High Gloss Finnish

[philmb]

Hi all.

I feel the urge to finnish something with a high gloss finnish.

How does one go about this?

I mainly use veg tan.

I have tried a couple of gloss finnishes but nothing really looks that Glossy.

I dont know why but i just feel the urge to try get something looking as glossy as possible.

I have seen the odd thing around that does look like what i want, but its just stuff in photos etc.

[Spyros]

Honestly you're better off buying glazed leather straight from the tannery (and since you're in AU austanners has some nice glazed roo in tan and black)

You can try and do it yourself, there are a few high gloss lacquers on the market by angelus, eco flo, giardini etc but in my experience they're all kinda streaky and hard to apply evenly.  And then to get a proper polish you have to buff.  A lot.

But that's just my experience.

[philmb]

Thanks for the reply.

I just want a way to do it myself - Its less about the end product and more about the making it if you know what i mean.

i dont have a reason that i need a gloss finish. I just want to be able to do it.

Thanks again =)

 

 

[Spyros]

Go for your life then

They are fairly cheap so maybe get a couple of different bottles and try them on a scrap, see what works best for you (I liked the waproo shoe polish in spray, I think I got from Leffler's)

Just don't expect too much in terms of instructions on the product, it's usually a case of "finish making your thing and then take our thing and put it on your thing, good luck" LOL

But usually 2-3 thin layers works best, sponge or airbrush, in one direction and careful with the streaks, at least 15 mins between layers, and then lots of buffing with a cotton cloth. 

[philmb]

Thanks for the info.

Ill give the Waproo ago, just googles it and seems easy enough to get hold of.

 

Thanks again =)

[johnv474]

How glossy is high gloss?  You can make patent leather, if you really want to.  You can polish with shellac or lacquer, but not if the leather is expected to flex.

You can always use shoe polish (cream polish then paste polish).  It leaves a protective wax coat and is specifically made for leather.  It is also relatively inexpensive, leaving the work to you.

You can apply Resolene or another acrylic topcoat before or after the polish.

Note: it isn't especially difficult to learn to polish but there is no way to do it (that lasts) that doesn't involve some elbow grease.    You want a good walkthrough or video (shoesnobblog has one).

I polish nearly everything I make, though not necessarily to a high shine.

[philmb]

Thanks for the info.

To be honest, i dont know what i want to get glossy.

I just want to, because, why not? Its not something i have done. 

So i wan to make something and get it glossy because i just like making stuff and why not?

Thanks again for the info, ill definitely look into that =)

You polish leather using thesame basic prinaples as polishing steal or acrylic im guessing?

Thanks again =)

 

 

[johnv474]

I use the same polishing principles as for shining shoes because shoes that get polished are made of leather.

[YinTx]

If I need a high shine on veg tan leather, I've had success using Angelus High Gloss Acrylic finisher.  Fiebeng's Pro Resist also results in a high shine finish.

For a more natural high shine, try multiple coats of Carnuba wax, polished extensively (it helps to have a polishing wheel to help here).

YinTx