Combo Dog Collar

[Spence]

Here's one I just finished (almost). Edges need to be dressed.

It's 1.5" wide, tapered to 1" at each end. The inlay is self-tanned diamondback rattler. The concho comes from SX Industries. Stainless steel hardware. The snake skin is cemented on the back strap, given 3 coats of polyurethane varnish, then attached to the collar strap. Before that was done, I did the decorative stitching, a 3 strand applique. Once both straps were cemented together, I hand-stitched the entire collar with the same thread as the applique.

Next time: I'll use a larger diamond awl than I have, not a drill.

[Rohn]

That is a nice looking collar. What kind of stitch or weave did you use on that stitching? It looks nice. That snake skin inlay is really attractive.

[Spence]

Thanks! The "applique" is out of Bruce Grant's book, Leather Braiding. I just substituted the thread for the lacing.

[hobbihorse]

Nice collar Spence! Thanks for sharing. I purchased a snake skin several weeks ago, but haven't mustered the courage to try an inset yet. The skin is "puckered" and does not lay flat. I wet it to flatten it, but it dried all "puckery" again. Any words of advice?

[lemons]

Awesome job. I know from experience that if you want it to stay awesome, dont let your dog wear it. I made my special pup a very nice snakeskin-inlaid collar this summer, and she had the skin scratched up beyond recognition within a few days. It was very disappointing how poorly the snakeskin held up, but since It was self-tanned at least I didnt lose a lot of money on it. Anyway, I hope that doesn't end up beIng your experience.

[Spence]

Lemons, I usually tell folks that these are "meet & greet" collars just in case the price didn't clue them in. If the dog gets a case of fleas, then no collar is gonna look good.

Hobbihorse, you might try rolling it up (loosely) and put it in a jar of 50/50 glycerin (Walmart or Walgreen, etc) and denatured alcohol for a few days. The pull it out and tack it to a board to dry for a few more days. Once it's try, cement it down to it's leather strap and roll it flat. I use a hard rubber roller from Hobby Lobby, but have used a rolling pin in the past. G'luck.