pictures of my workspace

[esantoro]

Some day soon, I will have to upload pictures of my workspace. I'm quite proud of doing so much with so little space.

The drawback, however, is that I don't quite have the storage space for quantities of sides which I have to buy when prices are too low to pass up (Siegel's last ridiculously awesome sale, for example).

My problem is that some of the leather is being darkened unevenly by indoor lighting and sometimes I have to use leather from a different side for the flap on my briefcases. Either way, I need to be able to even out the natural coloring of the veg tanned leather. So far, I've been oiling the lighter areas more heavily. Today as I was casing a handle, I got the idea of rubbing the entire flap down with warm water to even out and darken the color. Do any of you have other suggestions for evening out the color. I'd like to stay away from dyes.

Thanks,

Ed

[pete]

Here is what you do my friend.

Get a bottle of BICK #4 (leather conditioner) and a bottle of Feibing's british tan dye(not oil dye) and put a few drops of the dye into a few tablespoons of the conditioner. Play with the amounts. I take a soda straw for all of my measuring and dip it in about 1/2" each time.

Stir it around. practice on a piece of oiled scrap until you have the color you like.

THEN!!!! put it on a sponge, sheep scrap, whatever you want. YOU CAN EVEN POUR THE STUFF RIGHT ONTO THE CENTER OF THE LEATHER AND IT WON'T SPOT WHERE YOU PUT IT!!!!!!

Rub it in- the leather will darken the more you use but the color will be even.

Pour water on the thing and come back the next day. It won't spot!!!!!!

My friend Bo Riddel (bootmaker to the Nashville stars) works now at Springfiled leather and does everything but brush his teeth with Bick #4 according to him. This is something that he showed me last time and I threw out my neatlac and RTC. I don't use ANY lacquer anymore. Bick's seals the leather like neatlac does and you can antique over it. It conditions AND let's it breath unlike lacquer.

Now I tool, bick+dye then antique. Makes the antique go on even and the finish that you get from the bick is incredible!

Try it

pete

[Art]

Hi Ed,

Don't know of a way without dye getting involved somewhere in the process. If you have sun damage or just a little color then you can cut it from the side and use it for something else. I only get 2/3 to 3/4 use from a side and the rest is scrap. The scrap gets used for small projects and the Scouts, you can make a lot of cell phone cases or rounders or barettes from scrap, and knife sheaths are another item. If you can incorporate the color difference into your finished product the "different" look may be appealing to a customer.

If you want to level the color using a little dye, mix dye with neatsfoot oil or neatsfoot oil compound or saddle oil from a reputable place (don't buy bargain anything when dyeing or oiling, especially the NF compound), even lexol conditioner can be used. For really dramatic sun damage, you won't be able to make it go away with just a little dye. I am a fan of Pecards leather dressing which evens things out somewhat, but does darken a little bit, but you will have to go a lot darker for sun damage.

Whatever you do, try it on a small piece of leather first.

Art

Some day soon, I will have to upload pictures of my workspace. I'm quite proud of doing so much with so little space.

The drawback, however, is that I don't quite have the storage space for quantities of sides which I have to buy when prices are too low to pass up (Siegel's last ridiculously awesome sale, for example).

My problem is that some of the leather is being darkened unevenly by indoor lighting and sometimes I have to use leather from a different side for the flap on my briefcases. Either way, I need to be able to even out the natural coloring of the veg tanned leather. So far, I've been oiling the lighter areas more heavily. Today as I was casing a handle, I got the idea of rubbing the entire flap down with warm water to even out and darken the color. Do any of you have other suggestions for evening out the color. I'd like to stay away from dyes.

Thanks,

Ed

[esantoro]

Hi Ed,

Don't know of a way without dye getting involved somewhere in the process. If you have sun damage or just a little color then you can cut it from the side and use it for something else. I only get 2/3 to 3/4 use from a side and the rest is scrap. The scrap gets used for small projects and the Scouts, you can make a lot of cell phone cases or rounders or barettes from scrap, and knife sheaths are another item. If you can incorporate the color difference into your finished product the "different" look may be appealing to a customer.

