Search the Community

I have a split with a clear brand mark that I want to use to make a bag. The split is not hairy at all and is, in fact, pretty smooth but it is a bit rough, especially on the side that I want on the outside of the bag. The reverse side is smooth enough not to need any smoothening but the brand mark is not as clear. I burnished a couple of pieces of scrap with Tokonole and it burnishes well on both sides and looks great. I tried dyeing those pieces and they take the dye well too. I burnished after the dye and it does not come off either. I am a little hesitant to do that on the larger pieces though. Has anyone dyed their leather after Tokonole and what is your experience? It would help to know before I go ahead.

Hello. This is going to be a matter of opinion as there are so many options here. So I'm making a bunch of wallets for everyone for Xmas and I'm curious as to what type of finish I should use or rather what you all would use for a wallet. I'll give some background. The leather I'm using is a veg tan Korba buffalo calf from buckleguy. I'm getting the leather pre dyed (black and another color). Likely I'll burnish the edges with tokonole and beeswax. I guess I'm looking for a decent sheen, the more "luxurious" the better I guess (whatever "luxurious" means to you). What do you guys like to use? What oils do you guys like? Neatsfoot? Mink? So my plan is to use an oil like mink or neatsfoot then finish with tan kote unless someone has a better idea. I think that will be the look and feel that I'm going for. If anyone has any ideas that will help or even just some helpful info on what Im planning to use that would be great. Or even if you have a better idea all together. I'm all ears. Thank you for your time

Yesterday, I tested seven different finishes. These were applied over Fiebing’s Pro Mahogany. I was looking for: color change, level of gloss, flesh burnishing and waterproofing qualities. This report is not super organized and may contain errors but I think it conveys the basic results of my tests. I do not wish to spend more time to perfect it because it was a casual test anyway. I put two drops of water on each sample. After one minute, I wiped off one drop of water and let the other sit until it was completely absorbed (over an hour or two). I wanted to know the short term and long term water resistance of these products. When the samples were completely dry, I buffed them in attempt to “repair” them as much as possible, without re-treating them. Buffing did slightly improve their appearance. The damage actually came in the form of cratering. It appeared that the solution had evaporated completely off of the sample. The edge was easy to see and feel. The crater was approximately 1/20 of a millimeter deep. Resolene won the water test. It was completely waterproof. I had a thick coat on there. The color change was quite dramatic but Tan Kote was even more so. Tan Kote was second best. The one minute test showed damage only if the light was reflected off of it in just the right angle. The long term test was a little bit easier to detect but not too bad. Tan Kote resulted in the deepest color change. Shocking, actually. Very dark brown. Satin Shene was a surprising third. The short test did show a very slight discoloration and some loss in gloss. You could tell there was some damage but it was minimal. Color change was very significant. Gum Tragacanth and Tokonole were tied. More damage on both areas than Satin Shene. Sno Seal and Shoe Polish were by far the worst. I must qualify this by saying that I did not warm the leather, nor use multiple coats. I smeared on one coat, rubbed it in and buffed it off. The water damage on these looked like they had burned with a cigarette or like acid had eaten into them. Satin Shene, Tokonole and Gum Tragacanth were the easiest to work with and they all resulted in a very similar semi-gloss finish. Resolene and Tan Kote were sticky and impossible to apply smoothly with a dauber. An air brush would be a much better method of application for these two products. BTW, I did not thin them for this test. I know that is protocol but I am lazy. Both have superior water resistance to the other products tested. Tan Kote can be applied with a dauber and then quickly spread with a finger to smooth it out. This actually resulted in a nice smooth finish that was second in gloss to Resolene, and significantly glossier than the others. If for some odd reason, I could only have one product for flesh burnishing and top coat, Satin Shene, Tokonole and Gum Tragacanth would all work but I would go with Satin Shene, because it had slightly better short term water resistance and it was the best of all the products for burnishing the flesh side. I do not consider this testing to be definitive in any way as it was not scientific and I may get different results if done on different leather on a different day. nick Top row: Tan Kote, Resolene, Tokonole Bottom row: Gum Tragacanth, Satin Shene, Neutral Shoe Polish, Sno Seal

I'm new to leatherworking and at times I accidentally get a small amount of guar gum or tokonole on the top side of the leather. It affects how much dye or oil is absorbed. What can I do to clean the leather? And what is the best method of keeping the top side clean in order to prevent unwanted residue or scuff mark?

Up till now I've used water or Eco-Flo burnishing gum on leather. Then while looking for better products I came across Seiwa leathercraft tokonole burnishing gum. It's from Japan and looks more like white glue than a clear gel. It's much easier to apply and provides very quick results. 1 application is enough and it leaves a very even coat and color after burnishing. It's especially fast when you are trying to burnish a large area. I've noticed in Asia that this is the preferred product used by most leather professionals. Has anyone else in this forum tried this product before? I'd be curious of what you think? Anyways, if you are looking for a better solution for burnishing, give this one a try. I'm sold!