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.
2,953 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 Deeeeeee, -
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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 JLSleather, -
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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, -
What’s a good finish for saddles, motorcycle gear? Neatsfoot, Resolene, mink oil, Clear Lac are products I’ve used but none are perfect. Minimum coloring, water resistance, ease of use, long-lasting, easy to acquire.
Last reply by Zonker1972, -
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First off this is kind of tongue in cheek, but I think about some of the guys gone-on. I learned a lot from them and some pretty good stories and history. One that sticks with me is whenever edges and treatments came up. Some of them were pretty hard boiled and others were "whatever". While it isn't as contentious as discussing religion, politics, or the best pickup, whatever we call edge working could bring up some pretty heady discussions with some of the viejos. It is interesting be on the sidelines of some of these discussions. The one camp said that burnishing was bonding the fibers to smooth them. Slicking was simply laying the fibers down without bonding. T…
Last reply by chuck123wapati, -
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Good morning everyone. I’m new to everything leather and have a holster nearing completion. I’m not sure if I have the order of operations down yet, and would love some input. So far I have…. Did all the tooling Dyed Glued Wet formed Sanded edges Burnished edges with water Sanded edges with 600 Dyed edges Light coat of neatsfoot oil From here, I plan on burnishing edges with gum trag, applying resist and antique, resolene, then a couple rivets and stitching. Should I use gum trag on flesh side, or just resolene? Seems like it’ll be difficult to get the interior completely coated with anything. Should I have …
Last reply by Swilly, -
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What are some products I might really have that I can use to furnish the edges of a leather cuff bracelet? I hate to buy expensive product for what very little I’ll use. Thanks in advance!
Last reply by TonyV, -
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- 9 replies
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Hey all, Has anyone experienced any issues with NFO and topcoats, whether NFO is applied before or after? Products used: Tandy’s econo veg tan shoulder, dyed with EcoFlo deep violet leather dye, Dr. Jackson’s pure NFO, EcoFlo super sheen) Backstory: After becoming accustomed to the juicy vibrancy of Angelus’s purple leather dye, I’m unimpressed with the EcoFlo, in depth of color as well as polished sheen (I did 3 coats total). Finally got my hands on some NFO (oil not compound), and figured I’d give it a try to see if it helped either color or sheen. Then it caught water spray while I was working another piece, and bled onto my hands and the paper towe…
Last reply by wizard of tragacanth, -
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Hi all; I picked up an unissued pair of third pattern jungle boots, and want to know if I need to do anything special before wearing them? Date of manufacture is 2 70. I’m thinking using neatsfoot oil & conditioning several times over a couple of months. Any thoughts? Thanks! Bill
Last reply by fredk,
