Cova Trouble

[DG Leather]

I am having problems with cova colors...I painted a piece with it and wghen i was rubbing, polishing, my black dye....my cova color came of in a flake....I had used super sheen on the cova t keep it on before dying surrounding area black then rubbing it to get the shine of the black....

is this maybe because the dye i used is fiebings and cova is tandy and the bit of black fiebings gets on the copva and takes it off due to chemical reaction?

perhaps cova came off cuz i was rubbing the cloth hard?

does cova colors ussually flake off?

any ideas to preven this?

or tips on using cova colors?

Thank you

[Storm]

I would suggest sticking to Tandy waterbased dyes if you are going to be using Cova dyes. But also remember that if you mix your own colors that you might as well use standard acrylic paints. They are way cheaper than Cova is. When I am using Cova/Acrylics I seal them with several coats of Super Shene This helps to protect them and maintain decent color quality. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that you were using spirit based Fiebings dyes or even oil based. This will lift and disintegrate the waterbased dyes.  You are better off using a water based antiques or the Eco Flo All In Ones.

But not to worry as it is a learning process and sometime they change the rules. Tandy's quality assurance leave much to be desired. Their attention to detail is is not always on the money. I have used the same dye on the same leather and come up with two different colors. It can be totally furstrating. Just keep on experimenting and it will all come out right.

Storm

[DG Leather]

Storm...

your right the fiebings was spirits and the cova did lift a few times which sucks...i finishe dthat piece...its a belt...i used cova on words cuz they were yellow and wanted it bright....then black fiebings..then when you buff it to shine it the black goes on the yellow and creats an antique look i like...that is not like antique gels....but i guess trhat is what screwed my cova and lifted some parts.....not sure...but if i found a yellow that was bright in fiebings that would be ok i assume..i should look into that perhaps...lol but i really wanted that acrylic type cova look for it....but i learnt my lesson lol...

[TomSwede]

I have used cova white on fiebings pr oil black and also had probs with lift when buffing but never flaking off. I dilute the cova very much and paint it in many layers. This was from the beginning because I wanted it to sin into the leather to preserve the good leather texture but also because I was worried about craking and flaking off with time and age, bracers get bent when you take them on and off so I figuredit waqs the best way to go BUT have admit...it takes so much time to get the paint that i almost cry when I hear customers mention black and white.

Tom

[DG Leather]

I have used cova white on fiebings pr oil black and also had probs with lift when buffing but never flaking off. I dilute the cova very much and paint it in many layers. This was from the beginning because I wanted it to sin into the leather to preserve the good leather texture but also because I was worried about craking and flaking off with time and age, bracers get bent when you take them on and off so I figuredit waqs the best way to go BUT have admit...it takes so much time to get the paint that i almost cry when I hear customers mention black and white.

Tom

Tom

Great advice!!!!

I will take it and try this on the next time...you dillute covas, from tandy, with water??? or perhaps I could use lexol leather conditioner?