Guitar Strap Dye

[xlr8tn]

Hey all,

I just finished tooling my first guitar strap...well...first tooled one anyway.

Now it's time for me to purchase the stuff I need to get this thing finished for a friend.

I am looking for a medium to light brown dye and not sure what to put on top.

How do I make the tooled section pop? I'm thinking if I dye the whole thing, then that section won't be as visible anymore.

Is the eco flo product that also contains the finish any good or should I buy separate? Also, is 4oz dye enough to finish a strap?

I was thinking i need some neatsfoot as well.

Thanks,

Brent

[xlr8tn]

Here are the images!

[Jordan]

Two options off the top of my head 1. Use an antique gel, which will settle in the tooling and make it darker than the rest. 2. Use a clear resist on the tooling then an all in one tan finish, which will prevent most of the finish from coloring the tooling. I am sure a lot of other options will be written by others. Oh yea, you could just oil it and buff it out. Good luck and be sure to practice on scrap then post a finished photo.

[xlr8tn]

Will do ... thx.

[xlr8tn]

ody { background: #FFFFFF; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; font-family: Verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; } Here is a pic of the layout of my strap. My friend plays a "f-hole" guitar and wanted to have that in the design. In addition, he wanted the conchos. I am trying to determine how to best display the f-holes:

1) Do I just cut them out similar to what you would see on a guitar or violin and dye the leather black on the inside edges

or

2) Trace the design onto the leather and use a swivel knife to outline and then somehow depress the middle and dye darker color than the strap.

Any design comments welcomed

Brent

Edited December 10, 2008 by xlr8tn

[Crystal]

ody { background: #FFFFFF; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; font-family: Verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; } Here is a pic of the layout of my strap. My friend plays a "f-hole" guitar and wanted to have that in the design. In addition, he wanted the conchos. I am trying to determine how to best display the f-holes:

1) Do I just cut them out similar to what you would see on a guitar or violin and dye the leather black on the inside edges

or

2) Trace the design onto the leather and use a swivel knife to outline and then somehow depress the middle and dye darker color than the strap.

Any design comments welcomed

Brent

Hi Brent - Do you have any stamping tools? A beveler and a backgrounder would work. I would swivel cut, use the beveler (beveled edge to the inside) and then just use the backgrounder in the entire area. Dye darker color. I don't know if I would cut the design out unless you were putting a liner on the backside. If you did that, then you could use the liner color as your accent color.

I like that border stamp you used! Very nice.

Crystal

[Yona]

I don't under stand ..the first 3 pics are of an embossed Cajun Straps guitar strap....are you adding embossing or claiming this as your own...

As to the Designs............................. Cut with a swivelknife and bevel, then use a background tool or two...mat the inside edges of the bevel and then use any tool to finish the field, a foliage stamp, say a F993....would add a nice background.

Dye the design in the depression, or not, and then wrap a piece of old bedsheet over a wood block and apply dye with applicator to cloth and burnish, (by rubbing the pad back and forth, over the length of the belt) and burnish around the edges of the belt, to get a darker color, to make the border pop....bone the edges to get them smooth and I use a product, used to re-do the edges of shoe soles, when they have been re-soled or to make then look new....that gives a shiny hard edge, after boning!......or use a big black Magicmarker, and seal with neetsheen or similiar product...

[Yona]

LOL....Sorry , just saw post date...............