My heads all tied up like a pretzel!

Since it's inception the blog has had over 12,000 viewers. More impotrantly, I think, is that in the last week it's had over 1200 views! That's amazing to me and blows my mind that anyone would take the time to read anything I write. Maybe it's my passion, maybe it's that I write it like I talk and don't pull punches. I dunno. But what I do know is that My head is on fire with ideas for this blog. Ever since I decided to bring it back to life a little over a week ago, I haven't been able to get this thing out of my head. I mean it's CONSTANTLY on my mind, constantly.  A flood of idea after idea keeps coming to me about things I'd like to see it do, topics I'd like to cover, people I'd like to talk to etc..  It's got so bad that I can't get to sleep in the evenings. I just lay there channel surfing in my head, breaking down each idea and how it might or might not work. Even tonight,  as I write this, I'm at my cousins house cooking some amazing steaks on the grill and enjoying some great Dallas weather on the patio, I keep talking about the blog and everything that's going on in my head.  So the other day, I finally put pen to paper and started several lists of topics, people and such. Then started trying to formulate some semblance of a plan on how these things might play out, a lot like preparing to tool a piece of leather I suppose. So if I were to equate it to a leather project right now, I've barely got a rough sketch for the layout.

Cousin Tim and I enjoying a cold beer post Steak.

BUT, I'd really like to have your input on things you'd like to see/read and people you'd like to hear from. So please be sure to add something in the comments below with your ideas and/or interests and I'll see what I can do to pull some strings and call in some favors to make things happen!


One of the big things on the horizon is the podcast and webcast. It's early in it's inception and I have a lot of details to hammer out and pondering to do. But the show will pretty well cover all things leather and leathercraft related. I'm super excited about it and can't wait to publish the first episode. So again, be sure to let me know who you'd like to hear from on the show and I'll see what I can do.

One of the other things I'm looking to get off of the ground is a scholarship fund for leather workers. I'm not quite sure what that looks like or how it will play out, but I hope to use profits from ads on the show and blog to support that. Then we can continue to help share the knowledge and keep this uniquely American craft alive! So hopefully the trend continues with people coming to the blog regularly and keeping abreast of what's going on in the industry, all the while passively funding the future of the craft. Pretty cool stuff...

So ya ; "My heads all tied up like a pretzel!"

And to all of you that are in Sheridan this weekend while I'm stuck at the house,  I hate you all. ;-)

If you're not familiar with the Sheridan show that happens every year,  it's kinda like the Super Bowl for leatherheads! Put it on your calendar now for next May. The best of the best come out to compnoete and teach different skills It's EPIC.


LFFL,
Craig

How to case leather for tooling, properly...

Notice in the title there's a comma in there for dramatic pause, followed by the word "properly". Poorly "cased" leather is one of the most common mistakes I see with newer leather workers. And quite possibly the reason that their tooling never progresses and they end up losing interest in the art form. So I figured it warranted a post dedicated to an art form all it's own, Casing Leather.

What is cased leather?  In short, it's getting the moisture content of the leather just right so that the hide can be tooled, carved or stamped with your design. It also makes cutting out the pattern or trimming the edges a little easier than when it's dry. But be aware of what you're doing once it's cased! Cased leather is when your project is the most vulnerable to marring or marks from your fingernails, tools or ANYTHING that comes into contact with it. If you do have one of those moments where you made a stray mark and want to cuss, don't lash out irrationally. Follow this link to another blog post with a video on how to fix it: Removing Stray Marks From Leather

CASING LEATHER DOES NOT MEAN WETTING IT WITH

 A SPONGE AND GOING TO WORK!

I just can't stress that enough, that's why it's in giant letters and underlined. I struggled with it for quite a while and based my technique (or lack there of) off of some things I had seen in some books from Tandy. And admittedly I had skim read most of it or just looked at the pictures and thought "I got this". At the time, there just wasn't a plethora of information on the internet about it yet. It takes a little time and practice to get it right and I have been guilty of improper casing even after I knew better. But, taking the time and getting it right will make a world of difference in the final piece. Properly cased leather will yield a burnish that is amazing and will provide depth and dimension to your tooling that you otherwise can't achieve. If the piece is too dry it will be difficult to tool and won't retain the shape that your tools are putting into it. If the piece is too wet, especially if it's saturated, it will leave a muddled look to your design and will look like a bag of mashed up ass. So take the time to do it right and I promise you wont be disappointed.

While the "proper method" to get to your end result of a properly cased piece of leather is debated between many leather workers on different forums and Facebook group pages. The end result is what truly matters. If you ask 100 different leather workers what their casing method or technique is, you will probably get just as many answers. BUT, most skilled leatherworkers will all give you the SAME answer as to what it should look and feel like when it's cased and ready to tool. One of my favorite articles on the subject was written by 2015 Stohlman Award winner Bob Park. I really can't articulate it any better than he does and I share this same article on Facebook groups like Leather Work Patterns every time the subject comes up. So, I contacted Bob and asked permission to share it with you here and he was more than willing to share. So read this from top to bottom, then read it again. Make it part of your routine EVERY time you prep a piece and you will see a marked improvement in your finished work.

