Hi Dave,
I think that is what this is all about - sharing. That way everyone has a good time and we perpetuate this interest and history into the future. My dad and James Rogers shared a ton with me, so I am happy to share.
Fleener, That strap reverse is indeed stained, it is just not stained dark brown. The color is a bit washed out by the sun in the photos, but it is certainly not raw.
My take on straps is this - it all comes down to a decision. Do you want the back dark? Do you want the edges finished? Do you want detail border lines or tooling on the front? Do you want oil and stain on your clothes? I spent the last month or more working through these very issues. Here's what I discovered:
1) If you stain toolable leather on the suede side to a dark brown, it will take close to a full bottle of dye, and that dye will definitely transfer onto clothes, unless sealed. The sealant (to my eye) takes away the suede appearance, leaves a shine and is a compromise at best. At worst it is a mess. The coatings also stiffen the leather.
2) You can use vat dyed flexible pre-finished leather, but on these you cannot get really finished edges, nor can you tool a border line. I went through tons of hides at the leather shop, and asked their experts. Nothing fit my needs, and there was much to choose from. Maybe I am just fussy on what I want the strap to look like.
3) The option that seems to work for me is to do the oil and dye process on tanned leather. I can tool the border lines, round & hard finish the edges, dye the front to match my bag, and then work on the suede reverse. I was shown this by the girl Alyssa at the local leather shop. I rub in a coat of neatsfoot oil and let it dissipate. This rejuvenates the stiffened tanned leather and gets it ready for dye. I then mix neatsfoot with light brown oil dye, and wipe on a thinned coat on the suede. The neatsfoot oil thins the dye, and is the medium that prevents streaks and splotches. I let that dry. I then build as many coats as I want. No streaking or splotches. Also, when done, this finish does not wipe off onto clothes. I check this with a white paper towel and vigorous rubbing. That said, I am pretty sure that if I dyed this to dark brown, it would come off due to the plethora of dye needed to get the dark color.
So, it is up to you and what you find important. If a bag is going to hang on a peg with a rifle over a fireplace and never move, then I guess dark brown dye would work fine. I hope folks will some day use my bags, and I don't want them cussing me for oil and dye on their expensive reenactor clothes. I also know what I want the finished bag and strap to look like.
If someone has a better mousetrap, I am all ears! I am not expert at anything, and am always happy to learn a new and better technique.
I cut and wasted probably 7 or 8 straps this last month. I am glad I found at least one technique that works for me.
Best wishes, and God Bless, Marc
