Neatlac

[Handstitched]

G'day,

I've had 5-6mm some drum dyed buffalo hides for a few years now, but I couldn't use them for belts as the dye was coming off on the back. The hides were not sealed. Which may explain why I got them cheap. I have tried various leather  sealers all to no avail, the dye keeps coming through.I did try the tiny bit of neatlac that I have left, and that worked. But   Neatlac is obviously no longer made, and although there are alternatives  available in the eastern states  Australia, they can't be shipped by air, and I'm in the west. Road freight will be too ex$y .  There in lies my problem. Needless to say, the hides stayed on the rack ever since. 

So, I did an experiment today  on some scraps of this leather . I tried ordinary domestic ( water based)  varnish/lacquer , as used for woodwork . I put on two coats, one was not enough.  And whacko...it worked !! the same as neatlac did . Theres a 'before & after pic' .

Its takes longer to dry, but a hair dryer helps. I let it dry completely . I flexed it, bent it around etc and all looks good. 

So I'm guessing that  the varnish  ingredients can't that much different to Neatlac and its variants .

 

Hope this  tip helps someone else. 

HS 

 

[Chief31794]

Neatlac is still made, it is no longer called neatlac it is called Clear Lac, it is available from Springfield Leather Company and other places.  It is produced by LCI which is who marketed it under Neat Lac back in the day.

Chief

[Handstitched]

G'Day ,

Thank you for that, and handy to know.  But the same problem still exists, it can't be shipped internationally by air. 

I just had a look at one of my leather suppliers in the east ( australia) . they no longer supply the lacquer that was available before.  Just a heads up, there are very few leather suppliers in  Western Australia. Nearly all my supplies come from the eastern states where there are several suppliers and it  takes 2 weeks for them to  get to my place. 

 There is one( very small one)  in Perth ( Western Australia) ...and thats it. Even he  has limited supplies.

I have a wholesaler for my sides of leather in Perth. 

The clear varnish seems to be working quite well . Its white in colour  ,  water based, and dries clear, and is flexible . I use 2 coats .Dries pretty well on its own, but I use a hair dryer  to speed things up ( its winter here right now)  I can now  finally make a heap of belts with these hides...yey !   

All the best, 

HS

[Boriqua]

I never tried the lacquer on the flesh sides .. hmmm. Anything I used it on that someone forced to bend made the finish crack terrible so I threw it out and never looked back. Im surprised you couldnt get the resolene to work. I would think if you gave it several light sprays allowing it to dry between applications it would work so .... Mop and glo or whatever mop and glo becomes in your neck of the woods should work.

Me ... I would be inclined to add a liner  and dye and seal that.

Alex

[24VOLTS]

What is the name of the product that you are using?  I am not familiar with a water based varnish.  It sounds very interesting.  I bet it could be used as a resist when tooling leather.

[Handstitched]

G'day, and thank you for your replies.

The lacquer that was available from  NSW Australia, was called 'clear lac'...or something like that from Birdsall Leather NSW. . I guess it was the Aussies answer to Neatlac. 

Neatlac was the only thing that seemed to work, but I don't have much left. 

I did try ordering some ( clearlac)  several months ago, only to be told that it can't come by air as its highly flammable.  Road freight was out of the question, it would have cost more than the product.  But now, I can't find it on their web site. 

So originally I  'thought outside the leather square', and took a punt. I  tried some  varnish  I found in the shed,  on a scrap piece, even though it  was  'cedar' in colour ( also water based) . That worked. After it dried, I bent it ,twisted it,  and it looked good. Thats when I decided to go to my local hardware shop and get some clear varnish. 

The product I now use is called ' Pascol Clear Varnish' . Its made in Australia.  Water based. In either gloss or satin. I have the gloss. Looks nicer  imo. 

https://www.masters.com.au/product/100842441/pascol-interior-varnish-clear-gloss-1l.jsp;jsessionid=j5R2l1zCBn-5NEDFGEHWMA__.ncdlmorasp1202?bmUID=lpqsJJr#product-overview

 

 Its white in  colour in the tin, but dries clear. Very little odor. No nasty chemical vapours.  I tried one coat first, but only a tiny bit of dye was visible on some paper towel after   the first coat dried, so to be sure, I applied two coats. It dried fairly  quickly , but as its been cold down here, I used my trusty hair dryer to speed things up a bit.  I guess if it was oil based, it  will take longer to dry, and may have issues later.  

You may not even have to try this as 'Neatlac's variants are readily available in the US and theres so many suppliers in the US .  I  really do envy you guys. Theres a LOT that we can't get down here. 

As a result of my little experiment , I can now go ahead and make a heap of heavy belts with a retail value of approx $4500 - $5000 . 

I  do appreciate that to many leather workers, this is not the done thing, but........it works. 

Thanks once again

Best regards,

HS