Staining Techniques

[Abroadwa]

Hello,

I am very new to leather work and have been watching videos, attempting to duplicate some things, but here are a couple of pics that I have not succeeded in duplicating yet. The brown piece, well let’s just say I have a lot of wasted leather pieces as I’m not able to even come close. I know the colors he used (Tandy dark brown and chestnut hi-lite), but he wouldn’t help any further. Then I came across the holster from this site, but as much as I’ve searched, I cannot locate that thread. Any help would be greatly appreciated, or are those beyond a new person’s abilities? I have zero successful attempts so far.

[BlackDragon]

Can tell us what steps you took to try to get those results and what your attempts look like?

[fredk]

a thot;

1. wet your leather before applying the dye. not dripping wet but go over it with a wet sponge. when that has got into the leather, just a few moments. then apply the dye. that'll give you an even coat

2. before its dried use a rag with acetone on it and wipe over your died surface. wipe in one direction only, turning the rag frequently. this will remove some of the dye leaving a very streaky finish

[Abroadwa]

I have tried all with veg tan leather, one with dry, one wet, one oil, all about the same, just a blah look. Then add hi-lite, no joy. The brown one is what I’ve been trying to duplicate many, many times, with the two colors throughout. All my attempts give me just one color. I’ve stained using thin coat, or thick, buff, no buff, sponge, but unable to ever get that variation of colors. So many different tries, but in my continued obsession of trying to figure this out, it lead me to this site. I have not attempted the second one yet. 

[Northmount]

2 hours ago, Abroadwa said:

I am very new to leather work

I moved your post to:
Tooling, Stamping & Carving Leather
Dyes, Antiques, Stains, Glues, Waxes, Finishes and Conditioners
 

[alfredleatherworks]

If I were going to attempt a marbled look like on that holster I would be using the shaving cream method. Fill a pan with shaving cream, then drip in or pour in the dye you want to use and mix or swirl in your pattern with a large tooth comb/pick, toothpick/skewer, or other similar implement. Then carefully lay your leather piece down onto the shaving cream, skin-side down. Peel the leather back off after a few moments (I leave mine about 8-10 seconds) and then wipe the excess shaving cream and dye off with a clean cloth. The leather will be a little cloudy often times, but when I apply a conditioner and clear coat it usually clears up because some of the dye comes off in the application. I end up with a nice marbled effect that reads quite clearly. There’s also a bunch of YouTube videos on how to do this if you want to see the process.

[Abroadwa]

27 minutes ago, alfredleatherworks said:

If I were going to attempt a marbled look like on that holster I would be using the shaving cream method. Fill a pan with shaving cream, then drip in or pour in the dye you want to use and mix or swirl in your pattern with a large tooth comb/pick, toothpick/skewer, or other similar implement. Then carefully lay your leather piece down onto the shaving cream, skin-side down. Peel the leather back off after a few moments (I leave mine about 8-10 seconds) and then wipe the excess shaving cream and dye off with a clean cloth. The leather will be a little cloudy often times, but when I apply a conditioner and clear coat it usually clears up because some of the dye comes off in the application. I end up with a nice marbled effect that reads quite clearly. There’s also a bunch of YouTube videos on how to do this if you want to see the process.

Sounds good. I saw and saved a video online on that, so I will definitely give that a try. The brown one however, I have yet to find even one on how to get that two toned look. 

[BUS]

1 hour ago, Abroadwa said:

Sounds good. I saw and saved a video online on that, so I will definitely give that a try. The brown one however, I have yet to find even one on how to get that two toned look. 

Looks like maybe a dye and then antique with a weak resist so more of it stuck to the flat surface? Just a guess, but worth a try maybe.

[Abroadwa]

24 minutes ago, BUS said:

Looks like maybe a dye and then antique with a weak resist so more of it stuck to the flat surface? Just a guess, but worth a try maybe.

I jotted this down in my notes to give it a try this weekend. Thank you for the suggestion.

[Dwight]

Years ago I had some problems with dye not being uniform . . . mostly the lighter browns.

Someone suggested I hit the project with a light coat of neatsfoot oil . . . not neatsfoot compound oil . . . the real stuff . . . the more expensive one.

Put it on with a dauber . . . cover the whole thing . . . starting from one edge and going to the other . . . be careful to come as close as you can to an even coat on the project.

THEN . . . let it set for 24 hours in a 65 t0 75 degree F room . . . 

Dilute your dye . . . 1 to 1 with Tandy's dye reducer.

Get a flat pan . . . dump the dye in there . . . and start your project thru the pan . . . dip dying.  Use a cotton ball on a wire to get into the inside of holsters and the like.

As far as putting oil dye on a leather surface that I just put water on . . . I wouldn't do that for the moon.  Water and oil don't mix . . . and my leather costs me too much to take a chance on that.

The only down side to dip dyeing . . . you only get one shade . . . and it is mostly darker than the panels on broschures . . . but since I do it that way all the time . . . my leather goods match pretty well. 

May God bless,

Dwight