Leather Finishes On Braiding

[Aggiebraider]

Howdy Everyone,

So I have a few orders for some small things (bracelets, hat bands, etc.) and I was wondering if I should put a finish on them such as Resolene to keep water and sweat out. If I do, should I wait until the finished work is completely dry so the strands arent full of water and soap and lighten up in color? I made a hat band for my brother the other day and I had to get everything done so he could take it and the hat with him before he left for a rodeo, and it was still fairly wet. The lighter tan strands were still pretty dark, and I wasnt really sure if I should put resolene on with them so dark, so I didnt. I am using kangaroo for everything now, which I got from Hardtkes and I am extremely happy with it.

Thanks,

CW

[KnotHead]

Well it figures that you would ask about something that I am still experimenting with. So, I can't give you a good answer. Maybe try like I am, different little pieces of hide with the different solutions you have and see what turns out the best before committing to a definite finish. Also, consider that the things you make will be different and in different environments. So you will probably end up with a few different finishes to use. Right now this is what I a doing with all my kangaroo lace. I am still trying to find just the right finish for each situation which seems to be endless at this point.

Brian...

[entiendo]

I put finish on all my pieces, it really finishes all the pieces quite nicely. Because I live in California I can only get water base but I'm used to it now and like it. It also dries very fast. I use it with a little bit of water. I let all my pieces completely dry before I apply the finish. I also condition before I apply the finish. All the work we do darkens most the leather, the only exception being a hide that already comes finished or black, at least in my experience. Some leather changes more than others. It seems to depend how much dye is in the leather. My black doesn't change color at all, but my natural seems to pick up everything and changes color quickly.

Hope this helps.

Edited July 20, 2010 by entiendo

[Bevan]

This is the process that has been posted on APWA ,

Half fill a 1 litre container with shellac flakes then add enough metholated spirits to fill the container. Put a lid on the container and give it a bit of a shake to help dissolve the flakes then let it sit so the sediment settles to the bottom of the jar (This can take up to a week or more) Once the mix has settled pour off the clear liquid(more like strong tea coloured) that is on the top into a separate container this will be your base. I will usually have a couple of these mixes going all the time.

Then I like to dilute the "base" 50/50 with metholated spirits, this is what I will apply to the leather.

Apply this mix lightly to the leather with a lint free cloth and roll between coats. The first couple of coats that you give the leather the shellac will be barely visible . You can stop rolling after the first couple of coats and just apply the shellac making sure to give it time to dry prpoperly .

Just keep applying the shellac until you reach the desired finish that you want.

Most problems are caused by the shellac being made to thick then being applied to heavy.

Cheers

Bevan

[8thsinner]

I am with bevan on this one, I use shellac myself on roo it holds pretty good, cow hide seems to hold it better.

But I have started using ronsol - french polish instead of starting with shellac flakes, it saves me time, it's pure shellac based, but still pretty thick, I add between 30-50% mineralised methylated spirits to thin it down.

I mix it into small tiny jam jars for each job depending on the test piece on how much to dilute it.

On top of this I have added snow proof just to stop any alcohol soaking into it, shellac is pretty breathable in a way and this hasn't caused any problems as of yet.

I apply with a thin artists paint brush, admittedly of low quality but the pressure required doesn't seem to make it lose bristles. and they are easy to remove before leaving 20 minutes to dry.