Recommended Products For Finishing Belts

[ScottWLW]

Hi Everyone,

I know there are some posts about finishing and conditioning belts, but I am still having a hard time finding the answers I need.

First I want to explain what we are currently doing when making our belts. We use a 1.5" 8-9 oz, and we cut them to size and punch all the holes. After everything is punched and skived we dip the belt in Fiebings oil dye. Once that is dry we use Oakwood leather conditioner to soften and waterproof the leather. We rub this product in and work the belt quite a bit to make sure everything is soaked in and the desired flexibility is met. After the conditioner we use Tuff Kote, a clear coat that we also use on our holsters. Here is the problem, the Oakwood conditioner and the Tuff Kote are not working very well together. It is making the belts sticky and the Tuff Kote is not setting correctly.

We decided recently to try and not use any conditioner. So basically we are trying now to just dye the belts, which after drying leaves them very stiff. But if you work with the leather it will become somewhat soft again, and then we just put the Tuff Kote clear on them. However I am afraid this is not sealing and waterproofing the belt enough, especially the back side which is touching peoples clothing directly. The last thing we want are dye bleeding issues.

Just wondering if anyone has any advice or a preferred process and/or products that you use on your belts. Anything would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Scott

[flynscot]

Never used Tuff Kote, but I'm a huge fan of Resolene on my guitar straps. Seals nicely, wears well, and keeps the dye where it's supposed to be.

Various lacquer products work well, also. Clear Lac and Wyo Shene are the same as the old Neat Lac that a lot of people used to use. I plan on using on some of my things soon.

Don't know if you are familiar with Freddie Matara, but I've seen him mention that he uses RTC Leather Finsh, and gets excellent results.

[Chief31794]

I'm a big fan of Clear Lac, used it when it was Neat lac and still using it. Seals great, does a good job if you need a resist. I apply the finish in light coats and rub it in, nice soft sheen and really protects the leather very well.

Chief

[mlapaglia]

use some neatsfoot oil to soften the leather a little then clear lac to finish it. you will love the results. Since you are dyeing the leather there should be no problem with the slight darkening nestsfoot has on light colors.

[mototech7]

resolene has worked well on the belts i have done. just make sure you oil it first because once its covered, its covered!

[Cyberthrasher]

just make sure you oil it first because once its covered, its covered!

I can still oil/condition after resolene. You just have to let it sit so it soaks through. I always tell my customers to put the conditioner on at night and then come back in the morning to buff off anything left.

[mototech7]

i am gonna try that tonight! thanks cyberthrasher

[ScottWLW]

Thank you for the responses. I am going to try some of your suggestions. We use Tuff Kote on our holsters and the finish is incredible. The belts are another story. I have some Resoline and RTC in the shop so I might have to take a look at those finishes again. How long do you guys let the neatsfoot set before using your finisher?

[flynscot]

The usual standard is 24 hrs, to sort of let it migrate around. I've finished some things within a couple of hours, though, when using darker dyes. The belt i just posted to the gallery sat for about 20 hours before dyeing. I actually finished that one with hardware store spray lacquer with a top coat of bag kote. I'm experimenting to see how it wears.

[ScottWLW]

flynscot- So you oil your belts/straps before dyeing? If so, I was always conditioning and oiling after dyeing because that is what really dries out the leather. Maybe I should try and switch out my process along with trying a few different products.

[mlapaglia]

I oil after molding a holster or tooling a belt and thats before dyeing. If after it feels like it still needs some oil Ill oil it again. All depends on the condition of the leather and the type of dye I am using.

[Cyberthrasher]

a little oil will help pull the dye in as well, and the leather really likes it after repeated wet/dry cycles from tooling. But, I also condition after it's all finished and sealed too. I see it as possibly the last time the piece will ever get oiled (although I hope my customers will care for their custom orders).

[Skwerl]

Tuff Cote is water based. As we know oil and water don't mix. Either go to a spirit based dye and you shouldn't have any issues.

[ScottWLW]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have been putting a coat of neats foot on and using resoline. The results seem to be very good so far.

[footrat]

I use Fiebing's oil dye, and while I don't dip my products, I dye them HEAVILY, and on both sides. My last couple sets of suspenders were cut from the 13 oz. end of a skirting side. After dying, they were dry as all get out. Both the dark brown and the black were ashy-looking. It took several heavy coats of neatsfoot oil to get the straps back to normal. Had they been dyed a lighter color, I'd have probably looked for a product that doesn't darken the color as much. Anyways, once the oil soaks in, I break in the straps by wearing Nitrile glove (for grip, not because of rub-off) and rolling the straps over and over, all up and down the length, front and back. I finish with Fiebing's Saddle Lac, which can be a bit glossy. Once the Saddle Lac is dry, I rub Eco Flo black antique gel into the dark brown straps, and buff it off right away. It slightly darkens the appearance of the straps, because the finish either holds some of the gel, or it just dries on the surface a bit. Either way, I like the effect. I have made the mistake of rolling the straps AFTER Saddle Lac, and it's not good. The finish breaks up and wrinkles really finely, enough to let a lot of antique gel settle all over it. It makes the piece much darker when using black antique over dark brown dye. Here's how it looks when I do it correctly.