Ferric acetate, shark split, and fun with a hammer

[Angus]

After my last holster, a mexican loop for my trap line 22, I figured I should make something a little sexier for my 5" model 60. I've been playing around with using dilute ferric acetate (vinegaroon) as a brown leather dye, and figured I had it about right for a first project. The overlay is shark split, all stitching is reinforced with glue, and the leather is finished with mink oil and JPW. How'd it come out?

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/DeathPenalty23/DSC_0581.jpg
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/DeathPenalty23/DSC_0584.jpg

[slide]

I think it came out great! How long did it take?

[Jim]

Nicely done, Angus!

[Angus]

All told I probably have about 5 hours into it over 3 nights. There was a lot of experimenting between my first overlay and the ferric acetate. I was going to overlay with shark and inlay with snake skin, but I cut the hole in the shark too wide for my snake hide. I compromised and went with just the overlay. The next one I do will probably go a lot faster.

Next up is a matching sheath for my knife. It's an old carbon steel skinner made in Finland. It had a cracked, stacked leather grip that I swapped out for a piece of curly maple firewood. The new grip is too fat for the old sheath, and it needs something flashier anyway.

[Angus]

Here's the holster's new baby brother. The color is a bit darker on the sheath, and I like it even better.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/DeathPenalty23/DSC_0587.jpg

[Von Dingo]

Looking good!

Where did you get the recipe/process for the dilute ferric acetate? That brown came out great!

[P.K.]

Nice work!

[Angus]

Von Dingo, it's a pretty well documented process called "vinegaroon" on leatherworker.net's forum. The usual process involves making strong ferric acetate by dissolving as much steel wool into vinegar as you can. That is applied which turns the leather black very quickly, then the acid is neutralized with sodium bicarbonate. I got impatient and tried it with a small amount of steel wool dissolved and got very dark brown that eventually turned black. I diluted that out about 6:1 and came up with this current mix that takes about 5 swipes to hit this color. Since the reaction completes without any additional ferric acetate molecules floating about, no need to neutralize which makes the edges look awful and turns undyed leather pink.

[Von Dingo]

I'm pretty familar with vinagroon, there's a gallon in the basement (don't keep it in a sealed container with a screw on cap[smilie=1:, trust me), just never gotten a brown. Gotten greys, and a bluish tint, just never brown. More to play with. I've gotten in the habit of dropping found rusty nails, nuts and bolts in it, so mine isn't the usual brew, it's a couple of years old now.

[TCLouis]

I like that because it looks aged, not dyed.

[Angus]

Von Dingo, I do use apple cider vinegar instead of white. That could be a potential difference?

[9.3X62AL]

I like that because it looks aged, not dyed.

Exactly my thoughts, as well.

[Markbo]

What is shark split?

[Angus]

Markbo, a split is the flesh side of a hide once the finished side has been shaved off. Split is rough on both sides. Work gloves are made of cowhide split. I stopped by the local leather guy and he had this laying over in the corner. The client that ordered it needed the hide thinner than it came, so he took it to a splitting mill and I got this split hide for almost free.