What about Minwax?

[TTcustom]

Thanks for your diligence in researching this. It is amazing that the mahogany had so little effect on the leather.

[6StringGeek]

Hi all...been lurking for awhile, but finally registered recently. You guys do some great stuff with leather.

So, for my first post I am digging up a 2 year-old thread...hope that's ok.

My question: I am making holsters and want to dip dye 8oz pieces into oil based wood stain to see how well it covers (plus it's cheaper where I live).

Is there an issue with leaving the leather in the stain for an entire day, an hour, 5 hours?

Will it affect the leather in a way that makes it too soft for a holster? Or will the leather dry to its original flexibility/strength?

Thanks for such a cool resource.

[Johnny B]

There is a reason they make wood stain and leather dye. I have tried this years ago and never got good results from wood stain.

[bkingery]

@6stringgeek welcome aboard, and someone needs to open the old ones once in a while there are way to many for all of us to remember.

First question: why would you want to soak your leather for so long?

My take: if you look at the ingrediants they are pretty much the same stuff, wood stains have a courser grind to the pigments is about the only differance that I can tell, I think I've used probably six differant colors and all had the same results, they work great. always even color dispersion, and if you use the all in ones they produce exactly the same way all the rest of the stains do.

If you want a darker color as long as you don't let them dry completely and seal the pores you do exactly the same thing as if you were staining wood, put on another coat and then buff it off, repeat until you get desired color. I don't know how they would react in an airbrush but they work pretty good in an air sprayer, (they all come with stain tips). I've even tried most of the ECO-Flow dyes and they aren't close. The only dye that I absolutely will ONLY EVER use from Feibings is USMC Black. But even that I think I'm going to start using vinegaroon but thats whole nother ball game right there....

Just my opinion is all

Peace

Bryan

[6StringGeek]

@6stringgeek welcome aboard, and someone needs to open the old ones once in a while there are way to many for all of us to remember.

First question: why would you want to soak your leather for so long?

My take: if you look at the ingrediants they are pretty much the same stuff, wood stains have a courser grind to the pigments is about the only differance that I can tell, I think I've used probably six differant colors and all had the same results, they work great. always even color dispersion, and if you use the all in ones they produce exactly the same way all the rest of the stains do.

If you want a darker color as long as you don't let them dry completely and seal the pores you do exactly the same thing as if you were staining wood, put on another coat and then buff it off, repeat until you get desired color. I don't know how they would react in an airbrush but they work pretty good in an air sprayer, (they all come with stain tips). I've even tried most of the ECO-Flow dyes and they aren't close. The only dye that I absolutely will ONLY EVER use from Feibings is USMC Black. But even that I think I'm going to start using vinegaroon but thats whole nother ball game right there....

Just my opinion is all

Peace

Bryan

My thought on trying to soak the leather instead of painting the dye on was because I read about someone doing it on another forum to achieve more penetration...and I am pretty new to this stuff...so not sure what is a good idea and what will ruin a project. Thanks for your reply...I really appreciate it.

I am using the eco flow dyes now, but they are pretty expensive compared to a can of oil-based stain...so in the interest of saving a few bucks I thought I would try it out.

Thanks again Bryan!

There is a reason they make wood stain and leather dye. I have tried this years ago and never got good results from wood stain.

Thanks, sir. I'll try it out (since I have an old can in the garage) and see if I get lucky. Appreciate your input and experience.

[CountryStyle]

I tested out some Minwax red mahogany color on a piece of scrap and had great results, very rich dark color. I didnt dip it in the stain, I just brushed some on with a foam brush. I think I'll be using minwax stain quite often in the future. See attachment.

[ThatGuyFromReno]

I had the idea to try out some wood stain on some scrap leather today, and after I did it, I found this post, so I thought I would share the results. I used several coats of classic gray 271 by minwax, followed by 3 coats of acrylic resolene. The results weren't all that impressive. It looked a whole lot better on the wood.

Mark

[eksine]

Wood stains are either oil based or water based, that's why minwax takes so long to dry because it's an oil carrier. Leather dyes are alcohol based, dries very quick. Those are the basic differences. What the coloring is composed of may be entirely different too. I  know fiebings pro dye wipes off the surface with alcohol so I don't feel that it sticks that well. Try wiping off the minwax stain using various solvents and see how durable it is.