Failed Dyeing, Help Me Rescue My Knife Sheath.

[atobin]

This is my first leatherproject ever.

my problem is that the dyeing of the leather failed somewhat.

What I did is that after soaking some of the leather parts I decided to dry them in a oven at about 70 degrees celcius.

Later I made some more part wich i decided to let dry in air overnight.

The problem that occured now when I'm dyeing the parts is that the parts I dried in the oven won't absorb the dye in the same way as the other parts do. The dye stays on the surface of the leather and won't penetrate as supposed, making future scratches mush more apparant.

I don't have to very high demands of the look of the sheat, it's mostly supposed to be functional. But is there some simple way to fix or at least improve the ability to absorb the dye?

[NVLeatherWorx]

First rule of leather when dying (or even just allowing it to dry out) is: NEVER, EVER force dry it! Force drying leather will cause the fibers to tighten up excessively which not only makes the leather shrink drastically but it also will tighten up the grain structure enough that it becomes just about impervious to accepting any liquids. The end result is just as if you had glazed it to seal it and that pretty much can not be undone.

You could possibly try to recover the leather by soaking it in water again but if you have already attempted to dye it then you most likely should start over. Again, do not ever force dry leather! You may see some others post later that if you control the heat and do this or that there will be minimal impact but the most commonly overlooked thing here is that the process of force drying also sucks the natural oils out of the leather which will lead to the leather being more brittle and result in cracks and other issues and there is always a negative impact from it, regardless of what one may think. I have been doing this for over 40 years and that was one of the first things instilled in our minds when we started out education and training in this trade. There is a reason why some leather goods tend to fail earlier in life and it is the direct result of taking shortcuts and not maintaining the standards of professionalism and quality that was once our benchmark.

Good luck with your endeavor and welcome to the world of leatherwork.

[TexasJack]

First rule of leather when dying (or even just allowing it to dry out) is: NEVER, EVER force dry it! Force drying leather will cause the fibers to tighten up excessively which not only makes the leather shrink drastically but it also will tighten up the grain structure enough that it becomes just about impervious to accepting any liquids. The end result is just as if you had glazed it to seal it and that pretty much can not be undone.

.....

^ This.

Are you the first to do that? Nope. Also probably not the last. Did I ever do that? Well, let's just say it's good to learn from our mistakes!

[atobin]

I see. Well, nothing else to do than make a new one and consider the failed one as some good practise.

I did spend some time watching youtube clips about making leather sheaths and realized that its not very uncommon that people use their oven to dry leather...

Anyway, is it okay to put a fan at the blanks or should I just let them dry slowly?

Edited May 29, 2015 by atobin

[NVLeatherWorx]

You are correct that it is not very uncommon for people to use their oven to dry leather but the process of taking shortcuts to get something done faster does not yield the quality results that a professional craftsman is looking for. In your case you are making this sheath for yourself, but what about when someone likes it and wants you to make them one? The standards of quality in craftsmanship have to change and the item needs to be made with an emphasis on quality and proper techniques and that requires a craftsman to be patient and complete each step and phase of the project in the manner in which they are supposed to be done.

Even the use of a fan that is directed at the blanks to dry them out faster can cause some issues, although, the glazing over of the grain is not one of them. The purpose behind letting the leather dry naturally is to allow the fibers to maintain their structure as the leather slowly releases any held moisture, speeding up that process changes the dynamics of the leather and can lead to a wide range of issues. Failures in how a project end up going or what the final result is are the result of the craftsman/maker trying to speed up one (or more) of the processes in the fabrication of an item (or component) just to get it done faster. This craft is one of patience and that applies to all levels of skill and/or experience; when patience is not present, neither is the desire to properly learn.

No offense is intended here but these, and other forum communities, are loaded with questions about why something failed and the answers are the same no matter where you go to find them. Be patient and let everything happen naturally as the material being used here is a natural product and is not very receptive to the same processes and shortcuts that man-made materials can tolerate.

[atobin]

No offence taken, thank you very much for your input, really appreciate it!

Now i just got to get a new sheat of leather and start over again, hopefully without doing any fatal mistakes this time