What To Seal The Backside Of The Leather With?

[splitrail]

Again I am sorry if this has been discussed before, but I have a question regarding TanKote

I recently had a look at a strap I put on a bag about 3 months ago, the person has been using the bag everyday for only 3 months and the tankote has completely worn away and the back of the strap looks furry and worn out. I was very upset and disappointed in the look of the strap.

Any suggestions?

Strap was of a descent piece of Veg tanned, front and back were dyed with oil dye, front was finished in Resolene and the back was finished in TanKote.

What is everyone using to seal the backside of the leather?

[robertmeco]

I would think a Acrylic sealer would work good

[Troy I]

I've used Acrylic Wax (two or three light coats of Mop-N-Glow 50/50 with water) without any problems...I have also treated the back of straps with only Montana Pitch Blend or Aussie Leather Conditioner, when using these products you have to let it sit for several hours or heat with a hair dryer to get it to absorb into the leather. Then make sure you rub the leather real well, to remove any excess so you don't get any oily transfer to clothing.

[DoubleC]

Use your resolene for the back too OR the mop and glo formula which is almost like resolene. Cheryl

[splitrail]

Well, Thanks for the tip.

That will sure be a lot easier than having multiple bottles. Do you guys do a 50/50 of the resolene on the back too? Multiple coats?

[DoubleC]

I do 50/50 and multiple coats. Cheryl.

[Troy I]

Yes, two or three coats of resolene or mop n glow 50/50 mix.

[TomG]

Same. 50/50 resolene most of the time. I've also used Mink OIl Paste, Aussie Leather Conditioner or Saddle Lac depending on the purpose and use.

[Colt W Knight]

ultimately, I think lining the strap so you don't have any flesh side exposed is best.

If lining isn't practical, Ive found that using a slicker on the flesh side makes it a lot nicer and less prone to fuzzing up in the long run.

[McSkiver]

As above , I wet the flesh side and burnish it until it is smooth as glass.....then I apply either neatsfoot to make it a bit supple or a finisher , I'm not American so our products are different

I do this with bag straps and often belts , so far pretty good results, including my own belts worn daily.

[lel]

I've been using Fiebing's Bag Kote for flash side of a leather and I like the result. At the same time I'm quite disappointed with TanKote. I used TanKode by itself and in combination with Acrylic Resolene on a grain side of a leather for bags and folders and it does not protect the leather the way I expected - plain water leaves stains or washes it away. So far the best finish I've tried for grain side is Sno-Seal Wax.

[Halitech]

I'm with lel on this one. I asked Chief what he used on the back of his guitar straps that weren't lined and he advised to use sno seal. warm the leather up a little bit then apply the sno seal and then warm it up with a hair dryer to get it to soak in good.

[splitrail]

Thank you all for the great tips,

I have been searching for sno seal here in Texas, not suprised that it's not readily available at the local outdoor stores.

I never thought of burnishing the back side with glass. I will try that for sure as well.

I also think the higher the grade of leather the smoother that back will be in the end.

[Colt W Knight]

Thank you all for the great tips,

I have been searching for sno seal here in Texas, not suprised that it's not readily available at the local outdoor stores.

I never thought of burnishing the back side with glass. I will try that for sure as well.

I also think the higher the grade of leather the smoother that back will be in the end.

You can get it at Wal Mart, and I have even seen it at Lowes.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sno-Seal-Wax-8-oz/22229564

[Sona]

A think that might be worth mentioning is the Quality of the leather, too....
If you got some bad leather with very loose fibres on the back you can apply what you want to it. If you bend it over time, it will break, wear, just disappear. I normally just take some beeswax/balm and apply it heavily on the back (and front). When I use colours like black, or "colours" other than Brown stuff, I tend to use some Tan-Kote quite thin, but I really don´t like the appearance of resolene, even if a lot of People in this Forum recommend it.
The Thing is: my leather is flat and smooth already when I buy it, and it doesn´t change that status... the fibres are so dense that I have to wait some time, before water even thinks about soaking in without (!) any finish. So before you think "everything is possible" Keep this in mind and maybe just think about lining such a strap next time

[Red Bear Haraldsson]

I'd say finding it in Tucson makes sense since there are mountains nearby and San Antonio does not, but we have it in Walmart here in Jacksonville, FL and we just celebrated the 25th anniversary of the last time it snowed here...

