Gum Traganth as a "top coat" - questions

[bedbugbilly]

A short time ago, I read in one of the posts on this forum about using "gum traganth" as a "top coat" - if I remember correctly, it was stated that the Amish use this quite a bit when they make their harnesses and tack.  I had a friend that needed a new "dress belt" for his 93 y.o. father and asked if I could make him one - he wanted it black.  I made one up - just a simple 1" belt and died it black with my vinegaroon solution and it turned out great.  I decided to thy the gum traganth as a top coat - the flesh side was fairly smooth so I coated that and burnished it with a piece of hardwood.  On the face side (hair side) - I coated it and burnished the surface by rubbing it briskly with an old towel.  Long and short of it, it turned out great and I was impressed with the results.  Up to know, I've only used the gum traganth for burnishing holster seams, belt edges, etc.   I want to try this on some holsters, etc. at some point but have a couple of questions.  I'm thinking that the gum traganth would "seal" the "pores" of the leather and make the application of wax, Skidmores, Lexol, etc. a mute point - yes or no??
!.  It's my understanding from the bottle of gum traganth I have (Tandy), that it is water soluable.  After applied and buffed as a "top coat" - is it "water proof" or does it need to have a further top coat of some sort such as wax, Lexol or similar?  I
2.  On something like the dress belt I made, should the top coating of gum traganth be followed with a different "sealer" such as "satin sheen" from Tandy?
For those of you that use this as a top coat - what do you usually do as far as leaving it with just the gum traganth or further finishing steps?  Thanks for any info/advice - much appreciated pards!   

[TwoWalks Baldridge]

BBB I will be interested in the answers as well.  Did you use the trag straight or dilute it some?

[rickk]

It will get sticky if it gets wet.

If it penetrates (as it does on the edge or the back), it might get a little sticky while wet but it won't come off because it has soaked in.

If you put it on the top side, it probably won't soak in as much and it may not do well if it gets wet. If it completely soaks in then it is not a top coat any more.

How well it will work will depend on what happens to the item after it gets put "in service".

Try repeating your process on a piece of scrap, and then after you are done wet your hand and rub it across the top surface and see what happens.


I know if I overdo it on the back side even (trying to pretty up a rough back side), if I was to get it wet again I would feel a gooey sensation.


If you wanna try an experiment with something "not modern" and "non-acrylic", finish up a scrap and then use several applications of "Ballistol" as a top coat. It will take several applications of it, allowing it to appear to dry between coats, but it does something to the leather. I believe there is some sort of chemical reaction that takes place. If you put several coats on, rubbing the later ones to warm things up a bit, you can get a very shiny, high gloss coating that is very durable and easily touched up if it does get scratched.

I have no idea exactly what happens chemically, but it makes a nice finish. If you look at the Ballistol web site, it says that it makes an excellent leather dressing. In fact, it says it accomplishes just about any task most people encounter on a given day (short of paying ones bills). The promo material reads like snake oil, but unlike most snake oils, Ballistol actually is capable of doing all the magical things they claim it can.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

    Gum Tra, comes right off with water, I find it to not be a sealer, but an aid in burnishing your leather, if you are putting it on gun leather that will be in wet weather, you need to use a sealer, there are several to choose from, I use Tan-Kote, on edges or surface leather when needed, but usually just on the edges and over all of my finished surfaces Skidmores Leather Cream, you can also just use several coats of Skidmores, but I also put it over sealed leather too, just the way I finish my leather, everyone has there own way, edges can and should be burnished well, I also use bees wax and paraffin in a blend for burnishing edges, you just need you do all these things for yourself and feel and see what you prefer, doing is where you learn the most when it comes to leather, like others have said experiment on scraps, this is the best way to know if you are going to be happy with a certain method or not.

                                   Have fun and enjoy the different ways of doing this


                                              tEN wOLVES 

[bedbugbilly]

TwoWalks - I used it just as it came out of the container - no dilluting.  On the back side, I just spread it on and burnished with a piece of hardwood.  On the face side, I just spread it on and quickly did a hard, buffing motion to build up some warmth - I cant say for sure how much of it "soaked in" and how much ended up on the old towel I was using.  The finish was a very pleasing and soft texture - just what you'd want for a "dress belt".  I don't anticipate that it will get wet since the 93 y.o. gentleman will just be wearing it to church on Sundays.  I'm thinking that I will top coat it with paste wax though and buff it and for the intended purpose, it should work fine with no problems. 

Thanks to all for your comments and advice.  It certainly gives me another thing to "play with" when I get back here to AZ next winter and get to work at my bench. 

I am curious about one thing - I'm sure that I read on this forum that the Amish use this on their harness/tack.  That being the case, horse and buggies do get caught out in the rain and horses do sweat.  Are they using a top coat of some sort or is this used to make a new harness look "pretty" and after use, regular harness dressings used?    I'm in AZ in the winter and MI in the summer - once in a while I get down into Amish country in IN and if I do, I plan on stopping at several harness shops and hopefully be able to talk with them on their methods.   Again, many thanks.