Medium Brown

[Aulus]

Hello,

can you tell me what I´m doing wrong? Even when I use Fiebings medium brown it won´t be medium brown. It is always a dark red with even darker "marks" where the pencil-strokes overlap. Here I post you a picture, I hope you`ll see what I mean:

Have you a good method to get only a medium brown? Do I use the wrong Colour (Dye) or even use it wrong?

[Ian]

I know what you mean - dye colors at full strength are never the labeled color. I dilute with denatured alcohol at 1 part dye to 2 parts alcohol, and do a second application if it's too light.

[rdb]

Dyeing leather is an art in itself. You must practice, experiment, and learn.

Using a spray brush maybe the most accurate way to obtain the true color from your dye. By spraying light at first, you can control it better, and spray again to darken.

Out of the bottle colors may not match your perception of the look you want. You will have to learn to thin the colors to your liking with the appropriate thinners.

Lately, my favorite way is to use oil dyes mixed with neatsfoot. I mix them together until I get what color I think I want, stir well, then test on scrap. It's not perfect, but it brings out some cool effects.

The actual application can be tricky too. Using a dauber gets one sort of penetration. Using a cloth, whether soaked or dry, to rub in gets another. There are deglazers, and dye preps that change things up to.

Ask a thousand leatherworkers, and you'll get a thousand different answers, and every one will have a tip that you incorporate into your processes, that eventually determines your own styles and colors. Read all you can here on the forum by doing searches for color and dyeing. Get books from Stohlman, Feibings, and Tandy. Read them all, and test out the theories you learn.

Guess what, even after 40 yrs, you'll still be learning.

[Luke Hatley]

Aulus.... are you useing a Daubber to apply Dye?

if so the Dye will be darker... Buy a Prevail Sprayer at Tandy or a Larger

Paint store. Use it to get a better application of dye on the leather.

[jbird]

All the dyes will end up dark with a dauber or some sort of thing like that,

My method I think works very well I am not peter main but I have good results invest in a airbrush and learn it they make your work much better all around there are other ways to do it but for the best results and still fast action turn to a airbrush.

Josh

[Aulus]

Thank´s a lot for the answers. I think I will buy a Sprayer and make it thinner (with alcohol).

I do not use Daubers, I don´t like them. I use a strip of filth holdet with a clamp. This works great on the edges and with dark colours.

[Aulus]

I buyed a sprayer, thinned down with denaturated alcohol and got results of: TATAAA: Medium Brown!

Thanks!