Milled Veg Tan, Techniques Of Work With Comparing To Tooling Vegtan

[goldenstonebazaar]

There is a soft, pliable and draping undyed vegtan leather available: milled leather, with pronounced pebble grain, coming in thicknesses 3-4 oz and 5-6 oz.

How the techniques of work with it are different from normal tooling vegtan?

1. Will it strech and change shape with use?

2. Does it have to be lined (not so smooth flesh side) or just be smoothed by Leather Balm or Resolene (or will it stretch and this seal be broken)?

3. Dyeing - Fiebing's spirit and Pro-Oil dyes in the usual way?

4. Sealing (moisture and rub-off resistance): on non-stretching tooling leather Resolene works well, but when leather changes its shape this seal may be broken. Any personal experience, please?

5. Finishiing to preserve pliability of this leather?

Super Shene, Resolene and Eco-Flo Professional wax finishes seem to stiffen leather significantly, and Leather Balm, Aussie Conditioner and Montana Pitch Blend seems to be less protective for keeping dye from rub-off on clothes and less protective from rain or sweating (for small personal carry items or car seats, not as handbags).

6. Edging techniques?

This is a thick soft leather, too soft for waxing and burnishing, unless edge was hardened soaked by SuperShene, and too soft and too thick for skiving edge, turning over and stitching along the edge.

Roll over using the same leather seems to be out of question because of leather thickness (for small personal items, not handbags).

Placing milled leather grain to grain side with thin 2-3 oz tooling leather, sewing along the edge, rolling over the thin tooling leather (as Paul Long lining works) should do the thick, but stiff tooling leather lining will limit pliability of milled leather.

Making a thin strip of thin tooling leather/calf and roll it over the edge of milled leather will add stiff perimeter to otherwise pliable leather. Chrome tan suede, while being softer, is not suiable where only vegtan should be used. Tooling pigskin and goat are stiff too and have incompatible, IMHO, texture with pebbled milled leather.

7. For belt loops or handles:

Because this leather doesn't hold the shape good, maybe less stretchable tooling leather should be used?

8. Using snaps at a flap: will this leather hold well with repeated pulling and closing at snap, or snaps should be used only if stiffener and lining were added?

[jrny4wrd]

I occasionally use the veg tan. Yes, edging is difficult. In fact, overall the whole thing is a little more difficult. I do like the pebble look and so do many customers. The finish I use is montana pitch blend. It leaves it soft without the cracking as long as you use a little at a time. I am not really sure why I see it so little in this forum though. That's probably the only thing I don't like about it.