garytylermcleod

I have tried it all. Stop wasting your time and order some Tuff Kote from Weaver's. It's glossy, but it's the only thing that will do what you're asking.

From what I have read about this stuff, it sounds like the way to go. Does anyone know a place where it can be purchased other than straight from Weaver? Thanks!

Has anybody used this stuff? I see it comes in a neutral color. I am wondering what that is like. Would that be used to seal edges? If so, it sounds amazing. Anyone have experience with it?? http://shop.fiebing.com/products/category/Edge+Dye/3267.0.1.1.72706.72784.72785.0.0

My girlfriend was at a fair recently and asked a hat booth if their dyes will run. They told her no way because their hats were soaked in silicone for 2 weeks after dying. It sounds pretty intriguing. I wonder what kind of silicone they use. Anybody on here have a clue?

Thanks for all your thoughts TwinOaks! I e-mailed Kevin from Springfield leather and he offered that acriylic finishes like Resolene need to dry in low humidity. Well, I live in Portland so that is a little bit impossible here.

TwinOaks, I don't understand why you would be so quick to dismiss my hypothesis. Are you a scientist? I think these kind of experiments are rather important. Please keep reading. I think I have some worthwhile evidence that supports my hypothesis. I should have said "doesn't visibly penetrate at all". I have done a lot of airbrushing oil and spirit dyes. The pieces I have airbrushed have had much worse rub off than the ones I have airbrushed, enough so that I don't believe this is just a coincidence. Alcohol is known to evaporate at very high rates as the particles are exposed to air. Denatured alcohol which we use to thin dyes evaporates at an incredible rate just from my gloves. When an airbrush is used, it makes perfect sense that this alcohol solvent would evaporate at exponentially higher rates than when on a dauber, as the alcohol particles are exposed to so much air. This would lead to a lower solvent to pigment ratio. The solvent is what carries the pigment into the leather so with less solvent, it makes sense that the pigment would not go as deep. I have used airbrushes for many different things. It is not normal that an airbrush applies less of a medium at a time. Airbrushes are just known to apply it more evenly. My airbrush will adjust to apply a lot of stuff all at once. The way a brush or dauber works is very similar to how an airbrush works in respect to how much of a medium is applied in a given moment. Both can only apply as much of the medium as is contacting the surface. Since your post, I decided to conduct a little experiment I remember being suggested by the person who gave me the hypothesis to begin with. I had an old bottle of Eco-Flo Bison Brown which was perfect for it. All I did was try using the water based dye in my airbrush and seeing how it performed. I was very surprised at the results. The water based dye in my airbrush had no problem creating puddles all over the leather on both sides. I then grabbed another piece and tried to not create puddles. After that, I cut them each open with a razor. The dye was penetrating just as much as it does with a brush, which is very visible. These results certainly support my hypothesis. TwinOaks, can you explain these results with a water based dye instead of an alcohol based dye? Why would the results be so drastically different? The problem with the rubbing idea on the grain side/edges is that is roughens the leather and ruins the smooth edges I have slicked already. I am looking for the best solution aside from rubbing and rubbing. Thank you though. For this project, the main concern is a person sweating a lot. It will not be total saturation. Also, what is your experience with Neatlac and ruboff? Do you consider it good for preventing ruboff when it is rubbed into the leather? How many coats of Resolene have given you good results from your experience? My personal experiences with Resolene have not been good. With even 2 coats of it, only the smallest bit of moisture brings the dye right out. Like I've said, my best experiences have been using Bag-Kote. I have had decent results with 2 coats of it.

I am working on a project in which dye rubbing off onto clothes from the grain side when wet is absolutely not OK. Having read everything on here multiple times and have conducted many smaller experiments on my own, I am now in the middle of a much larger controlled experiment. I am using veg tanned leather and testing the following concerning how they each contribute to preventing rub off. As these forums include just about every idea out there, I am curious as to your tried and tested experiences so I can incorporate them into my experiment. Fiebings Oil Dyes VS. Fiebings Spirit Dyes Does anybody have opinions on this? Bag Kote VS. Resolene VS. Wyosheen (Neatlac) These tend to be the main contenders. How many coats of each work for you? Has anyone used Wyosheen thinned with lacquer thinner in an airbrush? Has anyone ever combined 2 of these, in separate coats or otherwise? Airbrushing VS. Hand Dyeing So far, it is my hypotheses that hand dyeing is much better than using an airbrush. With an airbrush, the dye only sits on the surface no matter how much you apply! This seems so odd to me. I have read somewhere on Leatherworker.net that the solvent in the dye evaporates in the air leaving mostly pigment once the dye gets to the leather. This makes sense as to why the dye does not penetrate the surface at all! This has also been the result of some smaller experiments of mine. Have other people discovered this before? Any other thoughts would be very helpful and I will certainly post all results!

