Tried new finishing technique with Mop & Glo

[DeWayne Hayes]

Made another holster for one of my long barrel Glocks and this time I tried a different finishing technique. 

Usually, I stain with Fiebings Pro Dye, then the next day apply Fiebings Leather Balm + Atom Wax. I love the waxy sheen but a wax finish is not particularly water repellent, and for an outdoor holster (woods gun), I felt like I needed to do more. 

I experimented on an older messed up holster finished with the Balm/Wax and mixed up a dish of Mop & Glow diluted 50/50 with water. 

I really wasn't sure how the watery M&G would react on top of a waxy finish. Would it just roll off? As you know, water and wax aren't supposed to mesh. 

To my absolute delight, it went on wet with a foam brush, then fairly quickly soaked in and deposited the acrylic layer perfectly, with no streaking or any negative side effects. no color change. Feels like a Mop & Glo finish now, but buffed right back to a pretty nice sheen. Not an intense waxy gloss, but somewhere in between. 

I was delighted. This stuff definitely beads water better than the wax alone. In other words, if I let water sit on the pure wax, it doesn't take long to penetrate the leather. With the M&G, the water beads and will eventually penetrate, but I have longer to wipe it off without penetration. That's about as good as I need. If I get caught in rain, I want to be able to wipe off the leather and then cover it up without staining. 

Now, here's another benefit I found. This particular double shoulder I got from Tandy leather. About half the shoulder was really nice and smelled of that delicious veg tan, baseball glove new shoe smell - the rest was more wrinkly and had a distinct farmyard smell after wet molded (smelled like cow sh*t to be honest). Not nice. The messed up holster I tested on was the worst, for some reason - really a nasty odor. So, I used the M&G on the inside of the holster too, applied with a brush. Dried nicely, and apparently sealed in the stink, because now the holster just smells slightly lemony!  No more cattle yard smell. 

I think this is an interesting tool for both topcoats and interiors - I'm happy with it! 

If anything, I think the wax layer helps prevent the M&G from streaking, and that alone is worth it, in my opinion. 

[Mablung]

Thanks for the writeup. That's really interesting, and a good advertisement for using Mop & Glow as an acrylic finish for those who want a leather-appropriate and highly effective finish. I may have to get some for some knife sheaths I'm making.

I also appreciate someone who also appreciates a good pistol optic. 

Edited January 3, 2024 by Mablung

[DeWayne Hayes]

Just for testing purposes, I reapplied a second coat to the test holster just now, and it dried nicely, depositing even more acrylic, I'm sure. Always scary when that watery mess goes on and turns the leather dark in spots, but within minutes it's dried and back to normal. 

And yes, I never was into the red dots, but my aging eyes are finding them to be quite helpful!  Made this holster specifically to accommodate the optic. 

D

Edited January 3, 2024 by DeWayne Hayes

[DieselTech]

Looks great! Thanks for the info & test. It's nice to know it works soo nicely. 

At least I can find it in the stores & have a sealer option during winter. 

Thanks. 

[Frodo]

I am a fan of M&G

try this

black shoe polish on your edge ( burnish)  and M&G as a sealer

[Dwight]

Used to be a fellow on here . . . Katsass I believe was his handle . . . and he did a bucket of M&G . . . and dunked his holsters in it.  He swore by it.

He was down in Arizona or New Mexico I think . . . was always laying out the holsters in the sun to darken them.

May God bless,

Dwight

[MarlinDave]

I use 2 coats of 50-50 mop and glow and water on new stuff. Not overly shiny, does seal in odor pretty well. 

[Handstitched]

3 hours ago, Frodo said:

try this

black shoe polish on your edge ( burnish)  

Ours minds are truly aligned  friend  . Something I've been doing for quite a while. It helps to fill in any imperfections along the edge after sanding.   I try to use up  the old hard bits in the tin . I don't use any sealer after application , I just use a lot of the ol' elbow grease to get a nice shine.  When doing multiples, the less work the better. 

HS

[Frodo]

3 minutes ago, Handstitched said:

Ours minds are truly aligned  friend  . Something I've been doing for quite a while. It helps to fill in any imperfections along the edge after sanding.   I try to use up  the old hard bits in the tin . I don't use any sealer after application , I just use a lot of the ol' elbow grease to get a nice shine.  When doing multiples, the less work the better. 

HS

Lol. Yep,  use the old hard pieces 

I hsve been trying to come up with a recipe for diy shoe polish,  so far not found it yet

[Handstitched]

4 minutes ago, Frodo said:

I hsve been trying to come up with a recipe for diy shoe polish,  so far not found it yet

Just search for shoe polish recipes , or ' how shoe polish was made' .

Just don't go for ' Mrs Beetons' shoe polish, it will most likely kill you as it contains sulfuric acid.  

HS

[DeWayne Hayes]

Does the M&G over the black shoe polish keep the shoe polish from rubbing off on clothing?  I'm guessing it does. 

[chiefjason]

I wax mine then dip twice in M&G.  Been doing that almost 10 years.  I usually do one coat of atom wax last.  After 2 coats the finish is kind of dull and the atom wax brings back just enough shine but not enough to look like its plastic.  Probably overkill but it works for me and everyone likes the look.  

[chuck123wapati]

5 hours ago, Frodo said:

Lol. Yep,  use the old hard pieces 

I hsve been trying to come up with a recipe for diy shoe polish,  so far not found it yet

here is a start 

[Frodo]

Woot woot !!!  Thank you !!!

[Frodo]

4 hours ago, DeWayne Hayes said:

Does the M&G over the black shoe polish keep the shoe polish from rubbing off on clothing?  I'm guessing it does. 

I have never had a problem

[DeWayne Hayes]

I just love the look AND feel of waxed leather - like a nice pair of dress shoes.  So, I consider this combo of wax and M&G to be a great "best of both worlds" ... I'm not exactly getting the feel of pure wax, but I'm getting almost the same shine, with the great value add of waterproofing provided by the acrylic.  Good combo and easy, durable finish for novices like myself. 

I've just been going back and doing all my holsters and knife sheaths. Easy to add to an old project. 

[Frodo]

I was fooling around last night with shoe polish because of this thread

I stamped a piece of leather then used dried polish as a rub.  Applied with my finger and rubbed the buffed

then I used tan kote to seal

 

this is just a fool around scrap I find the outcome to be an interesting look

polish is kiwi black

[chuck123wapati]

34 minutes ago, Frodo said:

I was fooling around last night with shoe polish because of this thread

I stamped a piece of leather then used dried polish as a rub.  Applied with my finger and rubbed the buffed

then I used tan kote to seal

 

this is just a fool around scrap I find the outcome to be an interesting look

polish is kiwi black

very nice antique effect for sure. That is a great tip.