Bob is the 2015 Al Stohlman award winner and one of my favorite
 leather artists to watch and learn from. He's an incredible talent and
 you can find more of his work at Bob Park Custom Leather

If you're having a hard time reading this on your mobile device, you can also find the PDF version here.

Ok, so now you have the skinny on Casing leather properly. In that article Bob briefly touches on additives. That's the part that I'm referring to that leatherworkers usually debate. Different additives do different things. For instance, adding a little Dawn dish soap to your casing water is thought to slow down the process of it drying out and allow you a little more time for tooling. Adding a little glycerin to the solution, and this is debated heavily in some circles, can help give a better burnish. While other's will stand firmly that you do not add anything to the water and that they get a great burnish from just using water. Then there are also several ready made casing solution additives like Pro carve and the like, that can do a lot of the same things as the other additives.

 So, who's right? I know this is going to sound a bit like a cop out, but I agree with them to some extent, all of them. I think each has it's own place in our craft and can accomplish a little something different. I also think that it depends on the water in your area and whether it's soft water or hard water, well water or city water. I suspect that ambient temperature and relative humidity also play into the equation to some degree. It will also depend how it's stored and how you back it to prevent stretching. I'll go more into those in another post some time.

So the best casing solution is the one that works for you, in your region of the world in whatever your current conditions are. You'll need to play with them all and see what works best for you and provides the results you're looking for.

For Me, I found what I believe is the right casing solution when I tooled this variation of a Jesse Smith Pattern for a toiletry bag. These two pieces are not dyed or antiqued, they were tooled, allowed to dry, lightly oiled and allowed to set over night then coated with Wyosheen.

 I think the burnish results in these two pieces speak for themselves.

 

 

I'd like to extend a very special thank you to Bob Park for allowing me to use his article and for teaching us all a very valuable lesson in leather working. Without people at his level that are willing to share the knowledge and pass it on to a new generation of leatherworkers, this uniquely American craft might end up extinct.

 

LFFL,

Craig

 

 Please be sure to leave comments on you Casing Process, Solution or your thoughts on mine.

 

 

A mark of excellence?

It won't take long working with leather and you will realize that EVERYTHING can leave a mark on you leather. Sometimes they're tiny very light indentations,  sometimes they're massive "O,shit!" moments. I have  had plenty of the latter over the years and became fairly adept at correcting/repairing/hiding my mistakes.

First,  let's talk about avoiding some common things than can booger up your project.  At least I assume they're common since I seem to have committed all of these at one time or another. Some more recent than I care to admit...

1. Declutter your immediate work area. An often difficult task for a lot of creative types, so I'm just looking for you to clear the immediate area and not clean the whole house. Give yourself some elbow room and make sure you there's nothing that can get knocked over on your work piece.

2. Take off your watch and jewelery.  Your watch especially will tend to leave slight marks as you tool a piece of leather.

3. This is a big one... Trim your finger nails,  especially the pinkie of the hand you use to operate your swivel knife.  Ladies, if that's not an option you'll need to find an angle that your fingernail won't mark up the leather.

4. Careful how and where you store your hides. Especially after you've cased a piece of leather for a project.

5. No dyes, stains or other liquids on the tooling table. That includes your morning cup of Joe or your evening nightcap!

6. Moisture and metal are a major no no near your leather.  Except your tools, they're coated to protect the leather. Otherwise metal will cause a chemical reaction that will leave gray or black stains making an otherwise amazing piece of A grade Herman Oak look like it has VD. That said,  there's a technique that I'll cover another time that uses metal to dye your leather and make it look awesome.

Number 5 above reminded me of a time I was working on a piece at the fire station in my down time one evening.  We had a new dining table made for chow time. It couldn't have been more than 6 months old at the time.  I was finishing up what I was working on and knocked over a bottle of black dye! This was one of those "O, Shit!" moments I was talking about earlier, it really warranted a solid F-bomb. Not only did I ruin the leather I was working on, there was now about a 1ft diameter black circle on our custom made dining table!  I was sick to my stomach, as I wiped up the mess it just got worse. I was doing my best not to panic, but my best wasn't quite good enough.  I tried everything I could think of to clean the dye off of the table. (Rubbing alcohol seemed to work best by the way)  I finally had it watered down to a light grey blob. I ended up spending the rest of the night sanding through the clear coat until my bone headed mistake was no longer visible, then reapplied multiple coats of clear until all was well and the Chief was none the wiser. Until maybe someone shows him this blog entry,  in which case I might get a stern look. But that was 10 or more years ago,  so there's got to be some sort of statute of limitations on being a dumbass, right?

So, now that you've done what you can to avoid leaving unwanted marks on your project, let's think about what we can do to fix or minimize the inevitable booboo. You can work most marks out with a bone tool or a modeling spoon.

Here's a short video I did several months ago using a bone folder to remove marks,  the same can be done with a modeling tool or glass burnisher ...

Please be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts or ideas on removing marks from a project. 

LFFL,

Craig

LFFL!

