How to finish a belt

[WiscoSam]

Looking for advice on how to finish a hand tooled, hand stitched belt. For my past belts i've done steps in this order:

1) Once belt is tooled, put a light coat of neatsfoot oil
2) Dye belt using Eco-Flo gel antique
3) Stich belt with wax thread
4) 2 coats resolene on grain side
5) Aussie wax on flesh side

What i've noticed doing it this way is that the resolene will crack after awhile. I've also noticed some dye rub-off onto jeans (although I think the aussie wax helps). I know a lot of people will dye their belt then use antique paste, but I kind of like the way the gel antique looks. I'm asking if anyone has recommendations on different products to use or a different order than I've shown above. The belts will get lots of where so something to seal/protect would be helpful.

 

Thanks

[Burkhardt]

1) Are you using a resist before putting on the antigue gel? If so what?

2) What do you mean by the color the antique leaves without dyeing?

3) Are you diluting the resolene at all or using straight out of the bottle?

4) What do you mean by getting dye rubbing off onto the jeans? Are you putting the gel on the front and back of the belt or where is the rub-off coming from?

 

[WiscoSam]

Hey thanks for the reply. I am not using any sort of resist. After I oil the belt with neatsfoot oil I let that sit for a day or so, then apply the gel antique to both sides of the strap. I wipe it off to get that antique look, that’s the color I mentioned that I like above. So whereas I think a lot of folks will use a pro dye, then an antique paste, I simply use the gel antique. And once the gel dries, for the flesh side I use Aussie wax to seal and condition, but I’m still seeing some dye bleed onto jeans.
I do dilute the resolene some, mainly I just wet my dauber before dipping it in the bottle. 
 

There’s probably better products in different order than I’m doing, but there’s so much stuff out there I’m not sure 

[Dwight]

If your resolene is cracking . . . you are doing it wrong.

It needs to be diluted 1 to 1 with a good . . . clean . . . water.  Mix it well.

Then use a little 1 inch bristle brush and brush it on like it was a cheap paint.  As you brush . . . you should have enough liquid to form a sort of bubbling foam . . . and you just brush that foam out . . . left, right, up, down, left sideways, right sideways . . . brush it until you have a semi dry surface.

Do that on both sides of the belt . . . wait 24 hours . . . and if you want . . . Aussie wax will make it shine.

There will be no rub off if you do it this way . . . and do it right.

I've made and sold belts for 20 years this way . . . no problems so far.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Burkhardt]

22 hours ago, WiscoSam said:

Hey thanks for the reply. I am not using any sort of resist. After I oil the belt with neatsfoot oil I let that sit for a day or so, then apply the gel antique to both sides of the strap. I wipe it off to get that antique look, that’s the color I mentioned that I like above. So whereas I think a lot of folks will use a pro dye, then an antique paste, I simply use the gel antique. And once the gel dries, for the flesh side I use Aussie wax to seal and condition, but I’m still seeing some dye bleed onto jeans.
I do dilute the resolene some, mainly I just wet my dauber before dipping it in the bottle. 
 

There’s probably better products in different order than I’m doing, but there’s so much stuff out there I’m not sure 

As suspected you're doing everything wrong from the way the products are intended. After you tool, stamp whatever, you should have the back already taped to avoid any stretching from any tooling. Leaving the back taped protects it from getting antique on it for a cleaner finished belt which you could dye but don't use antique on the back. As @Dwight said above dilute the resolene 50/50 with water. To antique something as its intended use oil first, then put a coat of resolene on it and let it sit/dry. That's when you apply antique then remove right after. That's why antique comes in so many different shades is it high lights tooled or stamped pieces to almost black in back grounded areas then the non tooled parts should turn the color of the antique you pick so if you get antique on the edges is fine just buff with canvas or old denim.  If you want to dye the back use dye, even then after it dries you should buff it with canvas. Either way don't wax the backside of the belt. Then apply another coat of resolene over the antique, edges and backside or something like Tokonole then use a slicker to smooth out the backside.

[Burkhardt]

Also wanted to say in case you didn't know that by putting the resolene on first is what's considered a resist in case you thought the resist meant a different product. Any other questions let me know. And about dyeing before antiqueing is to bring the whole thing to that color and not by where antique sticks that's why you see people dye the background is to have the background really dark and what's left so it's high lighted more. Go to about the 5 min mark for dyeing back ground if you haven't seen it done before.