Eco-Flo "All-in-One" Dye/Finish

[RkyMtnMan]

Very beginning leatherworker here, and this is my very first project to which I've attempted to apply any sort of dye or finish. The folks at the nearby Tandy store sent me home with this "all-in-one" product -- which may or may not have been the wisest selection on my part -- and I'm having some problems with it.

I'm applying it straight from the bottle with a wool dauber to a belt-like strip of veg-tanned leather. I'm applying it pretty heavily, and then wiping off excess with rags of old cotton t-shirts. My results are streaky. The dye seems to soak in so quickly that I can't color a large area without seeing the edges. That is, if I dye/coat 12 inches of strap, and then take a few seconds to also coat the edges or the flip side, when I continue where I left off on the first side, a line has been created. I can't seem to keep a sufficiently "wet edge" (to borrow a term from the house painter's trade) so as to get a uniform application of color.

Moreover, there aren't really any directions with this stuff. Am I supposed to thin it with water before applying? Apply to wet leather or dry? Spread it evenly and let it dry before buffing? Or apply and wipe off as I've been doing?

Is this just the wrong product for me? Should I be using SEPARATE dye and finish?

I just want consistent, even, non-streaky color.

Help!

[Kustom]

Very beginning leatherworker here, and this is my very first project to which I've attempted to apply any sort of dye or finish. The folks at the nearby Tandy store sent me home with this "all-in-one" product -- which may or may not have been the wisest selection on my part -- and I'm having some problems with it.

I'm applying it straight from the bottle with a wool dauber to a belt-like strip of veg-tanned leather. I'm applying it pretty heavily, and then wiping off excess with rags of old cotton t-shirts. My results are streaky. The dye seems to soak in so quickly that I can't color a large area without seeing the edges. That is, if I dye/coat 12 inches of strap, and then take a few seconds to also coat the edges or the flip side, when I continue where I left off on the first side, a line has been created. I can't seem to keep a sufficiently "wet edge" (to borrow a term from the house painter's trade) so as to get a uniform application of color.

Moreover, there aren't really any directions with this stuff. Am I supposed to thin it with water before applying? Apply to wet leather or dry? Spread it evenly and let it dry before buffing? Or apply and wipe off as I've been doing?

Is this just the wrong product for me? Should I be using SEPARATE dye and finish?

I just want consistent, even, non-streaky color.

Help!

Does it say "all-in-one hi light stain"?

[CitizenKate]

I'm applying it straight from the bottle with a wool dauber to a belt-like strip of veg-tanned leather. I'm applying it pretty heavily, and then wiping off excess with rags of old cotton t-shirts. My results are streaky. The dye seems to soak in so quickly that I can't color a large area without seeing the edges. That is, if I dye/coat 12 inches of strap, and then take a few seconds to also coat the edges or the flip side, when I continue where I left off on the first side, a line has been created. I can't seem to keep a sufficiently "wet edge" (to borrow a term from the house painter's trade) so as to get a uniform application of color.

I teach classes using this stuff, so I'm quite familiar with it.

Instead of using a dauber, use a cotton cloth that has been folded into a flat pad, or a paper towel. Put a generous amount onto the pad and wipe it on, covering the entire piece in a continuous step.

If you want to stain the back, wait until the front is dry first, but I usually leave it natural, unless I'm lining the back, then that piece gets stained separately. The edges are usually dyed and polished after staining, so if you do that, you don't need to worry about staining the edges, either.

To keep stain from smearing on the back side, I cover the back with packing tape.

Mixing the All-in-one with Tan-Kote improves it quite a bit. That reduces the "wet edge" effect, makes it easier to work with, and produces a nicer finish.

Moreover, there aren't really any directions with this stuff. Am I supposed to thin it with water before applying? Apply to wet leather or dry? Spread it evenly and let it dry before buffing? Or apply and wipe off as I've been doing?

Peel the label back to get the instructions.

Use it full-strength, or dilute it with Tan-Kote (as mentioned above). Apply it to dry leather.

Apply and wipe off, as you've been doing. You don't want it to dry before removing the excess. When removing the excess, wipe flatly over the work to remove the stain from the surface, while allowing it to remain in any tooled impressions you made in the leather. This will create a nice highlighting effect. Oh, and keep plenty of clean folded rags or paper towels handy for removing the excess. Grab a fresh one when the one you're using gets "full".

Is this just the wrong product for me? Should I be using SEPARATE dye and finish?

All products require certain techniques for applying them. This should work fine for you, but you certainly can switch to using a separate stain and finish, if you like. There are lots of choices!

Hope this helped...

