Wits End With Wrinkles

[LeatherHead99]

I can seem to stop my belts and straps from winkling after I dye them. I've used different pieces from different retailers and always get the wrinkles. I've used Tandy's Pro dye and both of the Fiebing's dyes (oil & spirit). I use pure neatsfoot / or EVOO to condition. I make tool belts for firefighters and the leather is 12 oz and up. The belts get abused, wet, thrown around etc, but I don't want them to look like crap before they get abused. The leather produces larger wrinkles than normal when bent and then returned to the flat position. Any tricks on how to limit this? Will warming the oil up some before conditioning help? I also used Tandy's Pro conditioning creme and it produced the same results. Should I condition the straps before dying? Or is this just something im gonna have to deal with?

[Dirck]

When I want a hard slick surface on heavy leather...after fabrication, I dye, waterproof and start rubbing waxes into it. It gets harder and slicker the more I buff it.

As the surface wears, I can usually harden it again doing the same as a rehab, dye, waterproof and start rubbing waxes into it.

[Basically Bob]

Interesting ... I have never had this happen after dying a project.

However, it always happens after "working" the leather on things like a guitar straps to make them more flexible. To minimize this, I try not to work it more than really necessary and then burnish the surface when complete.

After 2 minutes on the video, attached, you will see how he "works" the leather and then, shortly after 3:40 he burnishes the leather to get rid of some of the wrinkles.

[LeatherHead99]

Great video, and informative, but he used a piece that already came that color from the factory. The leather that comes already colored, ive notice doesnt wrinkle like the veg tanned dyed leather does.. That would be my next step, just buy it already colored. I will just keep experimenting with it. I will dry to condition it little more before I work it..

thanks

[PappyUSA]

This goes back a few years but I did that when I first started making belts.

The way I did it was using way too much water while saddle soaping the finished product prior buffing.

[dirtclod]

It looks to me like your bending the leather on the grain / hair side back on it's self causeing the wrinkles. I call it breaking the grain.

[Sylvia]

Remember this "problem" if you ever get an order that wants you to "make it look old and well used." Breaking the grain is a normal part of wear and with a little bit of sanding with a light hand can make it look old and worn very quickly.

[LeatherHead99]

It does appear that way, but this is from when I tried to work the leather as show in the video. When I tried to roll it to break it in this occurred. Its as if it stretched on the surface and never recovered..

[DoubleC]

I don't have this problem after dyeing, etc on straps or belts. Anytime you use veg tan and turn it in on itself it's going to wrinkle. That's why most people use pig, goat or some soft leather as a lining. If you bought 12 oz leather (stirrup leather) for the top and lined with tooling pig it wouldn't do this. Cheryl

[Geneva]

This is not caused by dying a piece of leather.

It is caused by the use of belly leather. A good piece of leather does not have the top grain loose like this belt does.

This stuff does not make good dog collars let alone belts.