Felt for belt edges

[barra]

Here are a couple of methods I use to stain edges.

Pic 1. I use 1/4" engineers felt and a wire coat hanger. From the one coat hanger I get 2 daubers. I fold the felt and wrap the wire around the felt and then either flatten the wire with a hammer or in a vice. On the other end I shove on a cork to both cover up the jaggered wire I have cut with side cutters and it also forms a handle because the wire on it's own is a bit hard to get a grip.

Pic 2. This is a stencilling pad. The tin is full of absorbant gauze. On top of this is that wire triffet looking thing. This has a spring on the bottom of it. The lid has a layer of felt under where the hole is. The dauber has a handle and on the base end is a material a bit like synthetic shearling. By dabbing the dauber into the hole in the lid, you are pushing on the spring loaded wire triffet, which pumps the dye/stain onto the shearling of the dauber.

Pic 3. Pour the stain into the hole in the lid. When done the hole has a cap so the stain does not evaporate.

Pic 4. The home made coat hanger dauber method. My stains are in salsa jars that have a plastic coating inside the lid. If the lid was metal you would eventually get rust in your stain. Dip the dauber in stain and wipe off the excess on the jar lip. The felt slightly conforms to the shap of the leather when applying the stain.

Pic 5. Not a very good pic of a quickly burnished scrap of leather after a few licks with my rub rag. I would normally do a few more things to get a nicer burnished edge.

I also have a few large felt markers like pictured in the link. You can refill them.

http://www.thepenstore.com.au/category168_1.htm

Barra

Edited March 12, 2009 by barra

[ABC3]

Thanks everyone for your reply. I'll get on it this morning & do some shopping.

Stay safe....

[Randy Cornelius]

For dying edges I use a standard wool dabber but for one exception, I burn the dauper down to where it is just a tight ball. Yes I set it on fire, let it burn some to where it is just a tight ball without all the fluff. It holds the dye well and it dose not tend to let it run down the back side.

also have used the felt on a cloths pen, you can get some felt that works well at Walmart in the sewing dept. It comes in packs and is used to cut and put on the legs of chairs so as not to scratch wooden floors. It has a glue back but it does not hurt it any for dying.

Randy