I recently fell into the leather crafting world by telling myself it would be easier to just make the item than purchase one. $300 + dollars later in tools and supplies I engaged in making a custom pair of suspenders for my job ( Fire Dept.) I finished my first pair last night but I have doubts about the type of dye I used. Here are a few questions I have..
I originally bought the Eco-flo Pro water stain with an eco flo gloss finish... I ended up finding a deal on the Eco-Flo all in one prairie tan quart ($14 quart) and decided to use the tan with a black letter inlay.
I used the water stain black to dye the letters, and used the all in one prairie tan to cover the suspenders. I had issues getting a nice even coat, they came out a bit streaky, and had some dark sports on them ( i figure out it was from letting the dye sit to long before wiping it off)
My main worry is the dye bleeding for rubbing off while im using them.. its obvious that firefighter suspenders will come in contact with a lot of sweat and moisture.
1. How do you think the "all in one" will hold up over time?
2. Is there something else I can apply over it ( another gloss coat) or something to keep it from bleeding or rubbing off. ( i did dye both sides) 1st attempt was kind of messy and I didnt cover the back side before applying the dye and I decided to jsut go ahead and finish the under ( rookie mistake )I was originally jsut gonna do the sides and top .
3. Is there a way to condition the leather prior to stamping and dyeing to make the leather not as stiff? Or is there a way to condition it after, once the dye gloss has been added? I know they will break in eventually, but I wasn't sure if there was a way to make them more comfortable first time around
Thanks, I don't have any of the resolene, I may give the olive oil a try on some scrap pieces I finished first before I apply it to the suspenders. Thanks for the info.