So Tandy Ecoflow Water Dyes Suck...

[mtroyalguy]

Can I dye over them with an oil dye? I tried using a brown one on a piece and it is splotchy and uneven after many coats, you can see drips from the brush and darker streaks. I have done a bit of dying with the Fiebings oil dyes, and never had this trouble.

[Studio-N]

Hello. Yes, they do suck. The short answer is yes, you can go over them with a real dye.

[Bigfoot]

Hello, no they don't suck, they have their place in the range of dyes available and can be great depending on what you are trying to achieve.

[AndyL1]

I've had pretty good luck with them. I apply it with a damp sponge and get good coverage. Honestly though if my dye jobs come out a little blotchy, I don't really mind as that suits my style of leatherwork. I antique all my items to give them a very rustic look.

Fiebing's Pro Oil Dye for my black though all the way. Tandy can't touch that stuff.

[cjdevito]

Fiebing's Pro Oil Dye for my black though all the way. Tandy can't touch that stuff.

Have you tried the black from their pro line? I've been very impressed with it - world's away better than any of their other blacks.

[kevinp]

I use the antique gels and like the finish I get from them, but the straight colours I have never had much success with the first time I used the black the item looked like that it had been painted but ... the finish has lasted with some quite abusive use. I use a lot of oil dyes and analine dyes which I find more consistent.

[Eccho]

JM2CW....but I use their water dyes quite a bit, love the black, but anyway you said in the original post you were getting drips off the brush.......Doh!!!! If you read the tutorial it recommends application with a damp sponge,applied in a circular motion, and worked into the piece until the dye is just about dry. And Hey! It works really nicely I've found. I could see where it could be a problem on a small area, as I am usually dying an entire piece, but I have used it with a small brush as background and still had good results. Don't give up,try another method, you might be surprised. As I said earlier, the black is one of the easiest to use with great coverage that I have found........but I am certainly open to being proven wrong.......I am married and used to it:>) Here is link to the Tandy tutorial.

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/Eco-Flo-Professional-Waterstains.aspx Hope this helps.

[mtroyalguy]

I will be fair and admit I never looked at the tutorial because I had done lots of dying before, and no one mentioned that I needed a different technique. Having read other posts about it I am a bit concerned about the durability of the colour. As well I tend dye very heavily so small nicks and scuffs will not show a difference in colour and I do not think I will get that level of coverage with this dye. I will admit it may not suck as badly as I initially thought, but based on these other reviews I am not convinced they are truly a viable option.

[Gump]

The Tandy Pro water stain works well, but you have to apply it like a thick rub on wood stain. Use a wet sponge and rub on a liberal coat and keep working it in. If you get a spot that is darker than the rest, take a clean wet sponge and wash it off lightly and blend with surrounding area. It does cover well, but there is a learning curve when you are used to pro oil dye. Gump