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.
2,967 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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- 13 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, -
Dyeing leather 1 2
by Samalan- 3 followers
- 15 replies
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Dyeing leather: I just watched a video from Tandy Leather. The video was on how to dye leather. The guy opens a one-quart bottle of black leather dye, then he opens a small jar. You can see where this is going as he tilts the bottle: the dye runs down it, spilling all over the table, and some goes into the jar. There was enough dye on the table to dye the piece of leather about five times. Then the acid brush application. Well, at least he had gloves on. The instructional video should have been titled Why You Need to Wear Gloves When Dying Leather.
Last reply by Cumberland Highpower, -
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Okay, sorry if my tone is a bit different in this post, but I just ruined 2 straps (4pcs) in a row because the straps were nudged ever so slightly and the grain got glue on it. I would be able to bevel it off on a wider strap, but taking ⅛” in on both sides of a ½” strap is what I would call unacceptable. So just how do you glue a ½” x 60”+ strap without getting glue on the grain? AZR
Last reply by chuck123wapati, -
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A couple years ago I made a leather tote bag for a friend with some chrome tan leather in a beautiful shade of blue. Somehow a water bottle dumped a liter of water into the bag, soaked it, and when finally discovered, the lower left quarter of the bag was dried out hard as a rock. Unfortunately I don't have that blue anymore, so I can't rebuild the panels. So I have been trying to bring it back to life with conditioner. Someone recommended not using neatsfoot oil, fearing it would darken the leather, instead suggesting a product called "Leather Honey." So I bought a bottle of that. First attempt I just applied from the grain side and tried to rub it i…
Last reply by chuck123wapati, -
- 4 followers
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So to start, outside of a few coasters that I made months ago, I’ve never used edge paint, so I have some basic questions… Do I still slick the edge with gum trag before applying (I also spit shine after the gum trag)? Will I need to buff to a shine again, or will the neutral/clear paint (EcoFlo Edge Flex) let the shine through? If I have to to buff again, do I need to worry about accidentally damaging/cracking/removing the paint? Do I use my slicker or something else? Sorry, it’s my first rodeo with edge paint. Thanks for any and all advice and wisdom, and may you never burn your bacon, AZR
Last reply by ThisIsMyFirstRodeo, -
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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 LMP, -
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Do you oil both the flesh side and the grain side before applying dye? I usually just oil the grain side but was wondering what most of you do.
Last reply by Mungo,