Cdworks Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 '> First file knife and sheath I made. Can I get some advice on staining the leather? thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tantofolder Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Cdworks,If you have a Tandy leather near you they are pretty good about sharing info(both process and product).If not there's not much to it.Get a leather dye and apply with an applicator(leather dye is made to absorb into skin and you don't want it in yours,bad for the liver I think).Let dry then, apply a sealer.If you can't get a good sealer you can use an oil(like neatsfoot),but expect to do alot of rubbing as the the dye will tend to want to come off on your clothes if you don't rub it well.Thats about it really.I am sure others have methods too,these are just my experiences with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Maybe to add to what tantofolder already said, get some medical gloves to wear when applying the dye. That's the only way I don't end up with it all over my hands. I usually have to apply it twice, rubbing off each time to get rid of streaks and even then it's not perfect. Nice job on the knife. How did you heat treat the blade? I quenched the two knife files I did in motor oil and tempered to bronze except the spine & point which I tempered purple. On a sharpened test piece a point at straw or bronze would break when hammered into wood and twisted out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 In the knife making lessons I covered how to finish a blade with files and abrasives. Using those i took the forged blade to a really nice finish in a little over twenty minutes. After heat treat finishing was less time spent. Remember the file work removes scale and hammer marks. If that is not done and you complete a blade you may end up with shiny scale and hammer marks..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Great article on finishing a blade, thank you for putting it out there and suggesting it. Beautiful photos of your finished work! '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdworks Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 double sheath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Sweet, thanks Cody much appreciated! Those knives are amazing!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 I was at Tandy Leather yesterday and asked them this question. The guy recommended not using those little applicators that they sell and instead using something like an old rag or t-shirt. He gets the dye on the cloth and using small circles rubs it into the leather. Supposedly this doesn't result in the streaks that you get with the applicators. I haven't yet had a chance to try this, but will in the next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 I put what they suggested at Tandy to the test, which was using a cloth to apply the dye or stain vs. one of those applicators. As you can see in the picture, the top sheath has a streaked look, it was done with an applicator. The bottom double sheath was done by putting dye on a cloth and the rubbing it evenly onto the leather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdworks Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Nice job! I did a different sheath and found that the applicators streak horribly as well. I'll use this method next time! Thanks those look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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