Vinegeroon Questions

[Vikefan]

I am wondering if I am making my Vinegeroon correctly; I had some 0000 Steel wool in the garage, rinsed out empty milk jug, poured white vineger into the jug till it was 3/4 full, then dumped a rusty nail, some steel pipe (small piece) and 3 deals of the steel wool into the jug. I poked a hole into the lid of the milk jug (venting) and it's mainly been sitting in the garage. I don't see anything happening; it's not really turning color. The wool isn't rusting and it's been about one week now.

Am I doing the right thing here; or should I be using apple cidar vineger instead of the white I used? What am I doing wrong?

Can someone help me out?

[MADMAX22]

Gotta make sure you wash the steel wool because its usually coated with stuff. Rinse it off real good and thats about it.

I think temp plays a part in it also.

Did you give it a stir, try out a piece of leather and see what happens. The vinegaroon that I did didnt turn black for some time but would turn leather black even when it was lighter in color.

I just realized your in alaska, is your garage heated? I think being at room temp it will work alot quicker then if its at a really cool temp, not sure what the temps are up there.

Edited October 5, 2009 by MADMAX22

[rawhide1]

Vikefan

I had the same problem. I was told to wash or burn the steel wool I chose to burn it because it's more fun. I then put it back in the vinegar for a few days. I then strained the mix thru some coffee filters. My mix didn't have much color at all but it sure turned the piece I dipped in it coal black. I also had a few old nails in the mix.

Mike

[Vikefan]

Gotta make sure you wash the steel wool because its usually coated with stuff. Rinse it off real good and thats about it.

I think temp plays a part in it also.

Did you give it a stir, try out a piece of leather and see what happens. The vinegaroon that I did didnt turn black for some time but would turn leather black even when it was lighter in color.

I just realized your in alaska, is your garage heated? I think being at room temp it will work alot quicker then if its at a really cool temp, not sure what the temps are up there.

Thanks for the info...

I did not wash nor burn my 0000 steel wool, before putting it into the vinegar.

My garage is semi - heated. It stays pretty warm all year around and is about 68-70 degrees right now.

Does the steel wool actually disinegrate? I've been shaking the milk jug every couple days; and I did notice that the hole I poked in the lid (blue) has a black spot now, possibly from my shaking??

[MADMAX22]

Everytime I use steel wool it dissolves in the mix. Sometimes you will get some smaller grains that stay behind that settle out on the bottom. THis usually takes a little while though.

[TroyS]

The way I get my "Vinegroon" is about as simple as it gets.

I've found the BEST thing to make Vinegroon from is Concrete CUT Nails. Cut nails are the square untreated nails used to attach wood to concrete. Mainly for attaching walls to floors in new home construction. You can ask you local hardware store person to point you in the right direction.

I take a handful of cut nails, put them in a bowl of water for a few days and let them start to rust. Then I pour the water off and let them sit a few more days in the weather. They really start rusting! After about a week or so of being exposed to the elements, and lots of rust builds up, I put the nails in a plastic container and pour a small bottle of white vinegar over the rusty items until they are totally submerged. Now, we wait... for about another week... After about a week of soaking in the vinegar, I add another small bottle to the mix, stir it around and pour what I need to use into another container. I strain it through a fine mesh strainer to remove any large chunks of debris and VIOLA! It looks like muddy water and it starts to turn the leather black almost instantly! I use my Vinegroon like sourdough bread starter. I always keep my starter in a separate jug as my "USE ME" stuff. It's all frothy and nasty looking but it does an AWESOME job!

Hope this helps...

[Cowboy316]

howdy guys and gals heres a little right up on the stuff from Mr Chuck Burrows

hope this helps

Cowboy316

1) Black: VINEGAR BLACK (aka Vinegaroon - these are original old formulas)

For giving color to the grain of leather there is no blacking that will at all compare with the well known vinegar black. This may be made in various ways. The simplest, and, without doubt, the best, is to procure shavings from an iron turner and cover them with pure cider vinegar; heat up and set aside for a week or two, then heat again and set in a cool place for two weeks; pour off the vinegar, allow it to stand for a few days, and draw off and cork up in bottles. This will keep for a long time, and, while producing a deep black on leather, will not stain the hands.

Another method is to cover iron scraps with sour beer, and allow them to stand for a month or more; then strain off the beer and bottle as before.

A third method is to boil sulphate of iron in vinegar; mix some brewer's yeast with beer and allow it to stand for twenty four hours, then skim off the yeast and add the vinegar.

Instead of iron shavings you can use steel wool. To use the steel wool burn off the oil first - I dip it in acetone and use a propane/blow torch and light it off in an old pan with a lid, just in case you need to put the flame out. Take all precautions and it will work fine. The only problem with steel wool is it often has copper and other metals in the "mix" which can sometimes add a greenish tint.

After the "dye" (actually it's a reagent) dries I then neutralize with a slurry of baking soda and room temp water, about a 1/2 cup baking soda to a quart of water. Then I let the leather dry until just damp and apply a light coat or two of oil (I generally use olive oil, Lexol, Conditioner, or Lexol non-greasy Neats Foot). When the "dye" first dries it may look bluish or grayish at first and sometimes a second coat is needed, but normally the neutralizing and oil will turn it black.

[Vikefan]

howdy guys and gals heres a little right up on the stuff from Mr Chuck Burrows

hope this helps

Cowboy316

1) Black: VINEGAR BLACK (aka Vinegaroon - these are original old formulas)

For giving color to the grain of leather there is no blacking that will at all compare with the well known vinegar black. This may be made in various ways. The simplest, and, without doubt, the best, is to procure shavings from an iron turner and cover them with pure cider vinegar; heat up and set aside for a week or two, then heat again and set in a cool place for two weeks; pour off the vinegar, allow it to stand for a few days, and draw off and cork up in bottles. This will keep for a long time, and, while producing a deep black on leather, will not stain the hands.

Another method is to cover iron scraps with sour beer, and allow them to stand for a month or more; then strain off the beer and bottle as before.

A third method is to boil sulphate of iron in vinegar; mix some brewer's yeast with beer and allow it to stand for twenty four hours, then skim off the yeast and add the vinegar.

Instead of iron shavings you can use steel wool. To use the steel wool burn off the oil first - I dip it in acetone and use a propane/blow torch and light it off in an old pan with a lid, just in case you need to put the flame out. Take all precautions and it will work fine. The only problem with steel wool is it often has copper and other metals in the "mix" which can sometimes add a greenish tint.

After the "dye" (actually it's a reagent) dries I then neutralize with a slurry of baking soda and room temp water, about a 1/2 cup baking soda to a quart of water. Then I let the leather dry until just damp and apply a light coat or two of oil (I generally use olive oil, Lexol, Conditioner, or Lexol non-greasy Neats Foot). When the "dye" first dries it may look bluish or grayish at first and sometimes a second coat is needed, but normally the neutralizing and oil will turn it black.

Thank you for your valuable information. It's appreciated very much.