What Happened?????

[bernielink]

I'm new to sheath making and this is my first attempt at making a cross draw sheath. I had read that you can completely finish the sheath, then wet the inside to wet form the knife to the sheath. I had a beautiful "block out" on it & when I wet the inside the block out became blotchy & uneven - terrible! We have really hard water in SE New Mexico where I live, don't know if that had anything to do with it but need your help. Where did I go wrong? Thanks, Bernie

[chiefjason]

If you applied finish to the outside before you wet it you may have effectively trapped some water in the leather.  How long has it dried?  I'll dye mine because I sometimes have to stitch something before I add the loop or so I don't have to fight with dyeing under the loop.  But I never finish the leather until it has been formed and dried, usually overnight.  

Personally, I don't see a problem with it.  I see the color differences in the light leather, I just don't mind that.  I don't like leather to look perfect.  It usually has some flaws or interesting grains to it.  That's the character of leather.  

[NVLeatherWorx]

The discoloration is light but it only takes very little water and then it sit for a bit to absorb into the leather.  Treat it much like you would when casing the leather but all you need to do is just run the edge of wet sponge down the line that you intend create your fold/roll one time and then let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before you do anything else with it.  This is also a common result when using water-based dyes/stains/antiques which is why they are not recommended for items that are to be exposed to the outside elements on a constant basis.  Sealed or not, they will still react negatively to moisture as they do not have a permanent pigmentation compound that binds with the fibers of the leather.

I agree though that this does not look like it is too bad at all compared to some other examples that I have seen.