Does Anyone Know Why My Finish Is Removing My Dye?

[Northmount]

Hey! I would like to try the oil or wax based finish but since i live in Greece and i can only get stuff from the internet. So far all i can find on amazon or ebay is super shene ,acrylic finish by fiebings, satin super shene, acrylic resolene sealer and fiebings saddle lac spray.

Should i use that last one since its spray? Is there any other products you would recomend that i can get here?

Thanks for the advice

You can make your own (if you can get the ingredients and I think you should be able to), take a look at this thread http://leatherworker...ipe#entry258687

Searching LW will probably find several other recipes too. And for an oil/wax finish, note the tip above to use a hair dryer to help melt it in, especially with any tooling.

Saddle Lac should be okay as a spray ... so you don't have to rub it on. I haven't used it. As Sylvia has noted, an acrylic floor cleaner/polish cut 50/50 will work too. But needs to be sprayed on, else it can lift your water based dye as well when you are swabbing it on. I haven't had much luck with ordinary spray bottles. They spit too much instead of leaving a nice overall spray. An airbrush works well. You will find lots of info here if you do a search for airbrush.

Tom

Edited December 7, 2012 by northmount

[Natalie O]

Natalie: Do you know if you have an acrylic wax based floor cleaner there? We have something called "mop & glo" One of our members (Katsass)swears by it and he uses it all the time, thinned... I think. to 50/50 water to cleaner. If you could get something like that locally you would save yourself a lot of time... and shipping and import issues.

Also, Sometimes I use use permanent markers to color leather rather than dyes and a brush. I find the markers give more control and are less likely to rub off. Sharpies and Bic both have sets with good selections of colors. I like to let them "set" for a few days before I put any other type of finish on them. BTW... Patience, patience, patience. Most disasters come from trying to move on to the next step too quickly.

As far as testing before hand.... I've had mixed results with that. It needs to be a piece of leather from the same leather and area of hide that you made the project from.

Hello.

We do have quite a few products like that over here. Especially for wooden floors. However i don't know if all of them are good. Is it possible for them to have some sort of chemicals that will destroy the leather?

[Natalie O]

Hi Natalie,

Being from the EU I also have no access to neat-lac. And the best thing I've tried so far was acrylic resolene. It takes a while to learn to apply it consistently, but once you manage to find a way to apply it, it becomes your best friend =) I've wasted a lot of money on various finishes and while I still experiment with natural wax-based stuff on plain leather, i only use resolene for carved. Just cut it 50-50 with water!

PS for natural stuff I'm trying to decide between Aussie's, sno-seal and dri-boot.

Aussie's gives a decent finish but you'll need about 6 coats of it... Sno-seal has to be shipped from the US, but it's good for increasing water resistance and for finishing tight areas (it's quite soft). Dri-boot is great for flat surfaces but hard to get into tight areas. I can give you contact details of the UK distributor but shipping to Greece might be quite pricy.

None of the natural stuff goes well with carved leather as it builds up in the cuts =(

Hey Chavez

When you say that the acrylic resolene takes time to learn to apply (and since i have some issues with patience) is it really that complicated? Any tips on how many layers and how you apply it? Thanks!

And a last more general question.

I ve read a lot about the advantages and disadvantages of every type of dye, and in the end i m still confused about whats best.

If i used acrylic dyes or antiques would i still have this problem?

And which dye actually gives a better result?

[Chavez]

Natalie: If you over-apply it, then leather looks plastic-y =(

I cut it with water, put it on a sponge and rub it in in circular motions. 1-3 layers depending on the project (and my mood =) )

You'll need a lot of patience with everything in leatherwork though =)

David, can you please explain how (and how much of it) you apply aussies? Do you apply tan-kote first? And can you use any antique with it?

