I’m making a knife sheath (and maybe many more) for a gift. Should I stain it first, then engrave or vice versa? Also what is the easiest leather stain to use for a newbie?
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I am also a newbie. I made the 6 pack beverage tote from SLC. I stained it after I cut it. I used Fiebing’s leather stain and was very impressed with it…but keep in mind I’m a newb too:-)
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Thanks. I’ll give it a go.
I would use 2 pieces to test one stained on not and engrave both to see what you like best
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Fiebings is nice, as is Eco-Flo. I’d stick with water/alcohol based and avoid oil based to start with - and yeah, the look will be different depending on the order you do it in. As a guideline if you want to minimize the difference in colour then stain after, if you want to enhance the difference stain before.
Have fun!
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I dye my leather after cutting. I try to minimize the amount of leather I waste by adding about 3/16" border around my design, cutting a sheet from the leather I have. It’s not a lot, but would add up to a lot of wasted dye eventually. I also found that the smaller a piece is, the easier it is to uniformly color it.
As creators, we all have quirks about the ways we make things, so I guess it depends on what way you enjoy it 
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