get a good antique job

[bustedlifter]

Has anyone tried the new Eco-Flo Gel Antiques? Just wondering how this formula stacks up...

I've used it on a couple projects now. It applies very nice but, doesn't wipe off as well. Even over Tankote it leave a strong color after wiping (immediately). Now, I do like the look and will continue to use but, I don't get as much contrast as I would like. Continuing to experiment though. Previously I've been using paste.

Regis

Try thinning it out with some water, I've been screwing around with that and it seems to work quite well.

[howardb]

I love not knowing what the heck I am doing. I get to make mistakes & learn from them.

I got some free stuff at the IFOLG show, so I am using what I have. I got a bottle of the Tandy eco flo gel antique and it's dark brown. Wear gloves with this stuff! I keep forgetting and end up with brown finger stains. Ewwww.

Attempt #1 - gel antique directly onto tooled leather. I got a dark brown (almost black) piece of leather with zero highlights. Good thing it was a scrap learning piece... I've sinced tossed it.

Attempt #2 - stained a piece with saddle tan (Tandy eco flo stain), and then two coats of bag cote (it's what I have). The saddle tan left some nice hilights all by itself, but I was on a mission. Now the gel antique. Flowed it on, wiped off the excess (damp sponges), and then buffed with a wooly thing.

Left - saddle tan stain & bag cote. Right - same plus antique gel stain. I can see that I didn't get it worked in very well, but here you go.

Brent

[Pip]

i like feibings antique finish, does exactly what it says on the tin, but pongs a bit!

[Leather Bum]

Ah yes, this is one of my favorite leathercraft topics. . . But remember, I'm no expert; I just have a few thoughts.

I was asking around about the best way to get a good antique job and this was the answer.

After stamping and letting the leather dry use lexol to open pours of the piece.

Though I've never used the Lexol this way (actually, I've never owned Lexol), it seems to me like a good idea; my thinking is that it seems good to kind of replenish the oils in the leather after casing/tooling.

After the lexol

spray/sponge your stain on. After staining and letting it dry and buffing use a resist like leather balm/resolene.

Now IMHO, here is where stains and dyes are somewhat confused. Did you mean, "spray/sponge your dye on"? As far as I know, one of the differences between dyes and stains is that dyes penetrate and color the leather pretty uniformly (or they should), whereas stains -- while they do color the leather -- dry slower and tend to highlight the impressions or other marks in the leather. Another important difference is that there aren't very many leather products that can keep a dye from soaking into the leather (that I know of at least ), while many finishes (Super/Satin Shene, Bee Natural RTC, Leather Sheen, Tan Kote, etc.) will (in differing degrees sometimes) "resist" or keep stain from soaking into and coloring the leather. So to me, it makes more sense to use a dye first followed by either a stain (to accentuate the carving, while at the same time darkening all the leather) or a finish (resist) and then maybe a stain. . .

After the resist drys put your antique on wiping off excess and allowing to dry then buff. Put another coat of

finish on the piece and buff to shine.

That sounds about like what most people recommend. . . However, I'm never sure what is meant by the phrase, "wipe off the excess antique, and allow to dry." Here's my thinking: if you put a resist all over the leather (carving), does this not, in effect, resist the stain? But if you resist the stain, it can't soak into and color the leather, right? So if you then "wipe off the excess antique," there isn't any left to dry -- unless, of course, you only remove the antique from the raised areas, allowing it to stay in the tool depressions (beveled, pear-shaded, veined, etc. areas) and dry. And that is where the trouble (for me, anyway :) begins; because if the stain does not soak into the leather, it can sometimes crack and come off the surface of the leather if it is bent -- it never soaked in much, so it's just sitting there on top.

Edited December 1, 2007 by Leather Bum

[Leather Bum]

1) If i put the resist on the entire piece wouldn't it stop the antique from working properly

IMO, you are exactly right. Of course, unless the resist is really strong or you apply several coats, the stain will probably still color the leather somewhat. But I've never known it to have the contrast I want: either it is too light where I want it dark (tool impressions etc. aren't colored much), or it is too dark where I want it light (plain, un-tooled, raised areas end up stained too dark).

2) How should I be putting the resist on? ( sponge,spray,wood block with tshirt on it etc ...

You know, I'm not really sure on that one. I'm thinking a wool douber, wool scrap, or sponge would work for coverage everywhere. I've never really sprayed finishes, but I'll bet it works well. A wood-block type of method (like block-dying?) would give good results if I could always get the resist only where I want it -- e.g. on the seeds but not on the low areas of a flower center.

3) How would you suggest wiping off the excess of antique? ( flat ruler with tshirt on it?)

If you have a resist down first and want the stain to just dry mostly on the top surface of the leather, then I'd say to carefully use paper towels or maybe a small, folded cloth to keep from swiping it out of the lower areas. However, if the stain can soak into the leather (there isn't something resisting it) and color it, I think removing all of the excess from the leather would be best -- to keep it from just drying on top since it may not all soak in. For this, I would try a towel/cloth of some sort to remove most of the stain/antique; then use a wool scrap to remove the stain from the cuts and other tool impressions.