How Do I Achieve This Distressed Leather Technique?

[WinterBear]

LOL @ BDT

You would hope so..i spose it depends on how busy the road was when you went back for the leather..

*snerk* HAHAHA! Sorry that's too funny. I immediately had the mental image of me dodging traffic on the interstate to pry a wallet back or belt off the road. I do tend to threaten to throw recalcitrant projects out into the street to be run over.

[J Allen]

No I meant it like it was written.

Should elaborate.

..die... from shear awe in the bitchin leather do-dad you just made.

HA! I am usually a bit more careful in my typing. Oops

[Big Daddy T]

It's all good...I just couldn't resist! I have archived this as good material to stick in my brain for later. Thanks for the question...and if it gets me leather to DIE for, then mores the better!!!

[NVLeatherWorx]

Yup, to get the texture just give that cased leather a workover on some artificial surface of your choice. I have seen some pieces that were beat to death with a chain (looked almost like a pear shader attack on steroids). I don't typically go after this style of texture but I do go after the finish appearance. I achieve my look by applying antique paste (that is all that I use aside from dye for the colored details) and allowing it to set up (partially dry) before I actually remove any excess or buff. The trick is to apply it unevenly (I know, goes against all that we have been told and taught) so as to achieve the different penetration results. Once I start buffing, I will buff some areas more than others but once it is done, I have a varying degree of tone without having to get creative trying to do a "resist wash".

[BubbaJon]

I have a noobie question since I'm getting ready to try my hand at cases - what order to do things in:

burnishing

tooling

shaping

I ask about burnishing because I'v eread that for shaped cases you should not burnish before - so I hear you burnish before tooling so now I'm all confused as to which chickens come before which eggs...

[NVLeatherWorx]

I was taught many moons ago that burnishing was the final stage of the finishing process just before applying your coloring and/or finishes. If by shaping, you mean wet forming or something along that line, you may want to do your tooling/stamping before hand so that you can have a solid base for the work (not to mention, your tooling/stamping needs to be very deep if some of it is actually going to be contoured).

Think that covered your questions. Let me know if I missed anything.

[LNLeather]

I can't remember where I found this - but think it might help!

Aging Leather -

[St8LineGunsmith]

LOL @ BDT

You would hope so..i spose it depends on how busy the road was when you went back for the leather..

LMAO that is funny stuff tight there buddy

[St8LineGunsmith]

I don't think it's etched at all. Looks to me like it's hand tooled to look like that. Then dyed, with possibly a coat of some type of resist applied after that, and then some kind of antique would be applied and then wiped off.

I'm guessing you could get those textures by casing some veg tanned leather, and then rolling a rock with some rough edges over the leather.

I think you are on to something here

and the rock as a stamping tool is a great idea I will have to give it a try on a project.

I think the pic holster the Op uploaded has a nice look to it BTW

[Jaymack]

I asked this same question a year or 2 ago. I know that one of the tools he used is the E294 stamp at different angles. I've always admired his technique, but I still want to know the dyes, antique etc he used. He called it "post apocalyptic". I've attached one of his belts that he posted here.

Edited October 21, 2012 by Jaymack