which finishing product to use?

[Sixcats]

Hi,

I'm a little perplexed about which finishing products to use for various projects.  For example, I see people carve and dye leather, then put an acrylic finish on it.  Other times they dye and then put a leather conditioner or something like Snow Seal conditioner on it.  Some talk about acrylic resolene.   If someone uses acrylic, then 6 months from now wants to put some conditioner on the leather, you cant do that because the acrylic blocks the conditioner from working into the leather...so how would you ever condition old projects that have acrylic on them?

What would you finish the following project with?  And how would you go about conditioning the leather months from now?

Book cover, knife sheath, motorcycle seat, purse, belt, key chain fob, guitar strap?

Thanks

[bikermutt07]

I use fiebings aussie leather conditioner. According to the container, it beautifies,  conditions, strengthens???, and waterproofs in one simple step. Great for bitter cold or extremely hot climates.

All this is according to the label. I haven't used it long enough to test these claims, but gathers a nice sheen with some rubbing.

[OneCrow]

Your going to get a different answer / theory on the proper way to finish your projects from every single member on the forum. Do some research and figure out what works best for you. Just never experiment on a finished piece. 

Personally I utilize Snow Seal & Resolene. Before I apply those finishing products I condition the leather with Neetsfoot Oil and Carnuba Cream to load the leather up with oils before I seal it with the finishes. My theory is by pre-loading the leather with oil/wax before you seal it you won't have to condition it for quite awhile. By the time the leather has dried out the acrylic would have probably worn away, or you can always apply oils on the flesh side.

The only reason I use Snow Seal and Resolene is because I came across a you tube channel years ago where a leather worker applied different finishes to several scraps of leather and then left them outside in the snow, sun and rain for six months. In the end the leather with the Snow Seal and Resolene was still flexible.That was good enough for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw9fMOJck5M

Good Luck.

[Sixcats]

Thanks bikermut07 and OneCrow.   OneCrow, you mentioned Snow Seal and then Resolene.  I didn't realize you could put acrylic or Resolene on leather after it had oil or Snow Seal put on it...I had assumed those conditioners would prevent the acrylic from sticking to the leather.   So, I thought something like Snow Seal would be the finishing product used.

You don't have any problem putting Resolene on top of Snow Seal?

Thanks.

[OneCrow]

No issues yet. I apply the snow seal with a hair dryer to heat the piece, Let the snow seal melt in, give it a quick buff, let it dry out overnight and buff the surface again the next day. Buffing the surface usually gets rid of any excess wax. Then apply acrylic.

And don't forget the golden rule: Never try a new finish on a completed piece. 

Hope this helps.