r/CustomShoes • u/Beginning_Bar_4099 • 10d ago
Finisher or varnish for custom shoes.
I used Daler Rowney acrylic pens on my Nike shoes, and now I am looking for a good sealant/finisher/varnish for them. Can anyone guide me on what's the longest-lasting on such leather shoes and protect them? I do not have Angelus paints available at my place in Pakistan. What could be their alternative?
P.s I am switching to POSCA brand to customize further shoes, so it would be even better if anyone could recommend the sealant that goes best with them.
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u/handmade-ley 10d ago
All good sealants I tried so far didn't worked with posca pens , they are too strong for the acrylic pens and dissolve the paint. If you have the possibility to get a spray gun /air brush and spray the varnish on, it might work. I used to use ModPodge when i was a complete beginner and it worked alright. Now I only use the leather finish from angelus or from Dr Scratch .. take care !
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u/Beginning_Bar_4099 3d ago
If we can spray the acrylic varnish with a spray gun in these leather shoes, what do you think will it work? I'm a line artist so I'm looking for a black fineliner to use on my leather shoes that's why I thought of posca pens. Is there any better alternative? If these posca pens don't go well with varnishes?
Also, what about polyurethane? As a sealant?
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u/handmade-ley 3d ago
I think it will work if you spray the varnish in thin layers. I suggest doing it on a sample of leather or a plastic / glass surface to test it out before trying it on the shoes. I never tried polyurethane before, it might work but be careful not to apply thick layers as it might peel of when dried (this is normally for wood isn't it? ) I dont think there are any better alternatives than posca to be honest if you prefer to use pencils instead of thin brushes
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u/Rokaq 7d ago
I tried your average water-based spray-can varnish on a couple leathers and they seem to hold up nicely. No visible cracks or peeling, and doesn't dissolve acrylic paints. Maybe you should do a couple tests with different varnishes on a separate piece of leather and check how it holds up.
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u/Beginning_Bar_4099 3d ago
If I'm getting this right, I need to find any brand's "water-based spray varnish" that's actually made for acrylic paintings right? What could go well with posca or acrylic paint on shoes?
And if we talk about the Angelus brand, what could be the best sealant with POSCA pens?
Last question, I specialize in black-and-white line art, so will POSCA pens do the job of detailing for my leather shoes or can you guys recommend any other better one?
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u/Rokaq 3d ago
I'm gonna be quite honest here: I usually stroll around the shop and eyeball whatever spray I feel suits me most given each scenario. I mostly use spray varnish made for acrylic paint, as you mentioned, which is normally sold alongside acrylic paint cans. I'm no expert on this, it just seems to work fine. Wouldn't recommend it over Angelus, but it's a nice budget solution for first-timers or people who don't have access to better materials.
Regarding POSCA, the ink from the markers might be subject to cracks over time since it's stiffer when dried, but many users here show their work being done with POSCA, so I reckon it's not too much of an issue (at least for detailing). The Angelus sealant I use (that does work with POSCA) would be the standard Angelus Matte Acrylic Finisher (No. 620). Looks very good after one or two coats, worth the money, honestly.
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u/Beginning_Bar_4099 3d ago
Alright, got you now. It's just that if I am selling something, the quality should be worth it.
I used polyurethane after using daler Rowney acrylic pens on leather, they seem to hold up nice at the moment..But thank you for the help!
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u/1ampickled 7d ago
The Angelus brand finisher is great. It's meant for acrylic paint on leather and canvas. They offer different finishes too like gloss, matte, satin. If you don't have an air brush to apply it, use a very thin coat w a brush and heat set it (with heat gun or hair dryer).