looking for the steps of staining and finishing

[JustWakinUp]

Extremely confused on this.

I'm looking for the steps of staining and finishing. Let me explain what I've found will turn a nice piece of leather into trash.

Last nite I began to stain the flip flop project I've been working on for my girls.

I mixed some fiebings dye (two drops from an eye dropper) with water. I wanted

to layer the color on in layers to get the tint i wanted. ( Was mixing with water a bad

idea?) I then took some Resolene and put a few lines on the leather so they didn't get so dark.

I usually don't let anything I put on the leather stay on for more than a minute. (Is this wrong?)

I then layered more of my water/stain mixture to get the color darker and darker. I noticed the resolene was super shiny & that's not what I wanted so, I took some rubbing alcohol and rubbed off the resolene.(Is this Ok to do with alcohol it made the leather darker even after dried) Rubbed in more color, let the piece dry a bit, put some british tan antique on it, let it sit for about 30 seconds then rubbed off. The color was really good and I was happy so after waiting about 2 minutes i rubbed the rest of the piece with resolene waited 30 seconds and then rubbed it to a shine. Wow did it look it great. My wife said it felt stiff so i thought i would then hit it with some Lexol. The lexol went on for about 20 seconds and rubbed it off but it took away the sheen so I thought I better put some more resolene on. This made the resolene lexol mixture almost turn into a gum on the top of the piece. I spent the next 10 minutes rubbing that gum off with alcohol and let the piece sit over nite. Woke up this morning and put some Leather Balm w/ Atom Wax on it and shined it up and it looks "OK" but not great. I have ordered some pecards and want to rub that on the piece to make it more water resistant . ( Is this a good idea )

So now that you've heard the nightmare of my staining could you please take the time and explain the proper technique,procedure & steps, for staining and finishing and the materials such as should i be rubbing on stain with a wool dauber or a t-shirt and rubbing off with a t-shirt etc. Also please explain where I went wrong even if everything I did was wrong. I guess I just don't know the differences between resolene,lexol,leather balm and all that. Are those finishes and if so do I use ONLY ONE or can I layer lexol over leather balm and then put pecards or should i only be using one of these products. Anyway I look forward to your suggestions. I'm sure this can help alot of us new guys.

[Don]

This is the way I dye/stain leather (if I just have to dye/stain), and by no means is the only way:

I put a light coat of neatsfoot oil on the piece. In my opinion this prepares and lubricates the pores in the leather to accept dye/stain evenly. Then I apply the color dye/stain to the piece using a piece of wool skin(trim the wool so that it is easier to control application). If you are looking to lighten say a medium brown to a light saddle tan, you can add rubbing alcohol to the dye. Be sure to try your mixture on scrap, adding alcohol till you get the color you are looking for.

Apply the dye as evenly as you can, not worrying too much about the streaks or uneveness. Let this dry for about a half hour to an hour. You can apply more to even out any holidays, but be carefull not to add too much or you will end up darker than you intended to. Once your satisfied with the color, apply Tan Kote to the piece with a piece of clean wool skin. This is a finish that will allow the piece to be oiled and conditioned later in its life. Some other finishes tend to seal the leather completely which will not allow for further condition later.

As far as antiqueing a piece this is what I do:

Oil the piece with neatsfoot oil to get the base color you want. Let this oil dry completely, then apply Tan Kote to the piece. This will prevent the antique from absorbing into the leather. After the Tan Kote is completely dry, apply the antique liberally using a trimmed piece of wool skin. Be sure to work the antique into all decorative cuts and the background. I like using the paste antique, just my preference. The piece is going to look really bad at this point...DO NOT FREAK OUT! Let this set for just a minute and then remove using a clean piece of wool skin (trimmed longer that the original piece). Rub in all directions to try and get as much of the antique off as possible. Done correctlly the antiqueing will remain in the cuts and bevels of the tooling amplifing the WOW factor of your tooling.

Let the piece dry for a half hour to an hour (or over night) and then apply a final coat of Tan Kote to finish the piece.

I hope this helps and I look forward to hearing how everyone else finishes their work. Great topic!

Don

[Mike Craw]

I like Don's suggestions! The only thing I would add, when you test your mixture on "scrap" try to make it scrap from whatever you are working on. Scrap from a different hunk of hide might give you a different shade than what you're going to get on your project piece.

Mike

Edited September 12, 2007 by Mike Craw

[Don]

I like Don's suggestions! The only thing I would add, when you test your mixture on "scrap" try to make it scrap from whatever you are working on. Scrap from a different hunk of hide might give you a different shade than what you're going to get on your project piece.

Mike

Great point Mike! That is a must.

[abn]

JWU,

Looks like you put a bit of everything on that project! Plus, it sounds like you're poised to add Pecard's to the mix! You know, lots of folks have incredibly complex concoctions for dyeing and finishing, but it can be simple, too. Here's what I do, in order:

1. Apply a coat of Lexol to condition the leather, let dry 10 minutes, and then buff with a cotton rag. (I apply the Lexol first, because it can lift the Eco-Flo stains I use.)

2. Apply Tandy Eco-Flo All-In-One Stain and Finish, and immediately buff off the excess. Repeat if necessary, but gently -- the second coat can lift the first one and make a mess of your project. Let this dry a couple of hours.

3. Lightly -- very lightly -- apply three coats of Tandy's Satin Shene, letting each coat dry 10 minutes before applying the next. Finally, buff with a soft cotton rag.

In my experience, this leaves a nice, water-resistant color. I'm attaching a photo of a recent project done this way, using the Acorn Brown color.

Now, I'll be willing to bet that with 500+ members here, you could get 500+ opinions on the best way to apply a finish. But, as a beginner, I'd encourage you to pick one stain, and then a complementary conditioner and finish, and see what you can do with it. Always play around on scrap -- don't try something for the first time on a finished product, no matter how tempting.

Plus, try to educate yourself on the compatibility and the advantages/disadvantages of all these products. For example, mixing spirit dyes with water isn't optimal (as Don alluded to), and putting both acrylic and wax-based finishes on the same item may not be the best way to a good finish.

The good news is you're on the road to figuring this out by asking questions here. For more info, you can also buy and try products on scrap, and ask lots of questions at your local Tandy store.

Good luck! -Alex

[yeringtonmike]

_{I'm not a Fiebing rep, but I invested in a small book by Tony and Kay Laier called Fantastic Finishes (a little pricey) but worth it. It helps in all the type of finishing you would ever do. It a great addition to your leather crafting library. Good Luck, Mike}