My Step By Step Failure. Can You Help Please?

[NewYorkerInSydney]

Hi friends,

I'd like your help. I have recently made several test leather wrist bracelets/cuffs with plain old 4oz vege tanned leather. Here is what I did:

I cut the size I wanted, then used a Preval sprayer to apply saddle tan dye to it. I applied a light coat.

While the cuff was drying, I bent it a few times so that it would not harden so much. I let it dry 24 hours.

After it dried, buffed it and it was fine, but stiff like plastic or something. It sounded like plastic if I picked it up and dropped it on the table. Did not feel like leather.

Since it was stiff and I wanted the saddle tan to get just tiny bit darker, I then lightly applied neatsfoot oil to the cuff. Its a little softer now though it could be softer, however, it turned the leather many shades darker like almost dark brown. Its like night and day. And not only did it dye it so many shades darker, it just looks splotchy or something.

I would like your assistance in helping me figure out how to get the cuffs much softer than they feel without the color getting so dark and splotchy lookin and losing its lustre? I so appreciate your help.

PS. When I bend the leather A LOT it looks like a nicer lighter saddle tan shade which I like and even looking, reminds me of pull up leather even though this is not, but when strap is flat it is so hideous and splotchy looking. Not sure what that means.

Sydney girl

Edited April 20, 2010 by NewYorkerInSydney

[DaveJohnson]

Hi Sydney Girl

It's always good to include a photo of the project for us to see - often the visual triggers something that we have seen (in our own work).

Dying and finishing leather projects is an art / science in itself and I think I speak for all leatherworkers when I say we have all had Issues in this area at some time or the other.

One Golden Rule : when using a new source of leather, dye, finish etc.. ALWAYS try it out on a scrap or sample before applying to a finished project that has hours of work in it already !!

Regarding the stiffness of the leather after dying and drying, this is not uncommon and should soften and take on the "leather look and feel" with use - that's one of the beauties of leather, it looks better the more it is used.

Regarding the splotchy look, this could be due to a few things :

1. The leather may have been exposed to water, other liquids etc before and dried - this changes the absorbancy to dyes and finishes in those patches when they are applied later and could give a splotchy / patchy look - what is often best is to wet the entire surface of the project with water before working on it - this can serve two purposes - wet the whole surface and therefore should make it equally absorbant when dyed and finished and if there are any "bad areas" these will be highlighted now and you can try work around them (or include them in your design - brands and other markings look quite cool if incorporated correctly).

2. The method of applying dyes and finishes can also create a splotchy look if not done correctly - leather should be slightly damp when applying dyes (your spray method is a great way to apply dyes - just watch for being too heavy and getting runs or puddles). When applying the finish, like footoil, again this must be applied using a very light coat with a good sheepskin applicator and extreme caution taken to avoid streaking with light and heavy coated areas.

Unfortunately footoil does darken the leather significantly (try on sample before project) - normally you need to dye the project severals shades lighter than you think you want it to be finally and then apply the finish to get the final shade - trial and error on scraps. You could try a bee's wax based finish, which does not darken it as much.

Good Luck

Dave