Okay, Now What?

[LeatherWerks]

I making a belt, two layers, it's currently glued, edges sanded, and I'll stitch it up before staining. What is the next step? I will be dying the belt dark brown and what to know if I should use Neetsfoot oil on this piece before, or after I stain it. Belts I've made in the past have developed some minor cracking over time and I'm trying to avoid this on this belt. Any help would be appreciated.

Steve

[Shooter McGavin]

Dye, then oil, then seal. Typically with a day in between each step is how I do this.

[LeatherWerks]

Thanks for replying to my thread, I thought I ask a stupid question. Here's what happened. When I dye black, no problem, if it doesn't cover, I just dye some more. However, when I'm using brown, sometimes I get areas that just won't take the dye...very frustrating after all the work it takes to get to the dying point. I used Frebings deglazer on one belt and it dried the belt so much that it actually cracked...guessing it removed most of the oils from the leather.....a learning process. I ordered some Frebings dye prep today hoping it will solve my problems when using other than black dye Does anyone know about this product? I've heard you can make it yourself but I'm just a marginal leatherworker and not even a chemist.

Steve

Dye, then oil, then seal. Typically with a day in between each step is how I do this.

[Shooter McGavin]

Are you tooling the belts before applying the dye? I've found that brown dyes dont seem to penetrate burnished leather very well.

What dye are you using? I try to stick with Fiebings Pro Oil dyes and have pretty good luck with them, although it takes a while for them to "dry".