Resoline Finish "cracking"

[CDMatherne]

Finished this holster a few days ago, this thing was a comedy of errors that I thought I had finally put to rest, but no...this afternoon I noticed what I believe to be cracking in the finish that wasn't there when the first photo was taken the day after finishing the thing.

Am I right about the finish, and if so how do you fix/prevent it in the future?

The holster is 8/9 oz leather, the overlay is ostrich stamped pigskin bonded to 8/9 oz. The leather finish is an airbrushed two tone dye (Frieblings British tan and Dk Brown) and finished with 3 coats of airbrushed resoline.

Any help is appreciated.

Chris

WIthout cracking...

two days later...

[Michele M]

Applied to thickly? Applied before the dye had time to fully dry?

[Dwight]

I am no expert on this stuff, for sure, . . . but I haven't yet found a holster that needed 3 coats of resolene.

I use 1 coat, . . . hand brushed, . . . 50/50 cut with tap water, . . . never had a problem with any of them.

I'm tempted to say you put in on too thick and too quickly. The stuff needs something in the neighborhood of 36 hours drying time before it is even close to being fully cured (unless you use some kind of drying oven, .............).

May God bless,

Dwight

[katsass]

Finished this holster a few days ago, this thing was a comedy of errors that I thought I had finally put to rest, but no...this afternoon I noticed what I believe to be cracking in the finish that wasn't there when the first photo was taken the day after finishing the thing.

Am I right about the finish, and if so how do you fix/prevent it in the future?

The holster is 8/9 oz leather, the overlay is ostrich stamped pigskin bonded to 8/9 oz. The leather finish is an airbrushed two tone dye (Frieblings British tan and Dk Brown) and finished with 3 coats of airbrushed resoline.

Any help is appreciated.

Chris

WIthout cracking...

two days later...

From the grumpy old man: It appears to me that you gobbed waaaay too much Resolene on you project. It is my opinion (and maybe mine only) that leather should look like leather.....NOT a plastic coated....thing. My advice; when using an airbrush for your finish, just mist on a light coat. You may even want to dilute the Resolene up to 50/50 with water. Wait until completely dry and mist on a second coat. I mean mist...just enough to slightly dampen the surface and then soak in completely. Stop.......allow to dry thoroughly. A nice light coat of neutral shoe polish rubbed in with your fingers (no rag) will warm the wax and assist it to penetrate the leather a bit. Allow it to mist over and buff to a low luster......which looks like leather should. Mike

[RWP]

i had that problem with the first holster i made turns out i used too much resolene a little too quickly the last 2 holsters i've done i decided trying to mix the resolene 50/50 with water and i just brushed it on with a wool dauber and it worked great no cracking yet. word of caution though if youre gonna put on more than one good coat you do want to let it dry in between applications i usually let it dry over night before i put another coat on

[CDMatherne]

Thanks for the feedback, hopefully stripping the finish and starting over will save this thing.

[steelhawk]

The only time I had a problem with the finish on a holster was when I put it on too thickly. I used 3 coats of super sheen on my first holster and it cracked and peeled.

I use two coats now, but the second coat is lighter than the first.

[bwillielv]

I just did this on a pair of fire suspenders. Looks like I overloaded the resoline. Oh well, live and learn.

[chiefjason]

And that is why I went to an oil and wax finish. I'm kind of like the grump above, lol. When I started off I thought I wanted to get that perfect, high shine look you see on a lot of holsters. After doing it a while, I realized I prefer the waxed finish instead. More of a subdued matt finish. That look says wear me. Shiny seems to say, gotta be careful with me. I want my stuff worn, everyday, all the time, and no worries about messing up that shiny finish.

To each their own though. They both have a place I guess.

[vaalpens]

And that is why I went to an oil and wax finish. I'm kind of like the grump above, lol. When I started off I thought I wanted to get that perfect, high shine look you see on a lot of holsters. After doing it a while, I realized I prefer the waxed finish instead. More of a subdued matt finish. That look says wear me. Shiny seems to say, gotta be careful with me. I want my stuff worn, everyday, all the time, and no worries about messing up that shiny finish.

To each their own though. They both have a place I guess.

