Dyeing Edges On Sheridan Style Belt?

[colbyj]

Hey Guys,

I'm trying to accomplish that two tone look on my belts. For instance, the background and edges on my belt are to be black or dark brown while the tooled areas will just be antiqued. Is it difficult to buff your dye without getting the dye on the tooled area? Should I lacquer my tooled area before buffing the dyed areas? What would your process be for this type of belt? Thanks in advance for the help!

Colby

"Around here we say Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays."

[terrymac]

Not sure exactly what you are wanting to do? Finishing the tooled part of the belt is a totally separate process from finishing the edges. Are you just wanting to dye the background and leave the rest natural, or are you wanting to apply a resist and an antique? You don't want to apply anything to the leather (except perhaps oil) before you dye. If you let the dye dry completely, there should be no problem with it getting on the rest of the leather. if you are just dying the background, I really don't know why you need to buff at all. For finishing the edges, look at the thread on "Finish Edges" posted by Hidepounder in the "How do I Do It" section. There is no better advice anywhere on obtaining the right of edge. Let us know more specficially what you are trying to accomplish. Hope this helps,

Terry

[HellfireJack]

You should follow Hidepounders excellent how-to on finishing edges and then finish your belt however you want after the edges are finished and sealed.

You can find it here http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18101

[terrymac]

I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat in that I finished the tooled area first and then the edges. I do it primarily because I use Neatlac and Fiebing's Antique paste on everything, and I manage to get the paste everywhere. By finishing the edges last, I can come back and sand the edges and end up with a clean edge. I don't think I could do this in any other sequence. Again, it just depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Terry

[bruce johnson]

Colby,

Merry Christmas to you too!! I know the look you are going for, and have done several. Kings made them for years and seems like now everyone wants a belt like Trevor's.

I do resist the tooled area before I buff the black dye around it. Otherwise I have gotten some smudges and they don't come off very easily.You might get smudges with the resist, but they tend to come off easier. I kind of smooth my edges and then dye them. I buff up everything, and then go back and slick my edges. If I really slick them up first I sometimes don't get as good a penetration with the black. One tip - I think there is a lot less rub off of Angelus black dye than the Feibings varieties of black. I started using it about year ago. The new Feibings black dye (Leather Colors?) also seems to wick and run more than the other Feibings do.

[colbyj]

Thanks for the replies!

Bruce, you're right. I was thinking of doing the resist on tooled areas first! So thank you for confirming that!

[terrymac]

Boys, I am lost!! What are doing when you are "buffing" dye? I always thought buffing was going over a dried area and removing any loose dye particles, but you are talking about something different. I am really curious what you are doing. Naver too late for an old horse to learn new tricks.

Thanks,

Terry

Edited November 30, 2011 by terrymac

[colbyj]

Terry,

We are on the same page as far as what the buffing is for. What we are talking about doing is dyeing everything EXCEPT the flowers and vines. So basically you have a two tone apperance. I was asking how everyone buffs there dye without getting it on the flowers and vines. Bruce puts a resist on his flower work before buffing so that it will be easier to remove any smudging from the dye on the flowers. Hope this helps! Thanks for the replies!

Colby

[terrymac]

Thanks Colby. I haven't seen a belt like that in years. Is this the new fashion?

Terry

[colbyj]

Yes sir, i think it is. Almost every belt I make now is either dark brown or black with the tooling antiqued! Almost every belt I have made lately has a metallic background. I think the contrast of colors looks really sharp.

[terrymac]

Colby, maybe one tip that might help is using Quik Slik from Sheridan Leather on the edges.. This stuff takes dye better than anything I have ever used. I have used saddle soap for ever and usually had to put two or three coats of dye for good coverage. This stuff, one coat and you are good to go. What type of metallice dye are you using?

Terry

Edited December 1, 2011 by terrymac

[colbyj]

Terry,

Ive heard good things about the quik slick. Im eventually going to order some when i run out of gum trag. Im using metallic leather for the background of my belts, so its a filigree. What do you use for punching the background areas out of the belt?

[terrymac]

I haven't done any filigree work in a long time, but when I did I just used a small single prong chiesel. Go to You Tube and put in filigree belt, and there is a guy who has several videos , and he is using some kind of small, motorized cutter. I have never seen one before, but if a person was doing a lot of this kind of work, it might be worth looking into. This guy is the fastest tooler I have ever seen. You will really like the Quik Slik over the gum tag, I promise.

Terry