How I Finish my Leather Projects (Oil, Dye, & Antique)

[@rr2753]

Tip: When ever I bring a bottle of dye to the table, I will get a large roll of tape (2" painters tape or masking tape) and place the small bottle inside the hole of the roll of tape which is laying flat on the table. This will prevent the bottle of dye from being knocked over. This has worked for me quite well.

[@Girtyleatherco]

I’ve been doing this since I saw this comment, and just wanted to come back and say thank you for the tip!! It works very well for me too and gives me a little more peace of mind

[@dcharles74]

I noticed you apologized for being long winded. Please don't! As a new leather crafter I really appreciate the detail in your videos. Thanks for your content 🍻

[@Girtyleatherco]

That’s much appreciated, I hope you got some benefit from watching! Thank you for your time

[@Anothermachine]

I have a leather shoulder strap from a WW1 rifle i got at auction. The leather was dry, cracked and easily crackled and ripped with any minimal flexing. I soaked it in Neatsfoot oil for about ten minutes and it was strong and supple and I couldn't rip it at all after treatment😊

[@kenhouse8683]

How you explain your process is why we watch,if you don't explain we can't learn, so do it the way you do it .thank you for taking time to doing this .I personally appreciate it very much. I'm a 76 year old beginner Isreal having a good time learning. (You remind me of Don G ) and he it good to.

[@kenhouse8683]

Don't ya just love spell check

[@Girtyleatherco]

I really appreciate the compliment! Thank you very much for watching and for the feedback as well.

[@Sgreubel]

What I like about your videos is that you are very thorough. You cover all the details. There are plenty of other videos on You Tube that are short. You are a good teacher. Thank you.

[@maddawgnoll]

10 coats of neatsfoot oil will give you a dark mahogany color, but it also softens the leather so much that you can't get good edge burnish. I've done a few experiments with it and after 3 costs the larger starts to get that oil tanned feeling. You don't lose detail in carvings but it gets harder and harder to get that nice finished look. I only give it one, maybe 2 coats of I didn't get it even

[@Girtyleatherco]

Yeah I can honestly say I’ve never put that many coats of oil on, but that can definitely be useful information to know!

[@rr2753]

Beautiful carving!

[@falconcrest78]

Ronseal Interior Varnish+ alcohol 70+ water = best sealer on all leather, you can do as many layers, it will never crack, i use it with an airbrush, sponge, and brush. still works great on oil-based and water-alcohol-based. i live where a 100ml of Resolene cost me almost 20usd. one can make you gallons of sealer.

[@PatriceRyko]

Just a beginner here and your videos are SO helpful

[@harufromthetakakurodojo8194]

Enjoyed watching! Great job brother! Thanks! Keep up the great work!

[@williammrdeza9445]

Nice job! Thank you for the detailed instructions.

[@Girtyleatherco]

Thank you, I hope it was helpful!

[@anibal_cuero_de_arte]

Ohhhhh Girty, que gran maestro, artista, alucinante tú trabajo

[@johnnyc.5979]

Wow, I'm impressed. Thanks for the great instructional video.

[@Amapola454]

You don't babble. Thank you for the thorough explinations. I can't find this level of detail anywhere else. What kind of brushes are you using?

[@Girtyleatherco]

I really appreciate that! I just use whatever cheap brushes I can find at Hobby Lobby, but I’m considering giving the reloadable dye pens a try

[@bobbyroberts5751]

I also burn my dobbers. I feel it keeps stray/loose fibers from getting in the product and it’s thicker material to hold the antique

[@minerblue9641]

Good video, nice results. Thanks.

[@berg6964]

Very informative! Thank you!

[@JointerMark]

Thank you, I really appreciated your demonstration and clear explanation!

[@tylerkelly6883]

here's my tip with the dye. Always use a syringe or something to suck the dye out of the original bottle or dip straight into the bottle. When transfering to a smaller container you'll see that you can not simply pour the dye from one container to the next. This is with the Pro dye, at least. It will always hold on to that edge on the way out of the bottle. I don't know why but maybe something to do with the surface tension or viscosity.

[@FrankC757]

What is the difference between Fiebing'a USMC Black and the Black Pro Dye

[@mattiecreates]

Beautiful work

[@Girtyleatherco]

Very much appreciated!

[@jolIyjoeker]

I don't mind your babblings brother, keep up the good work! 🤠

[@timbriggs2918]

Nice work! What size bargrounders do you use? I’ve been using checkered but I like that look!

[@Girtyleatherco]

I have Barry King size 40’s!

[@michaelvoshell6911]

Hello. I just watch your video on antiquing belts and I have a question. I've been doing leather for about 3 to 4 years but haven't done any antiquing yet. Getting ready to make three belts for a friend of mine with their name stamped in them and a bit of tooling. I'm going to die the belts mahogany and use resist and then want to do some antiquing and I'm not sure which color antique to use. I've got a dark brown and a black. Any suggestions what would go good with the mahogany die? Thanks for your help and keep up the good work.

[@Girtyleatherco]

I personally use dark brown antique paste most of the time. I’ve used almost all the colors from Fiebings, but dark and medium brown are my go to!

