Rub n buff

[Katlyn4jc]

Has anyone used the rub n buff metallic paints sold at Michaels or hobby lobby on their veg tan leather project ?

share your experience and the kind of leather 

[gracefulmeg]

I havent tried the Rub n Buff brand but Gilder's paste will work. They have a better variety of colors, too.

http://springfieldleather.com/Gilders-Paste-Silver

[NVLeatherWorx]

A word of advice to all who read this:  although it is in our nature to find the most cost effective way to go about treating our crafting, whether for hobby or professionally like myself, there is one very steadfast rule that should be followed and that is: unless a product, regardless of what it is, is specifically engineered and manufactured for the use on leather you should not be using it.  Standard products that seem like they would work can have a very serious adverse effect on the leather which will lead to issues down the road and a very, very upset customer.  

Do yourself a huge favor and just stick with the stuff that is supposed to be used on the leather and you find that you can stand behind anything you make with a guarantee of quality that is unheard of from other sources.  For the most part, the products and materials may cost a bit more but the quality is much better and that is what gives an item value to both the maker and the customer.

[Katlyn4jc]

Thanks so much , l appreciate it guys.

l am learning so much from y'all. 

Will Martha Stewart Acrylic paint work? Are they some of the recommended products 

[NVLeatherWorx]

The best product to go after if you are looking for acrylic's is to use the Cova-Color products, they are specifically engineered for coloring veg-tan leather.  They can be purchased from Tandy (they are under the Eco-Flo brand), Springfield Leather, you can even get them directly from Fiebing's (the original maker of them).  I am sure that you can find them from just about any leather craft supplier (and I recommend that this is how you try and source your materials and supplies as they target those things that are intended to be used in this trade).

[Katlyn4jc]

Thanks so much 

[BJP]

I found Cova Color To be a waste of money.   I was super disappointed in the coverage it gives..   So I switched to Golden Acrylics paints in the tube only.     They're high end and work beautifully.     I'm in Canada so there is not as much total leather paint available here.    I'd like to try Angelus leather paint but don't know where to find it here.  

[cjartist]

1 hour ago, BJP said:

I found Cova Color To be a waste of money.   I was super disappointed in the coverage it gives..   So I switched to Golden Acrylics paints in the tube only.     They're high end and work beautifully.     I'm in Canada so there is not as much total leather paint available here.    I'd like to try Angelus leather paint but don't know where to find it here.  

Golden was my preference when I was painting on canvas.  They are much more expensive than other acrylics in part because they contain more pigment than many other brands.  That is probably why the coverage is better.  The only question left standing is what is the binding material and how does it act with leather.  I would like to know.  The very nature of acrylic paint means it is flexible regardless of who makes it.

[BJP]

So far the leather collars I have done are just fine.  No chipping flaking etc and the coverage obviously great due to the pigment.  To finish them I use 3 very thin coats of Acrylic Resolene to finish the leather pieces off for water resistance    

The Golden Acrylic heavy body paints I use are 100% Acrylic Polymer dispersion .  

I'm not sure if that is an answer to your question... All I know is that I have been happy so far with the heavy body acrylic,  and I've tried some other brands and meh.  Not happy.   

 

[alpha2]

Just tried Cova Color for the first time. What an experience...and not in a good way. First coat, pathetic coverage, second, coat, pretty much the same. I had hoped to cover the bare spots with a fresh coat after first dried, nope, same areas with no coverage. Checked in to this thread to see if I'd missed something. Once again, I fell for the "can get it locally" trap. Maybe if I let it dry for TWO days, then try to get it to cover, I'll have better luck. I was hoping to not have to count on luck, though.

[NVLeatherWorx]

2 hours ago, alpha2 said:

Just tried Cova Color for the first time. What an experience...and not in a good way. First coat, pathetic coverage, second, coat, pretty much the same. I had hoped to cover the bare spots with a fresh coat after first dried, nope, same areas with no coverage. Checked in to this thread to see if I'd missed something. Once again, I fell for the "can get it locally" trap. Maybe if I let it dry for TWO days, then try to get it to cover, I'll have better luck. I was hoping to not have to count on luck, though.

Did you use Tandy's Eco-Flo Cova Color?  I found that it is very watery and doesn't cover worth a hill of beans; I have always had good results with the original Cova Color from Fiebing's (I order direct as a distributor of their products).  I have also experimented with the moisture content of the leather when applying Cova and have found that when the leather is still a bit moist (not soaked) I was able to get a more even cover; still had to apply more than one coat but the reaction between dry and damp leather is total opposites.  Give it a try on some damp leather and see what happens.  

Another tip that I have learned over the years of using these acrylic paints is that you can't just shake the bottle to get it all worked up; remember back to the days of grade school when you were doing the fingerpainting projects and that acrylic paint was all lumpy?  You have to stir up the settled layer on the bottom of the bottle and then give it a shake or two; if it is a bit thick just add some water and shake some more until it has a "creamy" look and flow to it.  This stuff can be tricky and also very annoying but the pop of color is hard to match with just regular dyes.

Looking forward to hearing your progress on this.

[cjartist]

3 hours ago, alpha2 said:

I fell for the "can get it locally" trap.

You should be able to buy Golden Acrylics at any art supply store including Michaels.  I would get their fluid acrylic to use on the leather.

Edited August 13, 2017 by cjartist

[alpha2]

Thanks for the tips, guys! I did shake the heck out of it, and it seemed pretty "soupy", and the leather was just a bit damp, as I'd heard that tip before. One final coat going on this AM. I'll get to Michael's or the local art store before I try paint again though!

[Northmount]

A Canadian source for Angelus paints is http://www.longviewleather.com/angelus-paints/ Located in Longview, AB, about 30 minutes or so south of Calgary on hwy 22.  They have a web store.

Tom

[aharri64]

I've had tremendous results with Rub 'n Buff. It's waxed based so it's pretty malleable. It's also easy to apply, works on just about everything, is durable, dries quickly, and you can polish it. I haven't done thorough testing so this might be a fun experiment for you. Depending on what color I'm looking for, I will either add a black pro dye base coat or not. If you want to dry brush, it's not that great, but that's what angelus is for. Hope this helps. Sorry I'm 5 years late