Was This My Fault?

[Twisted 66]

ok so I did a tank bib for myself and used this process..tooled, dyed, sealed with super sheen, resolene and then put some clear shoe polish on it and put it on my bike. I have attatched before and after pics to show what happened after....I took the bike to a mechanic and he left it out side for about 2 weeks in the rain, sun, frost etc and never touched it as far as drying/cleaning it goes. is the condition of the bib my fault? did I do something wrong when sealing it or dyeing it or is this just what happens when you treat it like crap?

[Sturme]

I may be wrong, but I would have forgot about the supershene, it kind of seals the leather so your resolene may not have gotten any penetration into the leather. with nothing to adhere to, it could come off and the sun start fading the dye in the leather. I have a dog collar I through together for one of my dogs that did the same thing after just using supershene on it.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Sturme

[RavenAus]

Looks like it got a good sun tanning there, and maybe lost some of the polish, but apart from that it looks good for something out in the elements with no protection or care for a couple of weeks!

[Chief31794]

Leather is like your skin, you stay in the sun with it and it will darken, using finishes can retard that somewhat but continued exposure to the suns rays will "tan" the leather. Leather is not water proof nor sun proof in my experience. Darker colors like Black and Brown are not as noticeable but the areas left natural are very noticeable when they stay out in the sun.

Chief

[WyomingSlick]

Congratulations, you got an antique look in just a few weeks. I think what is of more concern in your mind is the fact of the black color in many beveled areas coming off and also lifting whatever color lay under it. It would seem to me like you used some type of black antiquing as your final step in coloring. Did you use the super shene to seal with before applying the antique and allow the dyes, sealer, and antiquing, to dry sufficiently at each stage, and before applying the resolene?

Some things to think about:

1. Any tooling compresses the leather fibers, making it less porous, and less able to allow dye penetration and bonding than non tooled areas. This is one of the reasons that many leather carvers slick the whole area before carving. Slicking compresses the surface fibers to a more unifom consistancy,which makes for more consistant dye and finish coverage. Tandy has a short video showing this at http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/infoandservices/Leathercraft-Videos/Glass-Burnisher-Video/Glass-Burnisher-Video.aspx Note-ignore the bullshit wetting procedure at the start....the leather should be properly cased as in Bob Parks tutorial in "Tips and Tricks" on this site. Tandy has done a big disservice with their continual presentation of the idea that you can simply wet the surface with a sponge in order to carve and tool.

2. When appraising whether your work is dry enough between stages when dyeing, and applying inishes........keep in mind that the dye, and/or finish coat, in the crevices, is usually thicker than that on the open surfaces, and may not be completely dry, and bonded, when the rest of the work seems dry.

You may be able to repair this by carefully redying the bad areas, sealing, applying the black antiquing again, and then the finish coat with adequate drying between stages.

[Twisted 66]

Huge thanks for all the input really appreciate people taking the time to take a look and lend a helping hand.

! I think the initial shock has worn off from seeing my bike and the leather treated so poorly and now I'm trying to see what went wrong..besides the abuse to it.

I've gone over my steps a few times in my head ..after it was tooled and completely dry I used the eco-flo hi light colour stain as the skull/bone colour. waited till that dried completely,then painted around the area with eco-flo coal black.that seems to be the problem I think , the areas where it lifted are all tight spots where I went over it a few times with the dye and brush..maybe because I used a paint brush..maybe when I rubbed it all down after to get the excess dye off I didn't get those spots? maybe there was a build up of dye and it didn't adhere? still guessing. then I added in the red and green with leather paint. the red rose is still the same colour which I am happy to see. I used a leather paint for that. after all the colouring was done I airbrushed on some super sheen..3 coats..then resolene about an hour later 3 coats then laced it and added the felt and polished it up.

I may take out the brush and airbrush and try and salvage it with paint this week after trying things on it to see why it did what it did. unfortunately the antique look does not work well at all with the skull for me..it needs to be more bone/lighter looking. I see (Wyoming slick) you said the tandy way to wet the leather is wrong..how do you do it/ recommend it to be done? thanks again for the detailed info

[WyomingSlick]

I see (Wyoming slick) you said the tandy way to wet the leather is wrong..how do you do it/ recommend it to be done? thanks again for the detailed info

Like I said before - read Bob Parks tutorial. It may be the best and most important advice ever given on this forum. Go to this thread and start reading.....http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=19121&hl= casing leather

I have no argument with anything Bobby said. I would point out that if you just wet the surface, then the interior may very well still be dry, particularly with thicker leather. Casing allows the moisture to distribute evenly throughout the leather and makes for optimum toolability. I very seldom use a sponge to redampen my leather. I do use a water spray bottle that puts out a fine mist which gives me much better control than any sponge.

[Tree Reaper]

Offer a custom cover to protect it, more business for you!

[Twisted 66]

a custom cover for a tank bib..isn't that a cover for a cover??

[Tree Reaper]

Look at it as more money in your pocket and a reason not to repair a mistake made by someone else.

[Twisted 66]

so I got back the tank bib, washed all the dirt and crap off, and touched it up a little to try and salvage it...it's not what it started off as but hey..it is what it is.

[Spinner]

Hell, I think it looks better after the repair!

[cem]

Same here that's come up really well after the repair, well done.

[WyomingSlick]

That's an excellent looking job of recovering a fumble. Attaboy for you!

[Horseshoe]

I agree looks better now. Also I've never had any luck with the Tandy stains for anything that may be exposed to the elements. But my bikes do sit in the driveway with just a cover on em so they are rather exposed.