Waylayer069

I've been working on turkish quivers and I have 4 in various states of completion. One is actually complete with the exception of a finishing product. I posted earlier about the problem I had with it because I dyed the quiver a fairly dark purple (5-6oz tooling side dyed with Eco-Flo Purple) not realizing that the Tan-Kote I was told to apply (after the dye had been applied and dried) would darken the dye so dark it appears blackish. Fortunately I only darkened the belt. The purple quiver still has to be done with something other then Tan-Kote. I just bought some Fiebing's "leather Sheen with CH-42"spray and Fiebing's "Leather Balm with Atom Wax" as an alternative to the Tan-Kote but now after reading through this forum I am wondering if I should be doing something all together different. I haven't tooled/stamped/carved any of these quivers. Should I have cased the leather before dying anyway? Can you add dye to damp leather? How damp is too damp? It doesn't seem like it would workout well. And yet I am also reading here that some people oil their leather before applying dye? I have also read that some recommend that the leather be cleaned before dyeing or wiped with deglazer or alcohol to remove oils that might interfere with the dyeing process. I applied dye to all my quiver parts prior to sewing them together without doing any type of prep. I have dyed each quiver a different color. The purple one I used Eco-Flo (because I didn't realize I could mix dye to make my own colors and Fiebings doesn't offer that color) and for the other two (with dye already applied) I used Fiebing's "Leather Dye" Russet and Oxblood. People refer to 'oil' dye and 'spirit' dye, which category does Fiebing's "Leather Dye" fit in? I applied the dyes using the daubers and am frustrated with how splotchy the dye is unless you add multiple coats to darken/even it out. I have one quiver that has not had dye applied to it.I purchased Fiebing's "Leather Dye" in Navy Blue and have dyed a few scraps. One coat of this colordye is splotchy at best with a very bright light blue and darkish black/blue hues. Two coats is too dark to tell it's a blue and (as the label warns) a coppery color appears. Can I thin this type of dye so that it goes on lighter? What other method of application can I use to get a more even color? I want to be able to apply the Navy Blue slightly lighter then I want the finished color to be so that when I apply any of the afore mentioned products I don't end up with almost black color. How long does one wait in between the first application of dye and the second one? I've seen videos where the excess dye is wiped off but there is never any excess dye so I have stopped wiping the pieces. Should I be considering applying dye using an airbrush? What are the in's and out's of this method and what kind of equipment do I need? I am very frustrated and confused. Help? Thanks, Hilary

Greetings from Hot and Humid Florida! I've taken up Mounted Archery and needed to have an appropriate quiver to minimize the rattle of the arrows - my horse doesn't like the noise. I had the opportunity to use someone's replica of a Turkish Quiver and decided it was right for me. I asked the guy if he could make me one and he suggested that I could make one myself and that he would provide me with his pattern and a list of supplies and tools I would need. I thought, what the heck, I am game! I bought a side of 5/6 oz tooling leather, 3 different colors of dye (2 Feibings leather dye and an Eco-flo waterbased dye in purple) and the other tools I would need. I asked the Tandy Leather clerk about a product to protect my project when it was completed and they suggested Tan-Kote. I had enough leather to make 4 quivers and cut out all the pattern peices. The first quiver I almost wholly completed was a purple one for my daughetr who also does Mounted Archery. I also bought a belt blank and hardware (part of this type of quiver) and dyed it purple, asembled it and then to complete it, put a coat of Tan-Kote on it. It turned the belt black and now I am afraid to put a protective finish on the quiver for fear of the same thing happening. The rest of my quandry is, I already dyed 2 other quivers (they still need to be assembled) and at the recommendation of lots of helpful folks, reapplied dye during the first application so that I would achieved the desired intensity/darkness of the colors I was using. I called the local Tandy and told one of the owner's my delema and he said that 'yes', the Tan-Kote will darken what ever it is applied to and that I should only apply the dye to a shade or two lighter then I am looking for because the Tan-Kote WILL darken it the rest of the way. Now they tell me?! Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can add a protective finish to these quiver's without turning them all black? One quiver is in Feibings Ox Blood which I darkened to a nice maroon, one is Feibings Russet which I did to a nice dark dappled chocolate and the Eco-Flo purple to a dark purple. Thanks in advance for your advice and sugestions, Hilary