ThisIsMyFirstRodeo

Aaaaaand I feel even more inadequate…

It’s a handbag, 3-4oz econo veg tan, probably closer to the 4oz end. I was hoping to attempt oiling/conditioning to soften it and make it a bit more pliable (I know I would have only limited results, but I was going to try anyway), but because I made the mistake of using a water-based dye, I had to seal the bag with Pro Resist (it’s what I have on my shelf), which leads to the conundrum of how to best treat the leather. — AZR

My thought was that it would help keep the veg tan a little more pliable. (I have NFO and saddle soap though) Usually I stiffen leather, and use 6-8oz instead of 3-4oz, so this is just the opposite end of the spectrum for me to learn. — AZR

Vinegaroon made my leather super-stiff (almost unworkable) and gray also. I gave it a coat of mineral oil, because hey, worst case it’s still learning curve, but the oil caused the black to return, and softened it enough that I could use it. For period-correct, maybe NFO or olive oil? — AZR

If the flesh side isn’t sealed, can it be oiled/conditioned from there? — AZR

Having any issues with the interior? In the process of assembling a purse myself, but I made the dummy move of using water-based dye. I sealed the exterior with Pro Resist, but now I’m paranoid about bleed/stain on the inside (let’s say it got wet or something…). Before I stitch the panels together, is there anything I should do to seal the inside, or do I even need to worry about it? — AZR

Dwight, since you seem to know what you’re doing, I made the dummy move of using Fiebing’s regular dye instead of the pro dye for a purse, and I’m paranoid about rub off because of my mistake. Aside from a final coat of Pro Resist, is there something I can do to avoid the rub off? Also, because I went to the extra step of dying the interior/flesh side, what can I do to seal it? (Primarily concerned if it got wet…) — AZR

Thank you, Fred. Now that I realize that I didn’t even ask my initial question, will NFO penetrate Pro Resist? And follow-up, does saddle soap still clean/condition in spite of the resist? TIA, — AZR

Okay so this thread is so far dead that it’s fossilized, but I’m gonna dig it up again and hope for more insight… So I am actively in the step of finishing the panels for a purse, so I’ll give the process I just used. Full disclosure: just as my handle suggests, I don’t necessarily know what I’m doing aside from following tips from others… 1) I clean/wash the panels with warm water and Dawn dish soap, and rinse well. The intended purpose is to draw out the oils to the surface and wash off. 2) Once dry to touch, I gave a relatively light coat of NFO to replace the oils I removed, and let it sit overnight to even out in the fibers. 3) Cased the leather with water and let sit overnight. 4) Scribed in my stitch lines and pricked out (not punched) where the stitches would lie. 5) “re-cased” the panels with a spray bottle of water until the absorption slowed, and let sit for a few minutes until it looked kinda dry and was cool to touch, and tooled the panels. Sprayed again as needed, but only minimal. Once finished, I let it sit overnight. 6) Dye process. I’ll leave the method I used out because it was experimental for a sunburst effect (not what happened). But, after dying, I buff off the excess dye sitting on the surface, and let sit overnight to fully absorb and even out. 7) Gave it a light coat of Fiebing’s Pro Resist, mixed about 50/50 with water, and quickly wiped off (just to seal surface, not depressions). 😎 Applied a heavy coat of Fiebing’s antique paste (I use my finger so I can really work it down into the depressions), lightly buffing the excess off when I was done. 9) Let dry for half an hour or so, and buffed on my wheel to a nice sheen. This brings us up to now. The edges of one panel don’t feel quite dry enough for my liking, so I’m killing time with dishes, giving my pup some loving, and writing this post. Once I’m happy with the edges feeling dry, I’m going to give another coat maybe 2 of the 50/50 Pro Resist, buff out, and finally punch my stitch line to assemble, burnish the edges with gum trag and/or spit, and finish. Once again, I don’t really know what I’m doing, it just seems to work for me. Still feels like my first rodeo, — AZR

Thank you for that tidbit Dwight. I’ll give that a shot on the next piece that I do here. Like the craft/peach paper that I wrap my brisket with? — AZR

Fred, I wish I could agree. Perhaps tackiness is the wrong descriptor, but it’s like pulling your finger across acrylic resin, just resists movement. I applied only a light coat to both pieces yesterday morning. 24ish-hour dry time with good air circulation before I posted, currently sitting at 30ish hours. I even hit them on the buffing wheel earlier to no effect. Im not too proud to deny the possibility of user error, but I have no clue what’s going on. —AZR

