Simple Belt - Need Some Help With Finish

[rawr66]

The internet is a great resource for learning leatherwork, but I'm having some problems. I followed along Ian Atkinson's belt making tutorial and had a try at making my own. The belts themselves turned out fairly well. I'm still bad at setting rivets by hand so they kind of veer off.

The problem I'm having with this leather is the finish. I've buffed until I haven't seen anything on my cloth, but once I add any kind of finish to it the dye rubs off more than I think it should. Ian used tan-kote to finish his belts, but I'm sure he probably uses acrylic resolene now. I tried a coat of tan-kote, let it dry, and buffed to see how well it took, and the dye rubbed off. So I buffed it again until I couldn't see anything and tried a coat of acrylic resolene. I put a dab on my cloth and ran it along the belt, and a lot more dye came off and blackened my rag.

This is the leather I used. I don't know how much it plays into the dye rub off.

Any help would be appreciated.

[camano ridge]

Are you sauing that you dyed the glazed shoulder you posted the link to. If so that is your big problem. Glazed means that it has been sealed it will be hard to get it to take a dye fully. If you deglazed it you would have better luck. What dye are you using?

Edited July 24, 2014 by camano ridge

[rawr66]

I haven't dyed the leather, just tried to finish it and polish it into a shine. Even just applying water to a regular piece of the leather and rubbing a little will make the dye rub off. Is it normal for that to happen?

Edited July 24, 2014 by rawr66

[JoeSnuffie]

I use a mixture of water and mop n glow to seal stiffer leathers like belts. There is usually a little rub off when I apply with a cloth or sponge. In the past few months I've been airbrushing the sealer on and buffing after it dries, with hardly any dye rubbing off. After the sealer dries there isn't much rob off unless it gets wet again. My expensive cowboy boots and my favorite comfy shoes still have some dye rub off when they get wet.

For the rivets, make sure the posts are the right length. I will often cut them to the right length if I notice any drift. I have a crimping tool that allows me to cut and reform the end of the post easily. When it's the right length, there is no drift.

[DavidL]

Its normal for leather to hold extra dye, rubbing it will take some of the dye out.

[rawr66]

Thanks guys, I'll see how the acrylic resolene works out and post more belts along the way.