Landcruzer94 Report post Posted December 10, 2019 Hi all. Been lurking for a while and making watch straps among other things for about four years now... the one thing that has seemed impossible to me is giving my straps the vintage look I see other makers doing The dried, cracking surface texture The darker edges with fading inner body The stains, etc. Perfectly placed. I've tried all kinds/types of leather, scuffing them, sanding them, etc. And the oils/finish in the leather quickly bounces back to what I started with...with minimal change. I dont think this is vintage to start with, as the ammo straps everybody is crazy for command much higher prices. Any ideas? Example of what I'm going for... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted December 10, 2019 I only did some 'worn' look by accident then had to cover it up. It was with my old favourite - cellulose thinners. I'd dyed a strap then put resolene on. But the top wasn't looking good so I wiped it down with a rag soaked in thinners. I was only wanting to remove the resolene but the thinners removed some of the dye colour as well. The strap looked like a cross between the two dark ones in your photos. Then I re-dyed it and finished it off Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tugadude Report post Posted December 10, 2019 Ah , the conundrum, seems lots of folk want something to look worn without the wearing. I guess I understand the appeal. But does it really make sense to put a pristine watch onto a band that looks like it has been through the war? Oh well, I'll leave that to others to decide. Besides, there are companies that are also adding faux patina to watches, including Timex believe it or not. So there is that. I think those that own airbrushes often do a good job with the color fading. They tend to make items darker around the edges and it adds to the "vintage" aesthetic. So that would be a start. I'm sure you could also dye in a lighter color to begin with and then go with a darker concentration around the edges and just use a rag or dauber. The scuffing and such has to be fairly severe as you've found out. Many leathers, especially those with lots of oils and waxes in them can hide blemishes when they are rubbed. Or at least that's my experience. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted December 10, 2019 Why not just dissect old briefcases or handbags, so you start with the real thing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Landcruzer94 Report post Posted December 10, 2019 7 hours ago, fredk said: I only did some 'worn' look by accident then had to cover it up. It was with my old favourite - cellulose thinners. I'd dyed a strap then put resolene on. But the top wasn't looking good so I wiped it down with a rag soaked in thinners. I was only wanting to remove the resolene but the thinners removed some of the dye colour as well. The strap looked like a cross between the two dark ones in your photos. Then I re-dyed it and finished it off Thanks, I'll play with thinners to see what happens 3 hours ago, Tugadude said: Ah , the conundrum, seems lots of folk want something to look worn without the wearing. I guess I understand the appeal. But does it really make sense to put a pristine watch onto a band that looks like it has been through the war? Oh well, I'll leave that to others to decide. Besides, there are companies that are also adding faux patina to watches, including Timex believe it or not. So there is that. I think those that own airbrushes often do a good job with the color fading. They tend to make items darker around the edges and it adds to the "vintage" aesthetic. So that would be a start. I'm sure you could also dye in a lighter color to begin with and then go with a darker concentration around the edges and just use a rag or dauber. The scuffing and such has to be fairly severe as you've found out. Many leathers, especially those with lots of oils and waxes in them can hide blemishes when they are rubbed. Or at least that's my experience. I get it, some people just dont want to wait for the natural process to carry out. Lol 3 hours ago, chrisash said: Why not just dissect old briefcases or handbags, so you start with the real thing I get it, and have done so in the past. I'm limited to what I can find, so I need a repeatable process with the other leathers that I have Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chiefjason Report post Posted December 11, 2019 I do what I call an antique brown on my holsters. Theres nothing perfectly placed about any of it, that's the point. But there is years of experience in knowing what I want and how to get it. The lighter band on the left looks like it has oil spots in it. Might be neatsfoot oil on a natural leather. You need something that would darken leather like neatsfoot. The other two look like they have some oil spots and are physically damaged. Not sanded, but the grain is removed in places. The right one might use dye for the darker spots. Either a darker dye or use the same color with some of it cut with alcohol and some used full strength for the darker spots. The bottom one looks to be a leather with a nice pull up and airbrushed edges to cover the pull up on the edges. Looks like they are running something through the holes after the hole punch to damage them too. I appreciate a well done distressed look as much as flawless. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stetson912 Report post Posted December 11, 2019 Depending on the leather you can use nitecores technique (on youtube) he uses some wax and a felt pad and rubs the leather down. It burnished it and gives a nice aging effect without the actual wear. Maybe that would work for your uses? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chain Report post Posted December 12, 2019 23 hours ago, Stetson912 said: Depending on the leather you can use nitecores technique (on youtube) he uses some wax and a felt pad and rubs the leather down. It burnished it and gives a nice aging effect without the actual wear. Maybe that would work for your uses? It has to be veg tan leather and parrafin wax for it to work properly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chakotay Report post Posted December 27, 2019 Coincidentally, I just posted a video on how I age leather... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck123wapati Report post Posted December 27, 2019 give it to your 18 year old son to wear for about two months. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pintodeluxe Report post Posted December 27, 2019 I was sanding some upholstery leather on the belt sander to thin it a bit. I accidentally touched the top grain side to the belt sander and it gave it a cool antique look. Combined with dyes, I bet a belt sander would be one way to distress leather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maxdaddy Report post Posted December 27, 2019 @Chakotay Thanks for sharing that build. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
