Holster final finish for moisture resistance?

[tx50]

I have made two holsters thus far, one black and one british tan. I am using Fiebings dye and Eco-Flo Super Sheen final finish. I allowed the dye to dry overnight and buffed off any extra before I applied two to three coats of finish, allowing plenty of dry time between coats. The problem I am having is with the dye bleeding off on my pants and tshirt. I live in Texas and 100+ temps are pretty much the norm this time of year. If my pants or tshirt get damp from sweating the Eco-Flo is rubbing off and allowing the dye to bleed off on my clothes. And I mean really bleed off, not just a hint of color.

Any suggestions as far as what I may be doing wrong or what other final finish product you guys would recommend I try for more moisture resistance? I have an old Don Hume holster that I can sweat on all day and never get any dye bleed off from.

Edited July 16, 2009 by tx50

[MADMAX22]

Are you using there pro oil dyes or the regular dyes?

Also the eco flow stuff isnt much against water so you may end up having to switch to something that is a little more resiliant in advers conditions.

Have you tried playing with topcoat, tancoat, or similer. I like tancoat followed by a good sno seal.

Would like to add that there are alot of people with more experience with this so check to see what they do with there holsters and other items that are used in bad weather and conditions.

Edited July 16, 2009 by MADMAX22

[tx50]

Madmax,

No, the Eco-Flo is all I have tried since these two holsters are just about the extent of my leatherwork thus far. I will probably go by the local Tandy store on friday to pick up a different finish product and thus am picking the brains of those with more experience to narrow down my choices. I will do some research on the Tancoat.

[Lobo]

It sounds to me like you are using a dye product that is water-based and/or water soluable. When in contact with moisture from perspiration the dye is being dissolved and transfered.

Try spirit-based dyes (alcohol base, Fiebing's standard product, not the oil based or institutional line), allow to dry thoroughly prior to further finishing. Personally, I use neatsfoot oil compound on all of my holsters, and this seems to "set" the dye without further treatments. After the neatsfoot oil has settled into the leather for 24 hours you may apply your final finish. I use Fiebing's Bag Kote, followed by an acrylic sealer.

One of the most time consuming parts of producing leather holsters is the finishing process. Wet-forming (followed by 24 hours drying time), dying (followed by 4 to 8 hours drying time), oiling (followed by 24 hours settling time), finish coating (followed by 2 to 4 hours drying time), surface sealant (followed by 24 hours curing time). I make 20 to 30 items per week, and I am always running back and forth to the shop for an hour or two to complete one process and start the next one.

Others, including a number of forum members, will disagree with me on the neatsfoot oil. I have used it for decades and stand by it as a basic treatment to prevent moisture infiltration and provide a degree of flexibility to the finished product. The application process is simple: swab the exterior surfaces of the holster liberally with neatsfoot oil one time, and one time only, allowing it to be absorbed into the leather. Too much oiling will leave any piece limp and useless; a proper oiling will leave the piece in solid structural condition, ready to withstand moisture infiltration, and with sufficient flexibility to avoid surface cracking from stresses applied by the belt and handgun.

Note that neatsfoot oil compound does not "dry", but is absorbed into the leather and infuses the fibers, remaining there for the life of the product. I don't know why it seems to "set" the dyes, but I have observed that result for many years, and have never had a complaint of dye rubbing off.

Also note that application of neatsfoot oil compound will always darken any dyed leather significantly. Experimentation is needed to achieve the final finish color desired. Even a relatively light dye will be transformed several shades darker by the oiling process.

[tx50]

Lobo,

Thanks for the reply. I am currently using Fiebings alcohol based dyes, so the problem has to be with the finish product. I have been on the fence about using the oil on holsters after reading numerous posts on here, but may buy a small bottle and give it a try. I am also going to pick up a different finish product.

[whinewine]

tx:

anytime you use a water-based finish under a moist environment, you run the chance of the dyes underneath bleeding/rubbing on to everything it touches. Use a non water-soluble finish. Also, no one mentioned it yet, but... when you use spirit black, you will get crocking, unless you rub the dried excess pigment off with a cloth till no more comes off on the cloth. Hard, brisk rubbing will eventually do it (maybe a buffing wheel on an automotive buffer might take some of the agony out of it?).

russ

[TwinOaks]

One sealer you may like to try is Resolene. It's an acrylic finish, and several of our members use it. Follow the advice to topcoat, then seal it. Even though Resolene is a sealer, it isn't waterproof. I made a utility sheath for a knife and liberally applied the stuff. Water will bead off of it, but one day on the belt and it was thoroughly soaked (I work a lot in non-airconditioned places).

I also like to use Aussie leather conditioner. It gets into the leather like neatsfoot oil to protect it, but doesn't contain any mold food like NF oil does.

As far as the dye-to-shirt transfer, buffing the @$#% out of it is really the only way to get rid of the excess dye particles.

For just basic black holsters, have you considered vinegaroon (aka striking, aka ebonizing)? If not, do a search for it here on the forum and see what you think.

You can also search for topics like this one. I suggest typing in ["holster finish"] including the quote marks. There's tons of great info here.

Edited July 16, 2009 by TwinOaks

[tx50]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I ran by Tandy today and picked up some Tan Kote to play with. Hopefully it will give better results.