I use a hairdryer to set wax-based finishes into leather but following problems occur:

- When its dry and you bend it, wax "flakes up" and there are light stains on leather (most of them can be buffed out though)

- light-coloured leathersoaks up the oil from Aussie's unevenly so stains occur;

- wax builds up in carved designs and darkens them unevenly as wax gets sucked into the leather. I've tried using a toothbrush to take the wax out but its not very helpful =(

- Leather finished with just Aussie's seems to be more likely to get scratched... Not sure about this one though, could be bad luck.

Thank you!

[katsass]

Natalie, just a comment from the grump: Water based dyes are odd acting things - - especially when applying a water based finish by mechanical (rubbing in with a rag) means. This application method re-hydrates the dye and allows it to "travel" to the applicator, and in turn, to places you do not want dye - - or it lifts the dye and thins out your original application - - or both. . Years ago I found the acrylic floor cleaner/polish (Mop and Glow) and have used it now for at least 40 years, BUT there is a trick to it when used on water based dyes. I now use the least expensive airbrush made, however, prior to that I used a pump sprayer from 'Windex' glass cleaner. (That seemed to produce the finest 'mist' for applications). Thin the acrylic (Super Sheen) 50/50 with water and spray it on lightly. Do not get as close to the surface you are working on as you would when cleaning windows. Stay off a fair distance and allow the mist from the nozzle to 'fall' on your project - just slightly dampening the surface. Allow to dry for an hour or so, and re-apply. To clean the sprayer, just pump clean water through the thing. Hope this helps. Mike

Edited December 7, 2012 by katsass

[Natalie O]

Natalie, just a comment from the grump: Water based dyes are odd acting things - - especially when applying a water based finish by mechanical (rubbing in with a rag) means. This application method re-hydrates the dye and allows it to "travel" to the applicator, and in turn, to places you do not want dye - - or it lifts the dye and thins out your original application - - or both. . Years ago I found the acrylic floor cleaner/polish (Mop and Glow) and have used it now for at least 40 years, BUT there is a trick to it when used on water based dyes. I now use the least expensive airbrush made, however, prior to that I used a pump sprayer from 'Windex' glass cleaner. (That seemed to produce the finest 'mist' for applications). Thin the acrylic (Super Sheen) 50/50 with water and spray it on lightly. Do not get as close to the surface you are working on as you would when cleaning windows. Stay off a fair distance and allow the mist from the nozzle to 'fall' on your project - just slightly dampening the surface. Allow to dry for an hour or so, and re-apply. To clean the sprayer, just pump clean water through the thing. Hope this helps. Mike

Hello Mike,

And thank you too for taking the time to give me some advice.

I am now waiting for some new leather to try some of the advice people have given me over here.

So here's a a question that might be a bit stupid, is super sheen always acrylic? Cause my bottle says water based.

And would you think its better to work with acrylic dyes and antiques instead of water based dyes?

What is most commonly used?

[immiketoo]

Natalie, here's a quick definition of acrylic paint: Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, media, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media.

As for what is commonly used, its what you have or can get your hands on, and what works for you. As you can see here there is a group of products here so it just depends on what your preference is.

Mike

[katsass]

Yes Natalie, Super Sheen is an acrylic finish product for leather. If thinned as i explained, it penetrates the leather, and subsequent coats will build up. Too much, and you can end up with a surface that will crack when flexed, so be a little cautious in the application. As 'immiketoo' mentioned, finish products being used end up being what one has available, and/or what one becomes used to using. You might experiment on some scrap with Neat Sheen, olive oil, neatsfoot oil, acrylic floor stuff, neutral shoe polish etc., or combinations of some of these (wax over oil), and determine what you like best. I personally do not care for acrylic PAINT on leather, however many folks do use it. Mike

Edited December 7, 2012 by katsass

[Sylvia]

Hello.

We do have quite a few products like that over here. Especially for wooden floors. However i don't know if all of them are good. Is it possible for them to have some sort of chemicals that will destroy the leather?

It would have to be strong enough to destroy the floors too. I would get a couple types and dilute then test on some scrap leather. If all else fails you can clean your floors. LOL