Prep for leather dying

Steve Randall

Steve Randall

Well-Known Member
I am looking for recommendations, if any, on prepping leather before dying it. I am using veg. tanned leather, with Fiebings dye. Is there a product or procedure that I should do before I dye. I just completed a sheath that after wet molding it and letting it dry, the leather remained spotty. Then when I dyed it the spots did not take the dye well. Help.! Thanks Steve Randall
 
Steve,

You didn't mention it so I'm wondering if you re-wet your sheath before dying ?

If not you should definatly do this. At the recommendation of more experienced leather Guru's I use Alcohol as a final clean and wetting agent before dying.

The purpose of re-wetting is to assist the leather in "wicking" the dye in more evenly. I have found in attempts to dye dry leather that the area where you first touch the dye applicator will soak more dye than everywhere else creating a blotchy looking dye job.

If the leather was spotty because of un-even wetting the first go round then re-wetting the leather evenly should take care of your problem.

If the leather is spotty due to being dirty then it'll need to be cleaned prior to dying (which is probably a good idea anyway). The alcohol will help with minor smudges etc. but although I have NOT tried it yet it has also been recommended to me to use a product called "Wood Bleach" (Oxcillic Acid) to clean the leather. This stuff should be found in paint departments of Home improvement or hardware stores.

I'm also pretty sure that a product called De-glazer will clean up dirty leather prior to dying. This product should be available from any leather supply house such as Tandy.

I've heard many leather pro's say that dying leather is always a crap shoot, LOL. And others use pre-dyed leather in their sheath making to avoid these problems.

Hope this helps you out.

Oh I should mention that I'm using the Pro-Oil dyes and not the Spirit dyes. I'm not sure about this but the use of alcohol may essentially dillute the spirit dyes and produce a lighter color than desired. I haven't experienced this with the oil dye though.

Experimenting on scrap is always recommended.

Hope this helps you out !

Josh
 
Thanks for the help Josh - I have not re-wetted prior to dying- I was drying the leather before I applied the dye. I have not used the alcohol- I've been soaking in water to "form" the sheath and allowed it to dry completely then applied the dye. I am obviously learning. I've not had much problem before but used a new piece of leather so.....I will definitely try your suggestion on my next piece. Steve Randall
 
Steve I had the same problem with uneven dyeing after allowing it to dry and fixed it by dyeing while still wet. At least it worked one the one sheath I did that way. Keep us posted on how it turns out, but FWIW my experience parallels Josh's.
 
I'm not a sheath expert, by any means, but I can say that wet molding (forming) can close pores in the leather and make it take dye unevenly. I generally assemble the sheath, dye it, put it in water until bubbles stop coming out, let it dry somewhat so that it will stay where I mold it, and then mold it to the knife. If you try to mold it immediately after the soak, it can be too floppy to hold the shape you give it. Good luck!

~Noah
 
I generally apply the dye to my leather while it is still damp, then wipe off any dye that hasn't soaked into the leather. Then after letting it dry for 15-20 minutes, I apply a second "coat". I don't usually have any problems with "streaks or spotting". Afterwards, I put either a coat of leather polish or oil on it, let it dry for alittle bit, then buff it out.
 
This looks like it might help me on the question I posted about my dye coming out too dark. Part of my problem may be trying to cover the uneven spots. Thanks.

Joe
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions I finished a sheath for a customer tonight and it turned out great. The last one I made I think some of the wax from the artificial sinew I used got on my hands and spotted the leather and showed when I stained it. That said wetting the sheath before dying helped making it more even color. Thanks ....Steve Randall
 
U and me could wright a bad romance


anywho

good question

water

water isnt your friend

and at the same time it is

yuppers

sure is

now

Dye for leather (other than black) is a PITA

what ya do is

first

dont soak the leather

really dont

it gets all floppy and such

really kinda nasty to think about isnt it??