Hey all, I guess first, is there a top coat with a low-friction finish? Or, is there a way to reduce the tackiness of a finish such as Pro Resist? Backstory: I’m making a business card holder, and I used the wrong dye. To prevent rub off on hands/clothes/cards, I had to use the Pro Resist to seal (only topcoat on my shelf…). But, it has that acrylic tack/friction that I foresee preventing the cards from sliding in/out, and sticking to them if I manage to get the cards in. So I’m looking for a way to reduce the tackiness for this project, but also looking for a solution for future projects. Any and all help greatly appreciated! Maybe it’s my second rodeo now… — AZR

Ok, so this may seem like somewhat of a moronic question, but I’m still learning how to use NFO… Should I be oiling before or after casing/tooling? Will casing just push the oil to the surface? Maybe it still is my first rodeo… — AZR

For those curious, the Pro Resist seems to have sealed. KGG — I oiled a piece last night. This morning, the color of the leather is just slightly little darker, but even across the piece. Seems to be a perfect blank canvas. Usually I tool before I dye, but today I plan to dye and tool tomorrow, along with a piece I didn’t oil, and we’ll see how much dye bleeds as I case it… AZR

I’m assuming that you’re also familiar with the Fiebings Pro black. What’s your preference? AZR

I should pick some Resolene up on my next Tandy run. I actually just made a bag using USMC black for the straps and billets, but I gave them a healthy coat of ProResist. Hopefully it’ll do the trick… — AZR

Oh and Darren, nice looking pieces. I’ve been looking at that template as well. — AZR

Oh I’m totally giving this a shot!

Thank you. Fiebings is definitely my go-to as well. And the Angelus is awesome, but it also feels like busting out the Pappy Van Winkle 9yr on a weeknight to me, if you know what I mean. I’ll give your method a try and see how it works for me. — AZR

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 towel I was using to dry it. And remembered that it’s water-based and I hadn’t sealed it yet so I grabbed the super sheen. No matter how many coats ive tried, it simply runs off. Deciding that the issue might be the NFO, I used some saddle soap to try to remove it, let it sit a couple minutes, and rinsed off before trying again. Super sheen still just rolled off. And that brings us up to now. I really don’t want to deal with unhappy wife or customers dealing with stained skin and clothes, so I’m looking for a solution. Thoughts? TIA, AZR

Is it illegal to carry a hatchet or ax? Curious minds want to know… But Chuck, both pieces look really nice! —AZR

Chuck, returning to your question, I use warm water and dawn dish soap beforehand. I figure if it’ll get crude oil off of a duck, then it’ll get whatever oils that come to the surface without damaging the hide, then rinsed as many times with warm water as needed, and once more for good measure. Because it’s usually fully-saturated by then, I let it air dry for several hours (AZ, it’s a dry heat, etc.) And I do have logic regarding dawn, albeit it may be flawed logic… It pulls the oils out, leaving it thirsty, which then will pull the oils from the dye deeper into the hide (almost exclusively use Fiebing’s Pro). But again, my logic could very well be flawed. With finished leather, then I use saddle soap. Only exception I can think of is my couch. Then I use dawn if I absolutely have to, followed by saddle soap. So far, it’s worked well for me, but if you have a different process, then I’m all ears. — AZR

And there is the answer to my question! Thank you KGG, I doubt I would have found the answer on my own. — AZR

Thank you, Bruce. I appreciate your input regarding the milky color. Most recently, it happened to be 2-3oz and 5-6oz econo veg tan from Tandy, probably Argentinian in origin, if I had to guess. (Before the peanut gallery chimes in dishing on their quality, it’s what I have available, and more importantly, it’s what I can afford…) As far as casing goes, I don’t believe there’s any problem with my process involved, only my execution. And I’m aware of it. Skill comes with practice, and im still learning the craft. These pieces I didn’t bother to clean first, and I only used a spray bottle of tap water, so it couldn’t have come from me. I had considered the possibility of it being something from the tanning process, but I also freely admit that I know nothing of the tanning process. I don’t know if I’m “glad” per se, but at least I know I’m not crazy, and someone else has also experienced this. — AZR

So the pebbling down the entire length is all stamped?