Dip Dyed Belts Darker At Edge Than In Middle Of Belt

[Tallbald]

Hi and thanks in advance. I've made many holsters, dying them with vinegaroon soak nicely. I've made my first belt though and have dyed it with thinned Fiebings show brown.

The method I used I saw here in the past and basically involved a shallow pan containing the dye, with me running the belt in one long pass through the dye. Of course the dye saturated the edges more that the body of the belt which nicely frames the belt in a way. But if I did not want the darker edge that extends about 3/8 inch inward on all surfaces, should I seal the edge before dipping OR change to brushing the dye on as I've seen others do? The dip method is fast and I thought would go on more evenly.

Don.

[huffdad]

I've been playing around with dip dye recently and have been experiencing something similar. For me, though, I've had a dark streak across the center of my belts where the excess runs down. It seems counterintuitive since dip dye should be the most consistent coverage. I'm curious what more experienced folks have to say about this. My best guess would be to dye your pieces oversized then trim if you feel like wasting the leather. I haven't been doing this very long, so take my words with a grain of salt.

***edit***

I just realized you said the project was a belt. I wouldn't want to pull a strap more than once. Maybe a partial or even full burnish to try and control the rate at which dye penetrates?

Edited August 8, 2015 by huffdad

[Tallbald]

Huffdad thanks. I've not sewn the belt yet so I went ahead and mop stained the center with another coat. The coloration evened out well. I'll keep experimenting some more. Don.