Tan Kote Flaking Off

[jfirth]

As you can see from the attached picture, the finish is flaking off of a belt I just made (never worn). My process was as follows:

- 2 coats of neatsfoot oil

- 2 coats of dye

- 2 coats of Tan Kote

- I coat of neutral shoe polish

I've never had this happen before, but I normally don't add any oil. Could the oil be preventing the Tan Kote from adhering? It doesn't appear to be flaking off of the flesh side. Can this belt be salvaged?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Tree Reaper]

Deglaze it and start over.

Did you dilute the tan kote?

Did you let the oil soak in for a couple of days prior to adding the dye and tan kote?

[jfirth]

I didn't dilute the tan kote, and the oil soaked in for probably a week before I dyed and put on the tan kote when I originally finished it.

I deglazed with nail polish remover, and that seems to have done the trick ... the finish seems to be sticking much better now.

Is is possible that excess dye can pool on the surface of the leather, and if not removed prior to applying tan kote, will result in the tan kote adhering to the dye particles, rather than the leather? I didn't think that I applied a ton of dye at the time, but when I deglazed, a lot of dye came up with the finish, so maybe that was the problem.

If excess dye is a problem, how is that fixed in the future between dying and finishing? Would wiping with a little water be sufficient to remove the excess, or is deglazing necessary?

[Tree Reaper]

You might be better off to dilute the Tan Kote.

Tan Kote should wipe the excess off dye.

Did you buff the dye?

Was that Tandy leather?

When I dye I remove the excess with a damp sponge.