My Stuff is TOO STIFF

[silverwingit]

Dwight, after happily consuming your nearly 3,000 some helpful posts I am privileged to have the opportunity to help you out a little.

In my experience, one factor that has a big impact on how flexible the item is after finishing is how flexible it is before finishing. If I want a piece to be flexible I'll flex the heck out of it before I apply the final finish.

After cutting the piece, I first apply a thin coat of neatsfoot with a piece of trimmed shearling or old t-shirt, with the oil mostly daubed out. To do that I use a more heavily soaked piece of shearling or rag to make an application to the flesh side. The flesh side can take a lot of neatsfoot and when I am done there the shearling/rag is daubed out enough to allow gradual, repeated applications to  the grain side. Don't apply it in one heavy coat. Rather, use a mostly daubed-out piece of shearling or rag.  After the oil has dried I apply a relatively generous coat of carnauba cream. I really like carnauba cream for the texture and flexibility it imparts to the leather. I even like the way it smells. I apply it in the same sequence, flesh side first, so that my shearling or rag isn't sopping wet by the time I turn my attention to the grain side. Once there, that mostly daubed-out applicator can be used to go over a piece multiple times until the desired amount has been applied evenly across the piece. If you go at the grain side with an applicator wet with carnauba cream, it will streak.

After the applications of neatsfoot oil and carnauba cream the grain surface is made pliable so that it won't be nearly so susceptible to cracking. I am then able to safely flex the leather through a fairly sharp angle. At that point I'll take a strap, for example, and put one end against my (clean, divot-free) workbench surface grain-side down and bend it down as much as I dare without cracking its delicate surface. Then I'll "roll" that bend back and forth across the piece from one end/side of the piece to the other. Meaning I press down with an even amount of pressure and roll the piece back and forth between my hand and the bench top until the leather "gives" and then move that bend along so that the it travels all the way along the length of the strap. Then I'll do the same thing with the flesh side out. The sharpness of the bend (how much force you apply) and the number of times you roll it over a given spot  as you move along/across the piece determine how flexible or even floppy the end result will be. If the piece will be destined for a certain curvature, say cuffs, you can leave that curve in and move on to your next operation. Otherwise you can roll a bend in vertical, horizontal, and any other direction to create flexibility in those directions as well.

When I've achieved the desired amount of flexibility I'll do whatever other operations the piece requires and then apply a final coat of yes, Bag Kote. I've tried most all final finishes and have found no better than good old Bag Kote for protecting my work. I don't care for shiny finishes and Bag Kote leaves a very pleasing matte finish. It's also much more user-friendly than, say, Resolene, which can be finicky. You can and, in fact, should apply it with a wet applicator and it will soak in, leaving a nice, even coat without streaking or spotting. Most of my products aren't destined for outdoor use but if the product does get wet, as long as it gets fully, not partially wet, it will return pretty much to its original condition. Bag Kote will allow spotting if only parts of the leather get wet, though. I haven't found a fully waterproof finish that isn't waxy, really shiny, or that cracks when flexed so I settle for the best looking and wearing dry-compatible finish I know of, Bag Kote.

One of the best things about Bag Kote is that it will flex without cracking and that was your original question.

I hope this helps some.

Thank you, Dwight, for all your generosity on this forum!

Michelle

[Boriqua]

I confirmed the tandy Pro water stains dont run. I did try the Turquoise and the three other colors I have and then ran water over them and absolutly no color runs off so since it doesnt rub you can use less sealant which should help keep things flexible.

 

Keplerts .. your right about the Turquoise being a bit weird. It seems to have little pigment so I had to shake it up good before I could get some nice coverage and I found I had to apply it let it dry and then reapply but I liked the final color. Only problem was it turned ugly fast when I sprayed it with 50/50 water/resolene. I have no idea why it happened. That particular piece of leather has been sitting on my shelf for over a year and I didnt pre dampen the leather so ..??

The piece I ran water over got darker but still a decent color for turquoise leather dye. The goat skin took the dye nicest. Didnt have any issues like that with the red, brown or black. Resolene didnt affect them. Here are some pix.

