buffing leather?

[student]

Hey all,

I am very new to leather working. Just started several weeks ago..anyway I just got done making a seat and dyed it black with super shene on top. Both are water based products. Now I see on some posts about buffing the leather? can someone help me understand this method? also I have a pecard's leather dressing. Do I apply that before buffing? or after?

thanks

[Studio-N]

Hello and Welcome.

Buffing accomplishes two things. First and foremost - when you dye leather, it will absorb dye to the point of saturation.

Once dry, you have a residue left over on the surface of the layer. A very common novice mistake is to apply a finish

without buffing the leather. This is one reason why the finish will crack. It did NOT bond to the leather as intended.

Instead, you have a barrier of residue between the leather and the finish. So in short, we buff the leather to remove the

residue and to expose the leather surface for the sheen to bond to.

The second reason is to create shine. There is no rule that says you have to apply a finish. However, when you first dye the

leather, you will find it looks quite dull. Buffing the leather creates a nice polish with just the dye. After a finish is applied and dries,

it again serves to create a shine or light reflection. You have control how much gloss you get by the amount of buffing you apply.

Hope this helps. Cheers!

[student]

thank you so much for your adivce....What should I use and is there any specific technique that I should use when buffing the leather? thanks

[Studio-N]

Sheepswool definately works the best because it has some natural oil left in it.

Besides, that an old T-shirt works just fine.

[Joy]

I put a sheepskin polishing thingie I bought at a hardware store on my drill. Works great!

Joy

[Shorts]

I like using horsehair to buff my holsters before and after topcoating. A simple brush from a shoe polish kit works great. I have not tried wool buffers so I cannot make a comparison for you.