How to age a name tape?

[Weasel_Loader]

Anyone know how to age a nametape? The one I just got from ebay is a little on the "bright" side and will look a little strange on my seal Dubow. Thanks for any ideas.

 

[deand]

A thin coating of furniture scratch cover should do it. Wipe on, wipe off, repeat as necessary. Someone will probably object to this






dean

 

[Vcruiser]

A thin coating of furniture scratch cover should do it. Wipe on, wipe off, repeat as necessary. Someone will probably object to this






dean

That could work!
I'm an artist..and use various stains. Brushing on a dark stain..letting it set for a few minutes...then wiping off works for me.
Van

 

[Vcruiser]

..Like this

 

[deand]

You've made me feel a lot better about that idea, VCruiser! I used that stain on another piece of leather and was very pleased with the results, so I guessed it might work. Thanks!






dean

 

[Vcruiser]

You've made me feel a lot better about that idea, VCruiser! I used that stain on another piece of leather and was very pleased with the results, so I guessed it might work. Thanks!






dean

I don't know if it would work with all leather nametags. Some that I've seen seem to have a coating/finish on them. However,nametags from Aero or Eastman are natural finish and allow for the stain to darken the leather.
Van

 

[Weasel_Loader]

Thanks. I'll give it a try and let you know how it worked.

 

[RudyN]

You might try shoe dye or shoe polish. It worked on the one I have on my Goodwear.

 

[flightmac]

Well, if you have a little time and a slightly oily complexion (and don't think this is too icky); :roll: try rubbing it on your forehead and nose in the mornings (assuming you shower in the evening). I tried that on a natural leather strip from Garcia Aviation and in a couple of weeks or so had a nice, natural aged look.

 

[Hunter57]

I used the shoe polish method on a strip from Aero, and it worked well for me.

 

[tom james]

grapeseed oil works very well on raw leather, not quite as dark as olive oil. Neither leaves residue, but the grapeseed oil leaves room for the use of other darker agents in corners and the letter stampings. Tom

 

[MikeyB-17]

I had an Aero nametag years ago which was rather pale for my tastes, so I soaked it for a few days in anything I could think of that would stain it brown-tea, soy sauce etc., then finished it off with a spot of brown Meltonian shoe cream. Worked quite nicely. it went on my Aero horse A-2.

 

[ties70]

I had an Aero nametag years ago which was rather pale for my tastes, so I soaked it for a few days in anything I could think of that would stain it brown-tea, soy sauce etc., ...

I have done exactly that with a name tag from Garcia Aviation, only to notice that the name was hard to read after the treatment. The leather had soaked and swollen so much that the embossed parts mostly vanished

Ties

 

[horseback leader]

I have used mink oil on every one of my 'new' name tapes over the years. A few thin applications, used over a few days, usually does the trick for me, and also keeps the thing from drying out as well.

 

[Weasel_Loader]

All good ideas. I have ordered from two different ebay sources and so far not impressed with the quality. One was just the right thickness but embossing was not deep enough. The other is too thin but has a great font and clear embossing. :roll:

 

[Vcruiser]

All good ideas. I have ordered from two different ebay sources and so far not impressed with the quality. One was just the right thickness but embossing was not deep enough. The other is too thin but has a great font and clear embossing. :roll:

On a nice repro like yours...I highly recommend an Aero or ELC leather nametag. I've never found any others as nice or done so well.
Like you are noticing..some are thinner..not stamped deep enough...and there are also those with incorrect font...a satin type coating on the raw leather..or wrong size.
Van

 

[TankBuster]

I agree with Van. Actually, Aero makes the most authentic name strips out there.
The Ebay ones are not good at all. At least the ones that I have seen.

 

[CBI]

The guy who supplies namestrips to John Chapman at Good Wear makes THE BEST ones. Terrific! Email John to see if he can get you one. Not sure he is willing/has time to get one for you or maybe he would pass along who it is. I have been dissapointed with every other maker. I know Aero CAN make nice ones, but the two made for me by them were terrible. And - they charge WAY TOO much for them. Surprisingly difficult to find someone who can make these well considering how on some levels, they should be pretty easy to do if one has the correct font/tools. I am actually just getting ready to try make my own with some general leather tools.

 

[SuinBruin]

Check out these threads for more info and comparison shots on the various repro tags available.

http://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1108

http://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5385

shedonwanna seems to have some pretty good ones, so you may want to contact him.