Help With Finishing

[Snpr9696]

Hello everyone. I'm a new forum member and also new to leather working. I recently started building watch straps and it has become a real passion. I would li,e to find out more techniques on finishing my work. I'm currently using oil tanned leathers and I'm very comfortable with them however, I'm sort of stuck with the plain flat finish. Is here anything I can do to make them shine up to a semi gloss. Here's is an example of where I'm at.

I would like to be more like this. Should I be using different leather?

Thank you all

[Dwight]

I've never used it on a watch band, . . . but I often use an old fashioned finish: 1/2 virgin beeswax and 1/2 neetsfoot oil (by weight, . . . not volume). Put them in a quart jar, . . . put it in a crock pot of water, . . . allow them to melt together, . . . pour out into little cakes.

Rub it on like shoe polish, . . . add a little heat from a hair dryer or heat gun on low, . . . keep adding until you get the finish you want. It can be built up to a really nice shine or you can quit while it is semi gloss.

It takes a little playing around with it to learn how to use it, . . . and it seems every piece takes it a little different way, . . . but mess with it a while, . . . you just may really come to like it. I know I did. I did my personal "retro look" wild west rig in it, . . . looks like it came right out of Dodge City about 1886 or so.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Snpr9696]

Thank you Dwight. I read somewhere that Saddle soap followed by mink oil is used to shine up oil tanned leather. Any experience with that? Why type of leather do you like to use for the holsters?

[Menolly]

I really like your watchstraps. Very cool!

[TomG]

Hello everyone. I'm a new forum member and also new to leather working. I recently started building watch straps and it has become a real passion. I would li,e to find out more techniques on finishing my work. I'm currently using oil tanned leathers and I'm very comfortable with them however, I'm sort of stuck with the plain flat finish. Is here anything I can do to make them shine up to a semi gloss. Here's is an example of where I'm at.

I would like to be more like this. Should I be using different leather?

Thank you all

I just found your post and must say they are very nice.

2 Questions.

What thickness leather did you use

Are they hand sewn or machine sewn

Tom

[Snpr9696]

Hello...I'm using 5/6 oz leather which when folded comes out to be 4mm thick. I hand sew everything.

[TomG]

I've made 1 watch band but want to learn to do more. I had a real issue with the thickness of the leather going around the pins. The band was 13mm (1/2") and using the thinnest leather I had (around 4 oz) I still had to skive it where it went around the watch pins.

Now, that was veg-tan leather. I'm not sure of the differecne in flexibility between it and oiled leather.

Tom

[spooky]

Love the coloured stitching. Can I ask what type of thread you're using?

[spooky]

** bump **

[TomG]

** bump **

I give up... What does ** bump ** mean?

Tom

[King's X]

To move the 'thread' back to the front of line.....especially when it has an old date.

[Suicide]

To move the 'thread' back to the front of line.....especially when it has an old date.

Yep.

Spooky has unanswered question and wants to get an answer , so he is "bumping" the thread to make it topmost thread on the subforum main page.

[hazymat]

My turn to **BUMP**

The OP never really had an answer to their question.

My thoughts on the matter are that you won't get a finish like that with oil tanned leather, but I would still like to know what people suggest for finishing oil tanned leathers?

I am using a great oil tanned leather. I just love how it feels. But I'd love to know how to finish the leather, give it a little sheen or buff. And something to resist finger marks.