Applying Dye with an Airbrush

[ArcherBen]

I have been struggling at getting an even application of dye when applying by hand, so after seeing results from an airbrush posted to this site I decided to go ahead and order one. Well I've now dyed a couple of projects with the airbrush and I am very pleased with the control that I have when applying the dye. I can get a very even application of dye without going really dark. My concern at this point is that the dye does not seem to penetrate very deep with this method of dye application. It doesn't take much of a scratch to penetrate to natural colored leather. Has anybody else that uses an airbrush noticed this as well?

[Bree]

I have been struggling at getting an even application of dye when applying by hand, so after seeing results from an airbrush posted to this site I decided to go ahead and order one. Well I've now dyed a couple of projects with the airbrush and I am very pleased with the control that I have when applying the dye. I can get a very even application of dye without going really dark. My concern at this point is that the dye does not seem to penetrate very deep with this method of dye application. It doesn't take much of a scratch to penetrate to natural colored leather. Has anybody else that uses an airbrush noticed this as well?

The drying of the thin first layer tends tyo block out the subsequent layers. Have you tried applying a first coat with a brush or wipe to let it soak in deeply and then cleaning up the streaks or blotches with the airbrush layers? That might help if you need a lot of depth.