Vinegaroon tutorial

[LederRudi]

Chuck, thanks for the hint at possible replacing ferric acetate by ferric nitrate. It seems in fact to be very difficult to get my hands on ferric acetate.

Rudi

[Boriqua]

I live in a very small place would it be alright to put it under the stairs outside in Arizona. It's 111 now

[Wishful]

I keep my Vinegaroon in the garage in SO Cal - gets pretty hot i there. When I first make a batch I store it in a mason jar with a loose fitting lid so no pressure builds.

[Boriqua]

Thanks Wishful!!

One more question. I went through the thread again but maybe I missed it. Is there a proper recipe .. I have filled my 2qt jar with vinegar and put in 2 00 steel wool pads. Its day 3 and they are pretty much gone. I put in another one today .. is it something you just learn over time or is there a formula like .. 4 wool pads to a quart of vinegar. Sounds like a stupid question even as I type it .. but if you know

[jacket potato]

I made mine very first time vinegaroon based on information in this thread. I also could not figure out a proper recipe, so I just put 4 steel wool pads in 2 litres of vinegar. The wool was with soap so I had to wash it with washing up liquid.

Left it for 1 month or even a bit more, and then filtered it. Then left for a few more days with opened lid and filtered again. Here what I got:

I am not sure if it is supposed to be red color but it works perfectly and gives deep black.

[malanoche]

I started reading this thread for being curious to what Vinegaroon is. I'm new to leather working trying to find what works best for my projects by research then trial and error. Now with various method's, techniques, materials and personal preferences, it can be a bit daunting to choose which way to go. After reading all of the above, vinegaroon, blackening by chemical reaction vs. dyeing with its drawbacks, the choice is crystal clear, vinegaroon. Thank you all for sharing, especially those who shared their fails so others don't have do the same.

Adios

[uscglechief]

I have made several sheaths and holsters out of my vingaroon, but am always left with a VERY strong smell afterwards. I have tried the baking soda baths but they don't really seem to help about the only thing that does help seems to be time, oil and top coats.

Question: do most on here paint or otherwise apply the vingagroon to their project? I have been submerging the project and allowing it to soak, which maybe part or all of my problem.

As always feedback/advice is appreciated.

Jesse

[Sully241]

If I do NOT neutralize the vinegaroo with soda, only rinse with clear tap water, will the acid in the leather Holster deteriorate the blueing on the gun using the holster?

[mlapaglia]

If I do NOT neutralize the vinegaroo with soda, only rinse with clear tap water, will the acid in the leather Holster deteriorate the blueing on the gun using the holster?

I cant say for sure that it wont. I do know that a belt I failed to neutralize came back later with two of the holes on the billet ripped out. Cant say for sure but it could have been the acid. Since then I always do the backing soda and I dont soak the leather. Just dip it a few times or for belts I run it through the 'roon 3 times.

[ChuckBurrows]

If I do NOT neutralize the vinegaroo with soda, only rinse with clear tap water, will the acid in the leather Holster deteriorate the blueing on the gun using the holster?

Veg/Bark Tan leather itself is acidic - generally about 4.5 on the PH scale so over time it will cause wear on the bluing of a gun especially if it gets wet or in high humidity circumstances, whether you use vinegar blacking or any other type "dye". As Thad Rybka, master holster maker, used to state in his catalog - if you want to prevent wear on bluing than leave the gun in the box....

and again in so far as the odor goes 1) make sure the solution has used up all of the acetic acid (when the steel/iron begins to rust rather than dissolve is a good sign) 2) Let the mix gas off if need be - acetic acid is quite volatile and usually gasses off in just a few days especially if you stir the solution now and again 3) Dipping is fine but there is no real need to let it soak for more than a few seconds 4) let the dyed product air well - I put mine outside in the shade where it will get plenty of breeze or in front of a fan and let hang for 24 hours at least.

As far as the color of the mix - it can be anywhere from a coal black to a sort of rusty red, and as long as it is doing the job, the color of the mix itself doesn't matter since the process is a chemical change from mixing iron/steel with the tannins in the leather - as others have noted you can do the same thing by soaking the iron/steel in plain water until it dissolves - that process just takes longer than using the vinegar...