Should I Condition Before Or After Sealing?

[jadsdrew]

I have a large purse, small purse and wallet I have dyed black with Fiebings Dye (not oil based, regular). I have some Resolane to finish them with, but I want to make sure they are all nice and soft. Would it be better to condition before or after sealing, and should I get a leather conditioner or will oil work? One is goat (which feels a little stiff after dying), one is very soft lambskin and the wallet is a full grain cowhide. So far I have stripped and dyed them, that's it. Any advice is much appreciated as I am an amateur! Thanks in advance.

[electrathon]

Condition before sealing. Fiebings can dry/stiffen the leather so it is a good idea to do it.

[jadsdrew]

Thank you! Would olive oil be sufficient for conditioning or is there something better? I also have real beeswax, I've heard a mix of that and EVOO is good, but is it difficult to apply? Will if affect the finish of or replace the Resolane? I don't require an overly glossy look.

Edited April 1, 2015 by jadsdrew

[electrathon]

I have never used olive oil so I am not sure. I usually use saddle oil from Bee Natural or neets foot oil.

[jadsdrew]

OK, I'll do some more research. Thanks for your help!

[NVLeatherWorx]

You can use Olive Oil but use it sparingly as it tends to want to "sit around" on the leather (you will have the oily feel and residue much longer than with Neatsfoot Oil). Also, for future reference, if you are ever doing a piece that is to remain natural you will want to be cautious with the Olive Oil because it does darken the leather significantly enough that once the oil has set the final color will still be darker than when the leather was just simply there.

[jadsdrew]

Thanks for the heads up! Fortunately, my plans are mostly to revamp items by dying them black, so darkening isn't much of an issue. Do you have any suggestions as far as sealers? I have some Acrylic Resolene, as I've heard that Fiebings likes to rub off, but after applying it to the wallet, I think it might be too glossy for the purses, which were originally both matte or satiny. Is there anything that will seal in the dye, without adding much gloss?

[NVLeatherWorx]

Typically the Resolene doesn't come out glossy but the old trick is to dilute it with water (we make a 50/50 blend of it) and that cuts the gloss down very well. I use this method and I apply at least 3 coats of it with a full 24 hour drying time between each treatment to ensure that it has properly dried, set, and oxidized.