Steps Of Leatherwork And More Newb Questions

[Sleepyhouse22]

I'm just getting started in leatherwork. I wanted to get a complete list of steps to be reviewed by you guys to make sure I'm not missing something. I thought most people did pieces of work in just a few hours, but after doing more research, I figured out this is not the case! Please review my steps and times to let things process. I'd love any opinions on if there is a better product to use or a different process altogether.

1) Cut strap with strap cutter.

2) Punch buckle ends, holes, tongue slot, etc.

3) Run strap through a tray of water/dish soap. Let evaporate a little bit.

4) Bag in ziplock bag filled with a bit of air so bag isn't touching top of leather.

*Wait overnight to dry*

5) Remove from bag and let dry just until returning to natural color.

6) Crease edges with border tool. If stitching use overstitching tool.

7) Tool leather, rewetting as needed, covering unused areas with glass.

8) Sand edges with sandpaper with #150 (or 400?). Bevel all 4 edges.

9) Burnish with water/saddle soap 50/50 mixture.

10) Dye the edges with Fiebing's Edge Kote (or spirit dye?). Let dry (how long?)

11) Final burnish with gum tragacanth.

*Wait overnight to dry*

12) Apply Neatsfoot Oil (pure) in light layers.

*Wait overnight to dry*

13) Use Fiebing's pro oil dye.

*Wait overnight to dry*

14) Seal with Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene. Let dry (how long?)

15) If Antiquing, apply Fiebing's Antique Paste. Let dry (how long?)

16) Seal with resolene again. Let dry (how long?)

17) Apply finish to the edge (bees wax with canvas cloth).

18) Apply Montana Pitch Blend to entire strap.

*Wait overnight to dry*

19) Buff any extra wax residue on top.

20) Apply all hardware.

21) Glue leather as needed.

22) Sitch as needed.

Okay, I know that was a lot. Can you please tell me where I've read into too many people's processes and what I don't need and what I have out of order? I struggle figuring out when to edge vs tooling because of the edge product applications; I don't know if casing after edging is a bad idea... probably so. But don't you need to edge to properly get your inner tooling exactly centered?

Any assistance would be so much appreciated! Thanks!

[Harag]

I'm also new and interested in the list you have. From my findings here a my tips, though I'm no expert and still learning...

#7 - I case my leather the way you mention, by leaving it in a bag overnight. I've then tooled the following day for 3 hours not rewetting once, placed back in bag, and then tooled another 2 hours the following day again not rewetting once. I've also tested it with out doing the overnight casing and just using a sponge (like I've seen on so many videos) and I've found if I do the sponge wetting I'm rewetting it every hour or so, so I prefer the casing method, the sponge method is useful for quick small pieces though.

#14 - mix your resolene with water - 50/50, apply 2-3 coats, an hour or two apart then let it dry overnight.

I think it might be best to do all your tooling before the edging

#23 - Sell to customer?

At first like you, I thought it was all going to be quick and over in a couple of hours, looking into it more and more, it seems that it's best to leave things overnight, even if you've heard "a few hours to dry". Don't rush, you will have a better item at the end, unless it's really urgent of course, but nothing is "urgent". Do it once, do it right.

Another tip would be - Have more than one project on the go at once, I tooled some Bracers at the weekend - took 5 hours tooling (3 on one, 2hrs on the 2nd - same design as well), while the leather was drying, I dyed another project.

Hope this helps.

[Sleepyhouse22]

At first like you, I thought it was all going to be quick and over in a couple of hours, looking into it more and more, it seems that it's best to leave things overnight, even if you've heard "a few hours to dry". Don't rush, you will have a better item at the end, unless it's really urgent of course, but nothing is "urgent". Do it once, do it right.

Another tip would be - Have more than one project on the go at once, I tooled some Bracers at the weekend - took 5 hours tooling (3 on one, 2hrs on the 2nd - same design as well), while the leather was drying, I dyed another project.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the tips! I will fill in the gaps with what you have mentioned. Do you know how long you can leave a piece in a bag moist like that? I have read of people keeping in the fridge for a few days, but what about a week or more?

