Finish Advice

[grezb]

Currently I lave Atom Wax. It's ok stuff, but honestly I have some really high quality leather around right now, and I'm finding that the aesthetic look of my leather is actually better before I finish! The more matte look really looks great, and the atom wax makes it more shiny and sometimes can darken it quite a bit. I'd love to just leave them unfinished...they look much better. But, then the tooling leather is still gonna soak up moisture, and we can't have that. So I've got to do a surface finish if nothing more that for protection purposes alone. Does anyone have any recommendations for a finishing product that will change the appearance as little as possible, just waterproof the leather so that it's not gonna soak up any water it touches any more?

[Matt S]

Dubbin is traditional and doesn't leave a shine. It does soften and darken though. Remember that leather is never truly waterproof unless you coat it in plastic... At which point it doesn't look, smell or feel like leather any more.

Edited November 17, 2013 by Matt S

[grezb]

Fair enough, I guess "waterproof" is a bad term. I guess a better way to say it is that I need to accomplish whatever water resistance finishing normally gives, but want to do so while changing the aesthetics as little as possible (or at least a lot less than atom wax does). I'll have to look into dubbin. Thanks!

Edited November 17, 2013 by grezb

[Red Cent]

http://www.johan-potgieter.com/dubbin.shtml

Interesting. Never heard of the stuff. Don't think I want to make it. I would use it.

[Red Cent]

http://centralsierranevadahorsetrails.com/tackbarn/leatherconditioners.html