Old Ben

Thanks for the tip. I've not tried that yet, but I will now.

King's X, I've only used veg tan from Tandy so far, just their inexpensive single shoulders. I wanted to get some practice stitching and dyeing on that before moving on to more expensive leather. Thanks for the tip on using EVOO, I'll give that a try.

I posted this in a different section of the forum before I realized that this is where I might get the answers I'm looking for, so here goes... I'm just getting started with dyeing and staining leather and I've noticed a significant stiffening of the leather after applying color. I've used both Fiebing's Oil Dye and Eco-Flo Waterstain and followed the directions for application with each product, using a slightly damp sponge with the Waterstain and a dauber with the dye. After the coloring I applied Fiebing's 4 Way leather conditioner (per the directions on the label), since the guys at my local Tandy store said that neatsfoot oil will darken the leather. It doesn't seem to do much in the way softening. I made a few key fobs that I've stained and they have softened up with use, but they have a weird, almost rubbery feel to them. To finish the pieces I rubbed on Carnauba Creme on the waterstained project and resolene on the dyed stuff. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong? Also, I'm assuming that oiling or conditioning should come before a finish of resolene or other sealer, but I'm not positive on that either. Any help is appreciated.

I'm just getting started with dyeing and staining leather and I've noticed a significant stiffening of the leather after applying color. I've used both Fiebing's Oil Dye and Eco-Flo Waterstain and followed the directions for application with each product, using a slightly damp sponge with the Waterstain and a dauber with the dye. After the coloring I applied Fiebing's 4 Way leather conditioner (per the directions on the label), since the guys at my local Tandy store said that neatsfoot oil will darken the leather. It doesn't seem to do much in the way softening. I made a few key fobs that I've stained and they have softened up with use, but they have a weird, almost rubbery feel to them. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong? Also, I'm assuming that oiling or conditioning should come before a finish of resolene or other sealer, but I'm not positive on that either. Any help is appreciated.