Working Fairs/Craft Shows

[frank207]

I'm curious how you would edge kote the Billet End of a belt when you trim it to size at a Craft Show and the color of the belt is not Black or Brown which the product Edge-Kote only seems to come in? Also, I would like to do some stamping while I sit their and would lke to know what kind of table set-up would be sturdy enough yet portable?

I have not done anything like this before and plan to do some small fairs/craft shows this summer/fall. Right now I'm just trying to build a small inventory of belts, dog collars and wristbands.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the advice I've received since I embarked on this Leather Craft hobby/business. Living in Maine there are not alot of leather craft people around!

Thanks in Advance,

Frank

[gary]

I'm curious how you would edge kote the Billet End of a belt when you trim it to size at a Craft Show and the color of the belt is not Black or Brown which the product Edge-Kote only seems to come in? Also, I would like to do some stamping while I sit their and would lke to know what kind of table set-up would be sturdy enough yet portable?

I have not done anything like this before and plan to do some small fairs/craft shows this summer/fall. Right now I'm just trying to build a small inventory of belts, dog collars and wristbands.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the advice I've received since I embarked on this Leather Craft hobby/business. Living in Maine there are not alot of leather craft people around!

Thanks in Advance,

Frank

Frank,

I don't use Tan Kote and I edge using a water-based dye mixed with gum tragacanth and water (the ratio of dye:gum:water varies for each batch I make).

The smallest amount of leather dye powder I can buy over here is 0.5 kg and that will last me a lifetime (unless I get really busy).

If I have to make up a different colour I use a fabric dye sold over here called Dylon. It comes in really small pots (about 30g (or 1 oz)) and goes a very long way. You can mix up a small batch as needed. I've used red and green for a couple of jobs I did and, after a bit of experimentation, got the mix about right. The main problem is using too much dye powder - several thin coats being better than one thick one. I then finish off using a weak mixture of PVA wood glue and burnish it again. I could try a dye:gum:water:PVA mix but I haven't.

My tuppence.

Gary

[UKRay]

Frank,

You don't really need a lot of space to tool small items at a show so how about looking for a very sturdy crate that will carry all your stuff and can be put on end to act as a tooling bench. As long as it can take the weight of a 12" x 12" stone it ought to be plenty good enough. Find a small folding table for your tools and a bottle of neatsfoot oil and you are away. IMHO it is best to take a bare minimum of equipment to shows and to leave dyes and finishes at home. Neatsfoot is a nice clean (ish) way to finish a small item and doesn't take up too much room or make too much mess.

It sounds obvious, but I only take belts to shows that are finished with a black edge...

Gary,

I hadn't thought of using Dylon. Can you explain how you use it please?

Ray

[gary]

Gary,

I hadn't thought of using Dylon. Can you explain how you use it please?

Ray

Ray,

Use the stuff in the small silver pots - it's for dyeing by boiling the clothes in it (you don't boil the clothes in the little pot as it's tiny - unless you have a mouse's jockstrap you want to dye). Don't get the machine wash-in stuff (although that may work, I've never tried it). And don't use their leather dye stuff that comes with a brush as it's like PVA paint and just sits on the top surface of the leather (unless that's what you want) and peels off if the leather is flexed too much

One of those small pots should last ages as it's pretty concentrated pigment. Unless you seal the dye powder it in an airtight container, it goes all cruddy before you use it the next time. I find those 'keep-your-leftovers-fresh' kitchen pots useful when I can get my hands on them (mental note to self - keep wife out of workshop).

Bear in mind that all my mixing is done one batch at a time using the SWAG (Scientific Wild A**ed Guess) technique. I guess a 'batch' comes out at about 1 or 2 fl ozs maximum when I do it - just enough for the job in hand.

I mix a very small amount of the powder with water and keep trying it on scraps to see if I've got the right colour. As I said earlier, a few light coats is usually more successful than one thick one. I apply it with a dauber and I've only ever used it on edges of belts and straps (red) and some patches at the top of a set of chaps (green), I've never tried dyeing a surface or large area with it but that may be worth a try when I've got time.

I then mix in some gum tragacanth (I buy those pots of clear gloopy non-toxic kiddies paper glue with the rubber spouts as I find it mixes-in nicely).

Then I just used it like any home-made edge dye. I burnish edges by hand as I've never got a satisfactory result using a Dremel or drill (but I may try again once my workshop is out of its boxes as I've seen quite a few useful posts on it here).

Depending on how the burnishing turns out, I sometimes go over the top with a watered-down mix of PVA wood glue (which I think seems something like Fiebing's Resolene - but I may be wrong, I'm no chemist) and again burnish by hand. Sometimes I waited until it had dried then used beeswax on the edge. Again, the PVA glue:water ratio is a guesstimate but probably about 1:10 (ish).

I don't know how it will work on darker leathers - I've used it on self-dyed russet (for the chaps), and on London and Light Havana colour bridle leather/shoulder.

By the way, if you use too strong a mix, there is a risk that the dye will rub off onto clothing until the item has been broken in (but there must be a way of sealing it to stop that) so I always warn the end-user about it.

I've just had a look at the chaps that I made - I've been using them for about 5 years now - and you wouldn't know that the edges of the patches (there must be some technical term for them) had ever been green, they look a uniform dark brownish colour - mind you, most things do when they've been slathered in all the muck in a stables for 5 years. And I thought I had a sun-tan.

By the way, did you get those plans I e-mailed? If so, were they of any use?

Gary

[UKRay]

Thanks, Gary. That is most helpful. I have just found the plans so thanks for those too. Very useful - but I wasn't looking for a Ruth!

Ray

[gary]

Thanks, Gary. That is most helpful. I have just found the plans so thanks for those too. Very useful - but I wasn't looking for a Ruth!

Ray

Yeah, BT Internet seems to have reassigned my gender. Aren't computers wonderful?

Gary

[wildrose]

I can't comment on the edging, as my experience there is limited to the black EdgeKote.

But tables, that I can speak on. I use 4 small folding tables (rectangular, not square) at my space almost every time. I keep a part of one as my work space. I lay my 12x12" marble square on one end of the table, so that it is above the leg(s) and not in the center of the table. This gives it the best support. I almost always bring something to stamp and/or tool. It draws the curious and makes it alot easier to explain how things are made (and proves you're the one making them!) It also gives you something to do during down times.

[hidepounder]

I'm curious how you would edge kote the Billet End of a belt when you trim it to size at a Craft Show and the color of the belt is not Black or Brown which the product Edge-Kote only seems to come in? Also, I would like to do some stamping while I sit their and would lke to know what kind of table set-up would be sturdy enough yet portable?

I have not done anything like this before and plan to do some small fairs/craft shows this summer/fall. Right now I'm just trying to build a small inventory of belts, dog collars and wristbands.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the advice I've received since I embarked on this Leather Craft hobby/business. Living in Maine there are not alot of leather craft people around!

Thanks in Advance,

Frank

Frank,

Applying Edge Cote is not necessary when modifying your billet ends. Once you make the cut and edge the corners, wet the leather and apply Fiebings bar soap to the edge and then burnish with a heavy piece of canvas that has been saturated with Fiebings Yellow Saddle Soap. It will make a very nice, smooth edge that you can now dye any color you want. When it is dry, polish with a clean cloth to remove any dye residue and apply your final sealer. If you want to really make is shine, burnish the edge with parafin using a piece of heavy canvas and then polish and seal.

Bob