Painted Leather Treatment

[TomBanwell]

I make veg tan masks and paint them with Angelus leather paint. Occasionally I get a customer who asks how to treat the mask to keep it from drying out and cracking, etc. I don't know what to tell them. Is there a product that can penetrate the paint and keep the mask supple and extend the life of it? Thanks for any help.

[fredk]

Presuming you don't paint the flesh side; any good leather food treatment available in a supermarket can be applied and rubbed into the flesh side. Buffed in well it will not come off on the user, If it does, its a, not buffed enough, b. too much applied.

[robs456]

1 hour ago, TomBanwell said:

I make veg tan masks and paint them with Angelus leather paint. Occasionally I get a customer who asks how to treat the mask to keep it from drying out and cracking, etc. I don't know what to tell them. Is there a product that can penetrate the paint and keep the mask supple and extend the life of it? Thanks for any help.

Do you apply oil to the mask before painting? In that case how much? With enough oil the mask should last quite some time. On the other hand if you water form the mask you may not want to oil them?

[TomBanwell]

They are wet-formed. If I oiled them first I don't think the paint would stick.

[robs456]

21 hours ago, TomBanwell said:

If I oiled them first I don't think the paint would stick.

Yeah, I tried once. Doesn't stick, for long anyway. It will bubble and roll off. It was a trick question, sorry....
But are you using lining or are you painting the flesh side? While I personally wouldn't want to wear a mask that reeks of leather conditioners, except beeswax or flaxseed oil, perhaps there's a way to get it beneath a lining? 
That's a value-add to sell right there, mask maintenance, only available with the pro-plan...a la software support...