Typical Leather(s) for rhinestones and spots?

[ButtonLady]

Title is a little vague, I know...  I need to practice setting rhinestones and spots (various kinds) into leather.  Before I pick up some scraps at our local Tandy Leather, I'd love to know what kinds of leather(s) are typically used for embellished apparel, dog collars... ?

I've made a lot of leather buttons, but this is new and very different.

[Handstitched]

Not sure if this is of any help, :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw2qlx_Zdb8

The leather in the vid looks around 3mm. I doubt it matters if its veg tan or chrome tan . 

HS

 

[ButtonLady]

4 hours ago, Handstitched said:

Not sure if this is of any help, :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw2qlx_Zdb8

The leather in the vid looks around 3mm. I doubt it matters if its veg tan or chrome tan . 

HS

 

That's a really good place to start —thanks!  I actually had prong settings in mind, but... rivets might be better for thicker leather?  And speaking of rivets:

Crystal rivets are conical, while acrylic rivets are flat (this is an assumption based on limited observation):

 

 

Assuming this is always the case... wouldn't the cone cause the setting to be "proud" (not flat against the leather)?

 

Edited November 9, 2020 by ButtonLady

[fredk]

1 hour ago, ButtonLady said:

Crystal rivets are conical, while acrylic rivets are flat (this is an assumption based on limited observation)

Assuming this is always the case... wouldn't the cone cause the setting to be "proud" (not flat against the leather)?

yes, they do. I didn't like that so I use screw cups under them.

eg a screw cup, 

I use ones that are similar in colour to the rhinestone cone, eg, silver with silver, brass plated with 'gold' coloured

[ButtonLady]

That's brilliant!  Will definitely keep them in mind for the future.  I've seen them at the hardware store and never would have come up with that.

As a compromise between sparkly conical rivets and not-so-sparkly (but flat) acrylic rivets, I ordered some "drusy" (little bits of crystal glued together) rivets —flat, but hopefully sparkly:

Also grabbed a bag o' assorted scraps from our local Tandy Leather for practicing.

PS:  For what it's worth, my grandfather was born in Belfast!

[fredk]

9 hours ago, ButtonLady said:

That's brilliant!  Will definitely keep them in mind for the future.  I've seen them at the hardware store and never would have come up with that.

I thought I'd show you the use of the screw cups. These pieces are kept in with my rhinestones

1. Showing how the rivet-on rhinestone cone makes it sit high on a single layer of leather

2. on the left the rhinestone as above and on the right with a screw cup behind it

3. same pair from a more above angle

On a single layer of leather the screw cup gives the rivet-on rhinestone a bit more attachment security

On a double thickness leather the top layer could have a slightly larger hole for the rhinestone cone to sit down into, 'counter-sinking' it.

There are also self adhesive rhinestones. I can buy them at a £-shop, (kinda like your $ store) at 100 or 300 or even 500 for £1. Depends on what stock they have in. They're usually in the 'Children's Art' section. 

I find they stick like a sticky thing thats very sticky on clean dry leather. I've only used them on a couple of hat bands so I don't know how they'd do on a dog collar or such. I messed up the first hat band ~ I put a couple of the rhinestones on badly, could I get them off? no-way hoseay, they was stuck good

. . . . . . And there's many a worser place to have been born in than Belfast

 

[ButtonLady]

Wow... thanks so much for setting that up for me!  I *really* like the industrial look that cups lend to the setting, plus you don't need to sacrifice sparkle for function

.  And yes... this confirms that I don't care for the "proud" profile of the plain crystal rivets.

9 hours ago, fredk said:

I find they stick like a sticky thing thats very sticky on clean dry leather.

Okay, I laughed...

I'm actually testing a prototype die adapter, so full confession:  I'm not testing rhinestones for rhinestones' sake (so many customers want rhinestone setting dies that we finally developed a workaround).  But I do love sparkly...