dabuttery

Yeah, I'm working with a pile of little scrap pieces to get this process sorted out before trying it on a larger hide. The ink I'm working with is HP Vivera, which is supposed to be water resistant, but a few swipes with a wet Q-tip show otherwise so that's why I'm looking for some type of sealer to apply over the finished product. I really want the end result to be as close to the original material as possible, so I don't want to use anything that leaves a hardened or glossy finish. What do you think of mink oil or Lexol or even Scotchgard for leather? On a related note, I may need to dye portions of some darker pieces to white; anyone have any experience with that? Thanks to everyone for chiming in, I know this is a little out of the ordinary and I appreciate you spending some time to educate me.

I should elaborate a little further- the images are going to be applied using an inkjet printer, and the end product is something you hang on a wall for decoration, so it won't be exposed to weather like a coat, or contact and wear & tear like a sofa. It occurred to me that someone might eventually try to wipe it down with a damp sponge to 'clean it off' so I want to make certain the image is no longer water-soluble. I hope to try a variety of colors and hide types (cow, deer, elk, etc.) so I suppose I'll encounter both veg and chrome tanned. I want to identify something I can use as waterproofing without leaving an unpleasant residue or altering the characteristics of the material- texture, scent, hue, etc., and without damaging the image in the process of application. A quick Google search brings up hundreds of products for waterproofing leather; I need a little assistance in narrowing down the possibilities!

I believe it's veg tanned; that's the most prevalent isn't it? Going to be lightweight, varying pieces 2-6 oz. I'll likely be acquiring from multiple sources so cannot count on getting the same thing each time. I want to waterproof the leather without altering the image in the process, and I'm just not sure what's the best product or procedure.

I want to decorate pieces of leather using ink (water-soluble) and I'm trying to find a way to make it permanent. Untreated, when it gets any moisture on it the colors run, so I'm looking for suggestions for a sealer that will lock in the design but not turn the leather hard or brittle, or cause a major color shift in the material.