jasonsmith

Anyone know where to get Line 20 snaps with a short post? The ones from Tandy. I have to grind half the post off for 4/5 ounce leather.

I've brushed the Pro Oil dye on the leather with a sponge brush and wool dauber. And have had no problems with removing the excess dye. Actually the Pro Oil hardly needs any rubbing compared to the regular Fiebing's dye and Angelus dyes. The cool thing about the Pro Oil is when you brush the dye on, you can see it absorb into the leather almost immediately. I put on two coats back to back as the dye absorbs into the leather so well with the Pro Oil. The Leather Sheen has a spray bottle and brush on. I may could try both. But last time I sprayed acrylic sealer with a small spray bottle, it didn't work out too well. The Leather Sheen is acrylic. So, I wonder what the difference is between the Fiebings Leather Sheen and Fiebings Resolene.

One bad thing about the acrylic sealers is they are very shiny. I was thinking of trying Bag Kote, but if it doesn't seal well like you experienced with the "Tan Kote". Then I guess acrylic is the best option. The hard part is it is hard to get the acrylic to have a nice even finish. It seems like the Eco Flo sealers takes too long to dry. So, it leaves rings. So far, it seems the Angelus acrylic sealers tend to be more even. The Fiebing's Resolene is way too shiny to use.

I'm going to let it sit for several hours before I put weight on it. Last time I dyed, I think I checked them 4+ hours later. And they were still very flexible from not being fully dried yet. Though, I may could have put too much water and/or dye on them.

What do you mean by dye migrating?

I dyed some large test pieces with Fiebings Pro Oil Black. And noticed it curled up after it had dried. What are you guys doing to keep the leather from curling up when it dries from dyeing? I was thinking of letting it sit for a few hours, then placing it inbetween two pieces of wood and let it finish drying. Not sure it that would work, but figured I could try it.

What kind of deodorizer? Most of that stuff is in an aerosol type can. I did try one of those small water spray bottles, but that didn't work

What kind of sponge are you using? You may want to try one of those sponge brushes from a store in the paint section. I know these type of finishes can streak easy if you keep messing with it once you have applied it. Once you put it on, you don't want to mess with it long as it dries quick.

I'm going to dye my stuff with the wool daubers. I've done some test pieces and they came out fine with no streaks. I'm using the Fiebing's Pro Oil Black. How long do you wait inbetweeen coats? I wait around 10-15 minutes when it looks like most of the dye has been absorbed on top of the leather when I put on a 2nd coat.

I've found the Preval sucks. I was expecting it to spray like spray paint. But it just shot it out in gobs. Since it didn't spray a nice thin even coat, you had to spray back over areas that didn't get dye and it ended up soaking the leather and it was dripping. So, you would be better off just rubbing it on instead of using the Preval.

I think alot of people just put on the acrylic sealers like Resolene after they dye.

Have you tried the acrylic sealers? Like Fiebing's Resolene, or Eco-Flo Satin shene or Gloss shene. Angelus also makes some acrylic sealers as well. I believe the acrylic sealers are the most popular as I believe they are more permanent than other types of top coats. I say it would be nice to figure out what name brand leather belt makers use to seal their belts, as I've never had a store bought leather belt bleed dye.

Thanks. I knew about the buffing the leather to remove excess dye when you're done. But wasn't sure if it needed buffing inbetween coats. I like the Pro Oil dye as it has little buffing. If you allow the leather to dry inbetween coats. I'm assuming you don't have to rewet it for the 2nd coat? I was going to figure 10-30 minutes inbetween coats. For my first coat, I first put on Fiebing's Dye Prep. That is supposed to clean the leather and I believe prep it to accept dye like you do with brushing water onto the leather before you dye.

If you put on two coats of Pro Oil dye. How long do you wait before you put on the 2nd coat of dye? And do you buff the first coat before you put on the 2nd coat of dye?

Hmm, I wouldn't like the idea of it cracking. After I cut the leather, I may just take my blade to shave off any strands along the edges. Dye it, then seal it with acrylic. I've read some say the acrylic will keep the frays down. I don't plan on burnishing the edges as I don't want a slick edge. Just want to minimize the fraying.