Also, do most people go through the process of slicking leather and taping the back before tooling?

1) Cut strap with strap cutter.

2) Punch buckle ends, holes, tongue slot, etc.

3) Run strap through a tray of water/dish soap. Let evaporate a little bit.

4) Bag in ziplock bag filled with a bit of air so bag isn't touching top of leather.

*Wait overnight to dry*

5) Remove from bag and let dry just until returning to natural color.

6) Crease edges with border tool. If stitching use overstitching tool.

7) Tool leather, rewetting as needed, covering unused areas with glass.

8) Sand edges with sandpaper with #150 (or 400?). Bevel all 4 edges.

9) Burnish with water/saddle soap 50/50 mixture.

10) Dye the edges with Fiebing's Edge Kote (or spirit dye?). Let dry (how long?)

11) Final burnish with gum tragacanth.

*Wait overnight to dry*

12) Apply Neatsfoot Oil (pure) in light layers.

*Wait overnight to dry*

13) Use Fiebing's pro oil dye.

*Wait overnight to dry*

14) Seal with Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene/Water 50/50 mixture. Apply 2-3 coats, an hour or two apart.

*Wait overnight to dry*

15) If Antiquing, apply Fiebing's Antique Paste.

*Wait overnight to dry*

16) Seal with resolene/water 50/50 mixture again.

*Wait overnight to dry*

17) Apply finish to the edge (bees wax with canvas cloth).

18) Apply Fiebing's Aussie to entire strap. Heat with blow dryer and rub in for full coverage.

*Wait overnight to dry*

19) Buff any extra wax residue on top.

20) Apply all hardware.

21) Glue leather as needed.

22) Sitch as needed.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Sleepyhouse22

[Cyberthrasher]

Well, first off, you haven't said WHAT you're making. Some products may be better suited for different things.

As far as how long to leave it in the bag - I've had pieces bagged in the fridge for months with no issues. Just pull it out and get back to work as if you hadn't even put it away. I'm adding more notes below for clarity. A lot of your "Overnight" stuff can actually just be several hours. The main one you'll want to watch out for is dye (especially if you've gotten it on a little heavy) and oil. If you're antiquing, you'll want to let your final resist coat before antique cure for quite a while too. There may be a few things out of order here. BUT my main bit of advice is to not stress the details so much at this point. Don't get me wrong, you need to be detailed in your work when you're selling it. But you also need to just jump in and experiment and play. We all learned this stuff through trial and error. You have a good list to bypass some of our error, but you still have to try it out for yourself and see what works best for your methods and work process. Don't be afraid of using scraps, that's what they're for

Thanks for the tips! I will fill in the gaps with what you have mentioned. Do you know how long you can leave a piece in a bag moist like that? I have read of people keeping in the fridge for a few days, but what about a week or more?

Also, do most people go through the process of slicking leather and taping the back before tooling?

1) Cut strap with strap cutter.

2) Punch buckle ends, holes, tongue slot, etc. Punch holes last after dying. If you do that first, your dye will seep through to the back and make a mess.

3) Run strap through a tray of water/dish soap. Let evaporate a little bit.

4) Bag in ziplock bag filled with a bit of air so bag isn't touching top of leather.

*Wait overnight to dry*

5) Remove from bag and let dry just until returning to natural color.

6) Crease edges with border tool. If stitching use overstitching tool. You can do this first, I do it last if I'm not stitching since it's just a border

7) Tool leather, rewetting as needed, covering unused areas with glass. I find it a lot easier to cover the portions I'm not working with plastic wrap so it moves with my work.

8) Sand edges with sandpaper with #150 (or 400?). Bevel all 4 edges. If you're assembling 2 pieces, sand them first with 150 - 200 grit to even the edges (after gluing) then bevel. If you're sanding is to smooth the edge, bevel them first to get the shape and then use the sandpaper to clean it up and smooth things down if they're too rough. For this, I start with 150 on moistened edges and then go through with 400. You'll get a feel for when this is required. If you use a good edge beveler that's the right size, this step may not even be necessary. If it's not necessary, I jump straight to my edge burnisher here.

