The first mistake was buying a Tandy gunbelt kit because it seemed like a good deal. The second mistake was putting Eco All-in-one finish on it. I was trying to match the color of the holster (see my avatar) which is an Eco Prairie Tan. I like the rich reddish-brown finish and hoped to get a matching belt. Next time I'll cut all my leather from the same hide. Anyway, when I put the color to the belt it didn't look anything like the holster. In fact, it was more yellow than red. I tried deglazing the All-in-one finish with both a homemade denatured alchohol/lemon juice mix. It worked good (thanks to the Forum resources) but the color was embedded even though the finish seemed to be broken. I followed up with some commercial deglazer (contained petroleum spirits) but it didn't take much more color off than the home-brewed deglazer.
Now I was ready for the vinegaroon phase. That worked very well (again, thanks to the Forum). I had a nice even black but with a little bit of white haze on the grain side. I tried a little Neatsfoot oil, thinking that deglazing and vinegarooning (yes, I used the bicarbonate of soda solution to neutralize) combined to leave this odd white cloud. It is not a residue and does not rub off. Freshly oiled, it does disappear. The next day, the grain side was better but the flesh side had a white bloom to it.
Now I think that a finish like Satin Sheen, since I have no more Neat Lac, might do the trick and eliminate the white haze. Any experiences to relate?
Things I will "never" do again:
1. Buy a Tandy leather kit.
2. Buy an Eco-anything color or finish for leather.
If all else fails, I will use the kit for a pattern and thereafter chuck it.
Thanks for any comments.