Basics of dying leather?

[shadow2511]

I am so frustrated. I was making a picture frame for my son. It's the first leather tooling I have done in 20 years. It has not turned out as well as I had hoped. I am actually surprised it turned out so bad because I used to be better at this. I just haven't done it for so long that I need to practice. I am at a point where it needs to be dyed and I am scared to do it for fear of ruining the project further. I am not so sure how to do the dying anymore. Maybe for this project I will just antique the entire thing. Are there any tutorials online that I can learn more about improving my leather work and also dying techniques? Thanks so much, Barb

[joet]

It just so happens that there are a couple of places that have on-line tutorials. The first one that comes to mind is by Silva Fox at http://wdstudio.net/foxart/main.htm and the other is by Ron Ross at http://www.rosaddlery.com/. The first one is mostly how to color with some tooling of animals. The second one by Ron Ross is mainly the Sheridan style that is in vogue now; but I don't see why some of it couldn't work for the standard floral design. There are a couple of more places that have tutorials, but I'm not sure what they are, and if you don't mind spending a little money there are DVD's and videos that cover all aspects of leather work. These can be picked up at Hide Crafters Leather Company and they have an on-line catalog at http://hidecrafter.com/. The cost of these videos run about $20 to $50 and are well worth getting, even for the professional.

As far as covering up mistakes, the antique paste does wonders to hide them.

[abn]

Barb,

I can certainly understand being disappointed at how a project turns out. Without a doubt, I've trashed more projects than I've kept.

Ironically, though, I've had others lavish praise on the stuff I think is absolute garbage. Their non-trained eyes don't pick up on all the minute defects, but rather appreciate the effort in general. The same thing happens with me when I look at things created by potters or woodworkers... Since I'm not very knowledgable in those areas, I think things are beautiful when their creators may not like them at all...

What I'm saying is this... You may want to see this project through, or ask someone else's opinion (but not another leatherworker's). I'd be willing to bet your son will greatly appreciate your gift, regardless of how you feel about it.

Best, -Alex

p.s. If you're feeling a bit uncertain about dyeing, my only advice is to try things out on scrap leather. I've ruined too many projects to mention by "giving it a try" on the final piece!

[shadow2511]

Alex and joet,

Just a quick note to tell you both thanks for all the info. I will certainly follow up on it after the holidays. I have decided to antique the whole thing. Once I went back to it it wasn't as bad as I had thought. anyway thanks! Barb

[$$hobby]

dont be so hard on yourself. if you havent touched leather in a while, you have to relearn what youve forgot.

i havent stopped doing leather projects in 10+ years and i still make mistakes. My last boo-boo i did 2x. i was making a leatherman/mnimag holster for a friends-friend and my first 2 attempts were made backwards. somewhere, someone could use them. my first holster i made was dearskin lined and laced and it turned out for a lefty. good thing one of my good friends is a shooter and a lefty, but i tell you i wasnt to happy about my first holster turning out wrong.

if you have the time/materials, try again or you may want to continue on what youve started, but be patient.