Need Some Feedback On Dyes, Conditioning, And Finishing

[TerribleOne]

Ah, black is a whole different game!! You'll find that within the same bottle and the same piece of leather you'll get different results every time. For black, if I get that faded look, I find that rubbing the dye with a light touch of oil will liven it back up.

Don't expect a leather dog collar to last through lots of swimming - regardless of how you finish it.

Good to know about the black!

I agree about the swimming. i just want to see how each test collar holds up and to put them thorough he** I'm allowing my dog to do that.

....quick question....when you put a light layer of neatsfoot oil on before dying...how light are we talking?

I've tried application with a brush, a sponge, a cloth. I find I can't get an even coat. I'm unsure if I'm doing too much or too little. I am applying it to the flesh side so it won't discolor the front. Seems where ever the oil hits first I get huge absorption and then when I try to rub around and even it it very little in comparison.

Edited June 15, 2013 by TerribleOne

[Cyberthrasher]

....quick question....when you put a light layer of neatsfoot oil on before dying...how light are we talking?

I've tried application with a brush, a sponge, a cloth. I find I can't get an even coat. I'm unsure if I'm doing too much or too little. I am applying it to the flesh side so it won't discolor the front. Seems where ever the oil hits first I get huge absorption and then when I try to rub around and even it it very little in comparison.

light light. It's always going to go on darker where you first put it down, so you have to make sure there's not that much there to begin with. I use either a sheeps wool scrap or a blue shop paper towel. Either one, I put over my bottle and do a quick splash up onto it. Then, the important part, wipe it off on the rim and follow it up by blotting it off on paper or something. Then you can use light pressure to try to evenly move it around on the leather. If you're doing dark colors, don't worry too much about discoloring the front. In fact, as mentioned, sometimes you WANT it on the front to aid in your coloring (the oil before dye will also help pull color in better). I oil the flesh if I'm going natural or I have a lot of color variation and I don't want to move color around (if it needs some oil after dying). This is where experience and trial and error are your best method. But, it sounds like you're not afraid of doing that

[lightingale]

Lol, these questions look familiar! I'll post my reply to TerribleOne's email. Slightly edited, to remove irrelevant bits about dog shows and career choices ;-)

Now for your leather questions:

It looks like you've started in a good place by visiting Tandy and asking some questions. Tandy is good when you're starting out and need to amass a variety of tools for a reasonable price, or if you want to try a new tool or technique on the cheap. Tandy will, of course, recommend the brands they carry, however, you can find much better quality tools and materials elsewhere.

As you live in the USA, you will find it relatively easy to access really great tools and supplies.

I highly recommend that you visit Springfield Leather Company (http://springfieldleather.com/) if you have one within reasonable distance of you. My USA leather friends say that they are extremely helpful in recommending what you need, and they carry a greater variety of tools, leathers, and other supplies than Tandy.

If you're not tooling/carving the leather, you don't need to use vegetable tanned leather. This can work to your advantage, as veg tan is susceptible to water damage and needs to be babied a bit to keep it looking new. The premium leather choice for you would be bridle leather. It's much more durable under use and abuse including water exposure. You can't really dye it (so you'll have fewer colour choices), and you can't tool it, but you can still stamp a name if that's what you want to do. Bridle leather is expensive though, and if you want to go with something less costly, use an oil tanned leather such as latigo.

I too have the line of Eco Flo Professional Waterstains. They're easy to use because they create less streaking during application, but I find a lot of the colours (particularly blue, green, and red) are dull-looking when compared to spirit dyes. I've also found that the colours seem to fade with a bit of water exposure. Tandy's other dyes are no better. A much better brand of dye to use is the Angelus line of spirit dyes. Springfieldleather carries them, and as an American, shipping costs should be very reasonable. Believe it or not, Angelus dyes are an order of magnitude less expensive than the Eco Flo waterstains! Remember that you can only really dye veg-tan leather (not bridle or latigo), so if you go with the bridle or latigo route, you won't need to worry about dyes.

Angelus acrylic paints are also a huge improvement over Tandy's Cova Colours and Fiebing's acrylics. The Cova colours often need multiple coats to get a rich colour, whereas the angelus ones only need one coat. Plus, the Angelus acrylic bottles have a built-in brush, like a bottle of nail polish. Less setup and cleanup. I have not had acrylic paint peel off one of my collars... it could be that the individuals who advised you used a brand of paint that is not meant to be used on a flexible surface like leather.

You can use mink oil as an additional conditioning agent (apply a thin layer before sealing the leather with a top coat). It helps waterproof and soften the leather, but it sometimes darkens the leather too. I prefer mink oil over neatsfoot as I've been told by a few sources that mink adds waterproofing. I can't confirm whether this is true, though having used both, I'm quite happy with the mink.

Aussie leather conditioner is an excellent product, and I use it on all of my leather projects after the top coat has dried. I also use it on my dogs' old leather products to prevent cracks.

Leather products all benefit from occasional conditioning, and you can inform the recipients of this if you send along an informative pamphlet with your collars. Something I'd like to do with my Etsy orders is ship along a free small container of homemade leather conditioner (made with neatsfoot oil and beeswax). I still need to devise the best ratio of each to use.

I sometimes oil my project just after tooling (after the leather has dried), as casing the leather can dry it out. It absorbs completely into the leather (which is why you use a THIN coat of oil), then I continue to dye and paint as normal. You can also oil it afterwards if that's your preference. I haven't noticed any difference in dying/painting if I oil before or after. If I'm uncertain of its effect on dye/paint, I'd just oil the back of the collar. Don't use Aussie leather conditioner before dying/painting, as there are waxes in this product that could cause problems with pigments adhering properly.

A good order of operations would be:

1. Case and tool

2. Dye/paint

3. Thin layer of oil. Give it overnight to sink in. There should be no evidence of the oil on your project when you get back to it.

4. Apply a top coat (finish)

5. Condition with Aussie's.

Remember to give plenty of time for the leather to dry between steps. I try to give each step at least 12 hours.

Did the Tandy employee mention anything to you about edges? You'll want to bevel, sand, and burnish them down to help protect the leather.

Spray sheen is like Saddle Lac (previously known as Neat Lac), which is a spray on finish. I used a similar resolene-type product once, and I must have used to much as it flaked off the collar the next day. I stuck with the acrylic sealers from then on, though I should probably do some experimenting with the lacquer-based sealants to see if do a better waterproofing job.

Whew, that got long! Let me know if you have any other questions!

I got your follow-up email, and I'll get back to you probably tomorrow. Had a busy day and I'm way behind on Etsy convos!