Kate

[RkyMtnMan]

Does it say "all-in-one hi light stain"?

Nope. Just says "Eco-Flo All-in-One". The colors I'm using are Acorn Brown and Prairie Tan.

[RkyMtnMan]

Hope this helped...

Wow! HUGELY helpful! Thanks!

I have some follow-up questions, though, if I may:

Instead of using a dauber, use a cotton cloth that has been folded into a flat pad, or a paper towel. Put a generous amount onto the pad and wipe it on, covering the entire piece in a continuous step.

Can you get enough liquid onto a single pad/cloth to do, say, a 36-38 inch belt in a single swipe? I'm expecting that even if I can, the last bit will be lighter than the first bit. Any tips for getting a uniform appearance over that long an application?

If you want to stain the back, wait until the front is dry first, but I usually leave it natural, unless I'm lining the back, then that piece gets stained separately. The edges are usually dyed and polished after staining, so if you do that, you don't need to worry about staining the edges, either.

These pieces are long strips of approx 4 oz vegtan that have been doubled over through the various hardware components (rings, squares, buckles) so as to produce a strap with top-grain on both sides.

I guess that means that *somewhere* I'm going to have an edge in the stain application (like, at the end where it wraps around the buckle) if I do each side separately.

To keep stain from smearing on the back side, I cover the back with packing tape.

Excellent tip. I'm thinking that maybe the solution for me is to stain these pieces prior to assembly -- before I double them over.

Mixing the All-in-one with Tan-Kote improves it quite a bit. That reduces the "wet edge" effect, makes it easier to work with, and produces a nicer finish.

I'll definitely try that. *thumbs up*

Peel the label back to get the instructions.

Doh!

Thanks for your insight and expertise, Kate!

[CitizenKate]

Can you get enough liquid onto a single pad/cloth to do, say, a 36-38 inch belt in a single swipe? I'm expecting that even if I can, the last bit will be lighter than the first bit. Any tips for getting a uniform appearance over that long an application?

These pieces are long strips of approx 4 oz vegtan that have been doubled over through the various hardware components (rings, squares, buckles) so as to produce a strap with top-grain on both sides.

For larger pieces, obviously not. If you can't get enough on the pad to cover the entire piece, just (quickly) re-load the pad with more stain and continue wiping it on until the entire piece is covered. It might help to have some stain poured out in a container so you can just dip the pad into it for more stain.

I guess that means that *somewhere* I'm going to have an edge in the stain application (like, at the end where it wraps around the buckle) if I do each side separately.

... I'm thinking that maybe the solution for me is to stain these pieces prior to assembly -- before I double them over.

I normally stain the parts before any assembly is done, so yes, I think that would be the solution.

Good luck with your project, and please do post the results!

Kate

[adams484]

I use eco flo professional dye exclusively on my products. I can't speak to the all in one dye/finish but I have found that damp leather will dye more evenly but will look butt ugly until FULLY dried. This may be true for the all in one.

First thing I would recommend is to not use it. Dying the leather and sealing/finishing should be two processes in my opinion that way you can control them more. Dying and finishing take some experience to get a truly consistent process. There are others that dye only fully dried leather and some that dampen it first. Both approaches will work just fine but have differing techniques. Over dying will often change the color completely like the eco flo tan. It will turn red if over saturated. If under saturated it will streak or look faded. The Bordeaux will be more sensitive to under saturation and will really look faded if under applied.

So you see each color and each dye whether alcohol, oil, or water based will be a little different. Then after you get the project dyed it will most often be not very appealing until the finish is applied. This also varies from finish to finish and experimentation will be necessary. As a beginner I would recommend using an acrylic as it is in my opinion the easiest to control. On your first project start with a light coat and always let it dry completely before judging the results. Acrylics will often look very dull when partially dried but will shine up as the drying process completes. Sometimes too shiny if overdone and will take on the appearance of plastic, clear coat etc...

The best advice I can give you is to pick a product, stick with it until you learn to get the most from it then decide if that is good enough for you. I would try many and have tried many and found I keep coming back to the same ones. You will too in time. But I would definitely not try to combine two steps into one. You loose creative control of at least one of them or both. If your goal is to end up with an oiled finish then I would use an oil based dye. Alcohol based dyes dry faster than water based dyes and water based dyes dry faster then oil based dyes. Keep in mind the drying goes on after the leather feels dry. An example is the Eco Flo Dark Brown will often seem like light black and I have had customers claim it looked like black but in two weeks it was a real nice rich dark brown.

Sorry if this was inappropriately long but had I had some of this information when I was learning I would have saved a ton of hours and money learning it the hard way.

Edited November 14, 2014 by adams484