I plan on using the Gum Tac on the edges to help keep the strands down that formed from cutting it. The flesh side is pretty flat, but I figured it could fray with time. I may just do as I had planned and seal the backside with the acrylic sealer. I figure that should keep fibers from forming on the flesh side.

Just curious what you mean by "unimpressive"? I use Fiebings pro oil black as my dye. And was looking to use the Gum Trag for the edges. And maybe the flesh side. I plan on leaving my edges like they are when I cut the leather, which is square. Anyone know if you can use the Gum Trag and rub it on the edges with your finger without burnishing? As I'd like the idea of using something to keep the fibers down and from fraying at the edge, but not sure if I want a smooth shiny burnshed edge as well.

I've read of some using Gum Tragacanth on the flesh side to get the fibers to lay down. I say this is done after you dye it. How are you applying it on the back side of the leather? I'm guessing with a brush? I was looking at just spraying the back side with the acrylic sealer when I do the front, but then read of some using the Gum T instead like what some use on the edges.

I'm going to spray dye my leather pieces via Preval. I think what I'm going to do is get a large thick fold out piece of cardboard like what students use in the science fairs. Poke a metal wire through to hang my leather as the cardboard will be standing up. Spray it, then flip it around to spray the other side. I believe they say to flex the leather while it dries to keep it from getting stiff. Though on my test pieces with the Pro Oil, it didn't seem to stiffen it like the regular dyes. Some of my pieces will be entirely cut out so I can dye the edges at the same time when I spray. Others will be ruff cut when I dye. Then I'll have to finish cutting it later and dye the edges seperately. Probably will use a brush to brush on the dye and then sealer.

Are you saying you let the leather dry completely before putting on the 2nd coat? I plan on brushing on the Fiebing's Dye Prep before my first coat. Though, I guess when putting on a 2nd coat, you don't have to wet it like you do the first coat. I could probably get by with one coat as I don't really notice a difference when putting on a 2nd coat. I only plan on dying with Fiebing's Pro Oil black dye.

You guys that put on two coats of dye when you dye a piece of leather. How long do you wait before you put on the 2nd coat? And do you buff the grain side right before you put the 2nd coat on? And after the 2nd coat, how long do you let it sit before you do the final buffing on the grain side? After that, I see it is recommended to let it sit for a day before you put on the acrylic sealer.

Cool video, thanks. That sponge brush you are using is better than what I was using. As I was using one of those stiff yellow square sponges from Tandy.

I may pick some of that up just to try. When I did test pieces and I brushed the sealer on with a sponge. I noticed you could really only wipe it once. As if you try to do it more than once while it is drying. Then it ruins the finish. On my test pieces, you would brush it on with a sponge. And then there would be lots of bubbles that you then tried to brush off with the sponge but couldn't. Those bubbles will mess up the finish. I'm thinking of spraying it on with one of those small mist spray bottles. As that would put on a thin coat. Only thing is you'd have to pump it by hand every spray. But since it comes out in a fine mist, I wouldn't guess you'd have to worry about leaving lines or streaks.

Not really. I've called them a few times before. And they say someone will call me back, but that never happens. After I explained that the last time I called when they tried again to say someone will call back. The person actually went and talked to the person in the know who recommended the Duller and not to use the water like what people do with the Fiebing's Resolene. Do you know if that Eco-Flo Satin Shene sealer is any good? I haven't tried that yet, so I wonder if it has a more mellow finish with less of a plastic look compared to the Resolene or Angelus acrylic sealers.

I was curious if anyone has used it. How much they mixed in to get a matte finish? I may start off with mixing one ounce of Matte acrylic sealer and 1 1/2ml of duller and spray a test piece. If it is still too shiny. Then I could keep adding in the duller in my sample. Though, it looks like that stuff is used for paint. So, not sure if 1 1/2ml of duller may be too much for the acrylic sealer. I may see if Angelus could recommend how much duller to mix in. It would be nice to get a true matte and/or satin acrylic sealer. But they all tend to be real shiny and plastic looking.