Natural Looking Finish For Natural Veg. Tanned Leather?

[teufelszeug leatherwork]

hello everyone,

i've got a problem in finding the right finish for my leather projects:

i'm mainly using natural, non-colored & non-finished veg. tanned cow hides. so far i didnt put a finish on my projects because i love the way the leather darkens by sun light & sweat when worn.

but after a couple of months i'm really concerned with water stains or some dye my purse absorbed from a new pair of jeans.

that's why i decided to put a finish on my next projects, but i dont want to miss out on the "sunbathing effect".

so i'm looking for something that still allows the leather to absorb the sun light, but is waterproof and doenst make it look like plastic.

is there anything like this on the market or do i have to sun bath my leatherwork prior to putting on a finish?

another fact that doesnt make it easier is that i'm living in Germany. and unfortunately we dont have access to all the wonderful leather products you have, we only import a few of the dyes and finishes.

here's a list with what is available from our retailers:

from fiebing's: resolene, antique finish, bag kote

eco-flow: satin-shene, all-in-one stain & finish

and we have bees & carnauba wax, plus leather-oil (something similar to neatsfoot oil)

i also added some pictures showing the sunbathing effect i'm talking about.

thank you in advance!

Jan

Edited July 24, 2010 by teufelszeug leatherwork

[rdb]

The standard for "sunbathing", is a coat of neatsfoot, and rub to a slight polish when dry. It will darken the leather more than a product called Lexol, which will also work.

The products you mentioned are all top coats that put a protective finish on the final product after your sun tan. They all work to different degrees, and different shines. By experimentation, You will have to determine yourself which one will fit your planned looks.

[Jimbob]

hello everyone,

i've got a problem in finding the right finish for my leather projects:

i'm mainly using natural, non-colored & non-finished veg. tanned cow hides. so far i didnt put a finish on my projects because i love the way the leather darkens by sun light & sweat when worn.

but after a couple of months i'm really concerned with water stains or some dye my purse absorbed from a new pair of jeans.

that's why i decided to put a finish on my next projects, but i dont want to miss out on the "sunbathing effect".

so i'm looking for something that still allows the leather to absorb the sun light, but is waterproof and doenst make it look like plastic.

is there anything like this on the market or do i have to sun bath my leatherwork prior to putting on a finish?

another fact that doesnt make it easier is that i'm living in Germany. and unfortunately we dont have access to all the wonderful leather products you have, we only import a few of the dyes and finishes.

here's a list with what is available from our retailers:

from fiebing's: resolene, antique finish, bag kote

eco-flow: satin-shene, all-in-one stain & finish

and we have bees & carnauba wax, plus leather-oil (something similar to neatsfoot oil)

i also added some pictures showing the sunbathing effect i'm talking about.

thank you in advance!

Jan

Ahhhaaa, mal schoene Gruesse nach Erfurt!!

Von einem Schwaben mit DDR Hintergrund...( Sachsen)

Na was du da so aufgezaehlt hast ist fast alles von Fiebings und das bekommst du nun heutzutage fast alles auf der Deutschen Internet....das mit dem Neatsfootoil ist nix anderes als Knochen oil und das gibt es beim Schuster oder Sattler in Deutschland...Das mit dem Lexol da bin ich mir nicht sicher...bin 1993 "abgehauen" hahaha...hier in den guten alten USA gibt es natuerlich alles sowas in Huelle und Fuelle.

Erstmal einen leichten Anstrich mit Neatsfoot oil, dann am naechsten Tag nochmal...nicht zu dick auftragen und nich erschrecken...sieht erst echt boese aus trocknet aber dann OK....ja und dann kann man nach ein paar Tagen ein farbloses Wachs auftragen fertig!

Das kann dann schoen patina aufsetzen....ich habe Taschen die 15 Jahre alt sind und schoen alt ausehen!!

Mit den Tankote oder Bag kote, das ist flexibler Acryl anstrich, funkt prima wenn du das Leder oder details schuetzen musst....hat aber mehr protection und somit dauert der patina Efekt etwas laener....funkt aber genauso!!

Wichtig ist das original Leder zu versiegeln, mit Oil, Dye oder Acryl coat....sonst sieht das Gute Stueck wie durch den Dreck gezogen aus, und dass nach ein paar Tagen...hehe...rate mal warum ich das weiss...

Also wenn du mehr info brauchst dann klingel mal oder e-mail.

Gruesse aus SW -Virginia von einem Waschechten Schwaben der perfect Saechsisch kan, haha

Aloha!!!

www.berkheimarts.com

[bex DK]

We pretty much only use a leather grease/cream that contains beeswax. You can probably find something similar in a horse tack store, because it and leather oil are the two main treatments for saddles and other leather tack. The beeswax in it helps a little more with resisting water, but it is still quite natural. My husband's wallet that I made a few years ago has a really nice patina now and it has only been treated as needed with the leather grease/cream/butter/whatever. In Danish it is called "læderfedt".

[js5972]

Tandy Super or Satin Sheen is probably the easiest to work with. I like Feibing Saddle Lac for a spray if you can get it. i would think that anything clear will let some sunlight through over time.

[teufelszeug leatherwork]

i just finished a belt with resolene as the top coat, but i'm not sure whether i like it or not. For once it really seals the leather, it's almost like an armor, so there's no danger of having water stains. But afterwards the leather just doenst really feel like leather anymore, even though i just put on two thin coats of resolene. after putting on the first coat i was quite shocked because the resolene left lots of streaks. when i was finished with the second layer the result was way better, despite you can still make out the streaks when having a closer look. ( applied it with a damp sponge)

i also got myself some leather wax containing bees & carnauba wax... but that one's for the bin... water protection not existent, only softens the leather.

i guess i have to experiment a little more..

to get a sunbathed look i simply decided to hang the belt outside for a couple of days

[bex DK]

How much water protection do you need? We ride often in the sea with our saddles that are only treated with the beeswax without problems. We don't have the tack swimming, but it gets splashed plenty. Water usually just beads up and drips off. No signs of damage. We rinse when we get home with fresh water to remove the salt.

You do need to use a good bit of it. Put on a good layer, let it sit so it gets absorbed, then buff well. Some risk of extra wax settling in the tooled areas, so you may need to buff a little more or consider other options for heavily tooled projects.

You could say it is water resistant but not water proof.