Waterproofing leather

[AndyL1]

Hey All,

What is a good way to permanently seal a piece of Veg Tan leather? I am going to make some Coats of Arms that will be inlayed into a slab of redwood and the finished product will hang outside off of a wrought iron bracket. Can I use polyeurathane as a top coat sealant for this? I want the leather to last for quite a long time. It will be painted and also a little gold leaf on it as well.

My first thought was to call on my woodworking skills and carve the whole thing in the wood, but I thought that doing it in leather might be another nice touch.

Thanks,

Andy

[AndyL1]

Shoot the crickets are very loud in this thread. :-(

[stelmackr]

Can I use polyurethane as a top coat sealant for this?

I use Krylon Gloss when I want a glossy finish and I use Krylon gloss, then Krylon Matt to get a matt finish. In either case LIGHT coats and dry between coats.

(chirp, chirp)

Bob Stelmack

[AndyL1]

Thanks Bob! I've never used a spray sealant like this on leather so I didn't know the result it would have. It will be exposed to the elements so I don't want my work to be destroyed.

[Aulus]

What about Fiebings Acrylic Resolene? I find it makes fine finish and the leather will be waterproof for a long time.

In Reenactment we use Fish Oil to waterproof leather. It works very good, but it´s a little smelly

[whinewine]

Hey All,

What is a good way to permanently seal a piece of Veg Tan leather? I am going to make some Coats of Arms that will be inlayed into a slab of redwood and the finished product will hang outside off of a wrought iron bracket. Can I use polyeurathane as a top coat sealant for this? I want the leather to last for quite a long time. It will be painted and also a little gold leaf on it as well.

My first thought was to call on my woodworking skills and carve the whole thing in the wood, but I thought that doing it in leather might be another nice touch.

Thanks,

Andy

Andy:

There is a product called 'spar varnish' that isn't too common anymore. It was primarily used to waterproof wood on boats (like teak, to show the grain). This may be something that works for you. It's a nice amber colored, incredibly tough durable finish. It'll out perform standard polyurethane many, many times over. I haven't seen the real product in years- what i've seen is 'polyurethane spar varnish'- it's not the same thing & I haven't used it so I can't vouch for its waterproofing vs the real spar varnish. A specialty wood products store online may be your best bet- you're probably not going to find it at the neighborhood hardware store or wally world or kmart.