My preference is neatsfoot oil and then leather balm with atom wax. I like the results but I'm not sure about the durability since I have just started working with leather a few months ago. You say you went to oil and wax, can you perhaps share what type of oil and wax you use to finish your projects? Thanks.

[chiefjason]

My preference is neatsfoot oil and then leather balm with atom wax. I like the results but I'm not sure about the durability since I have just started working with leather a few months ago. You say you went to oil and wax, can you perhaps share what type of oil and wax you use to finish your projects? Thanks.

I melt beeswax and neatsfoot oil together. 50/50 by weight. At one point I was using toilet bowl rings as the wax. Thanks to Dwight, I switched over to beeswax that I buy in a bar at Hobby Lobby. Check the candle section. I melt them together in a small crock pot and pour the mixture in a plastic container to store it. The end result is similar to shoe polish. If you want it thinner add a touch more oil. I rub the wax on the edges and outside of the holsters. Then I use a heat gun to open the leather pores to absorb the oil/wax mixture.

With the toilet bowl ring, I had to use atom wax because the finish was dull. With the beeswax bar, I don't need atom wax anymore. The finish is clear enough on it's own. It's every bit as effective as what you are doing. I find that it wears well and no issues with cracking. Basically, it's an old technique that has made a comeback. Kind of like a sno seal for boots.

Also, it doubles for burnishing wax too.

This is one I finished up the other day with just the oil/wax as the finish coat. FWIW, I do use 50/50 mop and glo as the finish on the inside. The oil will darken leather slightly and I want the more natural color left. And it's easier to apply the M&G on the inside of the holster.

[vaalpens]

I melt beeswax and neatsfoot oil together. 50/50 by weight. At one point I was using toilet bowl rings as the wax. Thanks to Dwight, I switched over to beeswax that I buy in a bar at Hobby Lobby. Check the candle section. I melt them together in a small crock pot and pour the mixture in a plastic container to store it. The end result is similar to shoe polish. If you want it thinner add a touch more oil. I rub the wax on the edges and outside of the holsters. Then I use a heat gun to open the leather pores to absorb the oil/wax mixture.

With the toilet bowl ring, I had to use atom wax because the finish was dull. With the beeswax bar, I don't need atom wax anymore. The finish is clear enough on it's own. It's every bit as effective as what you are doing. I find that it wears well and no issues with cracking. Basically, it's an old technique that has made a comeback. Kind of like a sno seal for boots.

Also, it doubles for burnishing wax too.

This is one I finished up the other day with just the oil/wax as the finish coat. FWIW, I do use 50/50 mop and glo as the finish on the inside. The oil will darken leather slightly and I want the more natural color left. And it's easier to apply the M&G on the inside of the holster.

ChiefJason, thanks for the excellent insight in how you apply the oil/wax. Now we know why some of us are Chiefs and some are Indians. I am definitely going to experience with your oil/wax method. I just have a few clarifying questions regarding how you apply the oil/wax; Do you apply the cooled down mixture with a shoe brush or pad to the outside of the holster (not just the edges) and then heat it with the heat gun, or do you apply the liquid mixture? With this mixture, do you apply neatsfoot oil after dying, or do we now have enough oil in the mixture to replenish the oils in the leather?

[chiefjason]

Apply the cooled and hardened mixture with your fingers. I find it easier to do one side, then heat it. Then do the other side. I do that twice on each side. Sometimes I'll wave the heat gun over the container to soften the top of the oil/wax. The only additional neatsfoot oil I add is with vinegrooned holsters. I add the neatsfoot oil earlier in the process though. After it has dried from the groon. With anything else, I let the oil in the oil/wax mix stand alone.

Don't give me too much credit. Dwight set me straight on using real beeswax a couple weeks ago.

[vaalpens]

Apply the cooled and hardened mixture with your fingers. I find it easier to do one side, then heat it. Then do the other side. I do that twice on each side. Sometimes I'll wave the heat gun over the container to soften the top of the oil/wax. The only additional neatsfoot oil I add is with vinegrooned holsters. I add the neatsfoot oil earlier in the process though. After it has dried from the groon. With anything else, I let the oil in the oil/wax mix stand alone.

Don't give me too much credit. Dwight set me straight on using real beeswax a couple weeks ago.

I have learned a lot today regarding finishes. Now it is up to me to practice and apply what I have learned. Thanks again for all the great advise.