leather sealing turns to sticky, grey substance in contact with water

[Indy]

Hi guys,

 

I am on this board since a long time and decided recently to become a bit more active again, as my leather work becomes more frequent again

 

I am working on a larger archery set right now. I work with veg. cow, Tandy leather dyes, neatsfoot oil, 1/2 antique finish 1/2 Tan Kote, Tan Kote, edge kote, leather sheen, acrylic Resolene and pecards.  This is the first time I ever worked with Tan Kote, so I believe my problem is routed with this residue mainly. The problem I have mainly emerges at the flesh side of the leather, this has been dyed with black Tandy leather dye, I put on apprx. 4 thick coats of Tan Kote. After that, I added neatsfoot oil (from both sides). As this has been proved to not be enough on the grain side as a water repellant basis, I also added one coat of leather sheen.  Now I did the water test, holding it under a gently stream of tabea water. black paint came off immediately , the whole area which has been hoisted with water turned grayish, relieving a sticky, moist residue.

personally, I hate surface sealing which are too shiny, but naturally, I can't have it that my customer will be drenched in black leather dye once he enters the rain. My personal next step would be to give another 24 hours of rest to the project and then add acrylic Resolene to the back and the edges to make them waterproof. As such a thing NEVER happened to me before, I believe the problem is routed in the Tan Kote.

I would be very happy if someone has an idea of what is the actually problem here and how I can solve the issue.

 

[BigSiouxSaddlery]

Tan Kote is not water resistant, and will create a sticky mess when exposed to water. It is unfortunate, because for me, the look it provides far exceeds anything else.  Four coats is excessive regardless.  Excess oil will complicate ANY finishing process, no matter what the product.  Many times I have added "one more coat" of oil to something that I know will receive heavy outdoor use and minimal.care and maintenance from the buyer, only to end up with a smeary mess when trying to apply a finish.  I've used Resolene, Weaver Tuff Kote, Tan Kote, Angelus acrylic ( which is a superior product), Neat Lac, Leather Sheen, and others I'm probably forgetting.

[Indy]

1 hour ago, BigSiouxSaddlery said:

Tan Kote is not water resistant, and will create a sticky mess when exposed to water. It is unfortunate, because for me, the look it provides far exceeds anything else.  Four coats is excessive regardless.  Excess oil will complicate ANY finishing process, no matter what the product.  Many times I have added "one more coat" of oil to something that I know will receive heavy outdoor use and minimal.care and maintenance from the buyer, only to end up with a smeary mess when trying to apply a finish.  I've used Resolene, Weaver Tuff Kote, Tan Kote, Angelus acrylic ( which is a superior product), Neat Lac, Leather Sheen, and others I'm probably forgetting.

thanks for your input. Thats basically the same conclusion I made in the end. Since everything is in there already, I only have the option to put another coat of something on it. Since This should be the very last layer (this time for real), I am considering acrylic resolen by Tandy.  Alternatively, I could try to wash out the Tan Kote first. What's your thought to that? 

Edited April 29, 2021 by Indy

[BigSiouxSaddlery]

I hate to give bad advice, so take this for what it cost ya.  Personally, I would trying cleaning the whole project with a good leather cleaner, like Lexol cleaner (in the orange bottle).  You could try something like deglazer or acetone, but I don't like what it does to leather, and have had mixed results trying to remove acrylic finish with both of those.  You said you put Leather Sheen on it, and that's an acrylic.  However, if the Tan Kote is coming off and black dye us coming off, then the Leather Sheen is probably coming off as well.  After you get as much off as you can, since archery equipment is outdoor equipment and you have applied oil already, I would be tempted to try a beeswax based product to seal the leather final.  It seems like everyone has their own favorite homemade concoction with beeswax as an ingredient, and a google search will bring up more than you want to look up.  As you already know, oil alone doesn't completely waterproof leather.  A tallow or wax based preparation is needed following the application of oil.

Edited April 29, 2021 by BigSiouxSaddlery

[tsunkasapa]

This stuff from Bee Natural is great! Does not change the color or stiffen the leather. I've used it on my buckskins with excellent results. I also used it on a leather canteen cover and have had no complaints from my customer. It is spendy, but very effective.

Natural Leather Protector - 16oz (beenaturalleathercare.com)

[Sheilajeanne]

I fully agree. You need to CLEAN the gunk off first!

Was that U.S.M.C. black you used? It's NOTORIOUS for bleed through! You have to buff the bejeebers out of it before putting anything else on the leather!

The regular black dye is much better.

[Indy]

So far it seems to wash out with regular water well. I think I will keep washing it till no more sticky residue comes off. What ever remains which does not come off from water, should be fine for outdoor use. I agree with rather not going for acetone or similar as I used several layers of regular Tandy leather dyes. 

I am all in for all sorts of beeswax balms. I use pecards right know, but I have been very keen on B&E Beeswax Balm. However, I never dared to seal off a floral carving with antique finish on it, if I wanted to have strong contrasts. 

I am afraid during the cleaning, the antique finish will come off as well and needs to be redone. No more Tan Kote for this project, that's for sure.