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Guys & gals I'm wondering? Can Tandy Eco Flo Super Sheen be used as a antiquing resist? I'm wanting to use the Fiebings antique gel & curious if this is possible. I'm curious if is leave it full strength or dilute/thin it to 50/50. Thanks.

Hi, I have recently started increasing my leatherworking and as such have been using different dyes and started really embossing leather. Previously I would only have used Eco-Flo gel Antique on embossed leather as it sits nice in the grooves and darkens them. However, having watched several how to videos I am now experimenting with using normal dyes (currently have a Fiebings Waterstain that I am using) and then using a finish to darken the groves of the embossed bits. In the video I watched they used Fiebings Antique Stain finish but I cannot seem to get the black version of that anywhere online for a decent price (I am in Dublin, Ireland). So instead I got Eco-Flo gel antique black as from what I can tell they do the same thing. Here comes my problem, I tried it out on a small piece of leather that I stamped a little, Dyed it green with the waterstain and then applied the gel after it dried and tried to wipe the excess off straight away but it didn't really come off and just left a black smear over the green. I applied it with a dense sponge and wiped it off with a kitchen towel wrapped around a sponge. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a difference between the two antiques and should I keep looking for the fiebings one? Hopefully somebody can help as I really want to start using more colours but the whole idea of embossing is to get that nice dark vs light effect. Cheers, Jelle

Hi everyone, I need some opinions. The top picture is my new project. This is my fourth wallet ever and I’m really happy with how the design turned out. Still of course working on my stamping but who isn’t. So now im at the dying phase and I’m a little stuck cause I don’t want to ruin it. I’m going to antique it but I definitely want to highlight the fish. Maybe even add colour? So I need opinions. What would you block, where and why? Also I need help to get my dying look more consistent. I’ll put some examples of my previous work so you know where I’m at. I he first pic is my project. The last colourful one was done all in dye... except the white of course. I have a hard time not complicating things. It’s like if I’m not striving to be professional why am I doing this at all.

Hello I'm wondering if anyone has successfully used Acrylic Resolene on top of Tan Kote. The reason I'm asking is that, after I apply a 50/50(resolene water) coat on top of my tooled and dyed test project (dyed using fiebings spirit dyes), and then apply fiebings antique paste, allow to dry thoroughly, buff, and add a sealing layer of 50/50 resolene, it lifts quite a bit of the antique. I've done some research and have found that to be common, and many suggest using neatlac and tan kote combinations etc. But I'm a creature of habit and acrylic resolene has treated me well over the years with spirit dyes, I know how it ages, it's limits etc, and I'm hesitant to change my top finish, thus I'm wondering if anyone has used tan kote to seal the antique(recommended in many topics regarding antiquing here) in combination with resolene. Of course I will be experimenting, but it can be hard to know if something works well down the road, like the finish lifting or cracking, it may look good now and for a few months but I worry about such a combination failing Cheers! -Cheyenne

Hello everybody! I have a few seats left in several classes. I will be excepting walk-ins in "Antiquing & Finishes", "Burnishing" and "Exotic Inlays", so if you're on the fence or decide to change your mind, You're welcome to attend (until the room is full...first come first serve). See you there!!!!

I am making a dog collar that I would like to paint, dye and finish the whole collar with Eco-Flo Tan Antique Gel. I am using Angelus paints and dyes. I was wondering if there is a common order in which these steps are done or if it can vary depending on desired effect? I am guessing the Angelus dyes will not work over the Eco-Flo antique gel or become too dark to see the color. I may just paint the specific areas as I don't have any resist to keep the colored dye areas from the Antique Gel. Thank you.

I am building a picture frame using 4 straps laced together at the 45 degree corners. I tooled in an arrowhead design using a basketweave tool. I wanted to use an antique finish so I started with two practice straps before moving to the actual project. After tooling I conditioned the practice strips with Fiebing’s Neatsfoot Oil Compound which immediately darkened the leather. After an overnight dry I followed the directions on the Bee Natural RTC bottle for antiquing. I applied another coat of Neatsfoot oil, I didn’t have any Leathercare #1 Saddle Oil, let it set for 3 hours followed by a coat of RTC as a resist on ½ of each practice strap, let it dry for one hour and applied Fiebing’s Antique Finish; Medium Brown on one strap and Mahogany on the other. The finish immediately combined with the RTC and uniformly stained the leather. There was no resisting on the raised areas and no amount of buffing could bring the stain off. I could not tell where I had applied the RTC compared to the area with no treatment. This was not the look I wanted so after reading some of the other posts I modified the sequence on the actual straps used for the project. I wanted to keep the leather as natural as possible before antiquing so after tooling I treated the 4 straps with Bickmore Bick 4 as it is the only conditioner I have found that will not darken the leather. The problem with Bick 4 is that it goes on like lotion and builds up a residue in the deeply tooled areas. After drying I had to take a brush to remove the residue. The second coat of Bick 4 soaked in much better and left very little residue. As I had read on other posts, I applied the RTC and allowed it to dry overnight. RTC is very watery and soaks into the deep cuts as well as the raised areas. I applied a second coat of RTC and allowed it to dry for 2 days. I applied the Antique Finish which seemed to work as it should until removing the finish from the raised areas. As I wiped the finish off, the RTC also came off in some of the raised areas. It peeled off the leather in thin sheets just like sunburned skin. I got the antique look but it looks old and weathered with still too much staining on the raised areas. It looks more like a bad job of staining than a good job of antiquing. Has anyone else had similar problems with RTC?