top coat for natural veg tanned color and strength

[jasonmccluer]

Recently I have been interested in keeping close to the natural color of veg tanned leather for my belts. Not something I have done before. 

I find after a few test belts spread out among friends and family that simply giving them a light coat of NF is not sufficient. 

The test belts crease quickly at the buckle, mar easily, and conform too soon to the wearer's shape.

What I want to achieve is the color of slightly aged undyed veg tanned. I like the color after a light oil.  I also need a mellow (low gloss) top coat or process to protect the leather and not let it darken too much too soon. I know that time and use will darken it naturally.  Finally, I am wondering if there is a top finish that will give the leather a little extra strength to keep it from losing it's shape too quickly.

I am using a 10 oz Hermann oak premium veg tanned bend from Springfield Leather.  I like the leather but I wonder if I should go with a heavier weight or a different cut from the hide. I should also mention that I am not tooling the leather at all. 

I know there is probably a bunch of ways to go about it so everyone's expertise is much much appreciated. 

 

[byggyns]

There are several options.

You could go with coats of mop & glow or Resolene, which are acrylic coatings.

Or, you could go with a heavy wax/oil treatment like a dubbin or carnauba creme. Some people make their own surface treatment with neatsfoot oil, beeswax, and other waxes/oils. Any of the oil treatments will darken the leather, so you'll want to try it out on scraps before using on a finished project.

[jasonmccluer]

1 hour ago, byggyns said:

There are several options.

You could go with coats of mop & glow or Resolene, which are acrylic coatings.

Or, you could go with a heavy wax/oil treatment like a dubbin or carnauba creme. Some people make their own surface treatment with neatsfoot oil, beeswax, and other waxes/oils. Any of the oil treatments will darken the leather, so you'll want to try it out on scraps before using on a finished project.

I have used carnauba creme mostly in the past on dyed projects. I am interested in making my own mix. I will have to explore that option.

[immiketoo]

Bee Natural RTC will give you the effect you want, but you may want to suntan your leather a bit before sealing.

 

[Halitech]

the reason your belts aren't being protected is because NF oil is NOT a protectant. It's to put oil back into leather that has been dyed or wet molded and has lost moisture. Nigel (I think it was him) did a test on multiple finishes, both for water resistance and color change (if I remember right) and resolene was the best option of the products he tested. Resolene also has the benefit of blocking most UVA/UVB rays so it prevents the most effects of being in natural light. Most finishes won't protect the shape, stitching the edges will help some though.

[byggyns]

I have tried a mix of NF oil and beeswax, and I like it. I started out with a 1:1 mix, but I like a little more oil to make application easier. I have heard of some people adding carnauba wax to increase hardness & shine in the final coat.

For heavy moisture exposure, I'd probably use resolene. I have used resolene on a 2 layer stitched gun belt, and haven't had any cracking, flaking, or obvious failure of the finish.