Leather Forever,  Forever Leather! A new name and new life for the blog. I originally started the blog in 2012, sorta... I wrote the one post to try and share info about Caring For Vegetable Tanned Leather Goods. And then I saw a squirrel, chased it for a few years and forgot about the blog. Until yesterday.

I was laying in bed at the fire station on a Sunday evening and mindlessly flipping through Facebook when I came across a blog link about blogging. To read the writers passion about the blog she had created and the process she went through was inspiring and reminded me of the blog I started and my passion for leather work. So I looked my blog up,  which admittedly took me a few minutes because after 4 years I couldn't remember what I called it or the Web address, I know I'm terrible. After a few clicks I found myself in the stats section of the blog data and realized that OVER 11,000 PEOPLE had visited and read my blog on "How to care for vegetable tanned leather". I was blown away to say the least.  I had no clue that my words had reached that many people!

 It served to reaffirm what was going through my head, " build the blog and they will come". So I went back and retitled the blog "Leather Forever, Forever Leather" (LFFL). A sort of paraphrasing of a motto of some motorcycle clubs that embodies the members die hard allegiance to their club and what they stand for.  I wanted to convey that same sort of allegiance for the craft that I love and have spent the better part of 11 years learning. I hope you enjoy reading, learning and sharing as much as I enjoy writing and building it. 

And since it shouldn't be all words and no pictures, here's a piece that I recently finished and am incredibly proud of...

There are definitely some things I would do different next time,  but this was a solid best effort in the moment. More on this piece, it's process and the things I learned are coming in a future blog post.

Please, please, please feel free to comment on all of my posts.  Add you thoughts and critiques as well as your experiences. By no means am I under the delusion that what I know or think is the end all be all of leathersmithing.

LFFL,
Craig

How to care for vegetable tanned leather

What is vegetable tanned leather?

               Typically it's an unfinished cow hide that has been treated (or tanned) with tannin and other ingredients that are commonly found in vegetables. Vegetable tanned leather is usually light tan in color but can vary greatly depending on the tanning solution that a particular tannery uses. It is the most suitable type of leather for leather crafters to use for tooling (some call it carving or embossing). Vegetable tanned leather is very porous and susceptible to staining from water and other liquids since it is not sealed or finished.

Unfinished Vegetable Tanned Leather

Note the light tan color and smooth supple finish, free from scars from the open range where the cattle grazed or blemishes from the tanning process. The hide pictured (left) is a top quality vegetable tanned leather that was raised, processed, and tanned in the U.S.A. These types of hides are often far superior to one imported from Asia. The tanning process in the U.S. is more meticulous and closely monitored to produce a higher quality product rather than a mass produced low grade product.

Unfinished Vegetable tanned leather with tooling

Cleaning Vegetable Tanned Leather:
               There are many home made solutions and suggestions floating around the internet these days. But BE WARNED, many of the "home remedies" will do more damage to a vegetable tanned leather than good. These are often recommended for leather that is chrome tanned or one of several other processes and DOES NOT do well with vegetable tanned leather. For cleaning vegetable tanned leather use a good quality Glycerine Saddle Soap. Fiebing's makes a great product called, Fiebing's Liquid Glycerine Soap, for this and is used by leather crafters and proffesional leathersmiths worldwide. I prefer the liquid version to the bar type saddle soaps because it is easier to apply and much more user friendly and forgiving if a mistake is made. To use it simply spray it on to the area to be cleaned and wipe off any excess. Pretty Simple!

             (As with any cleaning product be sure to read the label and follow any manufacturers instructions) 

Dry brittle leather that needs to be conditioned

Conditioning Vegetable Tanned Leather:
     Once the piece of leather is cleaned and has had time to dry it will need to be conditioned. Conditioning replaces the natural oils found in the leather and gives it that soft supple feel that we all love. When looking for leather conditioners for vegetable tanned leather it's imperative that you read the labels on the products and stay away from ones that contain waxes. These work fine for other leathers but will not absorb deep into the pores in your vegetable tanned piece. Try a product like Aussie Leather Conditioner or    Dr. Jackson's Leather Conditioner. For either of these products use a soft lint free cloth applicator . Apply the product in a thin coat, it is MUCH better to use several light coats on this type of leather than one or two heavy coats, allow it to dry and wipe away any excess product. Repeated coats may be necessary to restore a really worn out piece. But be aware that the conditioner will darken the piece of leather slightly as it restores the oil's to the hide.



Protecting Vegetable Tanned Leather: 
       Once the piece has been cleaned and conditioned it will be looking a lot better and will have that soft supple feel again. Now it's time to protect it and prolong the life of the leather. This is especially important if your piece of leather will see outdoor conditions such as a motorcycle seat, horse saddle and tack, etc... To protect it, look for a product that offers weather proofing or a water repellent but it MUST be safe for use on vegetable tanned leather. Fiebing makes one called Snow Proof Paste that does a great job of sealing and protecting vegetable tanned leathers. It's not just for use in snow, but if it will hold up and protect in the rigors of that harsh of an environment and quantity of water then the abuse the leather gets from a little sweat or light rain is no big deal at all.

A finished and well maintained vegetable tanned leather

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www.firehouseleather.com