[@michaelvoshell6911]

@Girtyleatherco thanks

[@jolIyjoeker]

Question: What size thread do you use? I purchased some carriage hand sewing thread that is .55mm thick and it seems too thin to me.

[@Girtyleatherco]

I use 138 bonded nylon from Leather Machine Co

[@Mtan1446]

Question for you- I have been following this process, but have made a few belts that seem to have a big problem with the dye rubbing off on clothing. Is there anything you can do to seal them up so they won’t stain your shirts? Thanks!

[@Girtyleatherco]

I haven’t had that issue personally, but you could also try Resolene as a resist and finish. It’s a little more permanent top coat and sealant. You could also try using a soft cloth to buff the dye before sealing it up to clean up any stray pigment. I don’t know if there is a perfect solution but you might try those out!

[@kcg3927]

Great instructive video! 👍🏽👍🏽 How long do you let your oil dry & absorb, before dying?

[@Girtyleatherco]

Thank you, I personally prefer an hour but 30 minutes would probably be just fine. That could probably change if you let it dry out in the sun or some other environment as well

[@mariotorres1599]

im trying to learn to do belts .what oz do you use on your belts in front and back?

[@Girtyleatherco]

Generally 9/10oz main body and 3/4oz liner

[@SaltyMechanic]

Thank you for all the explanations. Question tho. Is sheen the same as resist? Can I use sheen in the same way? Thank you 🙏🏽

[@Girtyleatherco]

Yes you can, but sheen is a lot stronger than Tan Kote and the results may not come out the same. I haven’t used Sheen since I first started and I didn’t get the results I wanted with it so I switched to this method.

[@SaltyMechanic]

@@Girtyleatherco thank you!!! That helps a lot!!

[@NealMclain]

Do you have a video showing you carving that belt?

[@Girtyleatherco]

Unfortunately, I don’t have any other videos of this specific belt

[@Jester23510]

Do YOU paint leather? If so, what is the finishing process? Do you have another video for it?

[@GianmarioScotti]

What percentage of your customers opts for the antiquing? Asking because I personally preferred the belt before the antiquing.

[@Girtyleatherco]

I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone request to not have it on a tooled project. I rarely see anyone that tools leather, finish a project without antique. With that being said, most customers don’t see it much either, and they probably don’t understand the process enough to know otherwise. That’s honestly the main reason I try to make content and share my processes, to help others understand the entire process more.

[@GianmarioScotti]

@@Girtyleatherco that's a very interesting point. Thank you for your content indeed. In my humble opinion, you should show the belt before antiquing because some may find it stunningly beautiful as is, saving yourself some work and resources, and getting your customers exactly what he/she actually wants.

[@rolliecoleman5922]

How do you finish the edges and the back?

[@Girtyleatherco]

I usually just oil and tan kote the back side. I have a full video on my channel now that covers my edge process if you would like to check it out!

[@WolvesandWhatnot]

Do you do any treatments to the backside?

[@Girtyleatherco]

You can add oil and tan kote if you wanted, but its not completely necessary!

[@thomasgreenwood4310]

Another 👍 for the detailed discussions. Question though, the resist, does that not also stay sat into the tooled areas? Or when you apply it are you really trying to just keep it up on the surface, on the parts you want to keep natural?

[@Girtyleatherco]

Thank you! Yes, the resist will also sit in the tooled areas. I’m sorry if I said anything in the video to confuse you

[@invictusbp1prop143]

See, that’s just it tho…why cover the whole thing in resist, then go over it with antique that you want to stick and stay put in your tooling…? Generally oil the leather with neats foot or some kind of multiple use conditioner prior to dying. Think it makes the dye take better and gives you better color. I like to airbrush dyes and finishes when possible. Airbrushing avoids streaky application and tends not to overapply the dyes, which can make many colors any too dark. I usually use super sheen as a resist, and just brush it onto the high spots that I want to stay mostly natural and avoid the tooled and burnished areas so the antique stays put in those areas. Then I topcoat with TanKote because it leaves the finish porous, so that you can still condition the product later on. Super sheen, as I understand it, is an acrylic or acrylic-like finish so it won’t allow conditioners to penetrate. Maybe I’m doing everything wrong, but it mostly makes sense to me and seems to work alright.

[@amess6790]

Beau travail

[@jayplays568]

This was incredible, thank you! How long does something like this take you to complete i.e. cutting, tooling and finishing but not including the drying times? Do you sell these belts?

[@Girtyleatherco]

That’s a great question! There’s a lot of variables that can change the overall time, but I’d say on average, for me, is anywhere from 10-15 active hours. I do sell the belts, making custom tooled items is the main aspect of my business!

[@jayplays568]

@@Girtyleatherco thanks for the helpful response! I had a few questions about tooling which are probably a bit basic but I'm just a beginner leather worker so I'm not sure how it all works.. If I wanted to tool a wallet for example, should I be tooling the outside pieces first and then stitching it all together? Or should I stitch everything together and then tool it? Should I leave a gap around the border (for the stitch lines) or should I tool all the way to the edge? If I am supposed to leave a gap, does that mean that the border areas of the outside pieces will be a different colour to the tooled area of the outside pieces? If I shouldn't leave a gap, should I stitch and then dye or should I leave the stitching until after it is dyed and finished? Do you know of any good wallet patterns that are not western and/or floral themed? Is there a difference between dyeing and painting a tooled project and if so what are the advantages/disadvantages/why would you choose one method instead of another?

