Product Compatibility

[MRCC07]

Hi there everyone! I'm fairly new to the leather world, have tooled a few scrap pieces and burned a halter noseband. Currently I'm working on some belts. What i would like to do is tool, dye, paint, and possibly antique a few.

I just have a few questions about the coloring part. I have Angelus acrylics that i would really like to stick with. What kind of dye do i use under the acrylics? Spirit dye, oil dye or regular dye? I didn't know if a certain kind of dye would react with the acrylics. Also could i use any brand of dye and be okay, or since my acrylics are Angelus should i stick to that brand?

Also, do i need to put some kind if finish in between the dye and acrylic?

And finally, what kind of finish will work well on the acrylics? It will mostly be belts and horse tack, so it needs to be fairly strong but not waterproof. I have heard some finishes will remove acrylics? Hoping to avoid that!

If anyone has any tips or opinions, they would be greatly appreciated!!

[Tina]

You can for sure use Angelus spirit dye underneath and they also have a few acryllic finisher to (matte, satin, gloss & high gloss). I get them from this place (not anybody I know, I'm just a happy cutomer) but I know ther's more places out there...I love their big containers & quick turnaround :-)

http://turtlefeather...ngelus/dye.html

Edited February 14, 2013 by Tina

[abn]

I believe you can use acrylic paints over top of any type of dye. However, I'd apply the leather finish before painting to avoid stripping off color. (Acrylic paints are quite durable and don't require any sort of top-coat.)

As always, test out on scrap before trying new techniques on a finished product.

Good luck!

[MRCC07]

Tina: thank you very much for the reference! I checked their site out as soon as i read your post!

abn: thanks for the suggestion about the finish before the paint. I think i will try that and see how i get along!