Finish

[Shorts]

So you guys are air brushing the Resolene? I have been wondering what was the best way to apply the finish without having brush marks or bristles in the finish. Since it is kinda thick it tends to pull the bristles out of my brushes.

Dip or airbrush yield great results for me. When I tried the dauber I got streaks galore and the Resolene kicked my tail

I also use full strength so I know what you mean about thick. Kinda reminds me of milk.

[ABC3]

1Man;

I own 5 or 6 of the Milt Sparks holsters & I can see what you mean. The finish it seems to me is in the order of Bag Kote. More of a satin finish. The leather is soft which leads me to think that would be neatsfoot oil. What gets me is the way Tony ends up with the perfect edges he has. He must have a trick to burnishing. All of this is from an untrained eye so don't take it as gospel.

SOSHorse;

I too use the cheap 1" brushes for my finish coats and find that the bristles do come out. So I have gone to using a sponge and the finish is much nicer. Still thinking about the "air brush".

[1Man]

1Man;

I own 5 or 6 of the Milt Sparks holsters & I can see what you mean. The finish it seems to me is in the order of Bag Kote. More of a satin finish. The leather is soft which leads me to think that would be neatsfoot oil. What gets me is the way Tony ends up with the perfect edges he has. He must have a trick to burnishing. All of this is from an untrained eye so don't take it as gospel.

SOSHorse;

I too use the cheap 1" brushes for my finish coats and find that the bristles do come out. So I have gone to using a sponge and the finish is much nicer. Still thinking about the "air brush".

Hallaloujah!! I'm not crazy! There definetely something different about the finish on their holsters. I did send them an email by the way to see if they would give me an idea of what they are doing. We'll see what happens..

As for the Acrylic, this is the method I use and it works well. Use a 1" foam brush to slather the acrylic on. Both inside and out. Use a thin coat on the inside since it's hard to get back in there. Let the acrylic work it's way around for about a minute and then use a moist sponge to come back and smooth it out and pick up the excess. I usually opt for about a 4"x4" square and dip the sponge in some water and ring it out. Then I'll sort of smack the surface of the holster in different directions to get the excess off without leaving streaks. If you push too hard, then you'll inevitably leave streaks and want to hurt yourself. Let it dry and come back with another coat using the same technique. Rinse off the sponge every couple of strokes to keep it from becoming saturated with acrylic.

Not exactly a science but it works for me and I've been able to avoid the streaky acrylic issue. I think the trick with acrylic is to use a damp sponge to work it around and once you get it to the point that you like LEAVE IT ALONE. If you keep going as the acrylic get's tacky, then you're just going to make a mess and you mine as well just soak your sponge, wipe it off, let it dry and try it again.