Black Dye Blues

[gdonovan]

Everything I dye black gets this cakey finish on it. How can I get a good black finish on belts and purses that doesn't cake or rub off? What step by step process should I be using and what are the best dyes (specifically black) should I use?

An answer would be greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards.

[iwannabeacowboy]

I only made 2 black belts with Fiebings black oil dye, and had to buff and rub the living hell out of them to get the surface looking good and until the black stopped rubbing off. Also some will say dye the object dark brown or blue for a more true black. Again rub and buff and buff until no more color comes off. But I hope someone with more knowledge will jump in.

charlie

[MADMAX22]

Angelus dye in my experience so far seems to come off less however the black still takes a while to buff till it doesnt come off anymore. The black isnt as nice as the USMC black but if you do as mentioned and dye a brown first then black it comes out alot nicer.

I usualy try to use vinegaroon for things like belts and holsters that I want to be black. It wont bleed but is a little more difficult to work with if you are carving and such but can still be done.

Thats just my limited experience. I know a couple have used bickmores mixed with black dye and then did a dye, bickmores mix, then a strong buffing and it is suppose to work pretty good but I never played with this very much.

[TwinOaks]

click me for one of the 35 or so topics started on vinegaroon. To see more of them, do an 'advanced search', type in vinegaroon, and click the box for titles.

[gdonovan]

The vinegaroon process sounds worth a try and so does predying with dark brown or navy blue. I have tried with limited success, using Kiwi (has to be Kiwi) gloss polish over oil based black dye.

I will try predying (as you suggest), adding oil based black dye, Kiwi polish, buffing, then topping it off with saddle soap. Gonna throw out my saddle soap it's probably getting old.

Please- the more ideas the better so if others have feedback feel free to respond.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help!

Greg

[thecapgunkid]

Everything I dye black gets this cakey finish on it. How can I get a good black finish on belts and purses that doesn't cake or rub off? What step by step process should I be using and what are the best dyes (specifically black) should I use?

An answer would be greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards.

At some point, dying leather...especially dying leather black... has given most of us fits. I've only gotten two or three crans (tips) on doing it, and they seem to work well.

First, it is mostly the tanning process or its salts in the leather that is turning your dye away. Cut out a small chunk of the hide, and see if using degreasers on it makes for a smooth finish. You'll have to oil it to prevent it from drying out in this case.

Second, use oil based dye and not alcohol based dye. Lately, with the gunbelts I make, I have taken to neatsfoot oiling the crap out of my piece before I dye it. I've been told that the oil in the surface helps spread the dye more evenly, but I have found also that there is less of that white haze and rub-off when doing it that way.

Thirdly, stop using bottled dye altogether. I wrote a piece earlier this year on making black dye by stuffing a load of fine steel wool into a clean glass jar and then saturating it with white vinegar. Let it stand for a day or two and then pour it out into another clean glass jar with a tight lid. Over time, when stored in a moderate temperature in a place removed from direct sunlight, it will darken veg tan into a deep charcoal grey with an amazingly even coat. This is a touchy-feely kind of thing because you also have to use a finish, usually a balm or an oil finish rather than a lacquer, that takes the dark grey into a black.

I have also found that buffing black leather is also a chore, and it is one of the few times I use a machine...essentially the fan motor from an old forced air furnace driving a buffing brush, a sander and a burnisher at 1700 RPM's will almost burnish the good dye in and exorcise that evil stuff that rubs off.

Hope this helps, and...

Don't shoot yore eye out, kid

The Capgun Kid