Dye And Finishing Advice For My First Project

[WaywardTabby]

Hello,

I'm a complete beginner in leatherworking, but I was recently inspired to give it a shot. I'm attempting to make a simple wallet, which I intend to dye navy blue with a white-gold coloured design on the front. Unfortunately, I live in a small city in Canada and leather supplies are quite expensive here. So, I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before buying the supplies. Hopefully you folks can help me with that.

My first problem is deciding which finish to use. It's a wallet and going to be handled frequently, so I need something that really seals the dye. I would probably be using Tandy's Eco-Flo dye, because it's reasonably priced and available in the colours I need.

I also live in a climate that snows a lot, so I'd prefer to use something water resistant.

I've looked at acrylic resolene, which looks good for both water resistance and dye sealing, but I want to avoid anything that looks shiny or plasticy.

So, what type of finish should I be looking for here?

My next question is about combining dyes. Let's say I'm dyeing it navy blue, and I've got black and blue dyes to work with. Should I combine the dyes first, or simply apply a few black layers to the leather, and then a few blue layers, etc, until I get the desired colour?

Could I do both? Combine the dyes first to make a navy blue, then proceed to apply additional coats of blacks or blues until the I get the desired colour?

Lastly, I'm not sure what I should do about the coloured design on the front. Let's say I dye the leather navy blue and let it dry. I now want to add the white-gold design on top of it. How should I do this? I thought about using stencil paper, but if I apply the dye with some kind of brush or cloth, I wouldn't be able to keep the stencil in place.

Also, I'm not sure if the colour would turn out, considering I would be placing a light dye over a dark one. Perhaps it would be fine? I've never dyed leather before, so I wouldn't know.

I've attached an image I've photoshopped demonstrating how I'd like the finished product to look. Again, I'm a leatherworking novice and I'm not sure if this sort of thing would even be possible.

I'd appriciate any thoughts you have. Thanks!

[byggyns]

Is it possible? Yes it is.

Is it a little too ambitious for a first project? Probably.

I would suggest your first attempt be a solid color- straight from the bottle color, just to familiarize yourself with the procedure and the materials.

You can get the color effect you want, but I don't think you will be able to get it with only the eco-flo dyes. They are water based, so they will bleed in the leather. You cannot use a mask or resist with them. Also, you didn't specify if you wanted to use the Eco-flo professional waterstain or the standard Eco-Flo dyes. I've used the pro waterstain multiple times, and it gives a great color-fast result.

For getting the correct color: mix the dyes off the leather. Applying layers of different colors may work for some colors, but not with black. It will just stay black.

Mix up some blue with a very small amount of black, then increase the black to a level you like. Use small 1 in square test pieces at each ratio. It does not take much black to darken any other color. Measure the amounts of the dyes exactly. You want to be able to scale up your ratio to a large enough volume for the entire piece. Also, make sure to wear gloves when working with the pro-waterstain. I didn't on my first knife sheath & have a nice finger print of a lighter shade where the dye didn't soak in as much in one spot.

To add a light colored design after you've dyed the leather a dark color, I suggest acrylic leather paint. Angelus makes them. Many people also use regular acrylic paints from the art or craft store. The paint stays on the surface rather than soaking into the leather. It is probably the most reliable way to get a good contrast with a white design on dark dyed leather.

After dying and painting, you can use resolene. I have never gotten a plastic looking result with it. The grain tends to look smoother, but still like natural leather. I thin it 50/50 with distilled water, then apply in multiple thin coats.

Do a lot of reading about the various kinds of dyes, antiques and finishes in the dedicated sub-forum. It will definitely save you some headaches with experimenting, but you will still have to try things out before you get the result you want.

The biggest lesson to learn with dyes and finishes is patience. You have to let them dry thoroughly before moving to the next step. That sometimes means doing 30 min of work, then setting it aside to dry for 24 hours before you get to touch it again.