Leathercraft workflow

[Andres]

Hello:

      I'm interesting in wofk with bracelets, cuff, and leather for watches and i want to know what is the best workflow to do this. I mean this:

-cutting leather

-clean leather

-casing leather

-drawing and carving it (I have a Swivel Knife buy from china. Which one you can recomend?)

-tooling leather

      Till this part of the process i have it clear. But from now, how do i have to proceed?:

 

-to conditioner leather first

-then to dye leather

-or burnishing edges first and then dye

-and what about slicking?

-do i use alcohol first previous dying?

And after that, how do i avoid it to loose color?

 

Thank you very much.

[silverwingit]

Barry King makes excellent swivel knives at very reasonable prices. His blades are equally excellent.

Here's a better workflow.

- tool
- round edges with edger (Barry King also makes excellent edgers)
- sand edges smooth
- dye leather (you can use alcohol to dilute many dyes; I prefer Feibing's Professional Oil Dye. I dilute it 1:1 or 1:2, dye:alcohol)
- condition leather (I use neatsfoot oil and then carnauba cream -- don't condition before dyeing as it will foul the leather for absorbing the dye)
- moisten edges, slick with gelatin saddle soap
- burnish moist edges with burnishing tool, allow to dry
- dye edges, allow to dry 
- apply beeswax to edges
- polish edges with duck canvas (I sometimes re-burnish first to help shape the edges)
- finish leather (I like Bag Kote on the grain side and Tan Kote on the flesh side; some refer acrylic resolene)

Works for me.

Michelle