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Hello all! I'm making a costral/canteen for my wife and I'm looking at sealing it with melted beeswax (5oz veg tan) after wet-forming. Will acrylic paint adhere to waxed veg tan after it's sealed? I use Angelus leather paint. Cheers in advance Nathan Carlson Midgard Workshop

I'm making shoes. I am using milled veg-tan leather because this is what my teacher uses & I'm following along until I choose to make a different decision. I am going to dye the leather, but then I have to waterproof it. I bought some Fiebing's Resoline, which is an acrylic-based waterproofer that the sales person recommended because it will keep the leather supple and protect the dye while waterproofing. When I bought it, I didn't realize it was acrylic. Will the leather still accept regular shoe water-proofing after this? I usually Sno-Proof or mink-oil or some other oil-based protectant. Thanks!

Hello Helpful Members I have a client that has requested a custom knife sheath made from a synthetic material as frequently encounters wet conditions hich leathet may not be suitable. Anyone know of what is commonly used for this application? Any and all assistance will be greatly appreciated. Silverd

Hey y'all! I quite recently started working with leather, and I encountered something I wanted to ask people more knowledgeable than I am! I'm making a bag for toiletries, using quite thick leather (3-4 mm). I want the inside to be waterproof (so that it stand moisture from shower bottles, toothbrush etc), and I wonder if anyone has got some good ideas as to how that could be done? I have thought about adding a layer of water resistant fabric, or a layer of thin leather, but perhaps due to the leather being so thick (or perhaps simply because I am still not so good ), that looks really bad! Is there a good way to waterproof the flesh side of the leather so that it can stand some moisture?

hello everyone, Maybe you have some tip for me which finish is REALLY waterproof and also which colours have a vivid strong beautifull shades ? thank you for your help, wishing you nice sunday tia

I have a commission to cover two 3 foot vertical handles on the front door of a building located in Arizona. The door is north facing and exposed to the elements. Not sure if it receives any direct sun but could occasionally get wet and be exposed to 115 degree summer temperatures. I have considered oiled leather or latigo but the architects are looking for a better finish. I have a deadline to meet and don't have time to order a hide and have it skived and not sure if my shop table skiver would be viable to accurately cut 1 1/2" strips of latigo. The attached picture is the look and feel they are looking for. I decided to try using tung oil as a protectant on drum dyed veg tan leather as an option with a better finish. This was taken after the first application of Tung and a short drying period. The finish is dark and even after the second. It will be possible to have regular maintenance where a protectant can be applied or reapplied. Tung oil seems to fit the bill as it works well on wood and should dry hard, leaving the leather stiff and less likely to shift or unwind. The strips will be glued to the 1 1/2" handle with Barge. Any suggestions or commes welcome. Thanks! Bob

I was wondering what you guys would suggest for finishing/waterproofing a dog collar. So far I've only made items that won't really see much heavy use outdoors and I've been happy using super sheen on them(purses and small cases and such), I'm looking to make a collar for a working lab, so it's going to get wet and see a fair bit of use. I have super sheen, acrylic resolene, and feibings snow proof paste, could I use the snow proof paste as a finish in itself? or should I put it on top of one of the other finishes? I wouldn't want to use neatsfoot oil because I plan to colour it and it turns everything pretty dark. And could any one suggest how to protect the back side of the collar? I was thinking of sewing two pieces of leather together back to back to get the right thickness, could I use the same finish then on the back? Any help on this would be appreciated! Denene

Hi All, I know this topic had been covered a lot previously, and I've tried looking for the answers without posting a new topic, but I'd still like to get some input from you. I've recently started making leather watch straps. I like the results, and have no big problems with any of the techniques, except from dying and finishing. I am using veg tan leather for this. The challenge with watch straps is that the leather is in direct contact with skin, so perspiration causes some dye to bleed out of the leather. Going forward I will probably avoid dying the side that is in contact with skin (this is not the flesh side, as I am folding the leather when making straps), but even for the top side, I would like to lock in the color as much as possible, to avoid damaging the sleeves from the color bleed and rub off. Here are some of the questions I have regarding this: 1. If I use acrylic resolene for waterproofing, to prevent the water from penetrating the leather (to a certain degree), it should work the other way around as well, preventing the dye to bleed out. Is this correct? 2. Does using acrylic resolene or leather sheen provide permanent protection from dye bleed/rub off, or is it a treatment that needs to be repeated after certain periods of time? I am not too worried about waterproofing or leather conditioning, as this will be the concern for the person who purchases the product going forward. I am more concerned with locking in the dye. 3. Right now I am using Eco-Flo water based dye. Now that I am reading the posts I see that most people recommend using spirit dyes instead. I am happy with the visual results of water based color, just concerned with locking in the color. Does spirit/oil based dye provide better results when it comes to this? Will I get similar results when using resolene or sheen on water based dyes? 4. Any additional advice/comments regarding the subject are more than welcome. Thanks everyone! Dejan

Hi all, I have been coming here for help for a while now but this is my first post. I know you will all be able to help. I have a business selling leather dog collars, and I recently got some startling feedback from a customer. It seems that she bought one of my collars and after about a month of use it was very badly stretched, discolored and brittle. She apparently has a very active dog and it gets "heavy outdoor use" including being worn while swimming sometimes (not sure how often) and bathing. She did oil it several times to keep it conditioned, but still had very poor results with it. You can see from the before (not the exact collar) and after pics what it looked like. The black collar in the after pic is not one I made, only the undyed one. Here is some info about the construction of the collar: Leather is 6/7oz (I have since switched to 9/10oz) double shoulder from Tandy 1" wide with beveled edges No dye used, finished with 3 coats of Angelus Acrylic Finisher Good coating of Neetsfoot oil applied after finisher I am basically wondering what I can do differently (other than increasing thickness of leather since I already have done that) to make my collars last better. I have been in business for 4 years and have never had feedback of this nature before, so I don't know if it was the use of the collar or the production that was the problem. I have noticed that my undyed collars often feel more pliable than the dyed ones and have been wondering if the dye itself perhaps has some preservative qualities. Should I be using a neutral leather dye on collars that are not to be colored? Any info or tips you all could give would be appreciated.

Hi everyone, I've been lurking, enjoying reading your posts, but now I need your help. I made this ring for my husband today and wondered if anyone had any good advice on waterproofing it, I burnished it with some beeswax on a homemade mandrel mounted to my drill. I'm just not sure that would be enough, especially the inside that touches skin. Thanks so much for any help. ~ Misty