So I agreed to help out a friend. First mistake right there. She needed an old reenactment belt dyed a new color. No problem, since it was brown, the new color was darker, and I have all of the stuff I need.
Well... it's not brown. It WAS black before it was left in a garage for years to dry out and die. The finish was flaking off, the leather was cracked, and I made a promise.
I started with fine grit sandpaper and knocked off all of the finish that was coming off, and I think it'll take the new dye with signs of the belt's history showing through. Which is a good thing in this context.
Now it's time for the chemicals and the part where I'm in over my head: It's super dry and needs to be reconditioned back to life, and the (water-based) dye needs to be applied, finished, buffed, etc. I'm hoping the more experienced among you can give me suggestions on how to do the reconditioning and when to do it (Before dyeing. after dyeing. Do X, then Dye, then Y. etc)
