Dyes, Antiques, Stains, Glues, Waxes, Finishes and Conditioners.
The chemical department. Coloring and accenting your work, protecting it from the elements and ravages of time, care and maintainance of leather, and preservation and restoration of old leather.
2,974 topics in this forum
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Why do so many people say mineral oil is bad for leather? Online, there are so many sites, none of which are actual chemists or experts, who go on about how bad mineral oil is for leather. But if mineral oil is fine for baby skin, surely it is good for leather as well. Johnson's baby oil is just perfumed mineral oil and has been used for decades.. Then people say 'petrolatum ( petroleum jelly) and petroleum products are bad for leather - we would not apply it on our skin and should not on leather. Hmm. My mother used pure petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on her skin nightly as a young girl and had skin that looked barely 45 when she was 80. The beautiful skin is…
Last reply by SUP, -
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- 12 followers
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Having spent a good deal of time researching and reading forums, to include this one, I have found that there are plenty of threads on making leather conditioners , but not many actual recipes. People act like it's a secret or are elusive in what ingredients and ratios they use. It's not a secret, I never understood why people act like its some kind of proprietary info on how they make conditioner. It's not like most/any of them are trying to sell it to make a living or anything. Plus its not rocket science. If one looks at most commercial products Material Safety Data Sheets ( MSDS), you can find out what the ingredients are and sometimes even the % of each. A little b…
Last reply by jrdunn, -
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I have heard many different peoples steps in finishing a project. Some swear by this or that and others wont do this before they do that. I think if everyone was to post their own process it would help not only me but MANY people in this forum. So lets start with antiquing. How do you get that "perfect" finish, what products, and what tools(wool,dauber,ect.) Lets hear it. I know some of you old timers have to have some tried and true ways that you will do every time and I would love to hear them!!! I want detailed descriptions so that they will be easy to follow for me and others. Thanks alot and I hope this will help everyone!!!!! Phillip Sims
Last reply by ThisIsMyFirstRodeo, -
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I got a chance to use latex rubber as a dye mask on my powercat clock project (yes, I'm finally getting some more work done on it), and decided to snap some photos as I worked so you could see how well this latex rubber works as a dye mask. If you like to spray on your dyes, this seems to be a fairly trouble-free way of keeping the dye off the areas of your project where you don't want it. PLEASE NOTE: Putting this latex product on leather may affect how the leather is able to absorb dye after the latex is removed. It has also been known to cause some discoloration of some leathers. (I haven't had this problem with the leather I use, but some people have reported this…
Last reply by paloma, -
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- 5 replies
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Recently I made a couple of simple belts. I have done this in the past, but not for a while. A problem I have always had with belts is the the dye comes off on the jeans, both from the inside, and the edges. This time I went to our local shop of the big name leather supplier and asked how to prevent this. Store guy said a few coats of resolene. So, I applied Fiebings dye, then 3 or 4 coats of Fiebings Resolene to the back and edges. Seemed OK for a few days, then the edges started bleeding. A few more coats of Resolene on the edges, no help. So...I can go go Walmart and buy a leather belt, dyed dark brown, and it will NEVER bleed dye. The big question then is--wh…
Last reply by TomE, -
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Hey all, I guess it’s a 2-part question, so I’ll start with the easier first… 1) All things being equal, does Tokonole give a glassier edge than gum trag? And the considerably more subjective, 2) How do you achieve the glassiest edge? Currently, I started using an extremely tedious and time-consuming method that seems to be achieving good results, but compared to high-end retail pieces, I know I can do better. This particular method is alternating wet (damp) sanding and slicking through progressive grits out to 12000 grit, where I’m finally using gum trag while slicking. Build up a couple layers of slicked trag, smooth out with the damp 12k pad…
Last reply by dikman, -
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First post, and also just finished my first tooling project. Unfortunately, in my excitement to antique it, I put the resist on and woke up this morning realizing I didn't strain it. 🤦♂️ I'm wondering what my options are? Would leaving the antique on just a little longer to help darken it up help, or is that a terrible idea? Thanks
Last reply by BUS, -
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I am tempted to try fast-curing polyurethane resins with pigments. Did anyone try to make your own?
Last reply by ThisIsMyFirstRodeo, -
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I inherited a roll of veg tan leather and portions of it have turned a darker shade from sunlight exposure. I'm in the process of trying equal amounts of water and vinegar and the piece is still drying but not hopefull. Wondering if there is a way to rectify this.
Last reply by Dwight, -
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I’m making a plain belt with no stamping, and it will not be cased. Is there any need to add oil?
Last reply by chuck123wapati,
