Problems With Fiebings Antique Finish Paste

[KBCustom]

Hello everyone,

I have been working a little with Fiebings Antique finish. I love how it applies and the overall color that it produces when all is said and done, only problem i am running into is it seems to be chipping away. I have attached a few pictures to better explain what's going on. The first picture of the portfolio book as a whole was before i applied any resolene or spray finish, the others are what i ended up with as the book was finished completely. I've tried applying small amounts of resolene (which i use with all other stains) but this seems to "wash" my color making it very dull and uneven. I then switched to a spray finish in small amounts to protect the stain, this seemed to help keep the stain in place so i could apply a layer of resolene to protect it overall. My question is, has anyone else had these issues with fiebings finishes? And if so, how might i go about fixing this problem in a way that i don't ruin this particular piece as it is " finished".

thank you

Kody

[Thor]

The problem is that it is water soluble. I had those issues as well and at times I'm making use of this issue to give it a more vintage look. I haven't found a reproduceable solution, but what I do is letting it cure for a few days and go very gentle about the finish cote and give it a good polish after another few days.

Other than that great job on the cover.

Edited September 1, 2015 by Thor

[KBCustom]

Makes sense, is there anything that you've found that repairs the affected areas?

[Bob Blea]

Kody, I've seen where some of the pro's use Tan Kote as a final finish over Fiebings Antique. It does rub off some of the antique, changing your color a bit, because Tan Kote can be used to thin the Fiebings antique paste. When applied after antiquing, it evens out the antique and can even remove streaks or darkened areas. If you didn't have a coating of Resolene over that chipped area I'd suspect it could clean that up and even it out. It still might be worth a try.

[KBCustom]

Thanks Bob, I've given the tan kote a try before as both a cutting agent as well as a finisher and it works great to cut with but im finding it has a similar affect as a finish.

[terrymac]

Clearlac is an excellent finish for antique paste,as well as a resist. It will stop the splotcchy effect you can get with the paste on some leathers.

Terry

[Colt W Knight]

When I use antiques, I give them a light wipe with a damp cloth with saddle soap. That removes the build up from the high areas and leaves the antique in the crevices, tool marks, etc. The only way I have found to clear coat waterbased products without getting any smearing, splotching, diluting, etc. is to apply the clear with an air brush. Once you go air brush, you never go back to wiping on clear coat. You get nice thin and even coats with no smearing.

[KBCustom]

Thank you all for your comments. Unfortunately the piece was ruined last night so it looks like i get to start over again. Colt, what product are you using to air brush? Can you use resolene through it?

[Colt W Knight]

I airbrush dyes, acrylic paints, and clears through my airbrush. I use mop n glo as my clear coat because its cheap and very similar to acrylic resolene. Yes you can spray resolene through an airbrush, just cut it with water.

[KBCustom]

do you happen to have a couple picture examples of a finished product using spray dyes and finisher? I've been debating giving this method a try but have been hesitant because i'm use to the typical methods.

[Colt W Knight]