Antiquing Only An Small Area Of A Piece

[cbeatti2]

My project has some tooling at the bottom 1/3 of the pieces and the rest is non-tooled leather. I am trying for a natural, slightly brown finish by perhaps using saddle tan or light brown dye on the untouched 2/3 and to antique the tooling area. What I am having a hard time wrapping my head around is how to separate the two...I am afraid that the antique paste color will move onto some of the natural 2/3 unless I am super careful with the paste (and what are the chances of that happening, knowing how it gets everywhere)?

Maybe I need to resist the entire piece (3 pieces actually so there is a lot at stake here, in my small leather-working hobby world) and apply the antique paste to the entire piece so that the coloring is uniform? I don't really want to do this as the paste will probably give the untooled part a look that I wasn't going for.

I was also thinking of was just treating the entire pieces with Neatsfoot oil or EVOO and letting them darken in the sun...but by trying to highlight or antique the tooling areas is complicating this. Maybe I need to brush on the antique paste with a small brush and carefully wipe up the excess, antiquing a leaf/petal at a time?

Here is an example of what I am trying for, only perhaps a bit darker:

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.ca/en-cad/home/department/Kits/44373-00.aspx

You can see that the petals and inner leaves are a darker brown, more that what I believe to the be simply tooling impression (I am not pointing at the black back-grounding)

Anyways hopefully I have explained this clearly...for some reason I am at a loss on how to proceed, and very nervous about screwing it up after all the work that has gone into it (I am sure everyone has been there).

Thanks, in advance

Clark

[electrathon]

The dark backgrounding is done with dye, likely painted in with a brush.

If I were doing the project I would first finish with a coat of neet-laq. Then apply antique paste. Finally a coat of tan-kote.

The attached coaster was done with this process. As a warning, if you do not put a finish on before you antique, it will look like you drug it in the mud.

Aaron

[cbeatti2]

Thanks Aaron

What do I do with the large non-tooled area...just resist it too, and antique that area as well although most of it will be wiped up, and hopefully all of it? I did a smaller project this way and the antique paste affected the untooled area, even after two thin coats of neat-lac, which is why I am concerned. If I only put the paste on the tooled area some of the paste can make it's way to the untooled area. Perhaps I need to clean up the paste better somehow. Attached is the picture project pieces, to give an idea of of what I am struggling with.

Thanks, Clark

[electrathon]

The trouble you are having with the antique making spots in the middle areas is the evidence that you did not properly seal it up. When I neet-laq I put it on with a piece of sheep wool. I put on a medium heavy coat and smear it all over. Then take a dry piece and try to wipe any excess off. Rub gently in all directions around the tooling to lift off any ponding. You only have a minute or two to do this. When dry (overnight) you can then antique. I only use Fiebings paste. I usually will not do the entire thing just in case. Wipe it on (wool again) and then dry wipe it off (clean wool). After you have it wiped to the level you want (you can control how much you want to leave) then do the process again with Tan Kote. The Tan Kote will lift off any stains left on the flat areas. Let it dry.

On a different issue: Keep the antique away from those holes! It will make a mess of the lace if you don't.

Aaron

[TwinOaks]

Look up "Keith Valley Saddlery" on Youtube to see a demo of antiquing. Follow Aaron's method...but I like an additional coat of neatlac when done. As far as keeping it off the rest of the piece....If you have resisted correctly, there will be no transfer. You could also opt for applying with a q-tip to keep the coverage to a minimum.

....wait a sec....are you using antique gel, or antique paste? The paste works very much better IMO.

[cbeatti2]

Hi

Yes, I have done quite a bit of antiquing, percentage wise of what I have made up till now, and it's becoming a bit of an addiction...but it's the larger area that I was concerned with and trying to leave it untouched. Everything up till now has been mostly tooled so it wasn't a concern. I still enjoy watching that video though... along with the other videos that the verteran's in this biz have posted.

Aaron, your mention of a medium heavy coat made me wonder if perhaps I am applying Neat-Lac too lightly. I was reading where you don't want a thick coat of the Neat-Lac so I usually do two thin coats as a resist. Maybe too thin. Hmm

I am using the Fiebing's Paste...might cut it this time with Tan-Kote as I have been reading that that can help with the coverage... but that's another topic.

Thanks for your help guys. I'll forge on and see if I can do this right. Cheers!

Edited February 6, 2012 by cbeatti2

[electrathon]

The way I do it is to apply it fairly heavy, then I try to wipe it back off. It will crack if you apply it to thick. I do think you are putting it on to thin. The reason you are getting the discoloration is those places are not sealed, so the antique gets into the leather there.

