My Stuff is TOO STIFF

[Dwight]

Almost all my leather work has always been holsters, belts, knife sheaths, and hand bags.

And most of the time, . . . Resolene has been my "go to" finish, . . . and has worked well for those applications, . . . Zero complaints here.

BUT, . . . increasingly more and more (and I'm not complaining) I'm being asked to create something new and different, . . . and it needs to be more flexible, bendable, softer, etc.

What dying technique / finish technique will do this:  1) fully protect it from dye rub off, . . . 2) allow the leather to flex as though it were untouched veggie tan, . . . 3) not be a 3 or 4 or 5 step process, . . . need to keep it simple for a simple minded old codger.

Thanks, may God bless,

Dwight

[TomG]

I use Leather Balm with Atom Wax and after well dried, top it with a very light coat of 50/50 Resolene or acrylic floor wax.  Right after the Leather Balm, I flex the leather a bit and it limbers right up.  Of course, 80% of my stuff is straps of some sort, so that part is easy <g>.

Works well for me.

Someone else I know uses the floor wax first and the Leather Balm on top.  Works for them as well.

 

[TinkerTailor]

Its a similar idea, but I have had good results with 50/50 then carnauba creme. First I do a light coat of 50/50 to help lock in the finish and harden the surface of carving. I bet  its actually 60% or more alcohol in reality. I put more alcohol in to make sure this first coat sinks in and distributes without leaving any on the surface so I can still go in with waxes and things. Granted they take longer to absorb, but they still will. Shiny reso coat on top, no way.  Then I'll  just slop carnauba on on with my fingers, rubbing it in with my hands, let it soak and buff it. Do this twice and buff really good. For more waterproof, snoseal on top. Carnauba rubbed and buffed leather feels soooooo nice....

I have also had success treating leather from the backside with carnauba to soften it without affecting the grain colour or finish. If you get the leather softer from the inside, you may not even need to change the finish technique on the outside. I do this on the backside of bendy bits like the fold of a wallet, selectively flexifying....

What if you just oiled the piss out of the leather before you assemble with your current technique?? Or oil dip a couple times after dye but before reso? Or just dye the oil for that matter.

It may also be that the solution is to switch to a softer temper leather and keep your finishing style. I have no idea where you would get it (i'm in Canada and he is local to me) but the nicest veg leather i have used came from Italy. When I looked at it, there was some that was amazingly limp but still thick and somehow not squishy. I have a belt made from it that is 10 oz easily and it is soft enough I can wind it around a broom stick yet hasn't stretched a bit in a year, and I put heavy stuff on my belt. I know that the selection of consistent quality leather is super awesome these days but it may be worth a look.....

[cowboycolonel]

Dwight,

 

I almost NEVER apply one of those finished to my work.  Instead I use Skidmore's Leather Cream.  It's a beeswax product, produces a lustrous finish, and can easily be applied by the consumer as they want.  I provide a can with every saddle I sell.  Besides, it's better then hand cream and where you are, is will reduce chapped skin during winter months.  Put it on with your bare hands, and if you leave too much in tooling impressions, etc., then just hit it with a blow dryer and then an air compressor and it will magically disappear.

[Colt W Knight]

I thin MOP about 50/50 and airbrush it onto my soft purses. I like to do about 3-4 thin coats. You can tell when it starts to build up and stops soaking in, thats when I stop. Adds a bit of shine and nice protection that wont crack or gum up on the purses.

[Boriqua]

On certain items where I dont want to bury the item in Resolene I have used the Tandy Waterstain. It dries quickly and even with no sealer top coat it absolutely doesnt rub off. I have rubbed it to death with a white cloth and nothing ever comes up. I then do a thin top coat of 50/50 resolene but I have also done the neatsfoot/beeswax finish but what rubbed was the wax. No color but the rubbing of the wax on the persons clothing caused a dark spot

[TinkerTailor]

5 minutes ago, Boriqua said:

On certain items where I dont want to bury the item in Resolene I have used the Tandy Waterstain. It dries quickly and even with no sealer top coat it absolutely doesnt rub off. I have rubbed it to death with a white cloth and nothing ever comes up. I then do a thin top coat of 50/50 resolene but I have also done the neatsfoot/beeswax finish but what rubbed was the wax. No color but the rubbing of the wax on the persons clothing caused a dark spot

what happens to the stain if the leather gets wet? Does it run?

[Boriqua]

1 hour ago, TinkerTailor said:

what happens to the stain if the leather gets wet? Does it run?

I cant speak to all the colors having only used about 4 different ones but just this past week I used the Pro Waterstain black to dye the inside of a holster and 3 mag pouches. They all get dunked in a pan of clean water and stuck in a bag and there was absolutely no run off. I wish my Solvent based red and oxblood were that color fast when dunked. When I dunk holsters that I used fiebings red or oxblood on the water turns red but like I said that Waterstain black .. completely stable.

I have some turquoise and another color out in the shed I havent tried yet. I will dye up some scrap and check its fastness. I usually treat items with a light coat of resolene anyway so they do get extra protection but I will give those colors a wet test and report back.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Boriqua

[TomG]

So you guys are saying that you can dip dye using the Pro Waterstains?  I thought you had to rub it into slightly damp leather.

How long do you dip it?  My oil dyes only take seconds to dip.

 

[Boriqua]

I have only used it with a dauber or rag. Sorry if i confused things with mentioning dipping but i was refering to dipping in water in order to mold. If the dye was going to run i would have seen it then as i dyed the inside before i glued stitched and wetmold. I have never dip dyed with any dyes.