Finishing a coat

[pom]

Hi everyone!

I've been searching your forums and reading here and there, but I realize I don't know enough to interpret what I'm reading, so I'll just ask. Please tell me if this is the wrong place for that!

Here's the thing: I bought a second hand leather coat that was brown like part of it still is in the picture, cleaned it with the Angelus preparer shown, and now I'm dyeing it with Angelus purple and red. Almost done (the last brown part will also be purple), and I think it's gorgeous And then I'll want to wear it, and as I live in Amsterdam, it will need a bit of protection.

So I'm looking for a finish that will

1. lock in the colours, as in: will never come out again. I don't want to rub off on the person next to me on the tram, and I don't want purple streaks in my red;
2. prevent water stains. This coat will get soaked as per the weather over here, and it will suffer a few specks of rain sometimes. I don't mind an overall change of colour, but I don't want spots;
3. be as matte as possible;
4. preferably not seal the whole thing so I can never take care of it again;
5. leave the leather supple; it's fairly thick and I worry that if I add too much product, it's going to be wearing me instead of the other way around. I'm tiny.

So what would you guys recommend? I found some finishes that sound promising in these forums, but most of these brands are not sold in Europe and I'd be paying like 35 dollars for shipping. So if you talk ingredients and reasons why (not) to use a certain product, I may be able to extrapolate what brand I could use that is available over here.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[pom]

Why the deafening silence? Did I commit a social faux pas? Are you all horrified by the condition of my piece or my work? Am I asking the impossible?

[fredk]

Not everyone on this site is on 24 / 7. You need to give some time, more than just a day, for folks to come along and give a reply if they have anything to offer

edited to add; it would help if you give your location in your 'profile'.  We have members from all over this wee planet earth. Knowledge of where you are will help with answers

Edited May 12, 2019 by fredk

[pom]

Thank you, I hear that I'm being too impatient My location, as my post states, is Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I'll add it to my profile.

[fredk]

On 5/11/2019 at 10:41 AM, pom said:

. . .

Here's the thing: I bought a second hand leather coat that was brown like part of it still is in the picture, cleaned it with the Angelus preparer shown, and now I'm dyeing it with Angelus purple and red. Almost done (the last brown part will also be purple), and I think it's gorgeous And then I'll want to wear it, and as I live in Amsterdam, it will need a bit of protection.

So I'm looking for a finish that will

1. lock in the colours, as in: will never come out again. I don't want to rub off on the person next to me on the tram, and I don't want purple streaks in my red;
2. prevent water stains. This coat will get soaked as per the weather over here, and it will suffer a few specks of rain sometimes. I don't mind an overall change of colour, but I don't want spots;
3. be as matte as possible;
4. preferably not seal the whole thing so I can never take care of it again;
5. leave the leather supple; it's fairly thick and I worry that if I add too much product, it's going to be wearing me instead of the other way around. I'm tiny.

. . .

Now I have a cup of tea in ma hawn

All points; I use Resolene, and or SuperSheene now

These hats were made of pieces of upholstery leather which had been pre-dyed and lacquered. The pieces were different shades of brown. I prepped the leather by giving it a surface wash of cellulose thinners, then dyed it black and then sealed with several coats of resolene. It is fairly rain proof. Note that its not possible to make leather totally waterproof. I have sold quite a number of these hats in the past. No dye comes off, no water stains after rain. The insides of the hat are not sealed so the leather can breathe or be treated. Initially the resolene stiffened the leather but a bit of time working it in the hands returned it so suppleness. Many coats of resolene can give the item a gloss finish, as can be seen in the photo on right. Up to about 4 or 5 coats of resolene thinned 1:1 will seal the leather but only be just starting to give it a gloss finish. To make this matt I wipe it over with a rag wetted with meths alcohol.

   

You can buy Resolene either from Tandy or try on ebay

I would check that you Angelus Dye Prep/Deglazer has really worked. I find that many do not work as they should thats why I use straight cellulose thinners for de-glazing and prep

 

[pom]

Thanks for answering! Of course, now there are more questions

• How do I make sure my deglazer has worked?
• What do I thin Resolene with? Water?
• Do I understand correctly that you do about 5 layers of Resolene and then wipe down with alchohol? What is "meths alcohol", is it ordinary methanol?
• How do I take care of my leather after a Resolene finish?

[fredk]

3 minutes ago, pom said:

Thanks for answering! Of course, now there are more questions

• How do I make sure my deglazer has worked?
• What do I thin Resolene with? Water?
• Do I understand correctly that you do about 5 layers of Resolene and then wipe down with alchohol? What is "meths alcohol", is it ordinary methanol?
• How do I take care of my leather after a Resolene finish?

1. Take a wet rag and really buff over the part you've already dyed. Use a light coloured cloth. Rub hard. If dye comes off your deglazer hasn't done its job

2. I use meths and water together to dilute resolene. Either just water or just meths will do, sometimes I just use water. 

3. Yes, I do up to about 5 coats of thinned resolene. Sometimes just two or three is enough. Only if I want a matt finish will I wipe over with a rag wetted with meths. Meths is methylated spirits; a wood alcohol. In the UK it is purple coloured and usually sold by chemists shops

4. You'll not need to do very much. If it gets wet, just hang up in an area where slightly warm air can circulate around it to dry it. Don't leave it inside a car where the sun will bear down on it and overheat it. Maybe once a year wipe it over with a good brand of leather cleaner/conditioner

[pom]

OMG I wanted the thumbs-up emoticon (y) but I clicked the button and found ye olde dancing banana!

Thanks Fred, I'm going to get to work.