Aaron

[Go2Tex]

This is an interesting subject, as I have attempted to restrain the antique from large plain areas, and as a general rule, try to keep it out of my stitching. You can mask off an area using masking tape and then carefully apply and wipe off your paste. This, of course leaves a hard line which can then be smoothed out or blended a bit. It requires the use of your resist to the area that you will blend and somewhat beyond, just to make sure. Resist, if strong enough to do the job, will also be a bit plastic looking, because it is. You can dull that shinny look with deglazer, or lacquer thinner. Be careful there, though, because often the paste will stick to and/or stain the resist product and then transfer to the leather when you hit it with the thinner or deglazer. It's all a tricky proposition and a bit of a crapshoot. How many coats you use, the climate conditions,.... grimlins lurking....bad karma.

The best look for plain, untooled leather is just plain leather, with no finish except oil and perhaps TanKote. But, sometimes it is just more practical and more predictable to resist the entire piece and then carefully apply the paste where you want it.

As for the tan coloring on the carved area in your picture, that looks to me like just the burnishing effect of the tooling. Maybe they used highlighter on it? Who knows? With an ad picture, they might have even used Photoshop.

[cbeatti2]

This is an interesting subject, as I have attempted to restrain the antique from large plain areas, and as a general rule, try to keep it out of my stitching. You can mask off an area using masking tape and then carefully apply and wipe off your paste. This, of course leaves a hard line which can then be smoothed out or blended a bit. It requires the use of your resist to the area that you will blend and somewhat beyond, just to make sure. Resist, if strong enough to do the job, will also be a bit plastic looking, because it is. You can dull that shinny look with deglazer, or lacquer thinner. Be careful there, though, because often the paste will stick to and/or stain the resist product and then transfer to the leather when you hit it with the thinner or deglazer. It's all a tricky proposition and a bit of a crapshoot. How many coats you use, the climate conditions,.... grimlins lurking....bad karma.

The best look for plain, untooled leather is just plain leather, with no finish except oil and perhaps TanKote. But, sometimes it is just more practical and more predictable to resist the entire piece and then carefully apply the paste where you want it.

As for the tan coloring on the carved area in your picture, that looks to me like just the burnishing effect of the tooling. Maybe they used highlighter on it? Who knows? With an ad picture, they might have even used Photoshop.

Hi Brent

That pretty much encapsulates everything that has been going through my head on how to complete this project. I didn't really want to resist the whole piece because I wanted a more natural look (not plasticized) yet still wanted the beauty of the antique. For some reason, as I have mentioned, the antique paste has colored the resist on other projects to some degree and it has lessen my confidence. I just might try that masking method that you mention, and slightly feather the residual antique paste into the untooled area. But then there are those gremlins and the bad karma to worry about.

[Suicide]

That pretty much encapsulates everything that has been going through my head on how to complete this project. I didn't really want to resist the whole piece because I wanted a more natural look (not plasticized) yet still wanted the beauty of the antique. For some reason, as I have mentioned, the antique paste has colored the resist on other projects to some degree and it has lessen my confidence. I just might try that masking method that you mention, and slightly feather the residual antique paste into the untooled area. But then there are those gremlins and the bad karma to worry about.

I guess I read somethere on the forum about using latex glue as a resist. That latex can be applyed with brush and after everything done can be easily pilled off... Does somebody tried this?

[Go2Tex]

I guess I read somethere on the forum about using latex glue as a resist. That latex can be applyed with brush and after everything done can be easily pilled off... Does somebody tried this?

Yes, I have tried masking with a similar product. I forget the name. Liquid mask. It works really well. Kinda spendy, though. Hobby Lobby has it. Again, it will leave a hard line that you need to deal with. It's like a rubber paint that you brush on. Not too practical for very large areas, like a fender when you just have a floral spot in one corner or something. If you have an intricate design that you are trying to mask off certain small areas, it will work but will be time consuming for a large project. Again, it leaves that very distinct hard line effect between masked and unmasked areas.

As I recall, it blocked out leather dye completely. Antique might be a problem if you rub it too much as you apply it. You could rub the mask off. I think it is mainly intended for airbrushing art work.

[Suicide]

Yes, I have tried masking with a similar product. I forget the name. Liquid mask. It works really well. Kinda spendy, though. Hobby Lobby has it. Again, it will leave a hard line that you need to deal with. It's like a rubber paint that you brush on. Not too practical for very large areas, like a fender when you just have a floral spot in one corner or something. If you have an intricate design that you are trying to mask off certain small areas, it will work but will be time consuming for a large project. Again, it leaves that very distinct hard line effect between masked and unmasked areas.

As I recall, it blocked out leather dye completely. Antique might be a problem if you rub it too much as you apply it. You could rub the mask off. I think it is mainly intended for airbrushing art work.

Ah, I see... Anyway thanks for this info!