9) Burnish with water/saddle soap 50/50 mixture. Depends on your saddle soap. I use Fiebing's Glycerin Bar saddle soap and just rub it on with no water then burnish with my edge burnisher.

10) Dye the edges with Fiebing's Edge Kote (or spirit dye?). Let dry (how long?) Edge Kote is nothing more than paint that sits on top of the leather. Use Pro Oil dye and save yourself the hassle/embarrasment. Let it dry at least a few hours. I like to do all my edging before dying and then dye the edge with the rest of the project. Be sure to add a finish to your edge as well (I prefer Resolene, but use whatever you're using on the rest of the project)

11) Final burnish with gum tragacanth. Gum Trag is a crutch that simply makes it easier to lay the leather fibers down. If you practice the edging techniques listed here, you'll never need it and have perfect edges

*Wait overnight to dry*

12) Apply Neatsfoot Oil (pure) in light layers. By this point, you've already dyed and sealed your leather - no point in applying a bunch of Neatsfoot now. If you feel you need the Neatsfoot, apply a couple LIGHT coats BEFORE dying.

*Wait overnight to dry*

13) Use Fiebing's pro oil dye. Do this after edging, but before you give them a final burnish as mentioned earlier. Dye your edges at this point.

*Wait overnight to dry*

14) Seal with Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene/Water 50/50 mixture. Apply 2-3 coats, an hour or two apart. Yes, be sure to get your edges now too. If antiquing, you may want to go up to 4 or 5 LIGHT coats - test it and practice to find the results you want.

*Wait overnight to dry*

15) If Antiquing, apply Fiebing's Antique Paste.

*Wait overnight to dry* - be sure to wipe off all excess BEFORE letting it dry. Wipe it off the high spots immediately and work quickly

16) Seal with resolene/water 50/50 mixture again. Do it lightly so you don't pull out your antique - I prefer an airbrush, but it's doable without if you use care.

*Wait overnight to dry*

17) Apply finish to the edge (bees wax with canvas cloth). - This is a good spot for this one, because the wax will stop any dye or finish from adhering to the edges. BUT, it's not a "finish" as it does not seal the edge. Think of it as more of a polish.

18) Apply Fiebing's Aussie to entire strap. Heat with blow dryer and rub in for full coverage. If you feel you need it. The Resolene has already sealed the strap. I haven't used Aussie before. I do use Montana Pitch Blend as a final conditioner that also applies a wax coating. This is a maintenance step that I also instruct my customers to do and it's done LAST before I ship it out the door. When applied over a sealing finish, it will need to be left overnight and buffed out in the morning.

*Wait overnight to dry*

19) Buff any extra wax residue on top.

20) Apply all hardware.

21) Glue leather as needed.

22) Sitch as needed.

[Sleepyhouse22]

Well, first off, you haven't said WHAT you're making. Some products may be better suited for different things.

As far as how long to leave it in the bag - I've had pieces bagged in the fridge for months with no issues. Just pull it out and get back to work as if you hadn't even put it away. I'm adding more notes below for clarity. A lot of your "Overnight" stuff can actually just be several hours. The main one you'll want to watch out for is dye (especially if you've gotten it on a little heavy) and oil. If you're antiquing, you'll want to let your final resist coat before antique cure for quite a while too. There may be a few things out of order here. BUT my main bit of advice is to not stress the details so much at this point. Don't get me wrong, you need to be detailed in your work when you're selling it. But you also need to just jump in and experiment and play. We all learned this stuff through trial and error. You have a good list to bypass some of our error, but you still have to try it out for yourself and see what works best for your methods and work process. Don't be afraid of using scraps, that's what they're for

Cyber! I am glad you posted as I have been stalking you for a while now. You supply a lot of direction that I've gotten for my list.

I definitely need to just dive right in, but I am timid. My problem is that the workshop is located at my parent's house since they already have a leather type of business going... not even close to what I am doing though... they work with used leather boots. I just have to use my time wisely since I can't be over there all day and night I am just going to start with dog collars and leashes and expand from there once I am comfortable with the processes or if I am even remotely good at this.

