Hermann Oak, Horween Dublin and Horween Kudu bifold

[GuitarLeatherDopeFiend]

Just finished this bifold recently and shipped it out to a great return customer in TN, I failed to get finished pictures, but this is just before gluing up the two halves and sewing them together. The outside is Hermann Oak veg tan that I "sunbursted" with a spray gun, the interior is Horween Kudu that I got from Nstar a long time ago, and the lighter colored card slots are Horween Dublin English Tan, there are also "Hidden pockets" and a black pigskin lining for the billfold. Saddle stitched with bronze colored Fil Au Chinois Lin Cable. Came in a little thicker than I had hoped at 9/16" when folded. Nevermind that my hand looks like a shelled lobster claw. Critiques welcome!

[bikermutt07]

Looks great.

[GuitarLeatherDopeFiend]

7 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Looks great.

Thanks bikermutt, I was really happy with how this one came out, it should be a patina champ! I think I'll make myself one like this.

[koreric75]

4 hours ago, GuitarLeatherDopeFiend said:

Just finished this bifold recently and shipped it out to a great return customer in TN, I failed to get finished pictures, but this is just before gluing up the two halves and sewing them together. The outside is Hermann Oak veg tan that I "sunbursted" with a spray gun, the interior is Horween Kudu that I got from Nstar a long time ago, and the lighter colored card slots are Horween Dublin English Tan, there are also "Hidden pockets" and a black pigskin lining for the billfold. Saddle stitched with bronze colored Fil Au Chinois Lin Cable. Came in a little thicker than I had hoped at 9/16" when folded. Nevermind that my hand looks like a shelled lobster claw. Critiques welcome!

That really came out beautiful, that kudu is so clean looking!  Great job on the sunburst too, love my airbrush!

[YinTx]

It looks really nice.  I have some kudo but mine I think you could squeeze and oil would come out.  Is yours drier, or is it oily also?   I would be concerned using mine on a wallet because I wouldn't want the oils to ruin what is in the wallet, or the clothes of the owner... so I had never considered using it for such.

YinTx

[GuitarLeatherDopeFiend]

3 hours ago, koreric75 said:

That really came out beautiful, that kudu is so clean looking!  Great job on the sunburst too, love my airbrush!

Thanks Koreric, I love the Kudu too, it's one of my favorite leathers i've worked with, it's VERY hard to skive thinner though. I enjoy doing the sunburst, I wasn't very good at it the first few I did, but I get a little bit better each time.

2 hours ago, YinTx said:

It looks really nice.  I have some kudo but mine I think you could squeeze and oil would come out.  Is yours drier, or is it oily also?   I would be concerned using mine on a wallet because I wouldn't want the oils to ruin what is in the wallet, or the clothes of the owner... so I had never considered using it for such.

YinTx

Thank you YinTx, The kudu I have is very oily, some pieces moreso than others, but I have never been able to actually squeeze oil out. I've used it on several wallets, and never had any issues with color or oil bleeding onto clothing or wallet contents, although I live in western washington so I don't have to worry about heat making it bleed through. In my experience the oils and waxes make for a beautiful burnish and patina with use, the feel of the leather completely changes and becomes shiny and much smoother as the years go on.

I picked up a trick on the internet in search of a cure for an olive oil stain, one spot had soaked up way too much oil and I thought the piece I was working on was ruined. It turns out you can put a small amount of corn starch on the oil stain and rub it, the corn startch starts to absorb the oil and pulls it out of the leather, I wonder if you could use this trick on your Kudu to pull out some of the oil so that you could use it on a wallet?

[bikermutt07]

4 hours ago, GuitarLeatherDopeFiend said:

Thanks Koreric, I love the Kudu too, it's one of my favorite leathers i've worked with, it's VERY hard to skive thinner though. I enjoy doing the sunburst, I wasn't very good at it the first few I did, but I get a little bit better each time.

Thank you YinTx, The kudu I have is very oily, some pieces moreso than others, but I have never been able to actually squeeze oil out. I've used it on several wallets, and never had any issues with color or oil bleeding onto clothing or wallet contents, although I live in western washington so I don't have to worry about heat making it bleed through. In my experience the oils and waxes make for a beautiful burnish and patina with use, the feel of the leather completely changes and becomes shiny and much smoother as the years go on.

I picked up a trick on the internet in search of a cure for an olive oil stain, one spot had soaked up way too much oil and I thought the piece I was working on was ruined. It turns out you can put a small amount of corn starch on the oil stain and rub it, the corn startch starts to absorb the oil and pulls it out of the leather, I wonder if you could use this trick on your Kudu to pull out some of the oil so that you could use it on a wallet?

I wonder if that trick would work on something that has too much neatsfoot oil on it?

[GuitarLeatherDopeFiend]

8 hours ago, bikermutt07 said:

I wonder if that trick would work on something that has too much neatsfoot oil on it?

I imagine it would, the article was specifically about olive oil stains but I think the same concept applies. The corn starch should be even more absorbent than the leather, soaking up the oil. You really have to rub it in, I think this brings the oil to the surface so it can be extracted. I have a bunch of neatsfoot that I don't mind wasting, I ended up not liking neatsfoot so well because it feels too greasy to me, and I don't like the feel it gave my projects when I used it. So I'll over oil a scrap with neatsfoot and try the cornstarch trick and post the results in this thread. To me, olive oil is the way to go because it's lighter (as in less greasy) and it doesn't darken the leather as much. Plus it smells delicious, especially on a piece of Hermann Oak!