Painting Question

[pavilionpony]

Hi all,

My neighbor would like a bison skull painted on the back of his leather jacket. Do you have any suggestions to what type of paint to use that will withstand outdoor use? Also, is there some sort of sealer you use after the painting? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Cindy

[oddball]

I dont know about on a jacket but I painted a flame scheme on a tool pouch that has been caught in many rainstorms, about 3 years, and about 10,000 miles. The only thing is the leather is stiff and doesn't see a lot of flexing. The paint I used was just plain old acrylic paint from the craft store apple or apple barrel brand.

[singteck]

Another vote for acrylic paint. Depending on the colour of the jacket, and the final colour of the skull, a white base coat would help. Don't need any sealer but if you must, a clear acrylic would be the choice. Make sure you clean the surface first of oil.

singteck

[leatheroo]

there is a paint called Createx that is used by all the airbrush artists to paint on leather and fabric. it is flexible but needs to be heat set. It comes in jars so it could be painted by hand..this is the paint of choice for leather jackets artists.

these are the instructions for use

Leather

1) Clean leather by wiping with mineral spirits or rubbing alcohol.

2) For best results, lightly spray mist a base coat of Opaque White on areas to be sprayed.

3) Apply color, avoiding over saturation and excessive paint layering.

4) Allow colors to dry thoroughly before heat setting.

5) Iron for 30 seconds at 225°using a protective cloth, or use a hot air gun at highest level for five minutes.

[pavilionpony]

Thanks so much for the information!!

[Nocturne]

there is a paint called Createx that is used by all the airbrush artists to paint on leather and fabric. it is flexible but needs to be heat set. It comes in jars so it could be painted by hand..this is the paint of choice for leather jackets artists.

these are the instructions for use

Leather

1) Clean leather by wiping with mineral spirits or rubbing alcohol.

2) For best results, lightly spray mist a base coat of Opaque White on areas to be sprayed.

3) Apply color, avoiding over saturation and excessive paint layering.

4) Allow colors to dry thoroughly before heat setting.

5) Iron for 30 seconds at 225°using a protective cloth, or use a hot air gun at highest level for five minutes.

Do you know if painting by hand will give similar results as far as flexibility and such?

Would using a heat gun to set an acrylic come up with the same outcome, or is this really only viable with the Createx line?

I have an airbrush, and use it for large area base coats, but don't have near the expertise to paint the fine detail work I carve with the airbrush.

The main application would be for fully carved reenactment belts.

Thanks for any info!

Edited September 5, 2008 by Nocturne

[jbird]

there are a couple of videos on utube that are called painting leather and it is on jackets, don't know if there any good never watched one all the way through.

Josh

[leatheroo]

nocturne, the createx should work if painted by hand, just keep the paint layers thin, however for belts, i would probably try acrylic first with a good clear top coat..so much easier to use

good luck

[Nocturne]

The biggest factor is that it's not *just* the detail work needing the paint. The entire belt is being painted. White. Any other color, I'd dye the belt, and paint the detail. But my biggest call is for white belts for re-enactment. And we all know there's no *good* white dye.

Thanks for the info, though, I'll definitely test out heat setting the paint.