Dyes And Finishes

[drphil]

Hello All,

Last night I took my nicely tooled piece which took me a lot of hard work to finish and I began the finishing process. I used Eco Hi-Lite on it and all I got was a jumbled mess of sticky brown uneven coating crap. I attempted to correct this with some water etc.

Anyway, it got me to wondering, I know most of you all here on the forum routinely do leather dyeing and finishing. I am wondering how? I am also wondering what the different products are for. I hear people say to stay away from Eco products. If that is the case then how do I get the "Hi-Lite" effect? I understand that these water based dyes are really a pain especially when applying a finish. I tried to put Resolene (50/50 H2O) over the Hi-Lite and it just added to the streaking!! It seems the more Hi-Lite I add the more "sticky" and streaky the finish becomes. There must be some happy medium . . . So, it boils down to a few things.

What products can I use to retain the "Hi-Lite" effect? Does this normally involve a regular fiebing's dye and then antiquing over top of that? If so, is there a rule about always using the antiquing a shade darker than the dye? Or can I just use the antique paste over the whole thing without any dye (as the antique will actually color the leather). If I do use the antique then can I just use the Resolene (50/50) finish over that and be done? I am assuming that the Resolene (50/50) will not remove/streak the antique.

I also noticed that Fiebing's makes a "Hi-Liter" product. Anyone have experience with it? It seems to only come in one color which seems odd. Perhaps I just dont know how it works and what its use is.

Overall, I am looking for a process that will allow me to retain the Hi-Lite effect in the tooling and produce a nice even brown color on the rest of the leather. After finishing it will be glossy/semi-glossy and I don't have to worry about it having large problems if a few raindrops get on the piece. Any additional advise toward that end will be much appreciated. Thanks for ANY and ALL advice!

[Tina]

When using Hi-liter or any antiquing you need to put a few coats of resist first (say 2 layers of satin/super shene or other brands) This needs to dry, I let it sit for at least 24 hours.

Then you use fiebing antiqpaste, or the Hi-Liter, which is more tricky to use, it is more like a loose fluid at first and needs a light hand. Personally I don't use any Eco product but I here is where they come in place too if that is what you use. Non of these procucts is suppose to go on bare leather...After taking of excess you have to put another layer of protection...The last layer is way easier to put on with an airgun.

Good luck :-)

Edited August 11, 2011 by Tina

[drphil]

When using Hi-liter or any antiquing you need to put a few coats of resist first (say 2 layers of satin/super shene or other brands) This needs to dry, I let it sit for at least 24 hours.

Then you use fiebing antiqpaste, or the Hi-Liter, which is more tricky to use, it is more like a loose fluid at first and needs a light hand. Personally I don't use any Eco product but I here is where they come in place too if that is what you use. Non of these procucts is suppose to go on bare leather...After taking of excess you have to put another layer of protection...The last layer is way easier to put on with an airgun.

Good luck :-)

If I put the resist on first then the Hi-Lite/Antique will I still get a nice brown color on the item? Or will the color just be in the tooling marks/cuts? Thanks!

[TwinOaks]

Antique and Hi-liter are designed to go in the cuts and tooling of the leather to help with the 3-D appearance. You should have your leather the color you want it before applying the resist/sealer.

[drphil]

So I should use a dye or stain in a lighter color than the hi-lite/antique. Making the process one of: applying dye, apply resolene, apply antique/hi-lite, apply top coat of resolene. That will probably do it? The resolene will not prevent the hi-lite from getting into the tooling cuts?

[Scary Leatherworks]

So I should use a dye or stain in a lighter color than the hi-lite/antique. Making the process one of: applying dye, apply resolene, apply antique/hi-lite, apply top coat of resolene. That will probably do it? The resolene will not prevent the hi-lite from getting into the tooling cuts?

Yes, that's the usual process. This is always a problem in the beginning. I use Fiebings spirit based dye airbrushed on (especially for large projects) then a resist, such as resolene to seal the dye. let it dry! then apply the antique over the project. I do use eco-flo antique gel; tan or brown instead of fiebings paste, although I have the paste I just don't use it. if using the eco-flo antique apply it over the project. the resist keeps it from coloring the untooled areas altough it will darken it a bit. work the antique into the tooling and cuts with a piece of trimmed wool. then wipe off the excess trying to stay on the surface. I use paper towels folded into small squares. then just use a clean side each pass. sometimes very slightly damp to help lift off the excess antique (I keep a damp sponge beside me and just dab the paper towel on it) after this let it dry again and the next day apply your final sealant so the antique stays in the tooling. if you are wiping on your sealant you will lift some of the antique so a light coat first and after that dries the antique will be "locked" in and you can apply one more coat of sealant.

on a side note the hi-liter may work as an antique but I don't know. I used it at first also and it is supposed to be an all in one stain and antique. I also have used the eco-flo antique as a dye and antique over a whole project. It did work and gave me a nice color but it was probably the hardest dye job to get even.

[drphil]

Yes, that's the usual process. This is always a problem in the beginning. I use Fiebings spirit based dye airbrushed on (especially for large projects) then a resist, such as resolene to seal the dye. let it dry! then apply the antique over the project. I do use eco-flo antique gel; tan or brown instead of fiebings paste, although I have the paste I just don't use it. if using the eco-flo antique apply it over the project. the resist keeps it from coloring the untooled areas altough it will darken it a bit. work the antique into the tooling and cuts with a piece of trimmed wool. then wipe off the excess trying to stay on the surface. I use paper towels folded into small squares. then just use a clean side each pass. sometimes very slightly damp to help lift off the excess antique (I keep a damp sponge beside me and just dab the paper towel on it) after this let it dry again and the next day apply your final sealant so the antique stays in the tooling. if you are wiping on your sealant you will lift some of the antique so a light coat first and after that dries the antique will be "locked" in and you can apply one more coat of sealant.

on a side note the hi-liter may work as an antique but I don't know. I used it at first also and it is supposed to be an all in one stain and antique. I also have used the eco-flo antique as a dye and antique over a whole project. It did work and gave me a nice color but it was probably the hardest dye job to get even.

Thanks you very much murse! That helps a lot. I always appreciate your advise on the forum. I am glad to hear from someone who has had a similar experience.