Weather Proofing Outdoor Items

[Rbarleatherworks]

I am having trouble weather proofing a dog collar.  I have Antiqued it then Neatsfoot Oiled it then finished with 3 coats of Neat Lac.

When I rub a damp cloth over the edges the Fiebing’s Black Edge Kote still comes off. 

Any thoughts on what I could use next ? 

 

[Sturme]

maybe some beeswax burnished into the edge of the leather real good? i am grasping at straws here, but worth a shot

[Rbarleatherworks]

I added some Arctic Dubbin last night but the black is still coming off, one would think after all those layers it would be protected and locked in.

I will try some beeswax today and see ... thank you Sturme

[Rbarleatherworks]

Well the beeswax didn’t work ... any other ideas? 

How to weather seal your edges after using Edge Kote?

[fredk]

I'm thinking there is too much NFO in the leather which is preventing and sealant from working.

Try a few coats of 'Pledge with Future Shine' ** floor polish which is actually a water-thin acrylic varnish.

** it may have a different name, Pledge keeps changing the name

[Rbarleatherworks]

After the Beeswax I tried a Silicone Spray for water proofing boots to see if that would work and it did NOT .... grrrrrrrrr.

I just don't understand WHY the black keeps coming through all those layers

I don't think I will be using the Edge Kote any longer

Does anyone use it with good results?     To be honest I stumbled on this by accident.  Some dust from another project landed on the collar so I thought a damp cloth would take it off and then I saw the 2 black streaks on the cloth so maybe others are using it also but not realizing.

What do others use for edge dying?

Thanks for all your input

[kiwican]

I used edge kote once..once. for dying edges I use my dye of choice and let that dry. Slick until I'm happy then run bees wax over the that and slick again. I've never had issue with that and some if my gear is all weather all the time 

[garypl]

I did a comparison two years ago between Edge Kote, Angelus and a Giardini.  Here is a link - you may find it interesting.  I have pretty much switched to Giardini.

 

Gary

[Rbarleatherworks]

Oh wow... Thank you garypl ... What a great comparison you did.  Love that and thanks for sharing it.

And yes I am getting the same results that you did it looks like, and if you dampen the cloth it comes off like a black felt pen.

I think I'm going to go back to the old tried and true elbow grease method.

[battlemunky]

I too use dye, just regular old Fiebings Oil Dye. I either match the color or do something to contrast if I'm feeling like a Mr. Sassypants or not. I love natural burnished edges on vegtan; far easier and looks better than paint IMO. Nonburnishable stuff is a different story and I don't use it often.

 

Edit: I hit it with some water to burnish first, then usually some gum trag and then final beeswax.

Edited September 18, 2019 by battlemunky

[Rbarleatherworks]

Thanks @battlemunky

How do I go about this if my item is brown and I want a black edge?  

If I go with just a black dye will it not bleed ? 

How do I keep it just on the edge?

Edited September 18, 2019 by Rbarleatherworks

[Rbarleatherworks]

On 9/15/2019 at 9:50 AM, kiwican said:

I used edge kote once..once. for dying edges I use my dye of choice and let that dry. Slick until I'm happy then run bees wax over the that and slick again. I've never had issue with that and some if my gear is all weather all the time 

Apparently I'm a little slower at the learning process than you .

I've been using it for a while now but just never realized that if would come off like that with a little moisture.... UGH!

Thank you for sharing your experience and your process now

[Rbarleatherworks]

On 9/14/2019 at 1:20 PM, fredk said:

I'm thinking there is too much NFO in the leather which is preventing and sealant from working.

Try a few coats of 'Pledge with Future Shine' ** floor polish which is actually a water-thin acrylic varnish.

** it may have a different name, Pledge keeps changing the name

Thanks Fred for your idea's, at this time I think I have too much of everything on there .... lol. 

I think I will sand it down to get all the edge kote off and try just a black dye and some elbow grease.

[JLSleather]

As a rule, I think you'll have better results applying the oil before the antique.  That paste actually leaves a surface that makes it a bit resistant to absorption - not waterproof but resistant.  This may leave a bit of the oil on top of that instead of penetrating fully.

Off to read gary's test projects...

[battlemunky]

4 hours ago, Rbarleatherworks said:

Thanks @battlemunky

How do I go about this if my item is brown and I want a black edge?  

If I go with just a black dye will it not bleed ? 

How do I keep it just on the edge?

Its ok unless you soak it. I get my edges nearly complete before I dye them and that darkens them up some so it doesn't take a bunch. Mess around with some scrap before you commit it to a project. I use qtips more often than not when doing edges and see dye from a stray fiber hit the non-edge portion more than I see dye bleeding through. I have been heavy handed with it before and had some bleed through but I haven't in a while since I've learned it'll happen.

[battlemunky]

Here, I made a test piece with some scrap and took a few pics to illustrate.

First pic is just dyed. I threw in the green just to illustrate how it all darkens pretty good upon burnishing. Note that the black section in the middle is a bit less rich, that is just one quick coat, the dark black on the end was 5 coats...I was trying to induce bleeding but it didn't . Second pic is just burnishing with water. Third is after gum trag, and fourth is after beeswax and a buff with some duck cloth. I didn't follow my typical routine of burnishing before dying but I don't know if it matters, its just what I usually do.

I learned something though. I think it looks far better prior to hitting it with the beeswax. I don't see too much difference in the images though.

[Rbarleatherworks]

Wow ... Thank you soooo much this is so very helpful to see and hear peoples experiences. 

I really appreciate you taking the time to do that and I sure hope others may benefit as well

[battlemunky]

No sweat. I've had so much help from the folks on here that I don't mind doing things to help others out when possible.

[Hardrada]

Hmm, so gum trag and wax aren't mutually exclusive... interesting. What about Tokonole and wax?

[battlemunky]

I have no idea about Tokonole, I've never tried it. It is on my list of things to get someday even though the high grit sanding, water slicking, gum trag slicking, beeswax slicking works well enough. I have half a bottle of gum trag left after about 4 years so I guess when it runs out I'll pick up some Tokonole.

I did go back and buff the edge some more (I just couldn't leave it alone) and maybe it was the gum trag not being thoroughly dried/soaked in but it got pretty shiny after it sat for a day. I also cut it at several spots along the edge to see how deep the dye penetrated and it never really got deep near the edge of the pretty side, just in middles. Maybe a mm on the light coats of green and black and about 2-3 mm on the heavy handed side. Still never bled through though. I should've gotten pics.

[johnv474]

Tokonole is great but does not waterproof.  It does make the edge slightly water-resistant.  Part of this is because it contains wax, albeit a small amount.  Adding more wax after helps.  Paraffin or beeswax are easy and relatively cheap. 

My preferred sealer is acrylic resolene, diluted 1:1 with tap water. 

[Rbarleatherworks]

Question @battlemunky if you still have those pieces you showed earlier... could you run a damp cloth over the edge and see if any comes off ?

i have tried 4 different methods that I have learned here and videos and still I get a black streak with a damp cloth .... so frustrating 

[battlemunky]

I can. I'm on travel until Thursday night but I'll dig them out of the trash and see if I can't get some to transfer onto something. Well, unless Mrs. Munky takes out the trash in the craft room.

[Rbarleatherworks]

Thanks ... and safe travels

[battlemunky]

I'm in the airport now, so in another 5 hrs or so I should be home. I'll grab some pics of the dye penetration as well as doing a transfer test.