Dyeing problems

[eddiexero]

Hi everyone this is my first post ever on here and I'm hoping to get help. I've been leather crafting for a long while and I can't figure out how to prevent "spotty" dyeing like in the picture. It doesn't always happen but I can't figure out how or why it happens when it does. 

In this picture I used Angelus Jade color dye and airbrushed it on. All the white spots seem to be where the dye didn't absorb in. I did use acetone to deglaze it before I dyed it.

Has anyone else ever had this problem? And is there a way to fix it or even prevent it from happening again?

 

 

[Gezzer]

I'm pretty new so take this with a grain of salt . To me it looks like some contamination ( wax , something maybe on your work surface ) of some sort .

[dikman]

That's what I thought, in the picture it looks like smudges of something on the leather.

[toxo]

Maybe oily fingers when stitching before you put gloves on for dying? The problem only seems to be the edges where it's been handled.

 

[Dwight]

I had similar problems with some of my holsters . . . a friend suggested that I give it a light coat of neatsfoot oil . . . on the hair side only . . . allow it to rest for 24 hours . . .  then dye the project.

It worked like a super champ . . . I do everything like that now . . . VERY seldom have a dye problem.

I do however . . .  dip dye about 99% of my work . . . and use a brush or dauber for the rest.

May God bless,

Dwight

[tsunkasapa]

It certainly looks like something got spattered on the surface, with a couple of the spots looking smeared/wiped. But something is definitely resisting the dye.  I'm surprised the acetone didn't take care of it. 

[eddiexero]

5 minutes ago, tsunkasapa said:

It certainly looks like something got spattered on the surface, with a couple of the spots looking smeared/wiped. But something is definitely resisting the dye.  I'm surprised the acetone didn't take care of it. 

I'm still not sure how much acetone to use. This one was kind of a light coat with about an hour before dyeing. 

[Garyak]

The spots are from your hands. Glue, oil, dirt etc. Try cleaning before dying with tsp (leather bleach) mixed with a little saddle soap. Very little tsp is needed in the mix. Too much will burn the leather. Your leather will look like the picture in the catalog when you ordered it, and not what you actually received. My 2 cents. 

[eddiexero]

37 minutes ago, Garyak said:

The spots are from your hands. Glue, oil, dirt etc. Try cleaning before dying with tsp (leather bleach) mixed with a little saddle soap. Very little tsp is needed in the mix. Too much will burn the leather. Your leather will look like the picture in the catalog when you ordered it, and not what you actually received. My 2 cents. 

I'm definitely gonna try that trick.  I've never heard of that mixture before. Thank you.

[tsunkasapa]

Oxalicacid is another cleaner/bleach. 1tsp to a pint of water

[Garyak]

4 hours ago, eddiexero said:

I'm definitely gonna try that trick.  I've never heard of that mixture before. Thank you.

Like I said, mix it the tip of a teaspoon too a bowl of warm water. I bag of oxalic acid will last you years. Home Depot has it, as others. Take a bar of saddle soap and a shampoo bottle. Scrap a little in the bottle and add hot water… that bottle will give you a saddle soap mix to use. A little shot of the bottle, with that little bit of tsp, and warm water in a bowl. Sponge. You should always use a saddle soap water mix on your leather when tooling anyway. Make the driest piece of leather look grade A. Give it a try, I think you’ll like the results. 

[Doc Reaper]

Hello Eddiexero, I experience a (white) cloud affect when I dye vegetable tan leather with Fiebings’s black dye. No matter how many times I’ve cleaned it the “cloud” always appears. I apply the dye when the leather is dry. When the leather dye dries I buff it off and add a second coat and it goes away!

I too use an air brush and I have experienced those markings, which appear to have been splashed (or possibly a spit take) and a half assed attempt was made to wipe it off. If it came from fingers you would of most likely seen finger prints.

i sometimes use a dye-prep that helps clean and prepare the leather for dye. It evaporates rather fast and the dye must be applied while the leather is wet. To apply the dye prep you 1) rinse a sponge till the water is clear. 2) wring the sponge almost dry. 3) Saturate the sponge well with the dye prep 4) evenly wet the entire surface. 5) apply the dye with the surface still damp from the dye prep 

one can also make a dye-prep (YouTube) 

the more I look at that pattern, the splash could of been a bounced sprite or clear soft drink, a cough or maybe even a sneeze, and it is all possible because you have no idea where that leather has been or the abuse it received in just day to day handling. 
Isopropyl alcohol leaves a faint residue where sugar will leave marks like what is displayed on your piece, been there - done that (Golden Retrievers help with all kinds of messes)

if a soft drink dries on leather it must be flushed with water to get it all off, just wiping it with a paper towel won’t do, thus it will look like what you have

Edited August 11, 2022 by Doc Reaper
Cleaner read

[fredk]

Acetone, for really contaminated  surfaces, or for removing a prior top finish only. Alcohol is much better. Then wet the leather a little bit before dyeing

[eddiexero]

Thank you everyone for your help. I got a lot to try out.