In the group shot going clockwise from top left

Piece that had been outdoors for a while in the sun and wind next was goat, then a piece of nasty 6 oz I have that hates dye, then a nice piece of absorbent 8/9 oz and finally the little keychain thing that I sprayed with resolene. The other pieces are how it looks after dye but before wetting

[keplerts]

Boriqua,

Maybe I got a bad batch!   Mine looks NOTHING like how yours came out. I will give it another try and see what happens.  Thanks for the update.  The color looks good, IMHO.

Tom

[Boriqua]

13 hours ago, keplerts said:

Boriqua,

Maybe I got a bad batch!   Mine looks NOTHING like how yours came out. I will give it another try and see what happens.  Thanks for the update.  The color looks good, IMHO.

Tom

My feeling is Turquoise leather dye may sit on the shelf longer than more traditional colors. Try shaking the bottle until you think you shook it enough .. then shake it a some more. Wish I had had one of those machines they use at the paint counter!

Then like i sad .. rub it in then let it dry out 15 minutes or so and give it another going over. I was pretty generous with how much I used too.

Alex

[TinkerTailor]

45 minutes ago, Boriqua said:

My feeling is Turquoise leather dye may sit on the shelf longer than more traditional colors. Try shaking the bottle until you think you shook it enough .. then shake it a some more. Wish I had had one of those machines they use at the paint counter!

Then like i sad .. rub it in then let it dry out 15 minutes or so and give it another going over. I was pretty generous with how much I used too.

Alex

Drop a couple clean ball bearings into the bottle and it helps get the settled portions broken up and distributed with the shaking. Come to think of it, even nuts and bolts would work. I just had a thought, If i built a holster for a dye bottle i could attach it to the handwheel of my machine so I get mixin with the stitchin......

[Boriqua]

oOOOooo nuts in the bottle is an AWESOME idea.

[billybopp]

36 minutes ago, TinkerTailor said:

Drop a couple clean ball bearings into the bottle and it helps get the settled portions broken up and distributed with the shaking. Come to think of it, even nuts and bolts would work. I just had a thought, If i built a holster for a dye bottle i could attach it to the handwheel of my machine so I get mixin with the stitchin......

I haven't used this for dyes, but for paint where the pigment settles out, I use good ol' fashioned BBs.  They work great and they are really cheap.  

 

16 minutes ago, Boriqua said:

oOOOooo nuts in the bottle is an AWESOME idea.

Hmmm.  Sounds like a product idea.  "New, from Ronco! 'Nuts in a Bottle'.  Shake 'em, stir 'em.  Make your paint and dye work for you instead of you working for them." $9.95 if you call in now.   But wait .. There's MORE.  We'll include the shaker holster for FREE is you call in now."

[Boriqua]

oh man and if we could get the license rights to use "Message in a Bottle" by the Police!! yea you may be on to something. "Nuts in a bottle oh yea" .. I can hear him singing it now.

I have some 1/8 bb's for my slingshot which are admittedly to small for my slingshot but the Tandy pro water stain is pretty viscous and I am not sure that they would be heavy enough to mix it up. 1/4-20 nuts though seem to accumulate so I am sure I have a few new spares around to try. When the bottle is done wash em off and stick it in another color. I dont use a ton of the waterstain but the nuts will definitely help when I do.

[robbied]

On 02/11/2016 at 5:10 AM, silverwingit said:

In my experience, one factor that has a big impact on how flexible the item is after finishing is how flexible it is before finishing. If I want a piece to be flexible I'll flex the heck out of it before I apply the final finish.

After the applications of neatsfoot oil and carnauba cream the grain surface is made pliable so that it won't be nearly so susceptible to cracking. I am then able to safely flex the leather through a fairly sharp angle.

 

This process is known as 'milling'. I've used this to great effect on veg tanned metalwork aprons, to give them some pliability, as they are useless when stiff as a board. The commercially milled leather is as soft as fabric, but mostly that would be too soft.

Nicely explained too.

[strathmoredesigns]

On 10/25/2016 at 0:17 PM, Colt W Knight said:

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.

Newbie question. What's 50/50?