Airbrushing Leather (Buying An Airbrush)

[GingerPowered]

On 2/14/2025 at 5:00 PM, fredk said:

Not absolutely necessary but it helps

Don't use anything very aggressive. The a/b has tiny rubber seals inside it which can be destroyed by strong cleaner*. As you will be using acrylics an alcohol can be used to clean it out. A rinse will do, with a complete strip down only occasionally.

On a strip down; do it on a tray with a big magnet handy on the tray. Let the small steel parts go to the magnet, that lessens the chance of loosing them

* there are special dedicated a/b cleaners available

Thank you! I didn't see it necessary to spent so much on cleaner, I knew you all did something that was easy yet effective. I will get a magnet tray, that's great advice thank you

[GingerPowered]

17 hours ago, dikman said:

If you're spraying acrylics there's a huge range of ready-to-spray paints available from model-making stores, also used by fishing lure makers.

Thank you, I'm using acrylics on leather handbags.... I've only ever used Angelus paints for fear that anything less would create a less then perfect result. But I've not tried other kinds of paints though so I appreciate that

[GingerPowered]

15 hours ago, fredk said:

and they are cheaper. They work great on leather. They're the only paints I use

Sometimes I spray a coat or three of resolene because I've found that brushing or sponging it on will lift the carefully made dyeing 

Thank you, I've not used anything other then Angelus but I am gonna try others. I do have resolene , I've used it before but for touch ups. For sealing an entire bag,  should I use the sealant Angelus makes or resolene? Not sure if there's a difference other then sheen

[Beehive]

2 hours ago, GingerPowered said:

Thank you, I've not used anything other then Angelus but I am gonna try others. I do have resolene , I've used it before but for touch ups. For sealing an entire bag,  should I use the sealant Angelus makes or resolene? Not sure if there's a difference other then sheen

 

I personally consider Angelus as a commercial grade. Fiebing as a general use type deal.

Is there any difference between the two? Depends on what level either finish will allow oil to pass through it. Fiebing finishes are designed for levels of maintenance you can do. How much it repels moisture. How much it'll let pass or not. Think of a saddle in the rain or a nice purse that doesn't. 

Angelus, they're big into sneaker shoes. I've tried oiling after I've sprayed. The leather is fairly sealed. 

I oil my stuff way before it's finished. By the time the Angelus wears down from use. Maybe the item will need more oil. It'll be a while for that anyways. 

Edited February 16 by Beehive

[fredk]

2 hours ago, GingerPowered said:

. . . For sealing an entire bag,  should I use the sealant Angelus makes or resolene? Not sure if there's a difference other then sheen

If using Angelus paints I'd suggest using their recommended sealer. The Angelus paint may have an adverse reaction to Resolene or any other sealer

[fredk]

2 hours ago, GingerPowered said:

Thank you! I didn't see it necessary to spent so much on cleaner, I knew you all did something that was easy yet effective. I will get a magnet tray, that's great advice thank you

If I'm having a session airbrushing acrylics I just rinse the a/b out with some alcohol then water, put in the new colour, spray a bit off target, on to some handy card, then continue on target. At the end of the session I clean out the a/b as above then strip it down and give it a good cleaning, especially the needle. You/I don't want dried paint in the a/b

I recommend you get a couple of sets of these a/b cleaning brushes. If you shop around you can get them for about $2 a set. There are dearer sets but they are the same as the cheap ones

 

Edited February 16 by fredk

[fredk]

On masking; go to a shop that deals with plastic modelers. There are several masking fluids available. One is Maskol by Humbrol. But you can also buy liquid latex and paint it on to the area to be masked. The latex works out cheaper and is the basis of all the other masking fluids. I've even used PVA glue as a mask

[AEBL]

@GingerPowered, There is another thread here on the form showing latex from HobbyLobby being used to mask dyes: