Branding Or Burning Latigo?

[sangmort]

Hello all! I'm new here, & brand new to leatherworking! :D I look forward to getting involved in what looks to be an amazing hobby.

I had a question, & after scouring the internet & this forum, thought I would pose it to you fine people. I'm interested in making dog collars & harnesses, and Latigo seems, from my research, to be the most weather-resistant leather out there. I have four working-line dogs, & while we do not work them ourselves, the drive to be outside & be crazy is there

That said, latigo seems to be the most fitting for my purpose. However, from what I understand, Latigo can not be tooled, nor stamped, nor carved. [ at least not easily, & it'll eventually lift / fade ]

So, can a design be burned into Latigo? [ like with a wood-burning tool / soldering iron? ] Can it be branded?

Also, can Latigo be grooved with a saddle's groover so that I have a nice spot to stitch?

Thank you so much in advance if anyone is kind enough to take the time to answer these questions. Hopefully, one day, when I have experience I can contribute back! :D ~

[Oakley]

Hello,

i never tried to burn Latigo but i don't think that you get a nice look.

Which gives Latigo a quite nice rustic touch is when you carve the uppest darker surface.

Here you can see it on a book mark I made a few years ago.

The only problem is probably that it gets dirty a little faster. It was done with a Dremel tool.

Grooving Latigo is no problem at all, here I used a common groover.

Another option to Latigo would be if you get a high quality Leather which is used for example for alpine boots. They are most often extremly waterproof and can be cleaned really easy with a brush. The only negative fact about these kind of leather is that it isn't easy to get vegetable tanned leather which is complete waterproof. Most stuff I saw was chrome tanned and has something like a laquered surface. I hope that helps you a little bit.

Edited September 20, 2012 by Oakley

[sangmort]

Wow, carving the upper surgace actually looks REALLY cool! :D You do beautiful work, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! ~

[stitchwizzard]

Latigo laser brands just fine. A little more power and it can easily be color filled.

Stitch~

[sangmort]

Latigo laser brands just fine. A little more power and it can easily be color filled.

Stitch~

Wish I could afford to buy a laser machine! haha

That looks really sharp tho!

I guess I'm wondering how people leave a maker's mark if you can't really carve / tool / stamp it? ~

Edited September 24, 2012 by sangmort

[Itch]

We stamp and tool Latigo everyday..I have items on my motorcycles that we did 8-9 years ago that looked like they were tooled yesterday..

[Northmount]

You can have a makers mark put on a branding iron. Then you can brand grain or flesh side of any leather.

You can also do pyrography on any leather. There are warnings about using chrome tanned. I'd use a good exhaust fan and a cross draft to keep the smoke away regardless of the type of leather.

I have seen some really nice pyrography on leather.

CTG

[sangmort]

You can have a makers mark put on a branding iron. Then you can brand grain or flesh side of any leather.

You can also do pyrography on any leather. There are warnings about using chrome tanned. I'd use a good exhaust fan and a cross draft to keep the smoke away regardless of the type of leather.

I have seen some really nice pyrography on leather.

CTG

Thanks guys! :D I'll have to try it out myself. Just didn't want to mess with it & ruin a piece of leather lol I did just get some scrap so I look forward to experimenting

Also, does anyone have any suggestions for where to buy quality latigo? I picked some up from Tandy, however, it seems to have a "finish" [ not sure if that's the right word ] on it that almost feels fake. It's like, the top grain is different then the rest of the leather...

however, I have an agitation collar from Leerburg, & the leather is really nice. Very soft to the touch & is more "matte," it doesn't feel "fake" the way the Tandy Latigo does. [ the tandy one has a shiny finish ]

Guess I'll just have to order some samples & shop around, huh?

Thanks so much for answering my questions & helping a newbie out! :D ~

Edited September 24, 2012 by sangmort

[katsass]

From the old grump, Burning (branding) latigo will work well. Sorry that I have no pics of a branded latigo item, however here's a veg-tanned holster with replicas of southwestern brands done with small diameter wire (thin coat-hanger wire works also) and a propane torch. No torch? - Ma's gas stove works well also - as long as she doesn't have a fit from the 'burning flesh' odor. Mike

[sangmort]

That looks VERY cool!!! :D

Thanks for sharing! ~

[katsass]

In my experience, to make good solid brands, the wire has to be red-hot and glowing. One shot is all you get when placing the iron to the leather, and it'll sizzle, squeak, and smoke a bit, but a good deep impression is what is needed. Practice on some scrap first. Mike

[sangmort]

In my experience, to make good solid brands, the wire has to be red-hot and glowing. One shot is all you get when placing the iron to the leather, and it'll sizzle, squeak, and smoke a bit, but a good deep impression is what is needed. Practice on some scrap first. Mike

Awesome, I'll deffinitely go that route then! :D Thank you. ~

[JET4]

About the only leather I use is heavy weight latigo. I have a local laser engraver that I work with who has been a great asset to my business. The laser engraving turns out great. I would estimate that 95% of my orders are personalized with laser engraving. Here are a few pics. You can check out more on my website.

Edited October 23, 2012 by JET4

[sangmort]

About the only leather I use is heavy weight latigo. I have a local laser engraver that I work with who has been a great asset to my business. The laser engraving turns out great. I would estimate that 95% of my orders are personalized with laser engraving. Here are a few pics. You can check out more on my website.

Wow, beautiful work! Thanks a ton for sharing!

The laser engraving looks very sharp. ~