Antiques And Cement

[AndreasB]

Hi all,

I'm from Germany and new to the forum. I just started leatherworking and did some knife sheaths and ammunition cases so far.

I wanted to place an order of cement. Does anybody know if I can keep the cement for a long time or does it dry quickly over time thus I should buy a smaller quantity? (I need to order the supplies in the US because they aren't available in Germany so I want to order larger amounts to save shipping costs)

My next question is about the antique gels. I used it so far to color the leather and the carvings. I read that some people first dye the leather and then apply the antique gel. What is the benefit of this?

Also you can get antique gel in black. What is the effect of the black antique? The background can't get any darker than black, can it?

Thanks for your help.

Andreas

[drphil]

Hey Andreas,

Welcome to LW.net This is simply one of the best places to find help on all things leather.

I don't have any advise in regards to your cement question. I can offer some advise on your other questions.

The antique gel and fiebings antique finish (a shoe polish, paste, type of antique) is used to provide an "antique" look on your leather projects. The antiquing gets down into the tooling impressions and cuts and makes them darker than the rest of the piece. Since antiques are used mostly for this they are applied after dyeing and applying a resist. Here is what I typically do. Tool the leather, then oil it with olive oil. The next day I will select what color I want the piece to be (typically brown) and I will dye the piece brown using my air brush. The air brush is not a necessity but gives a much more even coat of dye than doing it any other way (except dip dying). Now, the leather is brown and when it is dry completely I will then apply some resolene or clear lac. The clear lac serves to seal the project so that the antiquing only gets down into the tool marks and cuts. So, I can have a nice light brown project with the tooling marks and cuts much darker. That really makes the tooling and cuts stand out nicely. After I apply the antiquing (and I know it is dry) I add the final finish. Typically that is some more clear lac over the project. Then I give it a nice buff with a soft cloth to get some shine and I am done. I realize I provided you with a lot more info about the process so feel free to ask about details if you have any questions.

Lastly, the black antique is nice for when the project also has black accents. For instance, if I were to dye the background black and keep the flowers etc. in a brown color. As long as the resist (clear lac, resolene etc.) is applied before the antique the antique will only get into the tooling marks and cuts. This is the typical use for that product.

-Philip

P.S. If you are thinking of dying something black check out the vinegaroon process. It is much more consistent and easy than using a black dye.

[terrymac]

Any of the contact cements will thicken and dry over time. I would suggest if you are going to get the larger sizes, buy some thinner also. That way you can get the consistency right. If you are talking about the Eco Flo antique gels, I personally will not use them. I prefer the Fiebing's Antique Paste. A lot of the work you see here where they are dying the background and then antiquing are applying a "resist" to the leather after dying. By resist, I am referring to Neatlac, now called Clearlac or Wyosheen. This stops the antique from coloring everything, but rather highlighting the cuts and impressions. If you are going to go with black, why not just dye black and be done with it. I do't know if you want to antique in black. Hope this helps

Terry

[AndreasB]

Thanks for the welcome and the quick responses to my questions.

I think I used the antique gel the wrong way but got that straightened out now. I applied it after tooling the leather but not only to highlight the tooled area but also to "dye" the whole project. Thus I was asking why to dye it before if you can dye the leather with the antique gel. That's also why I asked about the black color. If I used it my way I would just dye the whole project black without emphasizing the tooled area. I guess dyeing before antiquing allows for a more even color since the antique gel also darkens all the scratches.

Here are pictures of my last two projects that I dyed with the antique gel:

What exactly do you use to prevent the dyed area being penetrated by the antique gel? I couldn't find the neat lac on the tandy web page. Do they offer something I could use for that? How do you apply this stuff? I guess you have to make sure it doesn't get into the cuts so the gel can get into there.

What is the purpose of the olive oil treatment before dying?

I will definitely go with the thinner. That was a good idea.

Edited October 18, 2011 by AndreasB

[terrymac]

Neatlac is no longer sold by Tandy, but the same product known as "Clearlac" is sold by Springfield Leather or as "Wyosheen" sold by Sheridan Leather. Both are advertisers on this website. It is applied with a piece of woolskin, rubbing it in over the entire piece in light coats. The antique will still get in the cuts. Word of warning, don't use with the Ecoflo antiques or you will end up with some awful looking colors.

Terry

[AndreasB]

OK, I already have that big bottle of EcoFlo Antique gel. Any recommendations on what I can use with that?

[terrymac]

Do like I did, store it on a shelf and let it collect dust. I have three or four bottles collecting dust.

Terry