Fiebings Dye And Finish...i Cant Get It To Work

[hunter131]

so i was having trouble applying neat lac and someone suggested use it full strength then wipe excess off with sheepskin..that works great! now i have a problem with the dye. i was using eco flow and didnt care for it and it wasnt working to great so i switched to fiebings. i use pro oil in the black and thats what i have trouble with. i can put it on and right after i can buff with sheepskin and nothing comes up. its like it just soaks every bit up. i oiled it first also. so i can put another coat on and try and get it as even as possible and buff still nothing..get a damp paper towel and buff and just a little comes up. now this is where i have problems. i apply my neat lac and when i wipe off excess it smears the black and it like pulls up some of it. i had fiebings red on there also and it didnt happen with the red only the black. i also let it dry about 24 hours. how do i get it to not smear. i really like how neat lac looks and how its waterproof but i am about ready to stop using it. any help is appreciated thanks

[TwinOaks]

It might be the solvent in the neat-lac that's causing the problems....or maybe it's the application method. If you're having to "wipe off the excess", you're applying too much at once. Try applying with a little on some sheepskin, and working it into the leather in a light circular pattern. If there's enough to drip from the wool, it's too much. And yes, it should be worked in, not just applied to the surface. One thing you might try is after letting it dry, lightly mist with water then buff until it develops a shine. In doing so, you're removing any loose particles, and also putting a light burnish over the surface. As the NL penetrates and starts to dry, it will develop a glossier finish over 'pre-glossed' leather than unburnished leather.

[hunter131]

that makes sense. before though i was having trouble with the NL flaking after it was dry and and bending in the leather. i could use a brush and apply the neat lac to the dyed parts and it would turn the brush black and if it toched un dyed leather it would leave black on it