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I have a commission to cover two 3 foot vertical handles on the front door of a building located in Arizona. The door is north facing and exposed to the elements. Not sure if it receives any direct sun but could occasionally get wet and be exposed to 115 degree summer temperatures. I have considered oiled leather or latigo but the architects are looking for a better finish. I have a deadline to meet and don't have time to order a hide and have it skived and not sure if my shop table skiver would be viable to accurately cut 1 1/2" strips of latigo. The attached picture is the look and feel they are looking for. I decided to try using tung oil as a protectant on drum dyed veg tan leather as an option with a better finish. This was taken after the first application of Tung and a short drying period. The finish is dark and even after the second. It will be possible to have regular maintenance where a protectant can be applied or reapplied. Tung oil seems to fit the bill as it works well on wood and should dry hard, leaving the leather stiff and less likely to shift or unwind. The strips will be glued to the 1 1/2" handle with Barge. Any suggestions or commes welcome. Thanks! Bob

Hi all, I have been coming here for help for a while now but this is my first post. I know you will all be able to help. I have a business selling leather dog collars, and I recently got some startling feedback from a customer. It seems that she bought one of my collars and after about a month of use it was very badly stretched, discolored and brittle. She apparently has a very active dog and it gets "heavy outdoor use" including being worn while swimming sometimes (not sure how often) and bathing. She did oil it several times to keep it conditioned, but still had very poor results with it. You can see from the before (not the exact collar) and after pics what it looked like. The black collar in the after pic is not one I made, only the undyed one. Here is some info about the construction of the collar: Leather is 6/7oz (I have since switched to 9/10oz) double shoulder from Tandy 1" wide with beveled edges No dye used, finished with 3 coats of Angelus Acrylic Finisher Good coating of Neetsfoot oil applied after finisher I am basically wondering what I can do differently (other than increasing thickness of leather since I already have done that) to make my collars last better. I have been in business for 4 years and have never had feedback of this nature before, so I don't know if it was the use of the collar or the production that was the problem. I have noticed that my undyed collars often feel more pliable than the dyed ones and have been wondering if the dye itself perhaps has some preservative qualities. Should I be using a neutral leather dye on collars that are not to be colored? Any info or tips you all could give would be appreciated.