Leather Finishes....

[Chris B]

Ok tomorrow is my last class is at tandy and I am still confused about finishing leather. And with there big sale tomorrow I would like to buy some finishes. So far the only thing that I have been doing to finish the leather is to rub antique all over it and then spray it with Super Sheen. I dont even know if the stuff is waterproof. Also, I would like to add some color (maybe) to my stuff, but I dont know what to get. I see that they offer Cova Color and colored dyes....whats the difference? And what does highlighter do? And yes we have already went through the finishing steps class, but it went on so many different topics Im more confused then ever. And I have bought the book coloring with leather, but it hasnt helped me out much So is there anyone out there that would like to take the time and type out how they finish there leather???

Thanks,

Chris

[ClayB]

I think coloring is a pretty tough thing to just say "here is what you should do". As you know, there are a lot of products out there. A lot of them do similar things in a slightly different way. A lot depends on the specific look you are going for, or a specific quality (such as water proofing). Some finishes are compatible with others, some aren't. Some people like dyes, some like acrylic paint, some both. When I was trying to learn about color, I was told by a lot of people that (spirit)dyes tend to fade and some colors fade really quickly. Acrylic paint will keep it's color supposedly forever. Some people don't like paint because it can crack or come off on things that bend or get rubbed on a lot. All colors and finishes are gonna have a learning curve and for me it was a big one. I still struggle with coloring and it still scares me a little. My suggestion would be if you want fairly subtle color, start with the eco flow water based dyes. I know there are a lot of people that don't like them, but I find them to be the easiest I have ever used to blend and shade with. You can thin them down with plain water and then build up to the color you want by adding more layers. Acrylic paint is a little trickier. If you use it straight out of a bottle, most times it's like barn paint and it will just cover up everything you have worked so hard to do with your tooling. It also can be watered down with plain water. Once I learned how to use it, I have been pretty impressed with what you can do with it. Over time, you will probably want to experiment with both and see which you prefer, or which you prefer on certain types of projects.

Highlighter is sort of similar to antique.

Not sure any of that will help you at all.

[Chris B]

Thanks Clay!!! So all you do is antique and thats it? Usually??

Thanks,

Chris

[Johanna]

No, you need to seal Antique or it will bleed when it gets wet. Neat Lac and Super Shene give you a shiny finish, Leather Balm w/ Atom Wax lets the work stay more natural looking. I'm going to let the more experienced folks clarify the details- I don't do much in the shop these days. Antique is water based, so it must be sealed. I just wanted to say that before someone goofed up.

Johanna

[CitizenKate]

Thanks Clay!!! So all you do is antique and thats it? Usually??

Hi Chris,

Clay does a lot more than just antique. Ordinarily, I'd just plug in some links to his earlier posts, but he has done so much (including some photo demos of his coloring techniques), that I think it would just be easier if you do a search on ClayB and check out all the posts he has originated. If I have some time later, I'll try to post a few that I thought were especially good.

Kate

[Chris B]

Thanks everyone. But does super sheen seal it? Or should I be using the atom wax? And I will do a search Kate, thank you!!!!

Thanks,

Chris

[ClayB]

Hi Chris,

It's been a busy few days here so I'm a little slow in responding, sorry about that. Kate mentioned that I do a lot of different finishing techniques. I tried to do a demo way back when LW was getting started to show how you can get several different looks by using different coloring and finishing techniques on the same pattern. You can see it here. It seems that lately there are several finishing products that are being changed, eliminated or replaced with something new, so all the things I used back then might not still be available, and there are new products that could be used to get even more different looks with this same pattern. I think you are going to have to decide what kind of look you are going for, then determine what products to use to get that look, or just start experimenting with the different products to see what look you like. It can be a little confusing, intimidating, or even frustrating if you let it. It can also be fun if you're willing to play with the different products. If you have more specific questions, let us know. There are a lot of people here that do some neat stuff with colors, and Kate is one of them.

Hope this helps some.