I’m doing dyeing wrong?

[asoupley]

Changing to the Feibings Pro Dyes changed my results quite a bit. So did switching to a better quality leather. As far as using an airbrush,  I've had great results with normal Feibings dye as well as their pro dye through my airbrush. Never tried thinning it though... it's already plenty thin to be sprayed. 

The other thing I do is instead of using those crappy wool daubers is use square piece of a wool shearling. I cut about 1.5-2" square. Trim down the wool to about 1/2". That has helped me get a better result for dye as well. Seems like using the wool dauber would always give me streaks.  Just make sure to pull off any stray pieces of wool so that it doesn't stick to the finish. They work great for resolene or other top coats as well

[Northmount]

@Chris777 Moved this thread to  Dyes, Antiques, Stains, Glues, Waxes, Finishes and Conditioners.

[dikman]

All is not lost, go over it with an antique paste, that should bring out the stamping and give it a nice used look.

[DoogMeister]

On 2/23/2025 at 7:39 AM, asoupley said:

Changing to the Feibings Pro Dyes changed my results quite a bit. So did switching to a better quality leather. As far as using an airbrush,  I've had great results with normal Feibings dye as well as their pro dye through my airbrush. Never tried thinning it though... it's already plenty thin to be sprayed. 

The other thing I do is instead of using those crappy wool daubers is use square piece of a wool shearling. I cut about 1.5-2" square. Trim down the wool to about 1/2". That has helped me get a better result for dye as well. Seems like using the wool dauber would always give me streaks.  Just make sure to pull off any stray pieces of wool so that it doesn't stick to the finish. They work great for resolene or other top coats as well

I don't thin the dye for the airbrush, but to lighten the effect.  You are correct, it is already thin enough to spray.  It takes more coats to develop a darker finish, giving me more time to decide what I want the item to look like.  One can always add another coat, but removing too much dye is another story. 

I like the fact that with the airbrush I can easily do multi-color finishes, fade the color to darker on the edges, and dye the tooling one color and the background another.

[Cumberland Highpower]

What color were you aiming for?

Use Feibing's oil dye (Pro dye nowadays).  Dip dye your part and lightly work any dye that didn't absorb after  10 seconds or so so it does absorb.

Some dyes such as med or dark brown require 2 dye events to get a consistent shade/color.

Use a quality leather!!  Herman Oak is the best for dye work.  Not only does it absorb dye evenly, it dries more quickly than imported leathers.

Don't use a daubler/foam brush unless you're just doing edges or something real small, same for an airbrush, why would you torture yourself with that? You'll run the risk of uneven penetration and streaks, plus it takes longer if you're making more than one item.

Make sure your dye is blended well and at a proper temperature.  Really cold dye will not give good results.