Tips For Ecoflo Gel Antiques

[kop4]

Hey there, so I just did a project that I coloured with Eco-flo Mahogany Gel Antique. Halfway through I had some problems that looked made it look like I would have to scrap it and start over.... but I did some research here and after a lot of searching I fixed it!

However there seems to be quite a few people having issues with this product (and some that love it). I'd thought I'd share my experience here for anyone who is thinking about using it / halfway through a project pulling their hair out because it isn't turning out.

Problem # 1. Blotchy / Patchy colour.

Lots of people, including me, have had sub-par results with the colour of the piece being inconsistent. This isn't an issue on a smaller piece, but on a large one it can look quite terrible and distract your eyes from the beautiful tooling that you've just spent hours on.

My solution is this: elbow grease. When you apply the gel, I found it best to layer it on thick and even to fill all the depressions and swivel knife cuts, and then wipe it. But WIPE IT GOOD. There should be no 'loose gel' sitting on top of the leather when you're done, it should only sit in the depressions. Don't wipe it too hard that you sweep it out of the valleys, or too hard that you flatten your tooling (because it is waterbased), but you should not have any excess gel sitting on the flat, untooled parts of your leather. This is what I've found to be the case with my piece. You can even come back after its dried (before its sealed) with some water and wipe off any excess.

Also, cheap leather will colour less evenly than good leather. Brands, scars, and wrinkles will all dye different and will stand out on a large piece.

Problem # 2. Sealing so that the colour doesn't come off on your clothes.

The first time I covered it with Tan Kote. Even after 3 layers, the colour still came off with the slightest bit of moisture. Other people seem to have this problem with resolene, too. However, the people using Super Sheen have never complained. So I guess you just can't mix brands here. I applied two coats of Eco - Flo Super Sheen OVER TOP of my failed Tan Kote, and it sealed it perfectly. Whowouldathunk?

Anyways, those were my two problems and the solutions to them. I hope it helps someone. Please share your wisdom with this product to everyone else!

[Peter Darby]

Thanks for the tip. I am getting ready to do antique so it came just in time. One of the things I do is use a steel ruler or wooden paint scraper scraper wrapped in a paper towel to take off the antique. Then a damp towel to finish off the top layer.

[Bigfoot]

I'm a resolene fan, never had any problems with it myself.....strange ( and very confusing) how everyone has different results from the same products....