Is Dyeing Finished Leather Possible?

[WriterSteven]

I’m trying to simplify my life a little, but I’m not sure if what I’m thinking about would even work.
I have several sleigh bell door hangers that are stamped and ready to be dyed. I’ve experimented with several Pro Dye color combinations and I have the color about where I want it, but I’m super worried about starting the dip dyeing process. My samples pieces sometimes come out looking nice, then I’ll try the same colors, same dye on a second piece and it might be patchy or a little uneven. (Same hide.) Since I already have a couple dozen of these cut and stamped, I’ll have to pray they all come out ok. I bought a couple of Preval sprayers to try as well.
So my original question…  In the future, can I just buy a nice light brown 8 to 9 Oz veg tan, cut, stamp and dye a dark border around it? Does anyone sell such a thing dyed, but without a top coat so I can add my border dye and stamps. I’m not sure if I could wet and stamp finished leather…?

Thanks for any advice you guys have on any of the above. I sure appreciate it.

Steven

[DieselTech]

I have heard some of the well known professionals say. Just because 1 piece of leather dyes the way you want. Don't always expect another piece of leather to dye the same, even thou it was cut from the same hide. 

I think you might like the Preval sprayers. You can spray dye different effects & colors.

I broke down & bought a cordless air brush for applying dye. I have only used it twice but really like it. 

[Dwight]

3 hours ago, WriterSteven said:

 In the future, can I just buy a nice light brown

Your answer is right there in that statement.  Light brown.   I do not know why . . . only know it happens . . . light browns . . . especially saddle tan . . . have a habit for some reason to like to come out a bit splotchy.

The cure I found for that is to get a 1 inch bristle brush . . . some genuine neatsfoot oil . . . put a light but wet coat on the hair side of the leather . . . leave it for 24 hours . . . come back and dye it.  

I've had no more splotchy dye jobs since I started this.

May God bless,

Dwight

[TomG]

You can buy pre-dyed VegTan, And yes, you can wet it and stamp it. Just make sure that they have not pre-sealed it with anything.
I dip dye almost all of my VT leathers. In general, I use Fiebings Pro dyes and dilute 50/50 with 90% alcohol. That works well, in general.
Blues, Greens, Reds, etc, I usually have to so test dips whenever I buy a new bottle. I have had to dilute up to 80% for some colors like a Pink.

The problem with that is that it gets too transparent and the leather shade comes through. I found a fix for that color by using Angelus Rise, cut 50/50.
I don't use NFO, like Dwight mentioned, solely  because I have never been able to apply it evenly enough to NOT make it blotchy <g>.
You do NOT want me to ice your birthday cake, LOL. But, maybe if I had the time and patience to try it more and a few times, I'd develop a 'touch.
But, yeah.. Try Dwight's method. I know a lot of the masters use it for their work with great success.
Oh, Use PURE NFO, not the neatsfoot compound.

[WriterSteven]

Thank you all for the information.
When I go to buy dyed leather, does the non-sealed (for lack of a better term) have a name to be looking for?

[Mablung]

If you’re looking at veg tan, you’ll usually be able to tell by the surface finish appearance and texture whether it’s been sealed or not. Words like “glazed” are dead giveaways, too. 

[Yukonrookie]

On 10/7/2024 at 9:32 PM, Dwight said:

The cure I found for that is to get a 1 inch bristle brush . . . some genuine neatsfoot oil

Pardon my barging in on the topic. I’m fairly new to leatherwork and have been putting on NFO before dying as well. Except I put it on with a cloth. Is there a specific reason to using the bristle brush? Also would you still deglaze after the NFO! Thank you kindly. 

[Dwight]

7 hours ago, Yukonrookie said:

Pardon my barging in on the topic. I’m fairly new to leatherwork and have been putting on NFO before dying as well. Except I put it on with a cloth. Is there a specific reason to using the bristle brush? Also would you still deglaze after the NFO! Thank you kindly. 

I use a brush so I don't get it on my hands . . .  no other reason.

I've done leather for over 20 years . . .  never found a reason to deglaze anything . . .  other than when I'm gluing the hair side to something . . .  then I seriously "deglaze" with a wire brush and some elbow grease.

Far as I'm concerned . . .  deglazing products were invented to sell a product that fulfills an imaginary need.  Kind of like selling blinker fluid.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Yukonrookie]

3 hours ago, Dwight said:

I've done leather for over 20 years . . .  never found a reason to deglaze anything

That’s great to know. Until now my procedure was NFO, then after at least a few hours I’d deglaze with isopropyl and then apply my diluted dye. I had read comments and saw in YouTube videos people casing with diluted Isopropyl (50/50 to 75/35 ISO/Water) and I thought this could serve as my casing and deglazing solution, both at the same time. Any thoughts on this? I was wondering if it made sense to first apply NFO and later apply Alcohol. Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose? Oh, I got so much to learn lol

[Dwight]

Putting on the oil and deglazing with alcohol . . . an analogy would be taking a bath then rolling in a mud puddle.

The alcohol will screw up the oil . . . and the leather probably would have been better off had you done neither.

The NFO simply replaces some of the natural oil in the skin . . . that was removed in the tanning process.

Far as I'm concerned . . . the deglazing products were developed for a problem that does not exist . . . kind of like you and I taking a supplement to keep our bald eagle feathers from falling out of our heads.

I'd lost a couple of projects when I was earlier in leather . . . taken raw leather . . . made a project . . . especially had wet molded it . . . then dyed it . . . and when I went to bend a part for a buckle or something . . . the outside hair layer cracked and broke.  

Once I started oiling everything before dying it . . . that problem pretty much went away.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited October 19, 2024 by Dwight

[Yukonrookie]

@Dwight thank you kindly, Sir! I will not “case” with alc before dying anymore. It did sound like defeating the purpose of oiling in the first place. Just read about it somewhere so I thought there must be a reason. I now know better. Thanks again