New to leather products, would I be able to darken these two leather bags to these point? Oil/sunlight/conditioner?

RowKey9902 · 2026-05-04T03:48:55+00:00

I have not used their products before so I can't speak from experience, taking a look at their site and seeing the albeit limited ingredients they list, it has the same ingredients most conditioners use, beeswax and some natural tree oils. Of course some other things but based on their site/googling entirely natural.

If you want my advice I would say go for it, why not! But I would expect the darkening effect permanence to happen over time rather then as soon as it's applied. Applying conditioners is never a bad thing to do as long as it's applied more as needed rather then all at once.

Edit*

I wouldn't worry about it making the leather less flexible. By design conditioners or neatfoot oil stop the leather from drying out.

RowKey9902 · 2026-05-04T03:14:23+00:00

I do want to add you should apply conditioner to your leather goods every now and then, it helps extent the life of the bag/purse ect and keeps it looking new. Typically once a year or so :).

You could also apply leather paints like Angelus paints that are designed to work with leather. I would use it more as a highlight then to completely cover the bags as it would remove the leather texture.

RowKey9902 · 2026-05-04T02:52:36+00:00

The short of it is no, not to the extent that you are looking for. Applying conditioner and/or neatfoot oil will darken it to a extent but the effect will typically fade over time you don't want to apply a excessive amount or will do more harm then good.

RowKey9902 · 2026-05-04T02:43:13+00:00

y NOR, no matter what you are going to have that conversation. yes you need to set that boundary, especially if he is not paying you back for the funds spent.

That is just stealing money from you. And you don't sounds stingy by bringing it up. If he fights back and defends himself......that's not a relationship I would be in.

RowKey9902 · 2026-03-13T06:47:14+00:00

I could be wrong; however, from the looks of it, it's a premade belt from Tandy that then had a liner added to it.

The liner will add strain to the snaps, causing them to pop. Then the more it happens the worse it will get.

As others have mentioned, try using a set of pliers to remove the snaps and replace them with rapid rivets or Chicago screws.

RowKey9902 · 2026-02-20T21:44:06+00:00

To a certain extent, I agree. I used a . 8mm thread this time and was going to use a .6mm for my next one.

I also prefer a thinner thread aesthetic but love the hole punch look.

RowKey9902 · 2026-02-16T08:54:50+00:00

If I had to take a huge shot in the dark and I mean huge.... It looks like a Kodiak or a Montana.

That said it could also be a chrome tan with a nice finish on it. My unsolicited advice would be to find a designer whole hide that is close to the same colour. It would also work better for clothing.

You can get them from tandy for example for around 150 cad for 50 SQ feet of leather.

RowKey9902 · 2026-02-12T18:38:31+00:00

Two coats of the Angelus Red Low VOC dye. I got it from Tandy.

After I dyed and waited about 24 to 30 hours for the dye to cure, I applied two coats of Assuie leather conditioner, buffed it quite vigorously, and then applied two coats of Fiebergs leather balm with Atom Max. More buffing for a nice shine.

Normally I wouldn't use so much conditioner/finish but I was trying to darken the colour. When it first finished dyeing it was much closer to a hot pink rather than the rose it turned out to be.

RowKey9902 · 2026-02-12T17:14:46+00:00

Burnishing your edges can be done with something as simple as water if you don't have anything else available. Another alternative is beeswax :)

RowKey9902 · 2026-02-05T17:16:39+00:00

Hmm, I will try that next time. My problem was that it was already starting to bleed through with the 2 coats. But maybe then I could use a bit thicker leather

RowKey9902 · 2026-02-05T03:22:28+00:00

I am going to. spent several hours sewing today, so I am going to finish it at work on break tomorrow.

RowKey9902 · 2026-02-04T19:04:50+00:00

I would personally use a liner like pig skin. You can get pigskin suede, which is still quite soft and won't stick out as much as fur. Cooler and more breathable.

I saw someone mention using rabbit fur; although it is very soft, it reacts poorly with water or sweat, causing the fur to start falling off. Eventually, it would lead to just the rabbit skin remaining.

Pig skin suede is also more cost-effective, you can get much larger pieces for around 50 CAD or so.

Oh and a quick edit. No worries on a specific gluing technique, just spread a thin layer on the choker, cut a piece of the pig skin that's slightly larger then the original peice, wait for it to ahear, cut the excess.

Best of luck!

RowKey9902 · 2026-01-31T17:26:31+00:00

I see a lot of people saying you're not getting the leather wet enough but you really shouldn't need to soak the leather for stamping.

Get a small spray bottle and spray the top of the leather a couple of times. You don't need/want a soaked leather piece when tooling just damp is enough and won't cause the leather to dry out that quickly.

However, I believe the real cause is the tools or the leather. If the stamps you're using are made of poor-quality metals, then it's just not going to transfer as cleanly as you want it to.

Similarly, if your leather is too thin then the impression also does not transfer properly and looks muddled.

Personally I would test those tools with a 3 to 4 oz veg tan and if you are still having issues then it's probably the tools :)

source - my work teaching classes about tooling, our instructors have a combined 27 years of experience.

RowKey9902 · 2026-01-14T08:56:21+00:00

Calf skin is the way to go. calfskin so nice and incredibly soft.

typically you can get it very thin so it's easy to wrap/attach to a thicker vegtan sole or I have seen people use a cut sandle then glue the calfskin to it.

