Need help with technique names, and how to do them

[CaptQuirk]

Being very new, all I know is how to dye using a single color. That's pretty boring, when compared to some of these pieces. Really nice scrolls and flowers in brown and tan, contrasting black background. Or single color, with darker color filling in the nooks and crannies. I don't have an airbrush, and don't see one in my near future. So please, name the techniques, the dyes or stains used, and a quick how to do them? I mean, if I know what it's called, I can google it for full details. Not knowing what to search for makes it really difficult. What I'm doing is obviously wrong, as I have serious bleeding issues.

[bikermutt07]

I'm with you.

I know a pretty simple trick is to add some antiqueing gel over a lighter base stain. You have to seal it first. I think they use resolene.

[TinkerTailor]

The term you want to search for is resist. You apply resist to areas you don't want color to stick. Plenty of threads on here with info on this.

[CaptQuirk]

@bikermutt07-I thought antique gel left a crinkled finish, like a crackelure(?) glaze for ceramics?

@TinkerTailorResist... Thanks for that. Is that for the second technique, or are they the same?

[bikermutt07]

Don't quote me or anything,  but from what I have seen....

Anytime it has darker areas in the tooling it is antiqued. Out side the realm of tooling burnish.

I haven't seen any leather examples with crackelure?.

[CaptQuirk]

Don't quote me on this either, but going through the Tandy catalogue, I saw something called antiquing gel maybe? And the picture showed a sort of crackle finish. As large as the section on gels, dyes, and stains is, it was easy to get lost and confused. Lost and confused seems to be more common than you'd think...

[bikermutt07]

I'm just happy if I can get something close to similar to the dye name in a single color. 

[NVLeatherWorx]

Give a look at the Leathercraft Library (belongs to Tandy and is only online) and you can actually download a simple PDF file from them (for free I believe it still is) about how to use their Eco-Flo product lines to achieve all kinds of finishes and techniques.  The method that you are looking with the multi-toned elements is called "resisting" and it is a multi-step process.  This technique, and several other of the most popular and artistically attractive ones, are covered within that book.  You can use the basic instructions to work with any products as long as you know how the product is intended to be used in its normal state.

There is much available throughout these forums as well.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask for help if need be.

[CaptQuirk]

Thanks to all. You've done opened up a whole new world of things to do.

[Dwight]

Another thing you can do, . . . put on a dye with a dauber, . . . and then wipe it back off.  It will stay in the low spots, . . . but you can wipe most of it off if you are quick enough with the wiper hand.

It's great for darkening the background and adding some depth to your work.  AND, . . . practice a bit, . . . you can do two or three tones, . . . daub in on the outside of the holster or sheath, . . . wipe less off as you near the edge, . . . it can look pretty neat.

The most important way for you to learn these "tricks" is to take that scrap leather you have been hoarding for a rainy day, . . . tool some stuff on it, . . . then mess with your dyes, . . . paints, . . . you'll be surprised what you can teach yourself. 

Just remember to write down how you did it if you are far enough along to be "memory affected". . . . lol

May God bless,

Dwight

[TinkerTailor]

On 9/6/2016 at 9:08 PM, CaptQuirk said:

@bikermutt07-I thought antique gel left a crinkled finish, like a crackelure(?) glaze for ceramics?

@TinkerTailorResist... Thanks for that. Is that for the second technique, or are they the same?

A resist can be used for both. An antique is used to fill depressions in a carving with color to highlight them. Dye, is just all over colorant. The technique Dwight mentioned is a way to use dye as an antique. A piece may have an antiqued carving with a natural leather border. If you were to resolene the border before antiquing the carving it would prevent any color change on the border. Or the reverse, a carving in natural with a dyed border, resolene the carving and then dye the border.

Say your carving has some lettering in it that needs to stay natural, painting a resist onto the letters by hand will prevent any dye and/or antique from coloring them.

There are LOTs of things that can be used for a resist, and lots of ways to use them. All with advantages and disadvantages depending on situation. Rubber cement can be used as a removable resist in some situations for example. Scrap leather bags (such as from tandy) are great for experiments, and to perfect techniques that work for you. NEVER EXPERIMENT ON A PROJECT. Especially with finishes. Turning 20 hours of carving to trash with a dying mistake at the end costs way more than the bag of scraps ever will.