[Colt W Knight]

I'd say finding it in Tucson makes sense since there are mountains nearby and San Antonio does not, but we have it in Walmart here in Jacksonville, FL and we just celebrated the 25th anniversary of the last time it snowed here...

I remember it snowing in Fort Meade when I lived in Florida in 2009.

[TomG]

Tandy has Fiebings Snow Proof... I've used it successfully on some dog collars.

I've been told it is about the same as the Sno Seal, but have no proof one way or the other.

http://www.tandyleather.com/en-usd/home/department/liquids-n/conditioners-n/2345-00.aspx

[lel]

TomG, they might be similar, but not the same. I have both, they smell differently. I should probably do some side by side testing of these 2 and Obenauf's LP that I recently purchased.

[TomG]

TomG, they might be similar, but not the same. I have both, they smell differently. I should probably do some side by side testing of these 2 and Obenauf's LP that I recently purchased.

Haha... that's why I left myself an out ....

I'd like to hear the testing results if you ever do it!.. I make a lot of dog collars and some are for water dogs, and the owners like them as waterproof as possible....

As for testing, maybe take 2 identical pieces of leather and coat all over with the product. Weight them. Soak in water for 5 minutes and then weight. That would tell you how much water is absorbed.

Maybe do some rub-off tests on white fabric?

I'm just thinking out loud here. If I had the others, I'd be glad to help.... All I've got for waterproofing right now is the Snow Proof and some Mink Oil Paste.

[oldhat]

If i really want a strap to stand up to some heavy use i would go for bridle leather in particular bridle butt, if you can get it in the colour you want of course.

Edited June 19, 2015 by oldhat

[TomG]

If i really want a strap to stand up to some heavy use i would go for bridle leather in particular bridle butt, if you can get it in the colour you want of course.

Yeah Oldhat.. There's the rub.... I get orders for red, green, pink (hate it), brown black and blue (hate that one too, if they want very light blue.. never have succeeded at that one.)

[Manypawz]

I don't like the results I've had using TanKote. I make my own balm with beeswax and neatsfoot oil. After I apply a liberal amount and work it in, I burnish it down. I've had good results taming the "fuzzies" this way.

I just melt the beeswax and neatsfoot oil together in a mason jar set in a double boiler. Once it's all melted I pour it into some waxed paper muffin cups or up cycled plastic containers and then I can pop the mixture out once it has set.

[Art]

Thank you all for the great tips,

I have been searching for sno seal here in Texas, not suprised that it's not readily available at the local outdoor stores.

I never thought of burnishing the back side with glass. I will try that for sure as well.

I also think the higher the grade of leather the smoother that back will be in the end.

For straps, I would recommend you use leather from the back. When you get up around the shoulder, the leather tends to be a bit loose and or stringy. Resolene helps as will most acrylics, but I just don't put them on anything; it's just not the look I want or like. When was the last time you saw a shiny cow? Acrylics don't flex very well, and if they crack, they will eventually flake off. Let's face it, they are plastic, and if you want plastic leather, try biothane.

Sno-seal is a pretty good idea, as is Montana Pitchblend, and Skidmore's. You can probably interchange them and find Skidmore's in some biker shops. Sno-Seal is the cheapest, and it works. It is great that it is available a Wally World, and you might be able to catch a quick wrestling match while you are there.

If you get stringy back leather, that's on the tanner and the cow, if you buy quality leather, you should expect the back to be smooth. If properly cut and finished, there should be nothing to be stringy. If the deed is done and you have a stringy piece, level it off with sandpaper and paste it with a food grade gum like tragacanth.

Overall, the leather will wear better than any finish, and the grain side will wear better than the flesh. Doubled and Stitched straps are the ultimate sign of quality, even if you have to double 2 or 3 oz to meet design criteria, you will have a 4 oz or 6 oz strap with twice the strength of just a 4 or 6 oz single strap.

Art