Tips For Applying Tan Kote

[stateless]

Hi all,

I'm working on a project and have been experimenting with the best way to apply tan kote to vege tanned leather I have dyed with an oil dye.

My first try was with a dauber, but it ended with an uneven, streaky finish.

The second try was with a damp sponge. I got a more even coat, but will with some streaks and a much less glossy finish.

I'd very much appreciate any tips for applying tan kote you can provide.

Thanks.

[capnmeow]

u know this might sound stupid but i use a spoon to so apply idk it works pretty okay sometimes i get unevenness but it works. its kinda like spreading sauce on pizza dough soooooo maybe u might wanna try :3 just saying maybe im just crazy

[Frank]

I use sheepskin scraps to apply and remove. The quicker you work the better as you well know by now. You only have seconds to work with the stuff before it gets tacky. Sheepskin will allow you to do larger areas in a quicker time span depending on how large you cut them. Be sure to trim them too as they will inevitably start "shedding" onto the project when it becomes tacky.

Frank

[thecapgunkid]

I hadda have two or three people speak to me about how they did this because I had the streak problem in a couple of projects when I applied the bottled product instead of relying on oil and buffing.

Anyway, what I was taught is as follows;

A smooth Tan-Kote type finish starts with the leather itself. John Bianci has a section of his gunbelt making video where he shows a body how to read the leather by rubbing it with a damp sponge. Slap my face and call me liberal if that is not exactly what my Cordwainer Master taught me when I first started out.

Another technique that helped was to glop on a dose of neatsfoot oil before I began to dye up the piece. If the liquid helps retard dye penetration and allow it to sink in more evenly, ( you can see this right off because the dye "pools" and doesn't go right into the fiber) then a second ,light coat after the dye is on will help the Tan-Kote provided you let the oil sink in and appear dry..

They are quite specific about not adding anything to Tan Kote, so be sure to let your surface dry first, and then buff it. Some guys like to tighten the surface with a glass slicker. You go to your church and I'll go to mine.

Once it is me against the leather, I always used terrycloth rather than daubers or wool. The former will hold together whilst the latter two leave pieces of themselves on the surface as if leaving a scent for the female tan kotes during a rut..

I noticed that my finish was smoother in the more humid summer air than in the drier winter air, so it'd help to have a humidifier nearby. This stuff evaporates real quick unless the humidity is a little higher, and the label is not kidding in warning you as such.

The only other thing I can think of is wet the applicator thoroughly, rub fast, and don't look back.

Hope this helps, and...

Don't shoot yore eye out, kid

The Capgun Kid

SASS#31398

[radams1943]

Hi all,

I'm working on a project and have been experimenting with the best way to apply tan kote to vege tanned leather I have dyed with an oil dye.

My first try was with a dauber, but it ended with an uneven, streaky finish.

The second try was with a damp sponge. I got a more even coat, but will with some streaks and a much less glossy finish.

I'd very much appreciate any tips for applying tan kote you can provide.

Thanks.

i use and air brush to apply tan-kote to all my oil dyed holsters with no problems for the last twenty years. i use and old brinks air brush which is no longer being made, but any brand of air brush with an adjustable tip will work.

[ConradPark]

This is the method I use and it never failed me. I take a square of lint free cotton (normally found in a paint shop or iron store), fold it a couple of times and tie up the corners with a rubber band so what you get is something that looks like a mini picnic sack from a cartoon. Apply the Tan-Kote to your cotton and then 'paint' your leather with the cotton in ONE direction only. When there is no more Tan-Kote transfering, apply more Tan-Kote to the cotton and continue to transfer to your leather in the SAME direction. Let dry overnight.

[rickybobby]

I thin the first coat Tan Kote with water about 50% and use scrap shearling from lining saddles. I wet the shearling with water and wring it out first.

I just wipe it on in even coats and let it dry for 10 or 15 minutes. I Pour it inside holsters to cover the inside and just wipe it out.

After that, I have a 2nd bottle of Tan Kote straight (not thinned) using the same damp shearling it put a second even coat on and let it dry. I have not needed to use the full strength Tan Kote on the inside of holsters, The diluted one seems to do the job and that helps the whole piece dry faster.

Always looks even, only clean up is a 9 x 9 cake pan and the shearling to rinse out for next time.

Rick

[snubbyfan]

How I use Tan Kote as a finish.