Rogue Leather

Just a quick reminder, folks: as tempting as it is to just grab that little jewelry anvil you have when you need a bit of weight on a wet-formed piece while it dries, DO NOT drop it straight onto the wet leather.

That there was supposed to be the belt keeper on a mahogany belt, but I forgot to put a piece of scrap under the anvil first. Luckily it wasn’t something important-and I can always hang onto it for my next black belt project.

This is the result of a chemical reaction between wet leather and iron, and it can’t be cleaned off. All you can do is dye the whole thing black.

You can do the same thing on purpose if you like – it’s called vinegaroon, and is made by dumping a handful of steel wool and/or old nails into a jar of vinegar, which you then leave to simmer in the sun for a few days or a couple weeks, depending on how impatient you are. The resultant tincture will dye leather indelibly black, guaranteed. It is not to be trifled with, however: this is not for brush-dyeing the background areas, as the mixture WILL bleed past your intentions. This is for dyeing the whole piece. There’s a very informative thread over at Leatherworker.net on the subject.

The More You Know(tm)

One of the wife’s work buddies was kind enough to hang out with our cats last time we went camping (because Wasabi is a Ravenous Gorph who will eat all the food at once…), and he took a real liking to our youngest cat Wasabi Six-Toes (or ‘Sabi to some). When our illustrious cat-sitter recently lost his wallet, I got an idea.

Several outlets sell an odd money-clip that’s a wavy hook attached to a spring-tensioned rod. The hook pivots out from the rod, allowing you to tuck that rod into a pocket-type space and then hook the crease of a bill folded in half. Fold a piece of leather in half around said spring rod, sew it in place, and you have a handy money clip. Add a couple of pockets, and you have a decent minimalist wallet for carrying s few important cards and a hook for your cash.

Dress it up with a nice basket weave stamp pattern and some mahogany gel antique for color, and then top it all off with the Pawprint O’ Quality!

Like I said, the cat’s name is Wasabi Six-Toes. He’s a polydactyl mutant, and that’s a pretty close approximation of his actual print.

(‘Sup?)