Dye still coming off after resolene?!

[Ashley55]

I'm getting a little frustrated here. I'm still learning and have dyed a few pieces successfully already but this one is driving me crazy. I'm making a halter noseband as a Christmas present and here is what is happening so far:

Applied 2 coats of SuperSheen, let dry totally. Applied Eco-flo antique. Eco-flo antique dyed entire piece, threw out the SuperSheen. Buffed the crap out of it, no dye was coming off, colour actually looked okay so whatever. Applied light coat of resolene cut 50/50 to seal it, picked up some of the antique which was expected. Let dry over night and applied a second coat, still lots of colour coming off? Let dry overnight, and then buffed it, a bit of colour came off. Applied another resolene coat, can still see colour coming off. 

I've applied 4 coats of resolene and colour is still coming up when I apply it, and after it's totally dry if I touch it with a slightly damp paper towel there is colour transfer?! What is going wrong here? The bottle of resolene is only a few months old. The piece still looks half decent, it's just really really shiny, but I dont want the colour coming off on the horses face...

[TomG]

I no longer use SS.  I use Leather Balm with Atom Wax.  1 coat only.  Apply your antique. Personally, I prefer the Fiebings version. The EcoFlo stained through the LB at times. I leave it on just until the surface starts to turn dull.
I then wipe it off using a thick, firm pad of cloth as if I am block dying a piece. I don't want it digging into the impressions and wiping the gel out of them.
I let it dry overnight. I then use 50/50 resolene the same way. Like a block dye. I wipe it once, turn my cloth over so it's a fresh side, wipe it a second time and then let it dry overnight.

Done.
Understand that Resolene is essentially Acrylic floor wax and hasx ammonia in it. By its nature, it will strip the gel out every time you wipe it. It cuts through the previous coats and take them off or smears them.
If you need another coat after the first ones dry, use a brush and stroke in 1 direction only and only once. But it's tricky.  There is a frequent poster here by the name of Dwight who I believe has a lot of experience doing just that.  You might search for him and ask him.
You can also do a search in the forums. This question has been answered a number of times before.

Good luck

 

[TargetRockLeather]

I've had exactly the same experience and it was very frustrating. I have since used "Saddle Lac" which is a spray on finish. It dries quickly without smearing the antique gel. When it's dry you can rub the surface and even get it wet without the antiquing rubbing off. Supposedly it is flexible and doesn't crack, but I have not tested that. I've only used it on a knife sheath and a fender bib for a motorcycle. It seems to be holding up fine on both.

[JLSleather]

10 hours ago, TargetRockLeather said:

Supposedly it is flexible and doesn't crack, but I have not tested that.

Applied sparingly it doesn't crack.  Of course, when they said (in 1987) that it doesn't crack (some may remember Neat-Lac) I had to test that.  And I found a guy can get away with 2 very light coats and likely be fine (i actually twisted a belt sprayed with Saddle-Lac into a knot).  Apply it heavy, or apply too many coats, and it will crack (like, I imagine, any lacquer).  

Trick there is to keep the nozzle clear... can't have any sputtering or uneven spray.  Easiest way to do that... when you're done spraying it, hold the can upside down and spray a couple seconds until it's not coming out (I do it into a large open trash can).  This makes sure there isn't lacquer inside the "works" gumming up and ruining your next project (don't ask why I know that).

I have a couple cans on the shelf, but it doesn't get used too often.  A bit glossy for most of what I do.

[TargetRockLeather]

36 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

I have a couple cans on the shelf, but it doesn't get used too often.  A bit glossy for most of what I do. 

Thanks for sharing your testing results It's too glossy for my liking as well. Another concern I have is that the lacquer seals the leather which prevents conditioners such as neatsfoot oil from penetrating. I don't know what the long term consequences of not being able to effectively oil the leather will be over time (years or decades). I have leather items that are quite old yet are still in good shape because I oil them occasionally.

Getting back to the original question; I have yet to find a better solution to the problem of the antiquing rubbing off. Therefore I tend not to apply it on anything that will be handled extensively unless I'm willing to spray on Saddle Lac. Just my opinion.

[Rhale]

Try tan-coat, make sure antique is dry, overnight, apply a coat and let dry, tan-coat will let oil penetrate it later if needed.

[Ashley55]

Thanks for the replies. I do have tan kote but from what I understand it's not as water repellent as resolene, and this will be outside in all weather conditions. I ended up putting on another coat of undiluted resolene, its tacky and annoyingly shiny- but no colour is coming off now. Maybe I'll just stick to using it full strength from now on- at least with the eco flow. When I used it over the fiebings antique I had no issues 

[YinTx]

I have had luck with the following process when using EcoFlo antiques:

Dye and oil leather if desired.  Let dry overnight.

Use 50/50 TanKote/water mixture as a resist if desired.  One coat for slight resist, 2 for more.  Still allows color of antique to get into the leather.  If you want higher resist, use something like Pro-Resist or Resolene 50/50.  Let dry overnight.

Apply EcoFlo antique, wipe off immediately.  Allow to dry for a few minutes or so, then apply 50/50 TanKote with cotton pad or hair on hide sheepswool scraps.  Work the antique out as much as you can, allow to dry overnight.

Apply Resolene 50/50 to seal over TanKote if desired.  Also, I have used Angelus Acrylic finisher with success.

YinTx

[sinpac]

On 12/5/2019 at 8:36 AM, JLSleather said:

 (some may remember Neat-Lac)

 

Last of my Neat-Lac. I use Clear-Lac now and thats getting harder to find.