Help with uneven dyeing

Gahagan

Gahagan

Well-Known Member
I am working on sheath #3 and am having trouble with the mahogany dye. It wont dye evenly it has splotches in it and when I try to even it out it either lightens up places or darkens others. I just cant get it to even out. Is there anything I can do? Here are the pics.
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I like it... For me (maybe I'm alone on this), but I find variances to show that something was truly handcrafted and handmade...
 
If it is oil based dye, maybe rubbing vigorously with oil will reactivate the dye to some degree, maybe even it out if there is no finish on it yet. Cleaning with alcohol before dye helps with the splotchys, but I'm with Mr.704, I try to splotch it.... Nice sheath......Randy
 
If you get the leather nice and damp and then apply the dye to the wet leather it'll help keep things even. The leather won't soak up so much dye, and it helps regulate and make more consistent the depth of penetration. This doesn't always work for me, but usually does.
 
^^ Dyeing while damp helps alot!!!

I was having this problem a while ago and was told to either clean it with wood bleach prior to dyeing or wipe down with alcohol before dyeing.

This can happen from oils in your skin stopping the dye from soaking in right.
 
I use a moist rag or spray bottle of water before staining leather to keep the blotches down. I also never use those stupid wool daubers. A big, messy rag with plenty of dye in it and move along quickly in even strokes.
 
Yes have been using old tee shirts. They are less expensive than the daubers. The sheath was damp when I dyed it I must not have cleaned it very well. After this last shot I used some oil and rubbed it into the sheath and then buffed it. This helped alot I then put some top coat on it and this helped some as well. It turned out very well after the final buffing. I will post some better pictures later.
 
Travis Fry said:
If you get the leather nice and damp and then apply the dye to the wet leather it'll help keep things even. The leather won't soak up so much dye, and it helps regulate and make more consistent the depth of penetration. This doesn't always work for me, but usually does.
Click to expand...

One thing to watch where two pieces of leather tuch the dye will be darker because the second piece of leather sucks water out of the leather that you are trying to dye and will soak up more dye. Like where your stiitching is.
 
I just watched Paul Long's "Basic Pouch Sheaths" video a couple of days ago.
He talks about the oils he uses "leveling" after a few days and the color
becoming more uniform. I wonder if your dyes would do something like that?

Anyway, beautiful work.
 
Anyone tried "dip staining"? Mr. Burrows talks about it. I don't use the same dye enough to justify the cost of a large enough container of the same color, but it makes sense, no application marks.........Randy
 
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