I cant seem to get the white to cover

[DJc]

I've seen some projects that have areas that are dyed white and the color seems bright and vibrant. I tried to dye some carved text on a project and I cant seem to get the white to cover, no matter how many times I coat it?? The areas I'm trying to dye are cased - that is the only thing that has been done to the leather. Does the dye need to be shaken before use like you would paint? I'm using Fiebings white....

Edited December 7, 2007 by DJc

[Mike]

Typically white 'dye' is acrylic paint. A liquid may need mixing prior to use. I have always just used acrylic paint when I need white.

[Art]

Hi DJc,

You need to go down to Michaels, Moores, or one of them places and pickup a 2 oz jar of Liquitex Titanium White acrylic paint, it should say "Soft Body" on the jar (that means it isn't as goopy as the stuff that comes in a tube). Use a brush and paint it on. Get a small bottle of Medium in gloss or matte and mix that in if the acrylic is a little stiff. Fiebing's White dye isn't and doesn't. Only product of theirs that underperforms.

Call before you go to make sure they have it in stock.

Art

I've seen some projects that have areas that are dyed white and the color seems bright and vibrant. I tried to dye some carved text on a project and I cant seem to get the white to cover, no matter how many times I coat it?? The areas I'm trying to dye are cased - that is the only thing that has been done to the leather. Does the dye need to be shaken before use like you would paint? I'm using Fiebings white....

[yaklady]

Delta Ceramcoat works very well, too. It's cheap and you can get it at almost any craft store, including Walmart. If it's too thick, just thin it with water.

Kathy

[Beaverslayer]

The people a Tandy will also tell you that the Fiebings White Dye is not a very good product. All I ever use it for is to lighten the color of other dyes. It tends to just soak into the leather, and will take way too many coats to make any change in color.

Using an Acrylic based paint is more the way to go. I have evn used the Testers Model paint on occassion, but only in places that are not subjected to twisting or much movement.

Ken

[MikeG]

If it's any help, the Tandy rep told me basically that you can't effectively dye leather a lighter color than it already is. That is right in line with what everybody else said.

[CitizenKate]

It is tough to dye leather white, so I tend to avoid it altogether. I did have one customer insist on a game board with white squares, and after he agreed to all the caveats, I agreed to make the board.

The white xylol-based dye from Fiebings is very difficult to get good results with when applied with a hand brush. But I got much better results spraying it on in multiple, light coats. It gave the leather a very solid white appearance, while having a minimal effect on the surface texture of the leather. That being said, I still don't recommend it, because xylol fumes are highly toxic, especially when sprayed.

I have not tried the white acrylic from Createx, but I have used some of the other colors and they are great on leather. Any time you use acrylic, you want to apply it thin enough so some of the pigment will get absorbed into the leather.

I've also used Krylon spray paint to color an area of leather white, and that works surprisingly well.

Kate