If you want to level the color using a little dye, mix dye with neatsfoot oil or neatsfoot oil compound or saddle oil from a reputable place (don't buy bargain anything when dyeing or oiling, especially the NF compound), even lexol conditioner can be used. For really dramatic sun damage, you won't be able to make it go away with just a little dye. I am a fan of Pecards leather dressing which evens things out somewhat, but does darken a little bit, but you will have to go a lot darker for sun damage.

Whatever you do, try it on a small piece of leather first.

Art

Thanks for your replies.

I'm really trying hard to use as much of the leather I can. Many imperfections I don't mind, such as scars, brands, and some insect bits. The cleanest pieces I need are for the flap (16" x 13") and the front face (16" x 12"). The more imperfect pieces I use are used as the center divider, the back, and straps.

I'm going to try the dye.

I'd like to use what I have on hand.

I've got Tandy Neatsfoot compound

Fiebings pure neatsfoot

Lexol 4-way conditioner

Fiebings 4-way conditioner

Art and Pete, do you guys think that I can use either the Lexol or Fiebings 4-Way instead of the Bick 4? Are they all pretty much the same?

I'm definitely going to get hold of some some British Tan dye. All I have is dark brown and mahogany, which i think will be too dark. Even if the briefcase flap does get a tad darker than the rest of the briefcase, I think the look will be quite nice.

Thanks so much for your help.

Ed

[Patrice]

What is Bick #4 and where i can find it?

Keep in mind that i'm living in montréal, Canada. I cannot have acces to every product.

Thank you!

[Art]

Hi Ed,

You are going to have to test, I would start with the neatsfoot compound, then the neatsfoot oil, then the Lexol. The compound may be a little thinner than the oil, that's why I said to start there. I don't know the Bickmore products that well so Pete will have to give you the info on that.

Art

Thanks for your replies.

I'm really trying hard to use as much of the leather I can. Many imperfections I don't mind, such as scars, brands, and some insect bits. The cleanest pieces I need are for the flap (16" x 13") and the front face (16" x 12"). The more imperfect pieces I use are used as the center divider, the back, and straps.

I'm going to try the dye.

I'd like to use what I have on hand.

I've got Tandy Neatsfoot compound

Fiebings pure neatsfoot

Lexol 4-way conditioner

Fiebings 4-way conditioner

Art and Pete, do you guys think that I can use either the Lexol or Fiebings 4-Way instead of the Bick 4? Are they all pretty much the same?

I'm definitely going to get hold of some some British Tan dye. All I have is dark brown and mahogany, which i think will be too dark. Even if the briefcase flap does get a tad darker than the rest of the briefcase, I think the look will be quite nice.

Thanks so much for your help.

Ed

[Art]

Hi Patrice,

Go on the Bickmore website

http://www.bickmore.com

and look for dealers. If you have a Weaver account, they handle #4 also.

Art

What is Bick #4 and where i can find it?

Keep in mind that i'm living in montréal, Canada. I cannot have acces to every product.

Thank you!

[Patrice]

Hi Patrice,

Go on the Bickmore website

http://www.bickmore.com

and look for dealers. If you have a Weaver account, they handle #4 also.

Art

Thank you ART! But, what is a Weaver account?

[Art]

Hi Patrice,

Weaver is a leather, tools, machines, products wholesaler in Ohio. You need to have an account with them, a business license or tax number will suffice. They try to deal with those in the business. They also manufacture their own line of tack etc. that the wholesale to tack/horsey establishments. For them two different businesses and two separate accounts.

Art

Thank you ART! But, what is a Weaver account?

[pete]

Honestly- I don't know if anything works like Bick. All I know is that I can dye a piece from the corner with a glob and drag the dye across , plop it in the middle or use a squeeze bottle pre made with the color I like and just squirt it and rub it in and it dyes evenly. You can even wipe it across instead of in a circular motion and it doesn't streak.

I know that I sound like a commercial for Bick's#4 and Springfield leather but I don't want my dye/coloring/antique job to mess up all the tooling time that I put into it.

pete