sangmort Report post Posted September 20, 2012 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 ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oakley Report post Posted September 20, 2012 (edited) 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sangmort Report post Posted September 21, 2012 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! ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stitchwizzard Report post Posted September 23, 2012 Latigo laser brands just fine. A little more power and it can easily be color filled. Stitch~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sangmort Report post Posted September 24, 2012 (edited) 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Itch Report post Posted September 24, 2012 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.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted September 24, 2012 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sangmort Report post Posted September 24, 2012 (edited) 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katsass Report post Posted September 25, 2012 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sangmort Report post Posted September 26, 2012 That looks VERY cool!!! :D Thanks for sharing! ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katsass Report post Posted September 26, 2012 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sangmort Report post Posted September 26, 2012 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. ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JET4 Report post Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sangmort Report post Posted October 29, 2012 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. ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