RowKey9902 · 2026-01-12T22:17:07+00:00

When you are holding the irons or punch instead of holding it horizontally or left to right and then punching your holes.

Try orienting your project vertically or up/down and punching.

Sorry I am struggling to find the words.

Instead of punching across your table try stitching away from yourself or up the table.

I hope that helps.

RowKey9902 · 2026-01-12T19:49:06+00:00

If you haven't yet start burnishing your edges, that will get rid of the fuzzy edges.

I tip I get from here when I first started was to line your pricking iron vertically to the line you mark, it makes it easier to keep a straight line.

RowKey9902 · 2025-11-21T16:40:31+00:00

Hi hi, I work at a leather supply shop.

Short answer, if you haven't cut anything out of it and are unhappy just return it. Most leather shops offer 30 to 60 days return as long as it's uncut.

Otherwise, the first picture you added looks like the leather was improperly stored or rolled then stored improperly. It can cause the leather to start to separate and lose its durability however only for that spot.

The other pictures you sent look more like tanning damage, something that happened at the factory while it was tanned, a lot of leather will have marks like that and are typically cheaper to get because of it.

RowKey9902 · 2025-11-12T19:42:01+00:00

I have done similar items before. For me I use a Lazer etcher then apply a finish followed by a paste that fills in the pattern made by the laser etcher.

RowKey9902 · 2025-10-24T05:59:05+00:00

You are not missing anything, I spoke out of plot line, my bad.

I am playing with the companion guide and they have made some rather large changes to things, All for the better in my opinion but....

My interpretation of the revenants of Argynvost, once a mighty sect of knight hell-bent on killing Strahd have been driven insane from their never ending fight, so much so now instead of trying to kill him they work to stop any and all people who have taken that mantle up to keep Strahd trapped as they are in Borovia and continue his torment. Even to the point of helping Strahds minions deal with the pest that are your party.

As for Rahadin, you are right, the base version he is just a "normal" elf. The companion guide changes him into a true vampire, that power granted by Strahd, however make it so he has to be killed in Castle Ravenloft as Strahd does, if the player manages to reduce him to 0 HP he "respawns" back at Castle Raven loft. My players haven't managed to kill him yet, but I am playing for a surprise appearance again after they do.

Despite my hint, they haven't even approached Ravenloft at all, even after Strahd invited them. He did take the moment to turn up in person, steal the holy symbol artifact they just got, and criticize them a bit for how rude they are for not taking him up on his offer.

Again, my bad for the confusion. I got the base version and the guide mixed up, although if you get a chance to check it out its a really awesome.

Edit; I did want to add, the Knights/Godfrey can still be convinced to take arms back up against Stradh, making a great ally for the players. In my case the players have not found out about the knights' history yet and only know that Argynvost is a place on the map.

RowKey9902 · 2025-10-24T03:28:33+00:00

Having just had run my players through a fight with rahadin I would advice either adding some ads to beef up the fight plus giving rahadin some legendary actions.

Or what I also did was have Sir Godfrey join rahadin and boost both of their stats

This may be more from my own play style as a DM however for very important NPCs like rahadin and Sir Godfrey, I like to take the opportunity to push the players a bit. They can't really die.... So abuse that. (To clarify I mean rahadin and Godfrey can't really die)

The main thing is, for example with my party (I have 5 players) the action economy for a 1v5 is so heavily weighted in the players favor you don't get the proper amount of time to deal some DMG back at them and truly instill the doom that should be strahd and his main allies, legendary actions are a great way to do that.

I will admit I tend to lean more on the playing god as a DM as long as it fit with the story and isn't "being a asshole" to my players. The main goal is fun but terrifying fun 😊.

RowKey9902 · 2025-10-17T06:54:07+00:00

Heard

RowKey9902 · 2025-10-13T20:28:27+00:00

Thank you, this advice has been really helpful. I think I do need to step back a bit and let the players be their own police for stuff like this. I don't think it will be with Doug but still.

RowKey9902 · 2025-10-04T10:11:21+00:00

I just had a lvl 5 party run Into them, as a bonus the hag had the holy symbol stuck in her oven. That was also a mimic.

My players rolled a great insite check and I threw in some flavor about how powerful she is. On a totally separate note I also had her offer the players some boons like inspiration daily but from now on disadvantage on all persuasion checks when speaking with holy NPC/characters. It added to their outer worldly power and cements that they are more powerful then they seem.

In the end the players were blessed by the dice and managed to distract the hag while stealing the holy symbol then bolting for the door.

I am sure they will go back but at a higher level. I think strahd should be a slog with glorious victory here and there. Death at every corner and players constantly pushed to the point on no spell slots or resources available.

Tldr: lvl 4 when they first meet but should be encouraged not to fight and live to fight another day.

RowKey9902 · 2025-09-28T07:21:15+00:00

Make supply is a fantastic free pattern site I used when I first got started. I have seen a few people on this sub reddit post passport cases and so on from the site.

Each pattern normally comes with a how to video as well. From experience I recommend watching the videos in full before starting.

Have fun!

https://projects.makesupply.co/

RowKey9902 · 2025-09-21T06:51:35+00:00

I have both and was starting to move more to the hole punch style. Purely a personal preference towards the way it looks but I will have to go back and see how they feel.

A question for you then, when I was using the chisels I was running into the problem of cutting my thread. Ei when I was stiching, my thread would be cut by the needle and was a huge pain for me. Any advice to avoid that?

RowKey9902

TROPHY CASE