Help. Acrylic Paint Will Not Stick To Leather

[262leatherworks]

I am making glove holders for firefighter gloves. I am using 8oz veg tan leather. I then stamping then dyeing with spirit or water based dye. Buffing, Buffing and Buffing. Then I am applying my acrylic paint that has been thinned with water in thin layers. Letting that dry and then finish with Satin Sheen. The problem is with in a few days the acrylic Is coming off. What am I doing wrong?

[WinterBear]

Could be a couple of things, based on my personal experiences. What type and brand of dyes and paints are you using? And have you conditioned your leather before dying? We have a lot of brilliant people on here who can probably help you out if they know a little more.

I'll give you some examples of some of the issues I've had and the reasons I found for poor sticking.

Poor acrylic. Not always able to figure this one out by looking. If your supplier has allowed the paint to freeze, for instance, it will often be compromised and bond poorly. Or it may be a "cheap" paint--not necessarily the same as inexpensive. But a "cheap" paint is what I call it when the pigment grains are coarser and the binders are poor quality. Try a paint with a fine grind and a better binder. They are not always the expensive ones. I get decent results with CeramCoat and some of the artist acrylic tubes from the hobby store. I refuse to buy any of the paint from the big box stores though, as it is too often been allowed to freeze somewhere in its transport.

Improper mixing or thinned too much. If the paint isn't thoroughly shaken (liquid) to get the pigments and binders well blended, the pain could have weak spots and will bind poorly. Too much water can also thin out the binders too much as well. I have used Satin Sheen and Super Sheen as my thinning agent--it works well to thin the paint without making it too weak. It can cause cloudiness in some colors though.

Leather is too smooth. It could be that the buffing you are doing is essentially polishing the surface, and there isn't enough "tooth" for the paints to hold on to.

Lastly, my biggest problem is not letting it dry enough between layers. The more water I add, the longer it takes to dry. You'll have to find a happy medium between thin and not too much water. And then let it dry, and dry it completely between each thin layer until the leather is bone dry. I am too often impatient, and don't let the layers dry enough, so adjacent layers bond and form a thicker layer that is more prone to lifting.

[262leatherworks]

I have been using eco-flo for black and fiebings for my browns. I have noticed that the black is for sure easier for the acrylic to come off of. So that might be part of it. I have tested some pieces by rubbing some alcohol or mineral spirts over where I am painting to help the adhesion. I haven't been conditioning the leather prior to dyeing. Would that help? Thank you for the help

[benlilly1]

I don't use anything oily or apply any conditioners before applying acrylics. I apply the paint directly to the dry leather.

[262leatherworks]

Thanks Benlilly. Do you paint acrylic over dye? If so do you use oil based or spirit based?

[262leatherworks]

Also I am using Fiebings and Cova Color paints. I have been thinking about changing to Angelus. I have heard it will stretch a lot better then other brands.

[benlilly1]

Thanks Benlilly. Do you paint acrylic over dye? If so do you use oil based or spirit based?

No, I don't put acrylic over any dye.

[Toolingaround]

Hi There

Just as an FYI alcohol dissolves acrylics. So be careful which products you use with them as many have an alcohol base like dyes and lacquers. For example I discovered this the hard way by putting saddle lac over an acrylic painted piece Duh-Oh! Perhaps your spirit or oil dye was not fully dry and caused the acrylic not to adhere? Also acrylics dry to the touch fast but it takes quite a bit longer for them to fully dry and adhere to a surface so thus thin coats and lots of drying time as others have said. Surfaces that are too slick are also not good with acrylics so I second the advice to not over buff or burnish the surface before applying the paint.

Cheers, Toolingaround

[WinterBear]

You might also try doing a search on these forums for other projects made for and by firefighters. Other users here have probably posted what dyes, paints, and sealers they have used for helmet shields and suspenders. And there will likely be some discussion of what did and did not seem to work well.

[262leatherworks]

Thanks everyone. I can not get the acrylic to stay on the tandy pro line black but I tried a fiebings alchol based dye and it is holding great. We shall see how it goes

[262leatherworks]

Just as an update....problem solved. I switched to Angelus Paint. They sell a prep that you put on before the paint. I also increased the time I let my dye and paint dry. Between the two everything is going great. I am finishing with a satin acrylic finish. Thanks everyone for the help.

[farmtrain]

For what its worth, I mainly use feibings USMC black for most of my stuff, letting it dry then putting on a coat or two of cova color. Havent had any problems yet, but I did just place an order for Angelus paint. I also am making fire related gear.