vinegroon??

[Bree]

I never measure but 2-3 tablespoons to a quart of warm water - use warm water so it disolves.

I probably didn't even use that much. I put in 1 tablespoon for maybe a quart of water... just enough to fill a rectangular Pyrex pie pan... probably a quart of H20. Chuck's formula is probably equally good because I let mine sit for a longer time than he does with his mix.

Like Chuck, I used warm water to dissolve the baking soda and then let it cool.

You can easily forget what you are doing and plop your leather into hot or even boiling water doing these operations. That would be a bad mistake. So be very careful to always have your fluids at the temperature you want them... and know why you want them at that temperature.

It's kinda fun... like fooling around in chem lab!! LOL!

[ps0303]

So when you go to make this, do you just dump some of it out and then stuff in the steel wool? Other than the gases, does it expand in volume? Any obnoxious fumes come from it while it's brewing?

[Bree]

So when you go to make this, do you just dump some of it out and then stuff in the steel wool? Other than the gases, does it expand in volume? Any obnoxious fumes come from it while it's brewing?

It smells vinegary but not horrible. It is not a huge reaction. Vinegar is very weak. There will be some little bubbles but it isn't a big deal. I use plastic coffee cans and they work fine. The lid would pop before anything bad happened. Just put some ferrous substance in with the vinegar and let her brew. Very simple.

Just remember this is a chemical agent... ferric acetate. Treat it with respect.

[Skald]

Is it possible to successfully "paint" with this vinegroon mixture? Or is it more of a "soak to dye" method? I have had some problems to get things for hard use keep it's dye over time. Never tried vinegroon at all, and I wonder if I can apply it on details like with ordinary dye?

[ChuckBurrows]

Is it possible to successfully "paint" with this vinegroon mixture? Or is it more of a "soak to dye" method? I have had some problems to get things for hard use keep it's dye over time. Never tried vinegroon at all, and I wonder if I can apply it on details like with ordinary dye?

Try it - you should be able to paint it on (I often just use a foam brush to paint the whole item rather than dipping). The only problem I can for see is it spreading out over to areas you don't want stained - but then agin I often use it to add "stains" to brown goods and just splatter it on in places and there is usually little spread.

Edited December 3, 2010 by ChuckBurrows

[TwinOaks]

I agree with Chuck's statement about it spreading out to unwanted places. Just keep in mind that it's a pretty thin fluid, and it will run through the leather fibers. If you have enough on a brush to soak a piece, there's a good chance it will wick through the fibers to other areas. Now, it IS entirely possible to 'roon pieces and then attach them to other pieces. I've taken to doing that with belt loops, because once dry....it's black and it's gonna stay that way with zero transfer. Would I use it for coloring script letters on a belt.....probably not.

[Skald]

I'll make another dog collar some day soon, I'll just have to put up some wallpaper in the living room first.

Then I'll try to "paint" with vinegroon, if it proves not successful, I'll just soak it completely and paint the areas I intended to have in another color with acrylic colors. I suppose they are able to cover those small pars with a satisfying result, as I have found them to have quite good covering abilities.

Anyway, I'll try to remember to let you know how the result was, might be good for others to know as well.

[lazybum]

wow this looks fun

Any idea if there are any other drawbacks besides the smell?

I suppose it will hold the color better than regular dyes?

[MMArmoury]

I am very familiar with vinegroon, I have used it myself. I am curious what it's toxicity is VS dye when used on leather drinking vessels such as bottles and mugs. Mine are lined with pitch and beeswax inside and beeswax out side. I'm just wary of rust poisoning. Then of course I know that dye is not healthy, but it is much more widely used and its effects more known.

[albert]

Make my first batch of vinegaroo good result but how do you get rid of the smell of vinegar