[@Girtyleatherco]

I will do my best to help! You would want to finish all of your tooling, coloring, etc. before you assembled the wallet and stitched it. Whether you leave a gap between your tooling and the edge is completely up to you. I would recommend not tooling beyond the stitch line placement, obviously to prevent sewing through the artwork. I, more times than not, have a border, but it’s all personal preference really. If you do have a border, that doesn’t mean that it has to be a different color from the tooling. I make many all natural colored products. When it comes to dyeing and painting, dye actually absorbs into the leather for a more permanent finish. Paint, even if it is thinned down quite a bit, still dries more on the surface rather than soaking in. It can be tough to get dye in a lot of the bright vibrant colors, so a lot of times if something is very colorful it was painted. There’s nothing wrong with paint if you do it the right way, but if not, it can rub off over time.

[@jimmielynn]

Wow! ❤

[@Girtyleatherco]

I really appreciate it!

[@architectleather]

Why you need to glue this blue tape on the belt back?

[@Girtyleatherco]

The tape helps reduce any stretch or deformation in the leather during the tooling process. I take the tape off before I glue the liner piece of leather to the back. There are other methods, but I still just use tape for the most part

[@architectleather]

@@Girtyleatherco thank you! It helps 😊

[@rickwhetstone4687]

So when you put the tan Kate over the dye, does it remove some of thdye

[@Girtyleatherco]

There might be times when a small amount of dye pigment is picked up from tan kote; however, I have not personally had it ruin a project. It’s important that the dye has had plenty of time to dry before applying any other finishing products

[@dpratte]

Nice job, sir! Do you follow the same procedure with a water-based dye?

[@Girtyleatherco]

The few times I have used water based dye, I followed this method and didn’t have any issues. But other types of leather may react differently as well. I mainly use Fiebings Pro Dye anymore, so it’s hard to say for certain.

[@lorilopez4101]

What is the difference between tan kote and resoline? And why do you prefer what u use

[@Girtyleatherco]

Resoline is an acrylic product and more of a permanent finish. It adds some water resistance, where Tan Kote does not; however, it can also make it tough on oils and conditioners to penetrate the leather later down the road. I prefer Tan Kote because it can be a little more forgiving I think, and it’s just what I’m used to. Everyone has their preferences and tendencies

[@nukydf2305]

Спасибо дружище очень полезное видео. Какое еще масло можно применять кроме этих двух ?

[@Girtyleatherco]

Thank you! Although I have never used it personally, mink oil is another option that is used by some people.

[@nukydf2305]

Thank you very much) I will definitely try your technique. Thanks again, from Russia with love ;)@@Girtyleatherco

[@alessandrocernuzzi]

I'm a beginner but so far in my understanding, this is my process: -Water based acrylic dye, since oil based dye is incredibly toxic ( Fiebing's), not for me. -Equifix leather oil with natural bees wax. -Natural bees wax to burnish the edges. -Fiebing's pro resist. -Fiebing's gel antique. -Leather Choice leather grease. So far so good, I guess ;)

[@bradleylarson2986]

Did you use walnut for all the dying in this video?

[@Girtyleatherco]

Yes I did

[@manus-d6h]

✌

[@ҳ̸Ҳ̸ҳПавелҳ̸Ҳ̸ҳ]

Хорошая работа ! Мне конечно, как русскоязычному, нихрена не понятно :) но очень интересно :)))

[@Girtyleatherco]

I’m glad you enjoyed it anyways! Thank you

[@darklordofapathy]

Olive oil will go rancid over time and start to smell fishy. It will also catalyze and start to get sticky.

[@outfitr9703]

I've heard this before but after using it for many years on hundreds of projects I've never personally experienced this whatsoever.

[@sabio2009]

@@outfitr9703, it doesn’t.

[@anibal_cuero_de_arte]

Yoy are my lider

[@GSK4EVER]

“In the long run, neatsfoot oil is prone to oxidising, causing leather to crack and deteriorate. As such, it's wise to avoid using it on items that you've invested heavily in and plan on keeping for many years, like leather jackets and wallets.”

[@Girtyleatherco]

All oils will oxidize over time. Every product is different and will age different depending on many factors. There are a lot of different opinions on how to preserve them. To each their own, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with my process. I have seen products built very similarly that are many decades old and have nothing wrong with them.

[@philsullivan3679]

Choose your battles wisely.

[@jasonreed9233]

What is a better oil to use instead of neatsfoot oil?

[@jurassicjaws]

Ah, yes, the predictable "no, you're wrong" comment that offers zero alternatives to the thing they don't like. How tiresome.

[@kboleather]

Everything oxidizes over time. The only reason why leather becomes brittle and cracks is bc the leather was neglected. That is why you clean the leather item and apply oil at least once a year.

[@minerblue9641]

That antique looks like tar.