Sealing Leather

[HaloJones]

Some advice please;

 

I am in the process of making a set of armour for a friend who does Hema Sword Fighting, I am a total amateur at this but I like a challenge

so we have designed & made the pattern and he has got the leather a 9oz veg tan side

My question is as the leather is died on both side what would be the best product to seal the dye - this will be worn during intensive activity & it will get sweaty, I am worried about the sweat causing the dye to bleed out & I want to protect the leather.

Thanks for any advice.

 

 

 

[koreric75]

gonna follow this one, interested to see the responses...if it were me, i would consider some inexpensive lining for the inside if it's going to be leather to skin.  if you want to keep it old skool, maybe a rabbit or other fur liner.  There are tons of synthetic option as well.  You can usually pick up a bag of remnants pretty cheap and patch enough together etc...

If a liner isn't an option then maybe something like leather sheen or resolene?  They are top finishes and help protect from water, not sure how they'd hold up to sweat on the flesh side of the leather.

[TacticallySharp]

 A good instrutable is found here:

https://www.google.com/amp/www.instructables.com/id/Battle-Ready-Leather-Armor/%3famp_page=true

I'v made several sets of armor including my own. I use 12 to 15 oz leather for clients. Mine the first one I did was two layers of 8 oz Barge glued together. I've never colored the inside. I always wear a T-SHIRT, and running shorts under it. I used leather that came dyed black from the tanner. Over time about three years of hard weekend use it started to lose color on the inside due to wear. We left it that way to show age,and battel wear.

I'm interested in hearing if, and how others do it too.

 

These are the only photos on my nee cellphone of armor related items as I only make custom armor for a very small group. I do not solicit that kind of work.

[HaloJones]

Thanks for the response, he will be wearing clothes underneath; it was more to stop the leather dye from staining the clothes, external aging & wear will just add to the character of the armour

a lining is an option.

thanks 

[chiefjason]

I use Mop & Glo cut 50/50 with water to seal my holsters and sheaths.  The are worn close to the body, over or under clothes, and get sweaty.  No complaints on bleeding.  And I've even worn mine in the rain, or days of camping in damp weather.  I brush it on good until it bubbles up a bit, then wipe it off.  I do the finished outside once, but do the edges and insides twice.  If you want it to shine more, I use Atom Wax as a final finish and polish.  

 

Before any of that I apply a 50/50 mix of beeswax and paraffin wax with a splash of oil in it.  This also helps water proof it and adds some oils back into the leather.  

[koreric75]

1 hour ago, chiefjason said:

I use Mop & Glo cut 50/50 with water to seal my holsters and sheaths.  The are worn close to the body, over or under clothes, and get sweaty.  No complaints on bleeding.  And I've even worn mine in the rain, or days of camping in damp weather.  I brush it on good until it bubbles up a bit, then wipe it off.  I do the finished outside once, but do the edges and insides twice.  If you want it to shine more, I use Atom Wax as a final finish and polish.  

 

Before any of that I apply a 50/50 mix of beeswax and paraffin wax with a splash of oil in it.  This also helps water proof it and adds some oils back into the leather.  

works  on black boots and low quarter too...lol