Help New Leather Worker

[rameyleathercraft]

Please Advise. New Leatherworker here.

I have been using Feibings Dyes (non-pro) and reducing them in denatured alcohol. I've done small projects; so alcohol to dye ration is about 5:1 (typically 20cc alcohol to 5cc dye).

After I let it sit for 24 hrs; I apply two coats of neatfoot oil (from a rag); and then a armor-all leather conditioner gel.

 

My problem; the leather still remains fairly stiff; and flexing tends to "stretch" the color paler. Is this a problem with my dye technique; finishes; or leather?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[bikermutt07]

Hard to say..... It could very well just be the leather. Cheap oldish leather can be pretty dried out and stiff.

You might want to try some Aussie from fiebings. Just rub it in a little and let it set for a day or two.

That should soften it up pretty good.

[Halitech]

couple of questions

1. where did you get the leather

2. how thick (weight) is the leather

3. if you apply some neatsfoot oil to it before dying, does it get softer

4. does it get stiffer after you apply the armour all?

[NVLeatherWorx]

And another suggestion is to stop using things like Armor All and other general marketplace leather conditioners as they are not meant to be used on the leathers that we use to create finished goods.  In fact, the conditioning capabilities of these types of products is about as minimal as you will get; they are nothing more than overloaded chemical compounds that are marketed for those who have no knowledge about what really works and how to treat leather.  Get one of the Fiebing's leather finishes, Leather Balm w/Atom Wax comes to mind, and give it a whirl; you will see a dramatic difference in the outcome.  The amount of denatured alcohol that you are using is also drying your leather out so you would have to be adding a lot of oil back into the leather to get some the pliability back which it sounds like you haven't given it enough.  There really is no reason to dilute the dyes as they are intended (and blended) to be used as is the first time you open the bottle.  Reality is that they are less harsh on the leather at full strength than they are once you start adding more chemical to the equation.  With vegetable-tanned leather the chemicals are the killer and they will ruin some of the finest leather, and works, if you start playing with the recipe.  I am sure that this statement will get some push back but it is time that the reality of how this trade works and what is truly the best method to use gets out there for those who are serious about doing it right and not just the "well, my advice is" community. Give a pure application of the dye a chance on a scrap piece of leather and then give it some Neatsfoot Oil, but it must be Pure Neatsfoot Oil, not a compound (again, more chemical than real conditioner) and see how it comes out.  Give it more oil if necessary and do this until the leather has some pliability to it but make sure that you don't saturate it.  You might be surprised in the difference.  Good luck and keep working at it.

[rameyleathercraft]

thanks for the replies. It helps a lot.

To answer some questions...

1) leather is 8-9oz; veg tanned, double shoulder from Tandy's. I think I paid around $40 if that is a tell of the quality. It is also very "hairy" on the flesh side. (please; help me understand how to choose better quality leather and where! This leather was fine for the project; but better items will need better leather in the future).

2) I diluted the feibings dye because they always came out much darker than I wanted. A light brown would look like dark brown. I "cut" the dye to get different shades of color. I have seen no noticeable difference in the "stiffness" between pure dye and my "cut dye". So Im not too concerned there.

3) I typically dampen leather before dying with water --- is neatsfoot a better way to go?

4) the armoral helps soften the leather a good bit along with the neatsfoot oil (from Tandy as well).

 

What is a good sealant besides neatsfoot oil? I heard of "sno-seal" but I didn't find any at my local walmart (which stated they have it).

[Halitech]

neatsfoot oil is not a finisher, it simply adds oils back into the leather that dying and tooling removes

you want leather that is flat on the flesh side. If it's hairy or stringy, it's lower quality.

See NVL's response about armour all

I use Aussie conditioner and beeswax mainly and sometimes tan kote or resolene

[bikermutt07]

I have that same double shoulder in my closet. I bought it before I knew any better.

Springfield Leather will be a cut above Tandy on leather.

Lots of better places to, maverick, hide house, Acadia has some nice pull up leathers for cheap.

[Bigfoote]

I use olive oil or Pure Neatsfoot oil to soften the leather then resolene cut 50/50 with water for a finish. You can get some real poor leather at Tandy, good to practice with but my experience is go elsewhere where they sell some good leather like Herman oak or Wicket and Craig.

[NVLeatherWorx]

18 hours ago, Bigfoote said:

I use olive oil or Pure Neatsfoot oil to soften the leather then resolene cut 50/50 with water for a finish. You can get some real poor leather at Tandy, good to practice with but my experience is go elsewhere where they sell some good leather like Herman oak or Wicket and Craig.

You nailed it with this one.  

 

To Everyone else:  Tandy does not provide any quality leather that is worthy of being used for "production" work but it is great for a test or a prototype item just to show off.  When you take into consideration that their top grade is their Oak Leaf category and that when you actually shop it you will not find any consistency within the same weight of that line alone; the range of quality is from semi-clean to the worst looking thing you will ever see and everything in between.  Springfield and Hide House both deal with H.O. and they heads and tails above anything Tandy can put in your hands. And, as others have already stated, there are other sources out there that offer better leather at a good price.

[rameyleathercraft]

Thanks for the input guys. Here are the changes I'll make,

1). Order Aussie Conditioner as a finish; beeswax base finish helps improve water resistance.

2). Order better quality leather; from my searches, I think I will be ordering HO leather from Springfield leather ~10.99 for B grade (all they had available.)

3). I will continue cutting my feibings dye with denatured alcohol; as I have heard that is fine and normal practice and I like testing colors.

 

Additional Questions....

What "cut" of the hide is generally the most flexible project wise.

what "cut" is best? Is shoulder typically very tough and stiff? Is the bend a more supple, but still durable leather?

(Majority of my projects are journal covers, modina style field notes, knife sheaths, holsters, messenger bags, and eventually more complicated computer cases.The first leather I bought was 8-9 oz double shoulder -Tandy and it was hard to make flexible enough for some projects.)

Is a 4mm pricking iron set good for most projects? What mm difference do you think is best for small and larger projects?

 

Thanks again.