I was using Bag Kote then decided to try some Wyosheen. I first had a problem with Fiebing's Oil dye rubbing off the moment I applied the Wyosheen. I started using Fiebings spirit dyes only after that. The look and feel of the result is great with Wyosheen but it doesn't seem to be sealing dye into the flesh side as well as Bag Kote. Has anyone else done comparisons of these finishes side by side? I have read all over Leatherworker.net and haven't found anyone who can offer real comparisons with these products. I do find people often have different results but I love the look and feel of Wyosheen and wish I could get it to seal dye into the flesh side better. A few old timers I have ran into at the leather store say Neatlac (Wyosheen) is the greatest stuff there is, but maybe I am doing it wrong. I have tried applying it with a sponge, wool, and cloth, with thick and thin coats. Also, does anybody on here do multiple coats with Neatlac or Wyosheen?

Wow. This is very curious. This has happened to me with 5 different Fiebings Oil dyes and none of the spirit dyes. Has anyone else used Wyosheen with Fiebings professional oil dyes? I am not using any oil on the leather, just letting the dye dry for a day then applying the Wyosheen. I definitely believe you Terry, but I am wondering if anyone else has any input/experience with these two products. And Terry, are you referring to Wyosheen specifically or the original Neat Lac?

I am not referring to ruboff here. I am talking about the sealant (WyoSheen) actually chemically removing the dye while it is being applied wet. This is two very different things. As I said, I am talking about "when" applying it, not "after" applying it. While on the subject, I have experimented with buffing but have not found it to make a difference. From my experience, the sealant either works or it doesn't. With WyoSheen, I have not gotten any ruboff except with black dye. I am now getting drum dyed black veg tan leather from Tandy's and when I use Wyosheen on that I don't have any problems.

I am making some straps and they are each dyed different colors. I wanted to make sure the dye doesn't rub off so I ordered some Wyosheen. I love this stuff!!! The only thing is I wish someone on here had posted before that it does not work with Fiebings Professional Oil dyes. It works beautifully with the regular Fiebings Spirit Dyes, but unfortunately I have about $100 invested in Professional Oil dyes that just rub right off the second the Wyosheen touches it.

Does anyone know if dye will set better on the flesh side if I dye before oiling? I have tried olive oil. It's true it didn't quite darken as much but it also didn't take to the leather as well. It left the leather feeling greasy. I think I will get some of the Bee Natural next. The only problem I have with the bag balm is you say it is the last step. I need something that will condition the leather before I put buckles on and do the burnishing because I've found it is much better to have the leather already conditioned for those steps. Thanks for the advice everyone.

I have been reading up on Leatherworker.net for almost a month now, and playing around a lot to find the process that "works best for me." I am having a great time doing it and I'm so thankful for all the great advice! I hope I can provide some of my own one day. Anyhow, I am making camera straps. My process right now is: 1. Cut strips, punch holes, 2. Oil with Neatsfoot Oil and let dry overnight 3. Edge and burnish with saddle soap 3. Dye with Feibings spirit dye and let dry overnight 4. Apply Bag-Kote with T-Shirt material and let dry for 24 hours 5. Buff to smooth out any weird edges 6. Apply 2nd layer of Bag-Kote with foam brush, let dry for 24 hours 7. Buff to nice feel/finish If anyone has any thoughts on this or other things to try, please let me know. My first question is whether there is an oil I can use that won't darken the leather? I am having a hard time getting the color I want. Even the thinnest amount of Neatsfoot seems to darken the leather so much that using a light brown spirit dye gives me a very dark brown result. I am going to try some Lexol conditioner tomorrow and see if that works. The Bee Natural stuff I have read about seems way too expensive... but is it worth it? If it's worth it I will get it. Next question. Is there a better time to oil? Some people at Oregon Leather told me I don't need to oil at all, but if I don't oil I hate the result I get. The oil step makes the leather feel how I want it to. They also said I shouldn't oil before dyeing, while a lady at Tandy said I should oil before dyeing. What are your thoughts? And if I use Lexol, is it still OK to oil before dyeing? Does it cause the dye to not stay as well? Thanks so much!