The Vinegaroon Bit the Dust

[Gosut]

That's the ferrous acetate solution I made months ago. I strained and poured the finished solution into an airtight plastic bottle and ended up with only some precipitation. Used it on January 1, 2024, and pouring let in enough oxygen that the solution turned a dark red. Nothing to do but to discard.

I like vinegaroon, though. Am thinking about making it as needed instead of making up a batch and storing it.

[SUP]

Why discard? Mine is all sorts of brown and red and dyes my leather perfectly black. Vinegaroon is not a dye, like other dyes.  It creates the color by a chemical reaction - the acetic acid reacts with the iron to form iron acetate. Presence of iron oxides does not do anything as long as you rinse your leather thoroughly in running water to remove all the rust that may  be present. It works for me. I have not dyed anything recently, else would have put up a sample here.

[Littlef]

I don't pitch mine.  every now and then I strain out any big junk floating in it.  It can turn reddish and murky, but I've not noticed that changes how it works.  If it seems like its weakening, I add a little more vinegar, and a bit more steel wool.   BUT, in only takes 2-3 days to bring a new batch up to a workable strength, if you don't feel like hanging on to it.