take really large sponge

wet sponge really well with warm water

wring out sponge

run it over the leather

repeat a couple times

now

Put leather dye on leather thick

thick

now

let that sit while you sing the first few lines from Bad Romance from Lady Gaga

err or you can just wait 30 seconds or so and wipe off the excess

fold it over and allow it to dry a bit

you can tell when its ready cause it changes color

this is a good casing color

after you sew and stitch and scream RA RA RA MAMA a couple times you will get what i am saying

after you have stitched it up you can now box it or case it by hand or with a small press

works like charm and wont make your leather rot like over wetting it


I am

Hibachi Man!
 
and

If your having trouble with leather soaking up the dye

dont get ANY GLUE ANYWHERE on the leather that you gonna dye and the customer can see

if ya do erase it with pencil eraser lightly

now if leather stubborn

take a 1/4 cup of simple green cleaner and some warm water and put it in cheap spray bottle (shake it up baby!)

spritz leather lightly and evenly

allow dry for minute

(DONT SPEED UP DRYING)

then apply dye

and of course

SING!!!
 
Your giving away all our secrets man!!! tug2

I've never done the wetting before dying thing, but it sounds like a good idea for the alcohol based dyes. Ever since I switched to the Pro Oil dyes I've never looked back More expensive, and longer cure time, but well worth it.


I'm getting Abo Man flashbacks! huh1
 
I don't make many sheaths but on my wet molded holsters I apply a light coat of oil to the dried leather to "re-hydrate" it a bit. Then I use a dye prep solution by mixing one part water to two parts household ammonia to one part Ivory dish soap and in that order or you'll have suds everywhere. You can let it dry completely or apply your dye while the leather is still damp from the dye prep. I have done both with great success. As Leatherman stated, Fiebings Pro Oil Dye is a great product. I quit using the old alcohol based dyes for several reasons but most importantly because they have benzene which causes cancer. Hope this helps.
Ryan
 
fisherleather said:
I As Leatherman stated, Fiebings Pro Oil Dye is a great product. I quit using the old alcohol based dyes for several reasons but most importantly because they have benzene which causes cancer. Hope this helps.
Ryan
Click to expand...

It's a common mistake to think that Fibeing's Pro Oil Dye does not have some serious chemicals in it - per the Fiebing's site:
A new, improved version of our traditional leather dye. Professional Oil Dye is also an alcohol-based dye created specifically for natural strap leather, vegetable tanned leather and bag & case leather.[/b]
It also contains other chemicals besides - I've got a copy around somewhere showing what's included (and IIRC there is no oil in it!)

As for prepping - I've been using plain ole rubbing alcohol (70%) for over 40 years - as both a surface cleaner and as a dye prep. Just prior to dying a spray the leather good with the alcohol (I use one of those cheap plastic hand pump spray bottles) and then dip the whole piece into the dye for full coverage.
If dipping is not possibel (i.e. when using an inlay for instance) then liberally apply the dye, you want to saturate the leather with dye. I use the cheap foam brushes - those wool daubers are good only for doing edges at best.
If the rubbing alcohol won't do the job, then use denatured alcohol or acetone. In place of those or to lighten the color use oxalic acid (aka wood bleach). Adding a bit of lemon juice to any of the above will also help clean off tough spots.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for posting Chuck,

Very informative. I was begining to think I was crazy for using alcohol with the Pro Oil dyes, LOL.

-Josh
 
I stand corrected - I just found an MSDS sheet on Pro Dye and there it is - Ethyl Benzene. Along with a long list of other hard to pronounce words. I do think, for whatever reason (as you were right about not seeing oil anywhere) Pro Dye seems to finish out more evenly. Just wanted to admit that I was mistaken on the Benzene comment.

Ryan
 
Pro Dye seems to finish out more evenly
Click to expand...
The Pro Dye is an improved version of the original and like most improved products produces if not always a better final product at least an easier one.
Why Fiebing calls it Oil Dye I haven't a clue, but it sure has confused a lot of folks.

On the other hand us old timers did (and still do) at times make our own oil dye. To a quart of dye mix in no more than 1/8 cup of good oil - these days I prefer the Non-Greasy Formula Neatsfoot or EVOO. I whip it up in an old blender and do so each time I use it.
The only thing necessary when using real oil dye or when using oil before dye is to use a GOOD sealer afterwards - otherwise the oil will act as a carrier for the dye and as it dehydrates it will carry the dye to the surface and cause rub off.
 
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