Clear-Lac Seems To Be Removing Some Stain..

[manji]

I'm most likely doing something wrong, or out of order, but it seems like when I apply Clear-lac, some of the stain gets removed (streaks)

I'm doing most stuff in this order, after tooling:

1- Neatsfoot oil (dry for 24hrs)

2- 1 coat of clear-lac (dry for several hours)

3- antique (dry for several hours)

4- Airbrush stain (dry overnight)

5- Final coat of clear lac, this is when the streaks occur.

What am I doing wrong???

Also, when and what is the best method for buffing the stain?

[terrymac]

My best guess would be the stain isn't penetrating the leather well due to the resist effect of the initial coat of clear lac. I do about the same thing you are doing without doing any stain. If I am dying the background, I do it before the oil application. I use Fiebings antique paste, and after applying, immediately wiping off all that will come with wool. The wool works better than a cloth as the fibers tend to get more of the antique off. The main effect of the antique is in the knife cuts and tool impressions. Just out of curiosity, why are you applying a stain? If you are wanting a darker color, go to a darker antique paste, and apply a light coat of Clearlac. I usually apply two coats of Neatlac(Clearlac), to minimize the darkening effect. Hope this helps

Terry

Edited March 28, 2011 by terrymac

[Tina]

I'm most likely doing something wrong, or out of order, but it seems like when I apply Clear-lac, some of the stain gets removed (streaks)

I'm doing most stuff in this order, after tooling:

1- Neatsfoot oil (dry for 24hrs)

2- 1 coat of clear-lac (dry for several hours)

3- antique (dry for several hours)

4- Airbrush stain (dry overnight)

5- Final coat of clear lac, this is when the streaks occur.

What am I doing wrong???

Also, when and what is the best method for buffing the stain?

I hope your problem is the same I had some years ago...

You have to let the clear-lac (sealer which ever one you use and two coats) dry for at least 24 hours before applying antiqing. This is the way I got rid of my streakes.

[billsreef]

The stain really needs to go on before any finish.

This is the order I use. I've never had any streaking problems with this method. Naturally, let each application dry well before the next.

1. Stain (I use spirit based stains)

2. Buff well to remove any excess stain. Use a clean cloth and buff till no residue is removed.

3. Neatsfoot oil, let dry overnight and buff.

4. One or two coats of Neat Lac as a resist, depending on the effect I'm going for. One coat will allow some color from the antique to shade the raised areas lightly. Two coats gives a nice clean look to the raised areas, while still giving a nice effect in the tooled impressions and cuts from the antique.

5. Antique. (I like the Fiebings Paste).

6. Final coat of Neat Lac.

Here's a belt I finished last week. The background color is Cordovan, and I used Black Antique Paste. Only one coat of Neat Lac as a resist, as I wanted to darken the design a bit and mute the Cordovan.

Edited March 28, 2011 by billsreef