Miami Dolphins Wallet

[Toddo]

I made this for my nephew Michael. I started this like last May or something. I got a little burned out on the paint job and left it alone for several months. Finally finished it up the other day.

Can anyone tell me how to show images to the Gallery instead of on the "Show Off" thread?

[Michael42]

Amazing. And not just because I am a Dolphins fan myself.

I made this for my nephew Michael. I started this like last May or something. I got a little burned out on the paint job and left it alone for several months. Finally finished it up the other day.

Can anyone tell me how to show images to the Gallery instead of on the "Show Off" thread?

[dirtclod]

You did a really nice job on it !!

[Toddo]

Thanks yall.

I know some serious leather crafters here probably cringe at the sight of all that paint slathered on the leather. It looks really cool though and the nephews will love it. I plan to do some sheridan design clutch purses and journal covers or something for the female relatives. I really need to work on tooling more. After I make something for each and every relative, I'm gonna start doing my own thing. And maybe even try to sell some stuff on E Bay or something (not trademarked stuff though!). I got a lot to learn. Especially on dying and finishing. Some of the pieces I've seen in the Gallery blow my mind.

[tg lucas]

I would not worry about anyone being upset about paint on the leather, lol, some of us use a lot of it on our projects....even some of the greatest of us use a lot...Rob Barr and Paul Burnett to name a couple. What I would be concerned about would be the abrasion factor. I used to make a lot of leather wallets with acrylic paint on them, denim and painted leather for me were natural enemies. Denim wears off the paint quickly compared to leather dyes. I got around this sorta by really sealing the wallets well with Super Sheen or Resolene but anything riding in a jean pocket is going to wear. I would hate to see such a beautiful paint job gone in just a few weeks of use. Maybe some of the other have a better solution for the abrasion problem but I switched to using mostly dyes for anything going to be handled much.

[groovytech]

Be proud, I'm sure he has the coolest wallet of anyone he knows. Good Job.

[Toddo]

I would not worry about anyone being upset about paint on the leather, lol, some of us use a lot of it on our projects....even some of the greatest of us use a lot...Rob Barr and Paul Burnett to name a couple. What I would be concerned about would be the abrasion factor. I used to make a lot of leather wallets with acrylic paint on them, denim and painted leather for me were natural enemies. Denim wears off the paint quickly compared to leather dyes. I got around this sorta by really sealing the wallets well with Super Sheen or Resolene but anything riding in a jean pocket is going to wear. I would hate to see such a beautiful paint job gone in just a few weeks of use. Maybe some of the other have a better solution for the abrasion problem but I switched to using mostly dyes for anything going to be handled much.

This stuff here works very good to protect the painted area:

I put two or three thin coats on the painted area, letting it dry between coats and it works like a shell over the paint, but still flexible. And it doesn't yellow with age. On the dolphins wallet I decided to just use it over the entire wallet, paintjob, background leather and all. Big mistake. After it dried there were streaks all over the unpainted area. I used a brush and where some stokes were thicker than others they showed up as dark streaks. Yikes. Yeah, I was mad. You can't see any streaking on the painted area though and it works very well for that. I had to go back and use rough sand paper on the unpainted area to take off all the dried varnish and then go back with a very fine sandpaper so smooth it out. And some of the paint got taken off when I did the sanding so I had to do some repainting as well. I then put one more coat of varnish on the painted area, let dry for a day and then went back over top of the whole thing with super sheen. I guess I'm learning the hard way. The VERY hard way.

I have another wallet with an elaborate paint job (Atlanta Braves) that I used the varnish on and the paint has not come off at all. I don't carry it in my pockets much though. I do shove it up under my dash board in my truch to hide it when I'm at work though and it gets scraped past some sharp edged sheet metal and all and I tell you, that thing, paint job and all, has held up very well. I've been using for like uhh, 7-9 months now.

I wonder if I cut that liquitex varnish with water to make it thinner( even though the instructions on the bottle says not to) and use a sponge if it would still streak the non painted area? Looks like more trial and error ahead. When I finaly get the best method down for the finishing I'll be set to make some stuff to sell.

[tg lucas]

you might try applying it with an air brush. light coats and let dry. i was getting a terrible pickup of color when i did my finishing no matter how long i let it dry or how much i buffed it. had the problem with both water and spirit based dyes and it would often bleed over onto other colors and especially my acrylic paints, usually i only use white and that is not the place to get any tint. airbrushing my finishes on eliminated all of that streaking, color pickup and transfer.

[Toddo]

you might try applying it with an air brush. light coats and let dry. i was getting a terrible pickup of color when i did my finishing no matter how long i let it dry or how much i buffed it. had the problem with both water and spirit based dyes and it would often bleed over onto other colors and especially my acrylic paints, usually i only use white and that is not the place to get any tint. airbrushing my finishes on eliminated all of that streaking, color pickup and transfer.

Thanks a lot for the tip. I noticed the same thing when I tried to wipe super sheen (or resolene was it?) over a dyed piece that I had let dry for like two weeks. It STILL picked up dye.

What make of air brush do you have? That sounds like the solution.

[tg lucas]

i have a Paasche, a Badger and several Central Pneumatics(HF), I use the harbors to apply my finishes because if something happens while i am working and get called away before i can clean it, a $14 airbrush loss doesnt hurt anywhere near like replacing my more expensive brushes(yeah, it happened once). A little adjusting and practice will make the HF work just fine for edge dyeing and finishes but i prefer my other brushes if I am going to be doing a lot of fine detail. I use a cheaper 20 year old Craftsman diaphragm compressor to fill up my portable 5 gallon air tank (used to use an old tire) fitted with a regulator and moisture trap and another filter that attaches to my airbrushes and it works just great. You can get the Deluxe Airbrush Kit, the tank and regulator for less than $50 right now at Harbor Freight. They have a complete set for $89 which includes a small compressor but diaphragm compressors have a tendency to "pulse" the air and I dont like that but a lot of my friends never even seem to notice the "pulse", that is why i use the tank, smoother flow of air for me. You could also use the little cans of air from places like Hobby Lobby but that gets expensive over time if you start to use it much and they "ice" up quickly and always seem to run out of pressure before I am done.

Do yourself a favor as there are many exceptional artists on this site that have way more experience using airbrushes on leather, read their posts and decide for yourself what is best for your budget and style of anticipated use and it goes a long way to making it a better experience in developing your skill. Oh one last thing, always...always use a piece of scrap or paper to test your brush out each time you use it. It is very east to accidently change your brush adjustments and screw up by getting in a hurry.

Edited January 27, 2011 by tg lucas

[tg lucas]

Oh one more thing, lol. If you decide to airbrush, make sure you make a spray box out of something like a large cardboard box. It will keep the overspray way down and wont get you killed by your wife from stray splatters getting on something that it was not supposed to get on.