I've revised the steps... can you review and make sure that I understood everything right? Your processes all made great sense though, thank you SO much.

1) Cut strap with strap cutter.

2) Punch buckle ends.

3) Run strap through a tray of water/dish soap. Let evaporate a little bit.

4) Bag in ziplock bag filled with a bit of air so bag isn't touching top of leather.

*Wait overnight to absorb*

5) Remove from bag and let dry just until returning to natural color.

6) Tool leather, rewetting as needed, covering unused areas with glass or plastic wrap.

7) Bevel all 4 edges. Sand edges (only if necessary) with sandpaper with #150 and then #400.

8) Crease edges with border tool. If stitching use overstitching tool.

9) Dye grain side and edges with Fiebing's Pro Oil dye.

*Wait overnight to dry*

10) Final edge burnish with Fiebing's Glycerin Bar saddle soap.

11) Seal grain side and edges with Fiebing's Acrylic Resolene/Water 50/50 mixture. Apply 2-3 light coats, an hour or two apart. If antiquing, apply 4-5 light coats.

*Wait several hours to dry*

12) If Antiquing, apply Fiebing's Antique Paste. Wipe off high spots immediately and work quickly. Wipe off all excess before letting dry.

*Wait overnight to dry*

13) Seal with resolene/water 50/50 mixture again LIGHTLY as not to pull up antique (airbrush preferred).

*Wait several hours to dry*

14) Apply polish to the edges (bees wax with canvas cloth).

15) Apply Montana Pitch Blend leather dressing to entire strap as a final conditioner/wax coating.

*Wait overnight to dry*

16) Buff any extra wax residue on top.

17) Punch all holes, tongue slots, etc.

18) Apply all hardware.

19) Glue leather as needed.

20) Sitch as needed.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Sleepyhouse22

[Harag]

Sleepy house, the list looks much better now with Cyber comments in it. When you have a complete list, please display it, I would also like to use it, it's better than mine already.

[Cyberthrasher]

Looks pretty good. There will be adjustments that you'll want to make as time goes by. This is just what I've come down to in my process. One thing to note, if stitching, you'll want to get that done BEFORE you do your edging so you can burnish both edges together (and also be sure to only bevel the outer edge of each piece). All in all it's a good list and will save you from "wasting" time. I would start by getting some scrap, tooling it (since that's a process all its own) and then start figuring out how to finish it all up once you're ready for that stage. Doesn't have to be anything you plan on sending out, and it doesn't have to really BE anything. Just grab a funky shaped piece of leather that's not good for anything and tool it up, then practice dying and edging and all that stuff to figure out each step and SEE for yourself what works and doesn't.

I'm really glad you've taken the time to research though. That's the first step to putting out killer work. Steps 2 and 3 - DO IT and LOOK AT IT

[Cyberthrasher]

Oh yeah, and you don't need much of a "workshop" to practice and get a feel for this stuff. Save that for when you're doing the actual work, but for practicing, just grab a few things and go. When you're there, tool up a bunch of scrap and take it out the door with you. From there you can work off your kitchen table. My workshop started as a simple desk that I had with no granite on it and a small cardboard box to hold my tools. Now I at least have some granite to go with my cardboard

[Sleepyhouse22]

One thing to note, if stitching, you'll want to get that done BEFORE you do your edging so you can burnish both edges together (and also be sure to only bevel the outer edge of each piece).

Okay, that makes sense. Do you mean do the stitching before doing the final burnishing or all burnishing? I was just hesitant about getting the antique or any dye on the stitching.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Sleepyhouse22

[Cyberthrasher]

If you glue it up well you can save the actual stitching for the end. Just make sure your pieces are assembled and not going anywhere when you edge/burnish them. This is one of those things where you may decide to mix up the order a little bit. Maybe you'll want to dye the main project, then dye the edges separately. Also, when gluing two pieces together, you'll want to sand up the edge regardless to clean off any glue runout.