want a really high gloss finish i tried to aply the fiebings Saddle-lac spray and as you can see it is really baaaaddd! all uneven, full of little spots of dirt, just bad. And on the last three pictures, i have cut some straps of veg tanned leather and again, deglazer, dyed with the black pro-dye, burnished edges and this tip i tried to apply the Eco-flo top finish gloss diluted on 50% of water, and again, all uneven, some parts glossy and other not, and as i want this strap to go over a D-ring, as i tried to bend it got those tiny ugly bumps/wrinkles. HELLLLLLLP????? For how long should i wait between applying each product? (i think i did it quite fast, tbh like in 10 minutes gaps) With what should i apply the different products? And i kind don't like using the tokonole to burnish the edges as i get on both sides of the leather these sticky imprints that you can notice in the end and it is really ugly. Is the leather i got just bad quality? Thanks! I would loooove to get some tips, help and insights from the pros!! Please, thank you and much love from portugal!!

FINALLY got this present finished, but I messed it up so much that I told my guy that I'll make him a better one based off the same pattern and color. (turns out he wants a stag and owl on it anyway) I probably went about making this thing ass-backwards, but in the end it turned out alright. In any case, it holds the knife tight and looks a hell of a lot more harmonious with it than the cheapo nylon sheath that came with it. I underestimated how close I had made the knotwork to the edge, and just how much tooling it would expand the leather so I ended up stitching over the very tip of the knotwork at the bottom. I'm not so pleased with how the tooling itself came out, either, but I'm still progressing with it.

Hi Y'all! I'm relocating to Bangkok, Thailand at the end of September. Unfortunately, I'm having almost ZERO luck finding tanneries and suppliers in Thailand, Southeast Asia, Japan, and anywhere else that makes economic sense. So far, all I've found are the Tandy store in Australia, a similar store in Japan, and several Thai tanneries that supply chrome tanned leather. And that's it. To date I have not found any source of the veg tanned leather I will need. Nor have I found a decent source for hardware and tools. If anyone knows of good, reputable tanneries and suppliers that I can use, please, let me know. Thanks. Mav

Hi, I've asked this question in the paints/ dyes forum but haven't had any luck. I'm interested in painting designs on veg tanned leather for use in making baby moccasins. I haven't ordered the leather yet and so have not been able to experiment with dye or paint options. The dye would have to withstand the elements (outdoor shoe) but most importantly it needs to be non-toxic, should it end up in baby's mouth. Some dyes/ pigments I've been thinking about - henna, annatto, indigo, walnut, pecan, beats. Has anyone had experience using these, or similar? I'm especially keen on the idea of using indigo. Since I'm using veg tanned leather, does this mean it would not have to be heat set? Any suggestions for oil to use? Obviously, I still have a lot to learn about leather. I haven't seen any walnut dye available commercially; only recipes for making it yourself. I'd love to be able to find something in powder form- just add water. Perhaps I am totally naive about how involved the process will be- hoping to just paint it on with a brush like water colour. Angelus leather dye and paint seems to be quite commonly used (I love that you can use it in a refillable pen). I can't find any information on the ingredients though. Would love some advice.This is the leather I'm using (I assume it's unsealed) http://www.vegetable-tanned-leather.com/ecopell-kollektionen/ecopell-nappa and the suede http://www.vegetable-tanned-leather.com/ecopell-kollektionen/ecopell-velour and a pic of my moccasins (chrome tanned) Thank you!